Need new SPRINGS

[Lanuza_fox]

I just bought new tires and was told that the old ones wore out quickly because the spring are done and all the weight was put on the struts.

Is there a differnece in quality with the spring I would get at Autozone, O'Reilly Auto Parts, or Pepboys VS going to the Toyota Dealership? Does anyone know of a place where I can get quality parts here in SouthernCalifornia?

One thing the guy at the shop said was that if the current springs lasted 17years I sould just go to Toyota and get them there. Would the springs they sell me be of the same quality as the ones it was originally equipped with?

[Bitter]

if the struts are original then they're done as well, just get the quick struts. strut, spring, top plate, and isolators all assembled and ready to install as one part.

[PhatRoyale]

Do you plan on lowering your car?

[h0yitsdom]

i can't say much about other stores other then autozone, but the autozone ones, duralast, come with a lifetime warranty on the springs. you should also probably replace your struts at the same time, which also come with a lifetime warranty at autozone on the gabriels

[PatrickGSR94]

Was the car visibly lopsided or one or more corners sitting lower than normal? If not, you probably got fed a bunch of BS about all the weight of the car on the struts. Unless the struts are physically bottomed out such that they cannot be compressed anymore (i.e. that corner of the car is much lower than the others) then the struts are absolutely NOT carrying the weight of the car.

Does the car feel or ride bouncy at all? Your struts may be done but I'm willing to bet your springs are still fine.

[gold94corolla]

If you do need new parts, I think Monroe sells the quick strut assemblies. But if your shocks are all shot, then your car is probably riding pretty low, and you'll want to keep it that way. Go with KYB GR-2s and Tein S-Techs from Ebay and you're golden!!

But I've never heard of springs going bad, usually it is the struts since they blow/leak.

[trife96]

Springs don't normally go bad...unless they are weighed down excessively and for long periods at a time. Springs are designed to return to there original length and do a good job at doing that for a long time with little or no decrease in length. But depending on your budget and what you plan to do with your car...ugrading wouldn't be a bad idea. But imo, don't just replace the springs

[Lanuza_fox]

When I replace the struts around 2years ago I went with Gabriels from Autozone.

The struts on the car were shot when I replaced them; I would push down on the rod and it wouldn't go back up at all. I used it with the struts shot for like a year and I don't know how long the previous owner had it like that, so I think thats why the springs went bad.

I don't plan to lower it.

The car does not look lopsided.

I may go with the AutoZone ones because of the warranty and they're a little less than $200 but still have to check with Toyota how much they are there

[speedy25]

Originally Posted by trife96

Springs don't normally go bad...

Well thats right... sort of...!

So why do they break?

Metallurgy 101

Ferrous alloys when stressed become harder as the stress continues. If you need something to test, grap a piece of sheet metal and start bending it back and forth. It will get harder and harder until it breaks. Springs are no different. While they may look OK, miles of wear have made them harder, so the spring rate is higher and the ride sucks!

If you got the bucks, and your car is high miles, get some new ones.

Just to add to the thread- I have had troubles with Gabriel products coming apart. One strut let loose on a fast curve and I almost became a statistic. I DONT recommend them.

-SP