Spring Compressor

[jcaspar1]

I am planning on adjusting my stock Koni shocks and need a spring compressor. I don't want to spend a lot of money for something I will only use once or twice. Would a spring compressor like this work?:

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STRUT SPRING COMPRESSOR

Repair Macpherson struts on or off the vehicle. Works on struts with springs up to 7'' diameter. Perfect for body shops, specialty shops, tire shops, dealerships, independent garages and service stations.

* Maximum opening: 8''
* Lead screw torque: 15 ft. lbs.

Or can I rent a better one. I know the wall mount models are better but I would rather not spend that much on something I may just use once or twice.

Thanks

 

[HP]

It's hard to justify buying a spring compressor for a one time
use, when you can borrow one from places like Auto-Zone. They require a deposit that is refunded when you bring it back.

 

[jcaspar1]

Well, this one is only 29$ which would allow me to do it over several days without having to make repeated trips....

But back to the original question. Will this kind of spring compressor work?

 

[Qualitywires.com]

it will work, but I hope you have air tools. It can be a real pain with just hand power.

 

[carguy07]

$29 for a spring compressor? Be careful!! I used to have a set of cheap spring compressors. The first one I tried I stripped the threads off of the main bolts. The second one held until I got the spring out of the car. Then the bolts bent, released the spring, and it went flying about 30 feet! It does not sound like you plan to completely remove the springs so it should be a little safer. But I would still be leary of a flying compressor. They can fly out of the wheel well and bag you, or up into a $15,000 hood. These things are like floor jacks. Get the best one you can afford (or rent) and still be very careful. Just my .02

 

[Andrew2KRT10]

I agree. Rent the best one you can. The rental shouldn't be more than 20, and you'll do a better job and not have to keep something that's really not good. Days? Should be a one day job. Up at the crack of dawn and finish by light at the end of the day. And that's with a nap & lunch.

You don't want to buy cheap, have it break, or threads strip during the job. Been down that road on jobs, not good.

AC

 

[jcaspar1]

Thanks for the advice. I will check out the rental shops. I said days because it is much harder to find large blocks of time (26 and 4 month old girls at home!) to do projects than in the past.

 

[Qualitywires.com]

The Autozone spring compressor will not work. It's made for compressing springs that are not coil over. I messed with my coil overs as everyone on here knows. The springs or coils will not pop out into your hood like the post above said. The coil overs are self detained with in the shock. You have to compress the coil on the shock it's self. Most of the rental will not do this. You have to be very careful with the screw type compressors. They can snap! VERY DANGEROUS!!!

I would take them off and just have a local shop take them all off for about $25.00

 

[Joel]

I did this recently, heres a link to my post http://vca1.viperclub.org/ubb/Forum14/HTML/014706.html
The spring comp in the picture looks fine, in fact the one I used was a much cheaper more basic set. They worked fine, but just remember that those compressed springs store a lot of potential energy, don't let it become kinetic. I pointed the shock/spring assembly away from "vital" parts of my anatomy and also away from my car, just in case !!!

 

[jcaspar1]

Joel,
It was your post that got me interested in adjusting the shocks. I actually asked about compressors on that thread but I think it got missed. Thanks for all your great research on shock adjustments. Are you still happy with your setting of 1 1/4 turns? I will only have time to do this once!

 

[jcaspar1]

Thanks Joel

 

[Joel]

Jeff, one and a quarter turns is just right for me, strikes a good compromise for road use. Once the going gets a bit faster, I find the entire suspension setup a bit on the soft side, buts then thats partly the spring rates too. The std spring rates and adjusted Konis work quite well on a mix of smooth and bumpy roads.