Do Springs and/or Quick Disconnects Impact Antenna Performance?

Yup, both add length to the antenna, so an equivalent length has to be removed from the tunable part of the antenna to make up for it; otherwise, the antenna will have changed its resonant point to a much lower frequency.
Also, if the QD you choose is the kind with a spring loaded contact that gets compressed as you slide the two parts together before engaging the bayonet lock, you'll probably find that moisture and other environmental crud degrades the part that stays on the vehicle pretty quickly when the mast is disconnected. If you keep an eye on the ones that are driving around in current service, you'll probably see a lot of them have some sort of braid jumper that has been kludged onto them around the outside to restore the electrical connection that's been lost. You might be able to prevent that degradation by some combination of preventive applications of contact preserver, like some of the Caig Labs goodies, or slipping a weatherproof cap on the part that stays on the vehicle when you uncouple the mast.
But plan on having to shorten the mast or the stinger by a length about equal to whatever you add, whether spring, QD, or the total of both.
BTW, the springs that are actually made for antennas, rather than for just shock springs for things like plow end markers, will have a shorting braid inside the windings, to make sure the electrical length stays uniformly the same as the relaxed length of the spring regardless of any flexing that it does while in use. If, after some time of driving on roads that have a lot of salt to treat ice/snow/slush, the braid finally degrades to where it breaks, you'll start to see the SWR jumping all over the place as your antenna whips around and flexes the coil. But until the braid parts, it should hold pretty steady under ever fairly extreme excursions.
Hope that wasn't too wordy (yet again....)
73

 

Use a wrench and just unscrew it. takes 5 seconds maybe.

 

only problem I have ran into using quick disconnects, is some of them wobble around allot with heaver antenna's and could bounce off. Hank Breedlove Machine shop makes about the best quick disconnects you'll find, but they are "pricey"...

 

If you didn't have problems with broken fiberglass antennas in the truck wash then you won't have any issues with the Wilson in the truck wash. It will take it much better then a fiberglass would.

 

So I have a simular question. I put on 5' tuneable's and tuned it in with the alan wrench and adjustments on the CB its self. I then was talking to another driver who said I would have problems with the antenas breaking, because they are so long. so I picked up some springs and retuned it. It worked great in the parking lot, but out on the road it was very staticy, and the antenas were wacking the side of the truck and I was worried about it hurting the wires in the antena and I do not want to scratch my paint. Any thoughts?

 

I haven't ever found that using springs, except on a 102" whip, worked out very well. I don't know what kind of 5 footers you have, but I use the Francis 5x5 and a 5ft skipshooter without having any problems with them breaking, unless you whack them on something.