I’m in the process of rebuilding a 1999 Mazda Miata. I picked up some decent Mazdaspeed (Bilstein) struts/springs for it, with the understanding that one of the struts had been bent in an accident and needs to be replaced.
Now that I have the coil spring off the strut, I notice that it too is slightly bent.
I’ve attached a picture of the bent coil spring.
Do you guys think it’s salvageable, or should I just replace it?
This is a sports car, so performance of the springs does matter-- but is this enough damage for me to actually notice?
I would NOT use it. Just consider that this spring holds up a quarter of your car, and visible damage could mean a spring destined to fail. Losing the spring would mean loss of control. Considering your putting in performance grade parts, I suspect you’re planning on some serious spirited driving. Are you really going to re-use damaged parts on a sports car that may see some hard driving or even some track time? Really? Also, springs and struts should ALWAYS be replaced in pairs. So, your acquisition may be a total waste.
I agree with busted and texases. The photographed spring will bind on the damper assembly and will create an imbalanced load on the spring mounts, further affecting the struts operation. If you’re gong to do the job, you might as well do it right.