Spring has sprung - safe to drive?

[Pupp]

Goona II - just sat outside fixing my pushbike (how apt), when there was a loud metallic clang from my parked car, which then seemed to be sitting low on the offside front corner. Know these are a bit springy so suspect I'll find the bottom turn or so will have sheared on the spring on that side when I investigate properly. Assuming I can retrieve the broken off length, and assuming the remainder is located securely in its shoe (maybe assuming too much), safe to drive steadily to a garage, or is it likely to be a recovery/rerpair at home job? Hate springs

[Trevo]

I wouldn't recommend driving it at all. Try taking the wheel and see if theres any instant damage you can see and go from there!

[Mr2Mike]

If the spring is still seated nicely it will be ok, there are probably tens of thousands of car driving around with broken springs. However, it's possible for the spring to slip sideways on the seat and present a jagged edge to the inside of the tyre wall with predictable consequences, so make sure!

[Pupp]

Spent the afternoon fixing the shed... spring had sheared about 3 inches from bottom end and then again 3 inches further up still, ie two broken lengths were retrieved. The very botton break was clearly an 'old' fracture that had finally given up completely (judging by the discolouring on the break; the one further up was clean all the way through, so I am guessing the first one went, the car dropped and the shock/load did for the second. The spring was completely out of its seat and the raggy and was against the wheel/tyre back so was no chance of driving. The springs on this car are sort of beehive profile, with the middles wound way fatter than the turns either end.

For once, an easy enough job to replace even if the spring compressors made me wince a tad as they needed pulling right up to get the strut back together. Hardest bit was getting the bloody placcie cover off the inner wing/top mount.

So (117k miles and counting), next month's failure will be....