Fiberglass monoleaf spring

[karl24]

Is there an advantage to the fiberglass spring vs. the steel that was used before 81's other than the weight difference? Mine has cracked and it's alot cheaper to replace w/ steel. Should I bite the bullet and stay w/ the original spring?

 

[Copdogcorvettes]

Is there an advantage to the fiberglass spring vs. the steel that was used before 81's other than the weight difference? Mine has cracked and it's alot cheaper to replace w/ steel. Should I bite the bullet and stay w/ the original spring?

Steel springs do weigh more, and they soften over years. Fiberglass can give a smoother ride and are not as stiff new. They stay about the same ride start to finish.

Steel can last 20 years or more. Fiberglass have a 5 year warranty and can be damaged by high heat; such as exchust pipes to close.

Hope this helps in some way.

Gary

SAVE the WAVE

 

[karl24]

Thanks Gary, that helps alot. Just bought the car and was told this is the second spring on the car. That's why I'm looking at replacing w/ steel. Less maintenance and a third the price!!!! Thanks again, Karl

 

[6880 Mike]

Ride characteristics will be better with the fiberglass spring. The fiberglass should never wear out, but they are susceptible to heat. You want to ensure all the stock heat shields are in place.

 

[Hib Halverson]

That the spring on the car in question cracked refutes the idea that composite springs do not "wear out". They don't sag or change rate as do steel springs but they can break or crack and that qualifies as "wearing out".

IMO, there is no significant change in ride with a plastic spring, though there is an incremental change due to the the lack of damping caused by inter-leaf friction. Because of that modest decrease in damping, more aggressive rear shocks are advised, but are not absolutely necessary, when a steel spring is swapped for a plastic spring.

When doing the opposite, you may notice the rear end seems a little more stiff.

 

[John Ulrich]

I replaced the "stiff as a board" steel FE7 spring 18 years ago with a glass TRW for a big improvement in ride quality. I used Delco gas shocks for a time and 3-4 years ago put on KYB G2's for a fantastic ride!!!