Richard Pilfold -C.S.C.C. BSP 240Z
"rpilfold@gdmoore.com"
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eric Linnhoff [SMTP:eric10mm@qni.com]
> Sent: Monday, March 29, 1999 1:38 PM
> To: autocross
> Subject: Do springs ever wear out?
>
> How-dee all.
>
> How do you tell when your suspension springs are on their last legs?
>
> I'd like to keep my Neon's handling as close to new for as long as
> possible and am curious as to just how long the factory coil
> suspension
> springs should last before they are no longer as stiff as they used to
> be. How 'bout the Konis that I just installed? How do I tell when
> they
> start going away? And the bushings?
>
> Springs will slowly sag over the years and one day, when you are old
> and gray, all the coils will sit down on top of one another and your
> cars
> suspension will be solid. You will know when this occurs:-)
> The stiffness of a spring stays constant throughout its useful life.
> You
> can stiffen a spring by cutting off coils, but you cannot make a
> spring
> less stiff.
> When your car drives down the road like a pogo stick its shocks
> are shot. If it does this but stays going in a straight line the
> bushings
> are probably still doing their job, but clonking noises and the car
> holds the road like a bar of soap you've got trouble with your under
> carriage:-P
>
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