The coil springs are used mainly with independent suspension, though they have also been used in the conventional rigid axle suspension as they can be well accommodated in restricted spaces. The energy stored per unit volume is almost double in the case of coil springs then the leaf springs.




Coil spring do not have noise problems, nor do they have static friction causing harshness of ride as in case of leaf springs.

The spring takes the shear as well as bending stresses. The coil springs, however, cannot take torque reaction and side thrust, for which alternative arrangements have to be provided.

A helper coil is also sometimes used to provide progressive stiffness against increasing load.