Volvo S40/V40 (1996 - 2004) - 03 2.0 Rear Suspension Spring

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Tue 13 Jan 2009 15:15
03 2.0 Rear Suspension Spring - volvo40
I've had my V40 from new and have been the sole driver. I've never hit a pot hole that I thought could cause damage, yet my car has just failed its MoT because of a fractured offside rear coil spring! And I thought a Volvo was well made and more robust than most cars. I've never experienced such a failure in 45 years driving. Could it be poor manufacture? I will be recovering the part to examine it.
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Mon 9 Feb 2009 10:39
03 2.0 Rear Suspension Spring - Richard Huddleston
HJ often refers to such problems with various cars, especially Fords and derivatives, the springs aren't chamfered at the ends which over-stresses them and they crack. It's no reflection on your driving!
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Mon 9 Feb 2009 12:11
03 2.0 Rear Suspension Spring - Number_Cruncher
>>the springs aren't chamfered at the ends which over-stresses them and they crack.

It's not that common to find springs with flattened ends on modern cars - it's an expensive process. If the spring seat is well designed, then the stress can be kept within reasonable levels.

It's not just Ford vehicles by any means!

I think that with the perhaps laudible aims of decreasing mass, and in particular *unsprung mass, vehicle manufacturers have gone just a bit too far.

* Depending upon exactly how you choose to view the unsprung mass, between about 1/3 and 1/2 of the mass of the spring can be considered to be unsprung.

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