Coil Springs – no comfortable driving could be possible without these spiral parts in the suspension system. Coil springs determine the height of your vehicle, as well as ensure stability and smoothness during the ride. Hardened and tempered steel is used to manufacture coil springs in most modern vehicles. An additional coating is usually installed that protects it from deteriorating and rusting caused by elements and weather conditions.
Usually, the vehicle has four coil springs, one for each wheel, installed around shock absorbers that in turn are attached to struts. If the vehicle doesn’t have struts, shock absorbers and coil springs would be installed separately.
Do Coil Springs Require Maintenance?
Coil springs are one of many parts in the vehicle that are designed to ideally last a lifetime and require no maintenance. You don’t have to wash, clean, or check up on them without reason. But if the breakage happened, which is unlikely but possible, the replacement is necessary without a doubt!
Why Do Coil Springs Break?
Although almost all coil springs, except defective or low-quality ones, are manufactured to be highly durable with lifelong expected service, some conditions can cause early breakage.
The main enemies of coil springs are excessive and constant overloading and bad road condition. For example, huge and deep potholes, high rocks, and consistent off-road driving will increase the wear-off. If your vehicle isn’t manufactured for hard work with huge weight loading or off-road surfaces, coil springs may be damaged from these factors. The damage may happen suddenly or accumulate over time.
Excessive moisture and prolonged contact with water provide the risk of rust and deterioration of the metal material of the coil springs. This is especially relevant for coil springs without protective coating or if it was somehow damaged. Without a protective coating, the coil spring is just a bare piece of metal vulnerable to wet conditions.
Also, the older the vehicle, the more worn out are coil springs, so as time goes on, they become more vulnerable and prone to breakage. Old coil springs also aren’t as high, meaning that the vehicle will get lower the more the coil spring wears off. That is why, if you buy an older vehicle but plan to use it for a long time, some upgrades and customization may be necessary, and upgraded coil springs may be on the list of what will make your old car better.
Identifying Broken Coil Spring: Common Signs
When something is wrong in the lower part of your vehicle’s system, you will have to understand the signs that point to a broken coil spring. Here are some of them.
1. One of the main symptoms you’ll notice that indicates the broken Coil Spring is the sagging corner of the vehicle. Since the broken coil spring won’t function properly and maintain the height, the corresponding side of the vehicle will look noticeably lower than the other sides. This symptom comes along with reduced stability during driving and unnatural noises.
2. Bouncing is another easily noticeable sign of a broken coil spring. Healthy coil springs work as stabilizers that prevent the vehicle from bouncing on the bumps, potholes, and other imperfections of the road. If at least one of the coil springs breaks, you’ll feel a significant decrease in the vehicle’s stability on the road. Problems with stability can also feel like shaking and it may get worse over time as the breakage gets worse.
3. Uneven tire wear is one of the signs that appear only after some time. The suspension system keeps the wheels balanced on the road. A broken coil spring, even if not completely snapped, will affect the balancing of the wheels, so the tires will wear unevenly. It is not a reliable symptom to identify the coil spring breakage, so if you’re not sure what to look for – check it with professional car mechanics.
4. Unnatural noises could be other symptoms of a broken coil spring. This sign is a very serious indication of some breakage in the vehicle and it means that you have to stop driving, because it may be unsafe for you, your vehicle, and other people on the road. The sound of a broken coil spring resembles rattling or shaking.
5. Noises while turning may indicate that a broken coil spring is touching and scratching against some other part of the vehicle.
How Dangerous Is It to Drive with a Broken Coil Spring?
Let’s imagine you’ve heard the loud clang, and felt that something in your vehicle has broken. You look behind the wheel and find out that the coil spring broke. Now you aren’t sure how to proceed. Can you keep driving? Should you call a tow truck? Can you drive to the car service on your own?
The answer is: you can drive if only one of the coil springs has broken, but only to get to the garage or car service. It means short distance travels with low speed. Here are things to remember if the coil spring has broken down and you’re in the middle of the road.
- Avoid rocks, speed bumps, and potholes. These can damage the suspension system more, and you can lose control because of any road imperfection.
- Don’t accelerate or push the brake pedal too hard or suddenly. Make turns slowly and carefully.
- Drive slowly, and avoid accelerating too much, the risk of losing control is too high.
Ignoring the breakage and postponing the repairs may lead to dislodging from the remaining part of the suspension system, therefore leading to more serious and costly damages. Pieces of the broken coil spring can pierce through other parts of the vehicle or pop a tire. They can get stuck on something, damaging or obstructing the proper vehicle’s work, or they can fly out and hit other vehicles.
When one of the coil springs is broken, the wheel attached to it loses proper contact with the road, reducing braking efficiency and control. This can result in a road accident. Also, driving with this breakage is illegal and can lead to serious consequences if you’ll get into an accident – you would most probably be at fault.
How Much Does It Cost to Replace the Broken Coil Spring?
The average, medium-quality coil spring would cost you somewhere between one hundred and four hundred dollars, including additional parts. But the labor could cost you even more, between two hundred and five hundred dollars. Surely, if you have some experience and the necessary tools, you could make the replacement yourself. But if you have no idea what to do, better not take the chances and visit the car service for a proper fix.
Is It True That Coil Springs Have to be Replaced in Pairs?
It is true for a vehicle that was in use for at least two years. If a vehicle is relatively new and coil springs haven’t been worked out as much, only one broken coil spring can be changed without touching the other. This should be evaluated by a professional car mechanic.
If the vehicle is old and only one coil spring has been broken, the other pair has to be changed too without exceptions. If one of the coil springs is new, and the other in the pair is old, the balance between wheels would be incorrect leading to uneven tire wear, low-level control and stability on the road, and a higher risk of breakages or accidents.
How Would You Benefit from Upgrading Your Coil Springs?
Even if your coil springs didn’t break, there may be some advantages in upgrading them to better ones, especially if they are old.
1. New coil spring of better quality and performance would significantly improve your suspension system. This means the driving experience would be much more comfortable while your vehicle’s health from the suspension side would be better protected. If your coil springs were old before replacing, you’ll see how your vehicle would rise a little with the new ones, making it look proud and energetic.
2. Replacing your old coil springs even before they break down can really prevent unnecessary expenses. At the moment of breakage, as a domino effect, other parts of your vehicle can break too, so understanding when your coil springs are too old may really save you a lot of money.
3. Healthy coil springs reduce the stress put on the tires, extending their time of service. Therefore, working together, coil springs and tires create perfect grip with the road, maneuverability and control, and stability needed for a comfortable ride.
4. It is also a good opportunity to upgrade from the standard coil springs to high-performance heavy-duty coil springs designed for off-road, high loading rate, or sport-style driving.
