Originally posted by contour_phoenix_when:
bad springs in what respect

springs are made of metal

metal rusts and corrodes after road salts and other corrosive material gets into contact with the springs and so the physical spring wears away

I would think that that wearing away will change the spring rate.

any thoughts



Sure, if rust eats away enough material, the spring rate will change.

The other way springs can fail is via fatigue stress. Think about bending a piece of wire. You can only do it so many times before it breaks. Different metals have differing elastic properties, and suspension springs should be very good at deforming and reforming over and over without any trouble. But the metallurgy has to be right.

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998