Must you replace in pairs
Discussion
Snapped coil spring, partners car she isent that bothered its just a run about.
Does it have to be replaced in pairs? In the past garages have never told me it should have both done but ive read on the web its reccomended.
Im more concerned about safety, will it be safe to drive with just the broken coil spring replaced?
Does it have to be replaced in pairs? In the past garages have never told me it should have both done but ive read on the web its reccomended.
Im more concerned about safety, will it be safe to drive with just the broken coil spring replaced?
Changing in pairs is best practice but not necessary. Why did it snap? If it was fatigue then the other spring probably isn't far off so it would be ideal to replace both at once. If she whacked kerb or something and that was the cause, then depending on how old the springs are you can probably change just one.
parabolica said:
Changing in pairs is best practice but not necessary. Why did it snap? If it was fatigue then the other spring probably isn't far off so it would be ideal to replace both at once. If she whacked kerb or something and that was the cause, then depending on how old the springs are you can probably change just one.
Not sure how old springs are but car is 8 years old, she goes over bumps quick so potentially caused by that i dont know, its snapped at the top of the spring if that makes any difference.She drives on the motorway most of the time or round town.
thebigmacmoomin said:
Why would you want a brand new spring on one side & a potentially old and knackered old one on the other side. As one would be old & worn, it would not feel the same nor would it react the same when needed over bumps etc.
I replaced a single spring on my wife's KA when it snapped and there was no difference in handling side to side so I would just replace the broken spring. BTW did the same on my roadster when a rear spring broke and it still handles the same as well. thebigmacmoomin said:
Why would you want a brand new spring on one side & a potentially old and knackered old one on the other side. As one would be old & worn, it would not feel the same nor would it react the same when needed over bumps etc.
Because unlike me my partner doesent really test the HANDLING of the car all that much. She just wants to spend the least on the car possible.I was mainly concerned from a safety point of view and 3 garages ive asked say its fine to do one side and i imagine there are thousands of non pistonheaders who have only replaced one and suffered no ill effects.
dieseluser07 said:
I was mainly concerned from a safety point of view
I'd have two concerns. If one spring has failed for no obvious reason then the other spring, presumably from the same batch, is also suspect.
If the new spring is not exactly the same length and stiffness as the old one on the other side then you can end up with a car that has weight jacking. You might not notice it in normal driving but it could give the car some alarming handling in an emergency stop situation.
Given how cheap springs are and how much work is involved in ruling out those two concerns, I think the normal advice to replace springs, dampers, brakes, tyres in pairs is appropriate here.
changing just one is acceptable in my opinion if the other is not ancient, the rates and heights will likely be different, far worse if you put an aftermarket spring with an OE spring, that's poor practice but loads of people do it. They're not exactly expensive parts in the great scheme of things are they, but the labour is something people wish to avoid especially if problematic bolts and working outside I guess.
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