‘Bottoming out’ vehicles cause accidents – now there’s an answer

Motorists carrying extra weight in their vehicles risk being involved in serious road accidents. As a vehicle’s rear suspension ‘bottoms out’ steering control is lost, brakes become ineffective and raised headlights blind other drivers too.

Any vehicle can suffer from ‘bottoming out’. All vehicles can turn in to a death trap in an instant by carrying extra weight. Motorists that tow, tradesmen, cars with lowered suspension or a motorist on a family holiday are common culprits. These vehicles ‘thud’ and ‘bang’ as they drive over speed bumps. This should be enough to deter the driver but most drive on regardless – risking damaging their vehicle and being involved in a serious accident.

Mark Cornwall of Car Parts Direct said, "At this time of year it is especially common to find holiday makers with overloaded vehicles being involved in an accident. With just a little preparation thousands of accidents could be avoided and some lives saved."

Mail order specialist, Carparts-direct.co.uk has produced a range of easy-to-fit products designed to upgrade a vehicle’s suspension, improve the vehicle ride, handling, performance and prevent ‘bottoming out’.

The range includes the Rossini suspension muscle kit - rubber inserts that slide between the rear coil springs. They are designed to prevent damage from speed bumps and prevent the rear of the vehicle sagging. Fitting is easy; simply jack up the back of the vehicle and slip the rubbers in to the coil springs – no tools are required. At a cost of around £35 it’s the most cost effective solution.

The better solution is their range of Rossini auxiliary suspension springs. These are special progressive rate coil springs that are designed to maintain a level ride height when weight is added to the vehicle. They are a semi–DIY job to fit, taking about an hour, and cost around a £100 depending on the make of vehicle.

Once fitted, both the Rossini suspension rubbers and the spring kit can be left in place as they only operate when loads are added.

The ultimate solution recommended by Car Parts Direct is a pair of heavy duty shock absorbers fitted with a pair of Rossini auxiliary springs.

Car Parts Direct is offering an extra 15% discount on all pairs of shock absorbers purchased up until the end of September. Over 4,000 shock absorbers plus the full Rossini suspension range is available at carparts-direct.co.uk