Check Your Car’s Springs to Support Proper Suspension
Your car is on a regular schedule for oil changes, fluid checks, and engine and tire maintenance, right? That’s good, but you might want to ask an automotive professional to see how your suspension, specifically how your car’s springs are doing, too.
“If the tires on your car are the only components that come into contact with the asphalt, think of your suspension as the ‘hardware’ that locates the tires. That makes it pretty important. Springs are one of two major components in your suspension, along with shock absorbers,” according to Scott Huntington, National Motorists Association’s (NMA) guest blogger and owner of OfftheThrottle.com.
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According to Huntington, springs are responsible for keeping your car’s lateral movement correct—in other words, if your vehicle is tilting too much in either direction, your springs are worn and should be replaced.
“Body roll equals weight transfer, and when you have a car leaning dramatically to one side, handling can get unpredictable. Worn suspension can become self-destructive,” reports Huntington. “A spring that is already bottomed out can’t absorb forces placed on your car from imperfections in the road. Those forces help shake loose the fasteners that hold the rest of your car together.”
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Although springs need attention, you can pretty much ignore regular maintenance on them for approximately 100,000 miles, according to Huntington. (Of course, if you sense trouble, as with any car-related issue, seek assistance from a professional mechanic as soon as possible).
“You probably won’t need to replace them until around 150,000 or even 200,000 miles. As with all car parts, these numbers can change depending on the life the car has,” according to Huntington. “Maybe you drive off-road frequently or use your car as a weekend warrior at the track. In cases like this, your springs are enduring forces the average car doesn’t, and you will most likely need to replace them at lower mileage than you would for a car not subjected to this type of treatment.”
It might be a while before you’re due for a new set of springs, but in order to keep your car operating as efficiently as possible, remember to add this maintenance check to your car care’s to-do list.
News Source: National Motorists Association
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