BEWARE: Broke my leaf spring today!!!!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,214
Likes: 3
From: CA
BEWARE: Broke my leaf spring today!!!!!
What's up guys,
Well just like the title says, I broke my freaken leaf spring today.
I went up to the mountains to go carve some corners with the new wider wheels and tires. My car is equiped with the Z51 package btw. I was driving for about 10mins pretty hard when I noticed my car started bouncing a little to much in the rear and I know it wasn't the road. So I pull over and my car was literally slammed from the rear. The rear 345 tires were in the wheel wells. Check out this pic.
Well at first I thought my rear shocks had gotten so hot that they had completely failed under stress. Unable to get any kind of service in the mountains I turned back around and started heading back being very careful with imperfections in the road. I drove the car back to my house (about 30miles away) and jacked it up. This is what I was presented with...
That's right...that is my rear leaf spring broken right down the middle. I was stunned when I saw that.
Has anything like that ever happened to any of you?
BTW if anyone knows someone with a set of ZO6 leaf springs or any other kind of rear leaf springs (for mean while) please refer them to me. This is my daily driver.
Thanks for looking guys
Well just like the title says, I broke my freaken leaf spring today.
I went up to the mountains to go carve some corners with the new wider wheels and tires. My car is equiped with the Z51 package btw. I was driving for about 10mins pretty hard when I noticed my car started bouncing a little to much in the rear and I know it wasn't the road. So I pull over and my car was literally slammed from the rear. The rear 345 tires were in the wheel wells. Check out this pic.
Well at first I thought my rear shocks had gotten so hot that they had completely failed under stress. Unable to get any kind of service in the mountains I turned back around and started heading back being very careful with imperfections in the road. I drove the car back to my house (about 30miles away) and jacked it up. This is what I was presented with...
That's right...that is my rear leaf spring broken right down the middle. I was stunned when I saw that.
Has anything like that ever happened to any of you?
BTW if anyone knows someone with a set of ZO6 leaf springs or any other kind of rear leaf springs (for mean while) please refer them to me. This is my daily driver.
Thanks for looking guys
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,167
Likes: 11
From: Powell TN
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Man, that's crazy. I'll have to say that is the first time I have heard of a leaf spring breaking. Was the car ever in an accident?
Yep
Yep
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
Just a heads-up, the base rear springs are stiffer than the Z51 springs(base is 657, Z51 is 645, Z06 is 782). Do me a favor and look at the leaf spring stamped numbers. Just because you have a certain model doesn't mean you have the spring you think. When they run out of parts on the assembly line you never know what you'll get.
San
San
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,214
Likes: 3
From: CA
I don't think the heat from the cutouts were the cause. I had cutouts on my car for a year now with no problem. The only difference is that now i have headers and hi-flow cats. I still don't think it was the cause but i could very well be wrong...but that is an ineteresting theory.
The car has never been in an accident and I spend a lot of time under the car and never seen a crack on the spring or anything that would lead me to believe the spring was going to fail.
Where on the spring would the number be stamped at? I can check it right now.
The car has never been in an accident and I spend a lot of time under the car and never seen a crack on the spring or anything that would lead me to believe the spring was going to fail.
Where on the spring would the number be stamped at? I can check it right now.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
I don't think the heat from the cutouts were the cause. I had cutouts on my car for a year now with no problem. The only difference is that now i have headers and hi-flow cats. I still don't think it was the cause but i could very well be wrong...but that is an ineteresting theory.
The car has never been in an accident and I spend a lot of time under the car and never seen a crack on the spring or anything that would lead me to believe the spring was going to fail.
Where on the spring would the number be stamped at? I can check it right now.
The car has never been in an accident and I spend a lot of time under the car and never seen a crack on the spring or anything that would lead me to believe the spring was going to fail.
Where on the spring would the number be stamped at? I can check it right now.
San
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 266
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
It's the cutouts. This is not the first time I've heard of this, although I cannot send you a link to other stories, I've read several when researching my cutouts on my C5. If you'd care to search on the C5 tech forum you will find them. The very hot exhaust over time delaminates the fiberglass spring.
You need turndowns like I have or I'm afraid it will happen again to you. I've had my cutouts for 2.5 years now with no problem.
You need turndowns like I have or I'm afraid it will happen again to you. I've had my cutouts for 2.5 years now with no problem.
Last edited by Joe_G; Aug 2, 2009 at 09:12 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,345
Likes: 2
From: Houston 06 C6 Ysi SC 402 fgd TX
It's the cutouts. This is not the first time I've heard of this, although I cannot send you a link to other stories, I've read several when researching my cutouts on my C5. If you'd care to search on the C5 tech forum you will find them. The very hot exhaust over time delaminates the fiberglass spring.
You need turndowns like I have or I'm afraid it will happen again to you. I've had my cutouts for 2.5 years now with no problem.
You need turndowns like I have or I'm afraid it will happen again to you. I've had my cutouts for 2.5 years now with no problem.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,214
Likes: 3
From: CA
Let me know
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 266
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
If you don't need a trailer hitch, and get a deal on NPP's, they are about the same in function. Cutouts can be cheaper if you can get a deal on the install. They add about 6 rwhp if you'e got a cam, not much on a stock engine.
Here's my thread on cutouts:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...-on-my-c6.html
And here's why I got them.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 27,264
Likes: 141
From: Short Hills, NJ
That's one possibility (though not likely) of course.
There appears to be some sort of fluid on part of the spring, but that's another unlikely scenario.
Wider/heavier wheels and tires a possible contributor?
Is the car lowered on the stock bolts?
All of the above?
There appears to be some sort of fluid on part of the spring, but that's another unlikely scenario.
Wider/heavier wheels and tires a possible contributor?
Is the car lowered on the stock bolts?
All of the above?