julie using jonathans log in
can any one please tell me how bump stops work?

If you hit the bump stops then basically you've reached the limit of the suspension travel. So basically they stop the wheel going too far into the arch, if they were'nt there you may damage the strut, or damper etc.

...and if you're hitting them, something is wrong!!

Matt :)

lol
that explains it really well

now put it in lay mans terms please

The damper/spring set up on your car will absorb a lot of movement as the wheel goes over a bump etc. What the spring cannot do is have a steep enough compression curve to give you a dead stop, so the manufacturer fits a bump stop. The spring rate of this is much higher than the suspension spring, so when the wheel travels up too far, the bump stop comes into play. They are either on the axle to come into contact which the body somewhere, or mounted on the body to touch the axle, depending on design. Not sure about subaru's yet.
Then Bump stop then absorbs the energy and the movement/upward travel is halted. It is the safety overide that the designer has put in to stop the wheel hitting the underside of the arch and ripping itself off.
The guy before is right. If your using them, someting is wrong. Either with the car, or the way you are using it, possibly both if your doing it a lot.