Lowering car (cutting springs)

baz · Post by **baz** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:40 am

I don't rally my car like a mofo as I don't want to break it, I'm more of a poser if you wanna put it that way, I got over speed humps like a bitch lol...Might just try cutting them JUST to see how it goes, then it all fails ill stick the other set of standard spring back in, OR if there is a cheap set of lowered springs for sale ill snap that shit up!

Timmzy · Post by **Timmzy** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 2:48 pm

Hmmmm hands up if you have owned a car with cut springs?

Me! Guilty.

I am still racing around on my cut springs in the front from P-plater days. Its not recommended, but everyone has done it.

baz · Post by **baz** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 4:05 pm

1 coil of front
2 coils of the back

Will that make it an even ride height?

How much does the car drop cutting 1 coil?

Maybe just to 1 at first then go by quarters?

dmb_et · Post by **dmb_et** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:34 pm

stupid too cut springs dont matter the situation springs are cheap as shit.

Post by **shanec86** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:06 pm

it will make the car sit even, if you look at the front springs they are a wider spring and have less coils anyway.

like damo basically said, how are cutting springs going to make you die?
If they are captive, its not that much different from a lowered spring anyway. If only you see that the coil sizing is thicker to take into account the spring rate in relation to the height of the spring.

Cutting springs ftl, but you wont die.
(unless ur hektik and cut them in half)

photoglossy · Post by **photoglossy** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:37 am

You get the lowering effect, but at the end of the day you still have the same old crappy spring you had before...

Android 360 · Post by **Android 360** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:46 am

shane as an admin you should be setting a better example.
save up the couple of hundred dollars

remember, in an accident, if you have cut springs your insurance is void
so if you've just crashed into mr.fancypants' new ferrari then you're going to be in debt for a loooonnngggg time.
i'd rather fork out the couple of hundred dollars and keep my peace of mind.

Post by **shanec86** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:41 pm

In no way would i advise doing it but at the same time i hardly agree with anyone here saying you are going to crash and die.

Fair enough i have said how many springs to cut, but that doesnt mean you have to listen to me and do it. Im just saving him the hastle of chopping 6 coils and seeing that it now sits on the ground.

As an admin fair enough i should be setting examples, but only on how to behave here. I'm not the mother of this club where i shall force everyone to abide by the laws.
hell im craaazy riiight

Damo · Post by **Damo** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:58 pm

Android 360 wrote:shane as an admin you should be setting a better example.
save up the couple of hundred dollars

remember, in an accident, if you have cut springs your insurance is void
so if you've just crashed into mr.fancypants' new ferrari then you're going to be in debt for a loooonnngggg time.
i'd rather fork out the couple of hundred dollars and keep my peace of mind.

So how many guys are aware that their insurance is null and void with 17inch rims or more than 6inches wide? Or that with a BOV their car is no longer road worthy, which amounts to the same thing? If insurance companies wanted to, they could probably look at tyre pressures and refuse payment because of under inflated tyres!

Damo

baz · Post by **baz** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:09 pm

I've recently updated my insurance, They know I have 17's wheels and my sterio etc..Only thing they don't know about is my BOV, doesn't really matter as it's going the bin next week as my piping for the cooler is getting fabricated up

..Tasmania have different rules than up your way, Less strick

Post by **tassuperkart** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:12 pm

Sorry guys but Im with Shane on this one.

If you want to cut springs then thats your business really. Its not such a dramatic thing to do.
Id rather not do it personally but if done right it works.

You DONT end up with the "same", but shorter springs at all.
You end up with lower AND stiffer springs.
Which is actually what your looking for when reducing suspension travel.

The springs do become more prone to sacking out and possibly break but Ive never seen one break.

There's barely a car on this forum that complies with insurance requirements as far as "Notifiable Modifications".
Hell, even the addition of some mild I.C.E, a steering wheel or mag wheels and tyres of non standard size voids insurance if the insurance company is not notified of the changes. Its in your fine print.

