-urgent- Need help with front coil spring!!!

[rotinaj13]

Ok so I broke the front pass. coil spring in my festy. It has the aspire suspension, springs, struts and all. The spring is in five broken sections and I am afraid of ripping my ball joint out due to this. I really do not want JY springs, I want something with a life time warranty, I put my car through hell. So what cars have springs that will work with the aspire strut and upper mount? Im looking for something that I can buy at autozone. I searched and found the rate, length and diameter. I also searched summit racing but did not find anything that could help me. I need to get this car back up and running, driving my 8mpg truck is costing me an arm and both legs in gas!! Thanks!!

[ejp2fast]

are you rallying this car daily or what? i've never heard of coil springs "breaking into five pieces"... hmmmmm .. and pics would be neat too.
as far as lifetime warranty on coil spings?... don't know what you can find there.

[rotinaj13]

haha well my driving style is probably close enough to rally. But no this car is my daily driver. What happened is I was on the highway going around 75 mph and a board came off the back of a truck in front of me and I nailed it with the front pass side, it sounded like a bomb went off when I hit it and it turned that nice 8 footer into chunks. But I am the type of person that if I break a part I put a life time warranty one in its place. That way if I ever break it again I do not have to pay for it again. With the road conditions here in ohio with pot holes that could swallow my poor little car, Ive broke two rear springs, ripped the rear torsion bar mount from the body, bent struts, you name it and I have had it happen. The hit was hard enough to destroy my spring, the u bracket that holds the sway bar bushing, ripped my end links and broke cords in my tire. I will take some pics when I take it apart. I seen where someone mentioned camery struts fit, but r the springs close enough to be dropped in? I think some years ago I heard a hondas springs worked but can not really remember clearly enough to go on that. Are 323 springs close to the aspire's? Just as long as they are not much shorter and same diameter I will be good, a little higher rate will be fine because I will change both of them. I am going to rebuild the entire front end when I do this any way.

[rotinaj13]

1980 accord:
Inside Diameter=4.77" Wire Diameter=.473" Free Height=10.76" Load height=8"}
Rear;
Inside Diameter=4.48" Wire Diameter=.5" Free Height=12.54" Load height=7.5"}
Front;

1993 protege:
Inside Diameter=5.65" Wire Diameter=.593" Free Height=11.63" Load height=10"}
Front;
Inside Diameter=4.48" Wire Diameter=.5" Free Height=13.55" Load height=11"}
Rear Variable Rate

1993 escort gt:
nside Diameter=4.48" Wire Diameter=.5" Free Height=13.55" Load height=11"}
Rear Variable Rate

1986 chevette:
inside Diameter=3.45" Wire Diameter=.5" Free Height=13.75" Load height=9.63"}
Front;
weight: 2,080-2,320

I listed other vehicles since I did see interest in other vehicles springs when I used the search feature. Would the Chevette springs work??? at rockauto they are like 36 bux.

[aspireguy95]

try kia rio springs

[eurotiva]

I have some stock festy springs if you need them.

[Safety Guy]

Are you running cut Aspire springs up front in your Festiva?

Where are you in Ohio?

Kia Rio springs are about the size you need, but are a tad thicker. The strut is a bolt-in from '01 and most '02 Rios. Here is a thread that has info:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28390

I should have Festiva and Aspire springs lying around. I'm using the front struts off Muttstiva (Aspire struts with cut Aspire springs) to swap her cut springs onto her replacement (a '91L I just brought home) using Rio struts. I may not get to this for another week or so though.

I'm in Columbus, so if you want to come over this weekend, I'm pretty sure we could get you fixed up. PM me. I need to clean out my garage!

If I don't have the exact parts you need, there are several Aspires in a junkyard very close by. We could look for a low miles one and pull both fronts so you have a matched set. I could get my knuckles at the same time, so you'd be helping me out a bit.

Coil spring compressors are available for borrowing from a nearby AZ.

Karl

[rotinaj13]

Will the rio spring fit the aspire strut? I can not find any diameter information. Thats what I am looking for is a spring I can get at autozone with a warranty. No I was not running the aspire spring cut. I took the loaded assembly off of an aspire and bolted them up. I bought custom bolts to zero my camber at the hub knuckle. I might have to buy a spring off of you if worse comes to worse, I was just trying for something with a warranty. I know how I drive and I know how the potholes are here and if I was to break another one I did not want to buy it again.

[Safety Guy]

I can't guarantee it'll fit into an Aspire strut, but it should. Did you buy your Aspire struts new?

For some parts, I agree with your "philosophy," but one's pocketbook sometimes needs relief! And there's a lot of life left in many old parts.

I'd check out a pair of Rio front struts from the 'yard and just pop them in to see how much stiffer they make your front end. Or get a matched pair of Aspire struts or springs again.

The cheapest thing is to get another Aspire spring, which I'm sure I have. It would be free, but may not "match" your other one in age/fatigue.

Karl

[rotinaj13]

no I did not buy them new but they are both monroe and I have like three on my warranty file that I have done for others so they might be made new when I do this. I checked the rio and az, adp and ra did not have them... So I think I will roll the dice and try the chevette. They were not much different in diameter and as long as they fit flat in the mount it works for me. they had a 54/46 weight distribution and weighed just shy over 2000, so thats a little over 1000 in the front so about 500 per side in the front, which is more than the aspire. So they should have higher dampening rate and higher spring rate. I am just unsure of the .1" ID difference the .25" length difference does not much matter to me, just a slight change in camber. The only reason I say this is because I have broke 3 front springs and 4 rear springs since I first started driving these cars in like 02... I guess I beat them to death, but a happy festiva is an air born festiva, the just get p155ed when your so far up you could jump a short bus!

[Safety Guy]

The Chevette front springs do sound interesting and *might* work. Let us know on those if you get and install them!

Karl

[rotinaj13]

Well I stopped in an ordered them today, so we will find out soon. Im thinking that it is going to be a tight fit due to them being some where around .5 inch bigger on the od, but im thinking about getting something machined in aluminum to fit the seat then widen to the spring. I don't know we will see how bad they fit.

[kartracer46]

The Chevette springs should do the trick. I have track tested those myself on PA back roads.

[rotinaj13]

Thats comforting to hear!! Did the springs fit the aspire perches? That is my only concern!!

[Safety Guy]

Yes, this is interesting, especially if the ride height turns out to be close to stock!

Karl