Kilen

Cold weather contributes to coil spring failure

Whilst harsh cold weather may cause disruption for drivers, it also leads to increased sales opportunities, especially for coil springs. Cold weather contributes to coil spring failure in the following ways:

Freezing conditions leads to the increased use of road gritters and as grit salt is spread on the roads it forms an abrasive paste when mixed with surface water. This gradually grinds the protective paint off the spring, increasing the potential for further damage and corrosion.

Likewise, any microscopic cracks – a result of fatigue caused by the weakening of the coil spring material from progressive road impact – inevitably increase in size over time and will become exposed to the elements. The cold weather can cause the cracks to eventually propagate, fracturing the spring completely and leading to total failure.

The tensile strength of a spring can be affected by cold temperatures, making it more brittle and increasing the likelihood of breakage. The breakage risk is however significantly bigger with lower quality steel springs. Each Kilen spring is made from the highest quality, specialist spring-steel.

Part numbers seeing a significant sales can be seen below:
 

When a spring fails, due to corrosion or other reasons, drivers often request that only the defective spring be replaced rather than replacing in axle pairs.

Kilen remind vehicle owners of the importance to replace in pairs to return the vehicle to the original height.