Hey Cosmo -- my springs (and painted markings on them) were the same from my 2002 to 2003 refresh. My point was that they sagged, likely through a combination of age or hard driving.

 

do you have a picture of this comparison?

it is possible to install the front springs in the rear, and the rear springs in the front, which will throw off the stock height front vs rear.

don't ask me how i know.

 

I don't have a picture, so y'all can take my word for it or continue to not believe that springs will sag after 10+ years of use. Of all the things y'all believe on the forum this is certainly too crazy right

I didn't mix up front or rear since they have different color markings on them for front or rear (blue/blue/blue vs blue/orange/blue for my 2002-2003 p/n's).

 

I believe you that the springs sagged. Very surprised they sagged that much, but I'll take you word for it.

Springs sag. Its a thing.

 

Yeah, too bad you didn't get a pic.

The coil spring free lengths that I reported in my paper are actually the average of the two lengths that I measured for each part (I had two of each spring, as pictured in the paper). For the stiffer springs, the free lengths were typically within 1/32" of each other, but the soft AP1 fronts exhibited much greater differences: 3/32" for (my car's) '00-'01 fronts, and a full 4/32" for the two '02-'03 fronts.

Since I was going after the "designed" spring parameters, it strikes me now that perhaps I should have reported only the max value, i.e. maybe I should have assumed that if one spring was shorter than its partner it would have to be due to sag. (Hmm..another rev to the paper? Must ponder on tree of woe. )

[P.S. Might be worth mentioning here that free length has no effect on spring rate.]

 

4/32, eh?



About 1/8 or maybe a little more of spring sag OR manufacturing variation is probably to be expected.

Idk what "significant" means, though.
Perhaps 6/8? or 10/20?

 

vindicated