ps. no crappy comments about walking to bee gees music and shoving a knife in a toaster thanks.

A strut is a structural piece designed to resist pressure in the direction of its length. On typical "MacPherson Strut" use, the shock absorber is built into the strut. Most shock absorber struts are hydraulic units. Some MacPherson systems used on Ford vehicles are equipped with low-pressure, gas-filled shock struts. They are nonadjustable and nonrefillable. Like the hydraulic shock struts, faulty units must be replaced as an assembly. Another similar front suspension system is called the "hydraulic shock strut." This strut serves as a shock absorber and replaces the upper control arm. The coil spring, however, is located between the lower control arm and the body structure instead of being mounted directly on the strut.

a device that converts motion into heat, usually by forcing oil through small internal passages in a tubular housing. Used primarily to dampen suspension oscillations, shock absorbers respond to motion; their effects, therefore, are most obvious in transient maneuvers. Shock absorbers have no effect during steady-state conditions