Tech Question - Heavy Duty Coils

Q -Kind of a follow up question to last week's email question, Ken from Lancaster, CA wrote and said he went to the local auto parts store and told them he wanted to raise his car about an Inch or two and they sold him heavy duty coil springs. But when he installed them the car sat at about the same height. Of course he asked why?

A - While it may make sense that replacing stock springs with heavy duty springs would make a car sit higher, this is not what will happen.

Springs, coil and leaf, are designed to carry and support a certain amount of weight at a certain height. Stock springs support normal factory weights at normal factory ride height.

Heavy duty springs are designed to carry more weight but at the same factory ride height.

In order to do this heavy duty coil springs normally will have thicker wire and are shorter than stock springs. Or the wire size may be the same size but there are less coils. The fewer coils, the stronger the spring.

Most auto part stores do not have the expertise to spec the proper spring needed to change the ride height of a vehicle. And auto part stores sell "one size fits all" type springs. Whenever you want to change the vehicles height or ride quality always deal with a source who knows and understands suspensions. It will be cheaper in the long run.- Mike