What a MacPherson strut actually does
A MacPherson strut is coil, damper, and steering pivot in one tower that locates the hub. It is not just a shock. It is not the whole corner, and it is not AWD.
The front tire hits the driveway lip. The fender does not slap the wheel. Between them a single tower takes the hit — coil, damper, and the steering pivot stacked so the hub stays put.
That stack is the MacPherson strut. The coil carries the car. The tube is the damper. The top of the tube is a pivot in the inner fender. The bottom is the knuckle that holds the hub. Steer and the whole tower turns. A shock only damps. This one also locates the wheel.
It is not the whole suspension. A lower control arm still sets the bottom of the corner. It is not AWD. Drive can come through a CV joint in that same hub. The strut is the tower.
