Spring change on my modern

[nofrills]

hi everyone, i have recently boight a set of lowering springs for my modern, and i was happliy going to fit them myself like i have done in the past on various other cars. But i have been warned that theses springs have a habit of fracturing etc etc....and that i should take my front shocks to a garage and let them change the springs over using a hydraulic press.... So does anyone have access to a hydraulic press in the chelmsford area that i could maybe pop in to change them over with beer tokens too :-)...

or shall i just have a go using my normal spring compressors.

thanks

Robin

[bigfella2]

Can't see how you would be able to do it on a hydraulic press for a start. Can't see how you could fracture a spring removing it, its not like a spring is fragile, there very un-fragile, thats the whole point of them. I would do it the good old fashioned way with spring compressors. Out of interest whats the car?

[grumpy]

Sounds a bit odd to me . If you have a decent set of spring compressors , beefy ones and not chad ones i don't see why you need a garage to do it .

[taurus]

A lot of modern springs do fracture, the failure rate is higher than on older cars. But providing you exercise usual caution you can use spring compressors safely. Wear eye protection and gloves, and keep the pressure as even as possible on both sides of the spring, you'll be fine.

[welshpug]

its quite unlikely they will fracture as you are removing them, its the last coil which always breaks off, which is the one you can't get a compressor on anyway, so quite unlikely to cause you any issues.

Personally I would just crack on.

[penrhynrallycentre]

Bigfella sorry you are wrong in what you are saying in one way but not in another.There is a special hydraulic floor standing spring compressor available see here

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYDRAULIC-COIL-SPRING-COMPRESSOR-1-TON-HYDRAULIC-2200LBS-NEW-/261429825775?pt=UK_Lifting_Moving_Equipment&hash=item3cde6e90ef#ht_2352wt_1190

Yes it is true Modern cars seem to suffer with spring breakages on a regular basis,as others haev allready said ...as long as you have a DECENT set of spring compressors you will or should be OK

Dave

[bigfella2]

Mar 27, 2014 21:53:08 GMT penrhynrallycentre said:

Bigfella sorry you are wrong in what you are saying in one way but not in another.There is a special hydraulic floor standing spring compressor available see here

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYDRAULIC-COIL-SPRING-COMPRESSOR-1-TON-HYDRAULIC-2200LBS-NEW-/261429825775?pt=UK_Lifting_Moving_Equipment&hash=item3cde6e90ef#ht_2352wt_1190

Yes it is true Modern cars seem to suffer with spring breakages on a regular basis,as others haev allready said ...as long as you have a DECENT set of spring compressors you will or should be OK

Dave

Never seen one of those before, just assumed we were talking about a regular hydraulic press. Learnt something new atleast.

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2014 22:21:35 GMT bigfella2 said:

Mar 27, 2014 21:53:08 GMT penrhynrallycentre said:

Bigfella sorry you are wrong in what you are saying in one way but not in another.There is a special hydraulic floor standing spring compressor available see here

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYDRAULIC-COIL-SPRING-COMPRESSOR-1-TON-HYDRAULIC-2200LBS-NEW-/261429825775?pt=UK_Lifting_Moving_Equipment&hash=item3cde6e90ef#ht_2352wt_1190

Yes it is true Modern cars seem to suffer with spring breakages on a regular basis,as others haev allready said ...as long as you have a DECENT set of spring compressors you will or should be OK

Dave

Never seen one of those before, just assumed we were talking about a regular hydraulic press. Learnt something new atleast.

In your defence the o/p did say 'hydraulic press' and not hydraulic spring compressor' which are two entirely different tools.

[nofrills]

thanks chaps, and yep i did say the wrong thing, apologies chaps, i have a good set of laser spring compressors, i used them on a st24 once and my old 20v marea (which weirdly enough use the same springs as the stilo). i will just crack on, alot of horror stories on the stilo forum of springs just going, but my idea is to compress slightly and undo the top nut asway from me, compress more and then undo the nut (like i did before) i was also thinking of buying a hydraulic spring compressor as there not that much, but then i will probably only use it a handful of times.

Thanks for your advice chaps

cheers

Robin

[nofrills]

Mar 27, 2014 15:15:25 GMT bigfella2 said:

Can't see how you would be able to do it on a hydraulic press for a start. Can't see how you could fracture a spring removing it, its not like a spring is fragile, there very un-fragile, thats the whole point of them. I would do it the good old fashioned way with spring compressors. Out of interest whats the car?

its a fiat stilo multiwagon diesel, had it a few years and time to start doing a few bits to it to improve it

[markgenesis]

I've found spring clamps ok for light cars, used them on my Polo springs and Ford Capri, but changed the springs on my BMW E38 recently, the springs are huge and there was no way i fancied using spring clamps, took the springs and struts to my local indy BMW garage and he fitted them for £15 per strut.

[ChasR]

I have used spring compressors on moderns before, but they can be a little touch and go. They will do the job but it is best to proceed with a little more caution you would with an older car.

[Deleted]

You can get a decent floor mounted spring compressor for less than £100 and even if its used a few times it is money well spent. Once you have one you will find you have a lot more friends.

[nofrills]

Mar 29, 2014 2:44:50 GMT @1300dolly said:

You can get a decent floor mounted spring compressor for less than £100 and even if its used a few times it is money well spent. Once you have one you will find you have a lot more friends.

yep been looking at these..... its £120 to have them fitted or i can buy this spring compressor and be £20 up but then also all my mates will want to use it.... or i may swap out the rears and then take it in to get the fronts done... not sure yet.... someone i know has just done his springs in the same car as mine and said it wasn't too bad

[retrowrongun]

Not yet met a shock I couldn't change a spring on yet with good oil spring clamps personally haha but then again my middle name is "danger" hahah

[nofrills]

Apr 2, 2014 9:45:35 GMT retrowrongun said:

Not yet met a shock I couldn't change a spring on yet with good oil spring clamps personally haha but then again my middle name is "danger" hahah

Same here buddy but this is the newest car i have owned lol

[retrowrongun]

What's the worst that could happen ?


Skip till end and obviously filmed on a fax machine with the quality

[Midland Performance & Retro]

We have the very spring compressors as posted in the link above and they're worth their weight in gold.