FIRESTIK Heavy-Duty Spring, Stainless Steel, SS-3H

Summary: Quality component, well made, easy to install I used this in conjunction with the K40 K4018FME 18' Super Mini-8 CB Antenna Cable with Removable FME Connector Antenna cable and the Firestik K-4A Stud with Screw-On Coaxial Termination for Antenna Mirror Mounts, both from Amazon (see my other reviews). This unit is well made, installed very easy, and has performed well in my CB setup. Not much more to say. As I noted in the cable review, make sure to scratch the paint off the underside of the antenna mount that this stud bolts to in order for the CB system to work properly and avoid sky-high SWR readings. I recommend this heavy duty spring over the lighter ones. My antenna has enough sway to give when an obstacle is encountered, but doesn't move gratuitously. Quality of Materials: * No issues with quality Quality of Fabrication: * No burrs, rough edges, or imperfections on the spring Ease of Installation: * Just follow directions. Suitability for Purpose: * Once I grounded the mount properly, my CB system using this spring has worked perfectly. Packaging/Delivery: * As usual, Prime delivers fast and delivers well. Package was brand new.

I use this with a 3ft Firestik antenna (FS-3BK) and a Firestik quick disconnect (K-1A). Overall I think the 3 work really well together. I'm glad I got the heavy duty spring as opposed to the medium duty. This seems perfectly paired with the 3ft antenna. During normally use it bounches just a little, but at highway speeds I'll see it tilt back maybe 10-15 degrees. But it's got plenty of flex that I've never been afraid for the antenna when taking it through low hanging branches, the spring flexes plenty to take the load off the antenna. So far the antenna still looks shiny and chromey. Other guys in my offroad club with Firestik springs still have nice chromey springs, people with other springs have nasty rusty looking springs. I'm sold! Overall though if you're looking for a spring for a 3ft fiberglass antenna, for on or offroad use, I think this is a great match.

This is another high quality FireStik product. Very heavy duty and does exactly what it claims. You can grab your antenna and pull down on it with your body weight (not totally recommended) and the antenna would flex back just fine. This shows you that under normal circumstances - hitting overhead brush, etc. - that you will have ZERO issues with antenna flex with this installed. It also allows for more flex on highway speeds or with high winds. I plan on putting a quick disconnect on top of this spring, so I can easily pop the antenna off when needed. Also it will give me a little more height, and reduce the contact from my spare tire against the spring. See my review on the rugged ridge mount if you're looking to mount on a newer Jeep, I address that issue.

This thing has tough job and is up to the task. Mounted mine on top of an SS-174 fender mount and under a FS-3 3 ft antenna, which is a heavy, stiff unit that had this spring working overtime on the highway and on rough off road trails in Moab the first week after I installed it. Aside from that, can't think exactly how to describe why a spring seems well-built other than it appears to have just enough give to reduce the stress on the mount quite a bit when the antenna is being whipped around, yet strong enough to hold it without too much flex when just cruising down the highway. After getting it out of the package, I initially thought maybe it was overkill but now I'm glad I have it.

I have this spring holding up a 4' fire stick and it works really well! It keeps the antenna upright and highways speeds, and will bent when it needs to. I have driven into my garage many times forgetting to take the antenna down and it always just bends with no damage to the antenna. If something hits the antenna and flings it back, it returns to its position very quickly without whipping around too much which protects your car from being hit. My one complaint about this spring is that after a while it will start to have a backwards curve from driving down the highway. My antenna only tilts a few degrees, but it is enough to notice. To combat this, I just flip the spring around every few months so it will start to bend back the other way.

Originally bought the medium duty spring for use on a 3’ Firestik II, but when on the freeway, the antenna would lay down more than halfway flat at 70mph. Changed out to this spring and no issues on the freeway anymore. Still flexible enough to protect the antenna from an overhead obstruction, but sturdy enough to stay upright the rest of the time.

I ordered this because my Firestik II 4' is too long. With my custom truck bed mount, it sticks up a couple feet above the roof of my Tacoma and catches trees like crazy while off-roading. When the package came, I thought, "Oh no. It's too stiff!" I couldn't bend it with my bare hands AT ALL. I was ready to return it for the medium spring, but thought I should try it out. I mounted the Firestik and gave it a tug. The spring bent over perfectly! Exactly like I wanted. And it's tight enough that the antenna doesn't whack the back of the cab when the it clears the tree (unless you REALLY torque it over).

I bought this because I had to move my 3' Firestick to my trunk lid. When I opened the trunk, I was afraid the shock of it opening would damage the mount. This did the trick. It should also flex if it brushes against a branch (for off-roading). I went with the heavy duty spring because I heard bad things about the medium duty spring flexing at highway speeds. This one holds up just fine with my 3' Firestick. At 100+ mph, the antenna just wobbles side to side. It might be different if it was on the roof and in direct wind, but for my application it is perfect.