What happens to suspension springs as they age?

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rc51kid

rc51kid

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What happens as springs age? I have a set of springs that came off my friends truck. unknown mileage and age. We think they might be 850/863 but cant tell for sure. the tags are long gone and most of the finish is worn off.

What happens as the springs age and acquire mileage? Do we just see a shorter free length or do we see a decrease in spring rate as well? Is it worth installing these and seeing if i end up with the 2" lift i want or is it likely the rate is squishy and soft from being old? I know it is kind of a open ended question. But i am just trying to see what you guys think

Just some back ground. I have a 80 with M1200, dual batt, ALUMINUM TJM front bumper, sliders, roof rack, 4X4 labs rear swing out bumper. Using 861/862 with 40mm spacers and would like to add about 1" of hight. So i was thinking 850/860 or maybe even 850J up front.

are used springs worth playing with or are they usually just clapped out after they are a few years old on these heave trucks?
 
Aftermarket springs have a higher spring rate than stock, should last longer. Changing springs is pretty easy, I'd slap 'em on and see what you get.
 
Just replaced a broken front spring on mine with a new pair of stock size/rate. Gained around 3/4 inch height across the front, car drives the same as before. I think the springs just 'give in' after many years, giving a drop in height and rate. This is the second front spring in 7 years that has failed. No reason to assume they are not original, done well for 20 plus years.

Regards

Dave
 
Last edited:
A coil spring doesn't experience friction. If it is still fully load bearing, then it is a functional equivalent of a new spring with the same specs.
 
Nay said:
A coil spring doesn't experience friction. If it is still fully load bearing, then it is a functional equivalent of a new spring with the same specs.
Click to expand...

Sorry lost me with that.......friction?

Regards

Dave
 
A coil spring is a single wind. It doesn't experience friction like a leaf spring, so there really isn't anything to "age" it from use as long as the spring isn't over compressed.

So unless there is some defect in the coil, the answer to the original question is "nothing".
 
Not a spring expert but, I have seen dozens of vehicles 'sagging' over the years, a new set of springs and ride height is restored, so the springs must weaken as they age right?

I just replaced the two fronts on my 80 (one was broken), stock OE and gained height sooooooo?

Regards

Dave
 
My rig is sitting on stock springs at the moment. It is down 2" on height although some of this is due to the front Arb and rear 4x4 dual. The ride at the moment is horrible. It almost feels like i have no suspension at all. Not sure how much is due to 24 year old springs and how much is due to weight. Either way I can't wait to get my new toughdog stuff fitted later in the month.
 
Down 2" on height will probably have you sitting on the bump stops, in particular the front. Lean under and check the clearence between the stop and axle. Guessing this might be the reason for the poor ride?

Regards

Dave
 
Dave 2000 said:
Not a spring expert but, I have seen dozens of vehicles 'sagging' over the years, a new set of springs and ride height is restored, so the springs must weaken as they age right?

I just replaced the two fronts on my 80 (one was broken), stock OE and gained height sooooooo?

Regards

Dave
Click to expand...

Sure. People upgrade to heavier duty and higher quality coils for a reason.

Plenty of OEM coils were designed with much lighter duty specs than what they get subjected to over time. Take a look at 3rd gen 4Runner coils where those rigs all eventually sag in the rear. That's not a crazy light truck and those rear coils are like coat hanger duty.

The OP was asking about OME springs, and while I think OME has had serious quality control issues in the past (hence their 10mm trim packers to make up for production variances that they merrily refer to as "settling"), if I put a set of used ones on my rig and they were level and at ride height spec, I wouldn't expect an age related deterioration since the load design is proper to the use intention of the vehicle.

One final potential thing to note is that many suspensions are over biased to up travel, and this will cause repeated over compression of the coil. It doesn't take too much imagination to think about the effects of this over time vs. suspension travel designed to be in the center of the spring travel design.

If you changed the title of the thread to "what happens when OME sells me the same shock from a zero to 3" lift" then you'd start getting somewhere because the effect of that parts bin design isn't neutral.
 
...
 
rc51kid said:
What happens as springs age? I have a set of springs that came off my friends truck. unknown mileage and age. We think they might be 850/863 but cant tell for sure. the tags are long gone and most of the finish is worn off.

What happens as the springs age and acquire mileage? Do we just see a shorter free length or do we see a decrease in spring rate as well? Is it worth installing these and seeing if i end up with the 2" lift i want or is it likely the rate is squishy and soft from being old? I know it is kind of a open ended question. But i am just trying to see what you guys think

Just some back ground. I have a 80 with M1200, dual batt, ALUMINUM TJM front bumper, sliders, roof rack, 4X4 labs rear swing out bumper. Using 861/862 with 40mm spacers and would like to add about 1" of hight. So i was thinking 850/860 or maybe even 850J up front.

are used springs worth playing with or are they usually just clapped out after they are a few years old on these heave trucks?
Click to expand...
What happens is the material "relaxes" due to the repeated compression and extension. As the material microstructure moves farther apart, its internal stress diminish. The result is that the material softens and for a spring, this means that the spring rate decreases and the free length shortens. The result on the truck is that the stance is lower and the spring's ability to dampen the road vibrations lessens.
 
My truck had some ancient 863s with unknown miles, but probably 200k plus based on the visible appearance of the springs. Measured 3.5" lift by hub-fender, so that's pretty much zero sag.
 
Thanks for the information. I am usually the first guy to be critical of someone being a cheap ass. In this case i am being the cheap ass but maybe i will install these and see how they do.
 
Have you replaced your shocks?
 
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