Leaf springs are made of multiple steel strips bolted together with fiberglass between them. Which component is this describing?

• A. Leaf Springs
• B. Coil Springs
• C. Torsion Bars
• D. Strut Assemblies

Answer: (A)

This question is about recognizing how leaf springs are built. Leaf springs use multiple flat steel strips, called leaves, stacked and bolted or bound together to form a single spring pack. The idea of fiberglass between the leaves describes a layer that can be used to reduce friction and control movement between the leaves, which is characteristic of a leaf-spring assembly. This construction gives the spring a progressive feel and the ability to carry heavy loads, which is why leaf springs are common on many rear suspensions of trucks and older vehicles.

Coil springs, on the other hand, are a single coil of wire, forming a circular spring rather than a stacked set of flat leaves. Torsion bars are long bars that twist to provide spring force, not multiple leaves bound together. Strut assemblies combine a shock absorber with a coil spring in one unit, rather than a pack of stacked leaves. Therefore, the described component is leaf springs.