L8tr
E

Damo · Post by **Damo** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:30 pm

Android 360 wrote:shane as an admin you should be setting a better example.
save up the couple of hundred dollars

remember, in an accident, if you have cut springs your insurance is void
so if you've just crashed into mr.fancypants' new ferrari then you're going to be in debt for a loooonnngggg time.
i'd rather fork out the couple of hundred dollars and keep my peace of mind.

Shane has gone a bit 'Loose Cannon' since I KO'd him out of the TopTen.

Not that anyone would know, cause the SOB won't update the page!!

Self preservation me thinks. jk

Damo

Android 360 · Post by **Android 360** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:38 am

tassuperkart wrote:Sorry guys but Im with Shane on this one.

If you want to cut springs then thats your business really. Its not such a dramatic thing to do.
Id rather not do it personally but if done right it works.

You DONT end up with the "same", but shorter springs at all.
You end up with lower AND stiffer springs.
Which is actually what your looking for when reducing suspension travel.

The springs do become more prone to sacking out and possibly break but Ive never seen one break.

There's barely a car on this forum that complies with insurance requirements as far as "Notifiable Modifications".
Hell, even the addition of some mild I.C.E, a steering wheel or mag wheels and tyres of non standard size voids insurance if the insurance company is not notified of the changes. Its in your fine print.

L8tr
E

notifiable mods are very different from illegal mods.
try getting your insurance company to list cut springs as a modification or accessory.
you can get 20" rims certed and legal if you really want to, but there isn't an engineer out there that would wittingly certify cut springs.

Callumgw · Post by **Callumgw** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:22 am

There are several issues with cut springs.

So like I said before and like E just said, they get lower and stiffer - which is OK. But how much should you cut before the bottom out? Insurance companies don't trust YOU to do it properly. That said this is the lesser of the two.

The BIGGEST one is how you cut a spring. If you slowly cut it with a hack saw and keep the heat down and then clean up the end it will be OK, because you wont effect the temper and you'll remove any fatigue (Crack) initiation sites. Do it with a gas axe or leave the edges all rough and your on your own. They spring could loose all spacing and collapse or worse fatigue and break. Again insurance companies don't trust YOU to do it properly.

Another issue is that cutting a spring with a ground end makes it unsuitable for the car it came from. Similarly most coils wind the last coil with no gap to give it a good seat, remove this coil and the spring wont sit right and it'll load the platform unevenly. Neither of these are good and again insurance companies don't trust YOU to do it properly.

In short will it kill you? very unlikely. Will it damage you car? equal chances the first time you do it (you might get it right or you might not).

So yes it is possible to cut them and to do it right, but there are lots of pitfalls so I would recomend you just spend the $300 for springs all round.....

C

et_rider · Post by **et_rider** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:43 am

OK as we all now we are a very curius yet stingy lot of fellas (and girls if any) and i et rider have done this yes i have taken a grinder to springs and with these cut springs i have:
1: draged of vls with there dose flutter
2: clocked my car with the speddo bouncing
3: raced though gourge road (very windy and bump and dangerus hill)
4: race though the streets of adelaide (and if you now adelaide thats a takes in its self shit roads @^@#)

Now the only problemo i have had wille doing all of this deth defing jazz is:
1: the lac of tread due to front wheel drive turbo

2: small nicks out of my tyre from hitting pot holes and the tyre would hit my uneven gaurd when the suspetion would hit the dampers
3: scraping of the exust on going down really steep driveways

Now not having a go at any one but isnt this all of the same problems you get when chucking a set of supa lows or lows in your car.

Added features in doing this were:
1: exelant handeling it handled like it were on rails
2: the chicks like it
3:i like it
4: i didnt have to carry any one heavy in the back

5: quite a smooth yet bumpy ride

My opoinion mate go for it you only live once as you said further back your getting springs soon so its only temp
I took 2 coils of the front two and a half of the back dont go any more then that as i found the spring tends to fall out when jakining the car up and droping it

things to remaber are to make shore you only work in halfs dont pull quter of a qoil of it makes it very uneven and wont sit in there properly keep a cool head dont go mental at it have lotsa beer neer ya and some beats cranking and if ya get confused ask that old yet young minded fella

jks or even me you got my digits

good luck man hope it works for ya
etrider