Fibreglass Coil Springs

Wow ! I could not believe it when I first heard about the new development in automotive coil springs.

So, Coil springs have always been one of the most likely components to fail the British MOT test. Because, they are stuck beneath our cars. Subsequently, are open to everything that the elements and the roads have to throw at them. After all that they are expected to help take the strain off the car. Of course, when going over bad bumpy roads and also cornering and generally helping our cars give the owners a comfortable ride.

The springs are open to rusting and at the same time cope with the horrendous roads, full of potholes and generally in bad condition. The coil springs usually meet their end when the car does drive over a pothole and one of the coil springs breaks. Some rattle and bang but some break off at the top or bottom and are not detected until the dreaded MOT test or they are sometimes spotted on a service.

Coil springs have been around ever since I can remember and much longer

But now there is a new kid on the block, a coil spring made out of glass fibre and epoxy resin (FRP). These new springs are everything that the old steel versions are not. They are weather proof, this means that they will not rust and they are chemical proof and almost unbreakable. The other added bonus is that they weigh a lot less than the conventional steel counterparts. The FRP springs also consume much less energy than their steel cousins.

This new technology has been developed by the Sogefi Group who are very well known for their innovations and new developments in the Auto industry and have now come out with this excellent coil spring product that I am sure will sweep the world and replace the steel counterparts. The Sogefi group have specifically set out to create a replacement product of the steel coil spring and come out with something that is half the weight, which along with other lighter materials will help cars to become more Eco-friendly, with less fuel consumption than when fitted with the conventional steel coil springs. Another plus point for the FRP coil springs will be the fact that they can be mass produced.

I am not sure that it will be a good thing for our garage businesses

As replacing the coil springs one of the main Suspension Parts, is part of our bread and butter income, but if this helps the consumer, which I am sure it will then I am all for progress and moving forward . I must admit I have noticed that the steel made coil

springs seem to have being getting thinner in stature and not as robust as the ones that we have been replacing and so it might be time for a change and who knows if they do break on impact . Because they made of glass fibre and epoxy resin, then they may just be repairable. This material has been around for some time now and is very flexible and repairable. I was also wondering if we would still have to use our Coil Spring Compressors. So, to remove and fit a replacement spring? probably. I also wonder if our replacement spring suppliers will have to keep both types of Springs Manufacturer products in stock and will one replace the other?

Ford KA in for suspected broken coil springs.

This leads me onto my next little snippet. About a car that was left with us the other day . So, with a knocking noise coming from the front of his car. The car was an old style Ford KA 1.3, 2006 with a petrol engine. The noise wasn’t easy to find ! Happily, we found that a broken spring was the culprit. When I have read about the new style FRP Replacement Coil Springs. I cannot find where it tells us about their strength. Hence or whether or not they will outperform the steel ones. But changing the steel spring has certainly become good business for us. So only time will tell.

We got permission to change the broken spring from our customer and the job was done, the KA was picked up later that day and our customer went home a happy man.