I have a 2013 Volkswagen CC that I know has a bad strut on the driver rear side and passenger front side. Will this cause my car to sway in the wind? I always thought the struts would only control the bounce up and down on bumps but don’t know for sure. If I got new sway bars or seay bar bushings will this fix the issue or will I need to replace the struts to fix this?
The shocks within the strut assembly are supposed to quickly dampen and stop movement in the suspension of the car. Within a bounce or two. Bumps, wind, going up and down hills... all create motion in the suspension. Worn shocks don't dampen the motion very well. The car will actually keep moving (what you feel as "swaying") until friction in the coil springs and the remaining dampening ability of the shocks can stop it. Think of Uncle Buck, when John Candy is driving the old boat from the 70s. His rear end constantly bounces up and down, that's a symptom of bad shocks. Without shocks, your car will just bounce as it goes down the road. It's actually extremely dangeous. You need to replace your shocks or the entire strut assembly. Use OEM or better quality. Replace all 4 if the bad assemblies are on opposing axles.
The reason your car moves around in the wind is because your car has the aerodynamics of a cinder block.
hold up a sheet of plywood or folding table in the wind and you'll quickly see why
