What Is Spring Bind?

Spring bind occurs most often with aftermarket suspension when the spring doesn’t rotate with the rest of the strut when turning and is most common at slower speeds.

The most obvious symptom of spring bind is a pinging sound when you turn the steering wheel. The strut housing and spring are made to turn together but when the bearing, which is usually located at the top of the coilover, has gone bad, the spring isn’t allowed to turn freely with the rest of the coilover. This will cause the spring to catch and skip across the spring perches, resulting in a distinct pinging noise.

To fix issues with spring bind, the upper mount bearings should be replaced. In the case that the coilovers are fully threaded and offer independent ride height and spring pre-load, we recommend making sure that there isn’t any more than 5mm of preload set onto the spring. Too much pre-load can cause tension on the bearing and can cause spring bind.

For instructions on how to adjust your coilover suspension visit our How to Adjust Coilovers blog post.

Have any questions? Visit our Contact Us page.

12 thoughts on “What Is Spring Bind?

  1. Mackenly Velus says:

    Hi guys how your doing? I have a 2014 mini cooper s F56. My question’s do you guys have any coilover will fit my car?

      • Fredy quezada says:

        Hi I was wondering if I could purchase just one coilover? I purchased all 4 from you guys around January and just installed them about 3 weeks ago and the driver side has been binding since day one I’m not sure why I set the preload to 4 mm on all of them . After a week I loosened the preload on that one and it still makes the binding sound. I went as far as greasing it and it stopped for about 3 days but it came back.

        • Cody Graham says:

          That is something that would be covered under warranty. Give us a call, and we’ll get you taken care of. Our number is 801.365.1440.

  2. Joshua Hernandez says:

    I purchased the classic coilovers for my 8th gen honda civic and after install I heard a popping or “pinging” noise from the front. I replaced my old strut mount with brand new ones and its still “pinging”. Are there another solutions for this problem?

    • Cody Graham says:

      We’re sorry for the trouble! Give us a call when you have a moment and we’ll run through some trouble shooting with you!

  3. Hannah says:

    I have exactly this issue with my Vauxhall Astra 2011!
    I’ve had both strut mounts replaced and a new shock absorber on the driver side which has got the twanging noise.
    Coil spring is STILL twanging when turning the steering wheel. No one knows what to do with it! Will a new suspension spring help?

    • Cody Graham says:

      The bearings on the upper mounts are really the only fail-points as that is the only area where the axis turns. If the bearings are working properly, we’d recommend looking into other suspension components to ensure you’re not getting what you think is spring bind but rather another part such as an end link etc..

  4. Michael Meyer says:

    Hot replacement struts for front of my firebird and having a problem lining the holes up almost looks like it was put together backwards the bolt holes look like it’s 90 degree facing out instead of in

  5. Luis Figueroa says:

    2015 Subaru Crosstrek here.

    Had the 1.5” ReadyLift spacers installed by my mechanic on stock struts and springs, 215/75R/15 tires on all fours (aligned at NTB) – all gravy, drove for months with no issues.

    After the many months, front lower control arms went bad. Had them replaced. And wanted more clearance so I had Bilstein B6 struts and .5” RalliTek springs installed. (again on all four). Aligned (NTB)

    Started having bad spring binding immediately after install. Was told I needed alignment, had an alignment (NTB again). Problem persists.

    My mechanic says you need new strut mounts. Done, ordered and he installed. Binding persists.

    Mechanic say no more NTB go to another alignment shop (Firestone). Got it, done, Firestone, all green. Problem persists…. Tech is stumped

    Lost now. Both shop alignment techs are baffled. Don’t know what the problem is.

    When I steer all the way to the left I hear binding and cars veers to left when driving. And the same for when I turn the steering wheel all the way right. Once driving I hear binding and it veers to the right.

    Any help?

    • Cody Graham says:

      It is very likely that you’re running into issues with spring bind because of the overall preload of your suspension. It sounds like you have a higher rated spring and damper setup, in addition to the lift spacers, which will raise the already higher rated spring rates. The higher pre-load will then put too much pressure on the bearings, causing them to not work properly. With regards to your memory steer, that sounds like a toe issue. You’ll want to check your alignment report to see if there was an issue there.

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