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RE: Do springs ever wear out?

To: "'Richard Pilfold'" <rpilfold@gdmoore.com>,
Subject: RE: Do springs ever wear out?
From: Rick Cone <conekiller@cwix.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 20:23:16 -0500
 >You
> can stiffen a spring by cutting off coils, but you cannot make a
> spring
> less stiff.

You most certainly make a spring less stiff.... Heat it up with a blow 
torch dump it in Ice water... Repeat. Repeat. Repeat And the spring will be 
less stiff because the metal is not as strong....  Weaker metal, softer 
springs.

Rick


-----Original Message-----
From:   Richard Pilfold [SMTP:rpilfold@gdmoore.com]
Sent:   Monday, March 29, 1999 8:05 PM
To:     'Eric Linnhoff'
Cc:     'autox@autox.team.net'
Subject:        RE: Do springs ever wear out?



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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