Winter roads can weaken coil springs

Don’t chance it, fit TRW OE

With winter fast approaching, TRW is urging us to fit OE quality coil springs as a safety measure. Salt and grit from the roads mixes to form a perfect grinding paste between the coil spring and the spring seat. This causes the spring to corrode at a faster rate or even break; with breakage usually occurring at the lower end of the spring where road debris has accumulated.

“As coil springs support the weight of the vehicle, they have to be strong and durable,” explained TRW expert, Denis Poncet. “Strength is measured in part by the number of springs, but the VMs drive to increase functionality without adding component weight has given birth to high stress components with relatively few coils. So the need to incorporate other technologies and design traits is now fundamental.”

Safety critical part

Fitting replacements that differ to the OE characteristics can destroy vehicle ride and handling and affect braking performance. Worn springs can affect a vehicle’s braking performance by up to five per cent and a broken spring can puncture a tyre.

TRW’s message is simple – don’t risk failure. Get your springs checked as part of your annual service and replace with OE quality.

• The TRW programme is 100% OE quality
• And has a large range of Miniblock springs combining taper wire with a rugby ball shape to give a progressive spring rate (it becomes progressively stronger the more it is compressed).