soft springs?

[kissmyvtrse]

hi, just wondering if any one has ever had a problem with there lowering springs, the handling on my car had gone really crap, so i checked all over my car, long story short it feels like one of my front springs has gone soft as it is easy compressable with my hands compared to the other side and thats when its fitted?!?

ive heard of them snapping but not this?

any ideas?
thanks

[DanT]

Did you uprate the shock absorbers? If not then could be the reason you are experiencing shit handling.

[kissmyvtrse]

i dont believe so, as i bought the like it, ive owned the car for a year and a half and its only just gone like it over the last couple of weeks.

[AlexB]

the spring will be under compression
if it snaps it will extend and you will feel it seem softer as there is less pressure compressing it

whip the strut off and have a good look

[DanT]

Hmm, check your shocks arent leaking mate. They could be on the way out.

[AlexB]

dan
if hes saying he can compress the spring with his hand it wont be the shocks

the shock going makes the ride bouncy
not the springs (or just one) randomly go soft

im leaning towards a snapped spring

[redsaxo22]

i reckon shock is away. he prob just pushing down on wing. the car will feel softer with a knackered shock. bit bouncy?

[Barry123]

I'm going with damper failure too. if it's 'gone soft' the damper won't be damping

[DanT]

dan
if hes saying he can compress the spring with his hand it wont be the shocks

Hmmm im not sure if he took the springs off the car after them being on the car to begin with to find out if he can compress them easily or not.

the shock going makes the ride bouncy
not the springs (or just one) randomly go soft

Bouncy/SOFT/uncontrolled/not bilstein etc etc.

Sounds like a worn shock to me.

im leaning towards a snapped spring

Might well be but surely it would have had to have took an absolute beating over relatively short a time given they may well be newish springs. I think we all know what happens when you use quite probably already worn OE shocks with lowering springs.............

i reckon shock is away. he prob just pushing down on wing. the car will feel softer with a knackered shock. bit bouncy?

I would have thought so :D

I'm going with damper failure too. if it's 'gone soft' the damper won't be damping

Absolutely lol.

[AlexB]

i think its the way i read it tbh
seemed to me like he was saying squeezing the coils on the spring itself and one spring seemed softer than the other
if hes pushing on the car then yes damper but i read it as if he had his hand on the spring itself

[kissmyvtrse]

i still havent had time to have a gd look but hopefully i will at the weekend

if i push down on the suspect side on the wing it feels softer than the other side a diffinatly goes down further than the other side,
but if i bounce the suspect side asoon as i let go the car goes stiff like it should and doesnt wave about like a broken damper normally does

theres 100% no leak as ive look all around the damper( as much as you can see with out taking it all off)

thanks for ideas but im still confused lol

[kissmyvtrse]

when i say i can compress the spring by hand, i literally mean i can get my hands on the spring and compress it and thats with all the weight of the car.

[DanT]

You need to take the shock out to be sure mate. Why not use that situation as an opportunity to get yourself some new ones.

Apex are good ones for relatively little money.

[KamRacing]

i'm eering towards the damper being the cause too. Springs don't fail that often these days.. some do more than other though

[kissmyvtrse]

right, ive took the old springs off,i checked the dampers, i checked the bumbstops and bearing caps all fine, ive now put the new springs on and its perfect, on comparing both springs one has deffinatly gone softer some how, i can litteraly hold it in my hands and push it against my chest and it compresses about 30-40 more than the other spring off the other side, they are a pair and not two different springs and had been on my car since i bought it a year and a half ago and had only gone dodgy a couple of weeks ago.

thanks for your input peolpe, but deffinatly a wierd one