A strut is a shock absorber that is built into an assembly with the coil spring and the top mount, called a strut mount, see the illustration. A top strut mount connects the strut to the vehicle' s body or frame.

The strut mount is a bonded rubber bushing that separates the spring and shock absorber from the body. This dampening force is then absorbed by the vehicle chassis. This design eliminates pretension in the dampener mount, resulting in a smoother ride with less road noise.