Video: What is Cavitation & How Does it Affect Shock Absorber Performance?

You hear the term “cavitation” a lot in context with shock absorbers. But what does it mean?

Wikipedia describes cavitation as:

“A phenomenon in which rapid changes of pressure in a liquid lead to the formation of small vapor-filled cavities in places where the pressure is relatively low.”

Yeah. That definition didn’t really clear things up for us—which is why we loved this video from the folks over at Bilstein.

Thanks to a transparent shock tube, the video clearly demonstrates what cavitation is. In a shade under a minute, you’ll see why it happens and, more importantly, you’ll understand why you don’t want it happening in your shocks. (You’ll also learn about the importance of shock pressurization.)

Combined with some ambient Europop music, it’s eerily mesmerizing too. Give it a watch and see for yourself.