What Do Coil Springs Actually Do?
Alright, so if you’ve ever driven along Te Rapa Road or hit a speed bump outside Waikato Hospital and wondered why your car doesn’t shake itself to bits, you can thank your coil springs. These guys sit underneath your car and they’re a huge part of your suspension. What they do is pretty simple – they squash down and spring back, soaking up all those nasty bumps and potholes you hit driving around Hamilton or out towards Cambridge and Morrinsville.
With good coil springs, your tyres actually stay glued to the road, even when it’s a bit rough out towards Ngaruawahia or if you’re ducking into Flagstaff and catch the edge of a kerb. It just means less rattling, better grip through corners, and driving doesn’t feel like a bone-shaker.
On top of that, fresh coil springs look after all the other bits – tyres, shocks, bushes, and sway bar links – making sure you get a smooth, safe ride and less wear elsewhere. If your car starts handling rough or you’re worried about a WOF, it’s worth getting your suspension checked out.
Learn more about how coil springs work >
How Do You Know Your Coil Springs Are Crook?
Coil springs eventually rust, weaken, or snap, especially with all the wet, foggy winters and hot, dry summers we get in the Waikato. Most common thing we see in the workshop? People coming in for a WOF or a service on their Nissan Tiida, Toyota Camry, or even the odd Peugeot 308, and the car’s sitting a bit off-kilter. Here’s what else to watch for:
- Car leaning or sagging; One side sitting lower than the other? Could be a snapped or tired spring. Is your Honda Fit suddenly tilting after driving some of those pothole-ridden back streets near Rototuna?
- Too much bounce; You go over a bump on Kahikatea Drive and the car bounces like a trampoline. The springs just aren’t soaking things up anymore.
- Weird noises; Any clunking, rattling, or squeaks from underneath, especially when you steer or hit a bump. We had a customer in a Suzuki Swift last week, drove in sounding like an old armchair. Quick look – busted spring rattling about.
- Strange tyre wear; One edge of your tyres disappearing way quicker than the other, especially on Mazda Axelas and Ford Mondeos – classic busted coil symptom.
- Nosediving or scraping; Feels like your car’s going to faceplant every time you brake hard by the Base or over the railway crossings in Frankton? The springs are too soft and you might even hear the chassis scraping – which does no good for your engine or transmission bits underneath.
Why Good Coil Springs Actually Matter
If your coil springs are giving up, it’s not something you want to put off. You don’t want your Subaru Outback bottoming out and chewing through tyres or suspension parts. Here’s the thing – leaving bad springs can wreck all the other good bits in your suspension, cost you a fortune down the track, and even get your car flagged at a WOF check.
Why Replace Your Coil Springs?
- Much better ride and handling – just ask anyone who’s done the Te Awamutu run with new springs; night and day difference.
- Safer to drive – especially when you’re dodging potholes or braking hard in the winter rain along Avalon Drive.
- Way comfier – Don’t get tossed about every time there’s a speed hump or railway crossing.
- Longer tyre life – New springs stop that uneven tyre wear, so you’re not forking out again soon for replacements.
- Better for everything else under there – Shocks, struts, and all those suspension bits last longer if the springs are right.
Car Coil Spring Replacement Hamilton – We’ve Got You
If you reckon your car’s riding rough or you’ve copped a comment at your last WOF Hamilton check, swing by Grimmer Motors. We sort coil spring replacement for anything from old-school Honda Odysseys to European hybrids – even the odd SsangYong out from Tamahere. Our techs have seen it all, and we only use springs built to cope with the unique pounding NZ roads dish out.
Don’t leave it till you’re scraping around town. Get your springs sorted and keep your car comfy, safe, and WOF-legal. For new car coil and suspension springs around Hamilton, pop in or give us a bell.