Open Sesame Garages · Oklahoma City
Can I convert my garage door from extension springs to torsion springs?
Yes. Most residential garage doors can be converted from an extension spring and pulley system to a torsion spring system, typically for $400 to $800 installed in a single two-to-three hour visit. The main requirement is headroom: standard torsion hardware needs about 12 inches above the door opening, though low-headroom kits work in less.
What gets replaced in a conversion
- Out: both extension springs, the pulleys and pulley forks, the safety cables, and the old lift cables.
- In: a torsion shaft, a center bearing bracket anchored into the header, two end bearing plates, a matched left- and right-wound spring pair, two cable drums, and new lift cables.
- Kept: the door, the tracks, the rollers, and the opener — unless one of those is already worn and worth doing in the same visit.
Why homeowners convert
- Safer failure mode — a torsion spring stays on its shaft when it breaks instead of releasing along the track.
- Longer life — torsion springs can be ordered in high-cycle ratings (20,000-50,000 cycles) that extension springs are not available in.
- Smoother travel — one shaft drives both cable drums at the same rate, so the door stops bouncing and shaking.
- Even balance — the door weight is distributed across the opening, which reduces strain on the opener.
- Less maintenance — no pulleys or safety cables to inspect and replace.
When it is not worth it
If your extension system is intact, has its safety cables, and the door is light and lifts smoothly, a conversion is an upgrade rather than a repair — the money may be better spent elsewhere.
If you plan to replace the whole door within a year or two, wait. A new door comes with a spring system sized to it, so converting first means paying for hardware twice.
If a spring just broke and you need the door working today, a like-for-like extension replacement is faster and cheaper on the day. The conversion is a better long-term answer, not an emergency one.
Related questions
Can I do the conversion myself?
We strongly advise against it. Torsion springs hold enough energy to lift a 150 to 300 pound door, and the center bearing bracket must be anchored into solid framing or the entire assembly can tear out of the wall under load. Winding requires proper steel winding bars and the correct turn count for that specific door.
Will my existing opener still work after the conversion?
In almost all cases yes, and it usually works less hard because the door is properly balanced. The exception is low-headroom torsion setups, where some side-mount jackshaft openers are not compatible — we check this before quoting.
Need this fixed, not just explained?
Open Sesame Garages serves Oklahoma City and the surrounding metro with same-day estimates and 24/7 emergency repair.