Ask the Editors- Tell Me About My Shock Springs
For starters, your initial question can be answered by a better understanding of what the shock’s spring accomplishes in the suspension’s overall function. Contrary to common misconception, all a shock’s spring is there for is to return a compressed shock to full length. It is not designed to handle any of the damping responsibilities associated with shock absorption(that is performed within the shock body, usually via oil being compressed through a narrow opening separating hollow chambers).
Once the shock itself isn’t functioning properly, the internal damping process is no longer taking place and any and all suspension motion is happening thanks to the spring alone. This is why a blown shock feels a lot like riding on, well, a spring. That is literally what is happening. If your ride suddenly feels a whole lot bouncier, there is a good chance you are due for a shock servicing (often times it is a simple matter of a blown internal seal).
To answer the second part of your question, the amount of coils you see twisting around your shock is actually the result of the length of metal wire used to create the spring. A longer wire will contain more, closer-spaced coils and thus be stiffer. Larger diameter coils (meaning more space between them if you’re looking at the spring) will be softer by nature.
