My front springs were looking a little worse for the wear, so I'm experimenting with some aftermarket replacements meant for a Ford. They comparable in dimensions and spring rates, so we'll see how they work out once I get the car back together.

 

The original springs have closed, ground ends. Those new ones are much different, any concerns there or do you have a way to address that?

 

The new ones are tangential, not entirely that different.

I have a set of ramped spring isolators that are in the mail (generic photo shown) which will level the spring and also help fine tune ride height.

 

Where did you find them please and what size do you need?

 

I’m surprised you are replacing the original springs just because of some minor surface rust. I would think an hour’s work with a wire brush and a lick of paint would make them look smart again. The free heights look equal in your video so neither appear to have lost strength. Seems like an unnecessary expense to replace them but you alluded to a previous bad experience so perhaps you would like to tell us your reasoning?

 

The springs are a safety critical item. Although I could "paint it black and put it back", any little bit of rust I missed will continue to grow and cause pitting in the steel. The twisting action of the wire cycling weakens the corroded steel, which eventually breaks. I have had this happen on a 2000 Subaru Outback, a 2009 BMW 335i, and 2016 BMW X5, all of which were driven in winter, and a 1998 BMW 323i, which was not. Since I drive my family around in the car during the nice weather months, spending $100 on new springs is a good investment. If I were not removing the springs to replace the suspension bushings, would I have replaced the springs just because? Probably not. But since they were out and sitting on the garage floor, it was an easy decision.

Here is a generic photo of a broken spring - you can see how a crack formed due to corrosion, which caused the crack to get worse. This spring is in far better shape than mine.

 

Greg, I buy most of my parts from www.rockauto.com which is based here in the States. They have no storefronts and only ship from warehouses, which allows them to maintain very competitive pricing, many times less than local parts stores. I just looked up spring isolators for the same application as the Moog springs I bought, which is for a 2002 Ford Escape with a 2.0 4 cylinder engine. The springs/isolators are for the front axle.

 

Thanks; I look forward to hearing how they perform.