Comparing The Different Types of Springs

The springs in your vehicle aren’t something you regularly think about. Then when a problem occurs or you decide to upgrade suspension, then springs come to mind. But what do the springs in your vehicle really do? Vehicle springs play a vital part on the suspension system of your vehicle.

Not only do they keep a vehicle at a designated standing height, they provide recoil necessary to bounce back after suspension components move up and down over uneven road surfaces. On their own spring will continue to bounce up and down for a long time unless a motion damper such as a shock absorber is present to keep things stable. Springs can be soft and extremely bouncy, or they can be stiffer and less bounce-prone.

Coil Springs

Coil springs are generally made form hardened and tempered steel and are typically found in spiral shaped formation. Many cars and vehicles such as pickups and SUVs now use coil springs in both their fronts and rears.

Most coil springs are available in firm, soft or variable spring rates. Coil springs are regularly used are their variable rate offer the most flexibility when it comes to springs. As weight is added, the spring rate becomes stiffer to increase stability without the ill effects of bouncing, and it prevents the ride height from dropping significantly. For performance-oriented cars with a low ride height, variable rate springs allow better absorption of bumps during normal street use, then become stiffer around turns to reduce body roll during aggressive driving.

Leaf Springs

Leaf springs are one of the oldest types of spring available on the market and they are older than cars themselves. The leaf spring design is simple, and it’s made up from one or more lengths of arched spring steel. Each piece of arched steel is known as a leaf, and they may be stacked on top of each other and mounted above or below the axel beam. Leaf springs are used to support the weight of the vehicle and a way to secure the axel to the vehicles framework.

With a simple set setup, due the fewest amount of moving parts, leaf springs are much more durable meaning they don’t wear out as often as other types of vehicle springs. Unlike coil springs, leaves serve to keep the rear axle in place so the need for complex suspension linkages is eliminated. When a lot of weight is being carried, leaf springs spread the load out more evenly across the vehicle’s chassis than coil or torsion bar springs. Using a leaf spring will make the ride steadier and reduce the amount of work that shock absorbers do.

Torsions Bars

Torsion bars are designed so they don’t flatten out like leaf springs or compress like the coil spring. A narrow steel tube that is attached to the vehicles arm controls the arms that twists along the vehicles axis, allowing it the vehicles suspension to travel up and down.

Because torsion bars are very space-efficient and take up much less overall volume, drive axles and other suspension components can be located where other types of springs would be in the way. Torsion bars allow vehicles height to be adjusted to the drivers set taste.