DEZERTE

I know cutting the springs is bad, but could somebody with knowledge on this give a thurough explanation and reasons why its bad? thanks a lot, or give me a thread that has it, i searched "cut springs" but all i could find was the word "springs" which was a lot of what i didnt want.
-Josh

igottafc

iTrader: (6)

if you cut your springs, you lose the flat part of the springs that the spring perches rest on which isnt good.

Bebesito21

it also affects the shocks and their travel. Usually, springs are matched to the amount of travel optimal for the suspension

CRXtoRX7

Some springs come with dead coils (coils that have no effect there or not). But with springs that don't have these dead coils, cutting your spring is like cutting off a section of tires, it just messes **** up. Save your money and get some lowering springs, or if you really want to save money, buy some off of ebay for like 50 bucks, that way when you realize doing cheap mods sucks and things break, you can put your originals back on till you save up for something good.
-Ben

jon88se

cutting dead coils is ok, but they must be cut on the exact spot on each spring. you can grind a flat surcare on a cut spring to sit more securely, thats not a big deal. cutting MORE than dead coils is very bad...each spring will have a different rate that will rattle your teeth, blow through shocks/struts and make your car handle very differently from left turns to right turns. the car will handle like crap. buy a set of springs

RRTEC

iTrader: (13)

I have cut several sets of springs because i am poor....
I just cut a coil and a half off the top. Then i ground a flat surface on the cut part then flipped the coil over and they do just fine..... buying a set is optimal but if you can't afford it them cut away. The FC coils have a yellow mark on them cut it at the yellow mark and you'll be fine.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

This will help- oderation is the key!!

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...threadid=65773

IRISHMAN

I have an 87 TII with 18''s with 215-35-18. We pulled the spings and counted two turns from the top of the spring. It must be the top. There is a rubber gasket at the top of the spring. You can see where the end of the spring sets at. Two turns dropped the car 2'' front and rear. The part of the spring at the top is the spongy part of the spring, so you are getting a lower very tight ride. I've driven the same car with HKS,INTRAX,EIBACH,and a couple others and this feels better all around. I used a four inch grinder with a Dewalt cutting wheel and couple cans of coolant. If it smokes, you're cutting too deep too fast.LOL

andrew lohaus

yeah as long as you dont go cutting up progressive springs and make sure to grind th perch back flat its ok to do. just make sure you arent bottoming out the susp. and get an alignment.

i personaly would not do this tho because you are sacrificing the total corner loads your car is cappable of controling within the limits of the suspension. the stiffer rates of lowering springs are needed to offset that you have less travel.

NZConvertible

Cutting a spring does make it stiffer.

RETed

Cutting springs will usually lead to drastic drops, which the car doesn't like.

Trying to drop the car over 1" will lead to stupid wheel alignment problems that you CANNOT adjust out.

Hell, if you like changing tires every few months, go right ahead and waste your money.

If you can't afford a set of $200 replacement aftermarket springs, you should've be ******* with the car in the first place.




-Ted

SpeedFreak03

That is very true. I see this VW jetta every day going up and down while driving in a straight line going 50MPH on a paved road...he thinks its cool! Yea he cut his springs...it looks and handles like ****! Anyway just wait till you can afford springs its not worth risking it, there is a lot that can go wrong.

Relisys190

iTrader: (4)

I currently have Eibach pro kit springs installed with tokico "blues" (HP)

The springs stated a 3/4 " drop. I really did not thing the car dropped at all. I figures my old springs were old and saggy.

Question is : My Eibach springs have a "dead coil" area while the car is on the ground. it's a signifigant amount of dead coils, 5 on the rear and 3 dead coils on the front.

I heard from a long time SCCA driver that you can cut this portion of the spring without effecting the acctually dampening of the spring while driving. Is this correct? I would like to find out because i wount mind dropping the car another 1/2" or so.or even another 1"

Thanks for your time guys,
-Markus Reschny
www.mazsport.net

RETed

If you know what "dead coils" are, then you're safe.
But, be careful about cutting to drop the car significantly.



-Ted

NZConvertible

Bollocks. The amount of lowering depends entirely on how much you cut out. The coil and a half I cut from my Cosmo's springs lowered the car a perfect 30mm, and improved the cars handling in most situations.

People's opinions of cut springs seem to be based entirely on the cars they know have cuts springs, because they sit so low. But you've probably seen plenty of cars with cut springs and not even realised it, because they sit and ride similar to a car with aftermarket springs.

Like any mod, it can be done the right way or the wrong way. It'll only be noticed if it's done the wrong way. Claims that cut springs will instantly ruin a car's handling ignore that fact that you can do that just as easily with aftermarket springs. It's about how you do it, not necessarily Iwhat you do.

I wouldn't recommend you cut your springs. There's much less chance of hosing it up with aftermarket ones unless you know what you're doing. I just hate the BS usually associated with this topic.

RETed

I find drops over 1" (25mm to you) to cause significant negative camber problems in the rear which no suspension adjustment would tune out.

Can you verify what your alignment is right now?

Most people who cut springs, cut them WAY TOO MUCH - try 2 to 3 coils!  You guys are just to sedate in NZ!



-Ted

Jahoo88

I cut 1 coil and 1" from my front coils and it gave me about 1.25" drop in the front. It looks perfect in the front now with 16 T2 wheels.

I had previously cut my front springs by 1.5 coils and it dropped the car just over 2"... that looked good with 14" phone dial wheels but gave a LOT of toe out. Tires started wearing funny.

NZConvertible

No, but I haven't cut my FC's springs either.
Don't worry, there are plenty of idiots over here who do that too. It's those people who forced the law change making cut springs illegal and forcing me to spend money to replace my perfectly safe cut springs with aftermarket ones that gave the same ride height and similar handling.

SpeedFreak03

Just out of curiousity, how would they know you have cut springs? Especially if they look like aftermarket springs (as far as ride height and handling)...

White_FC

Just so long as your springs are still held captive in the strut at full suspension travel then you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

If they're _not_ held captive at full suspension travel, some very very dangerous things can happen if you say per chance went over a pot hole or something else.

NZConvertible

Cars in NZ have to pass a 6-monthly Warrant Of Fitness inspection, which is pretty thorough. During my car's first inspection after the law changed they saw the cut ends of the springs and failed me, so I had to replace them and be reinspected.

Technically that's true, but over here legally it's not. As well as outlawing cutting springs, they made it illegal for springs to be held in place by any means other than their own tension. Mine were wired tightly to the platforms, but the small amount cut from them meant at full travel they only got loose, but couldn't fall out of their seats.
Very true. I heard of a guy who's front wheels left the ground at high speed and the severely cut spring popped out and cut into the tire's sidewall on landing. The subsequent crash was apparently quite spectacular...

White_FC

Yeah opps forgot that bit about legality..

I've seen pictures from a crash happening similar to how you described, I personally would _not_ want it ever to happen to me, thats all im gonna say..

Sounds like you guys really lucked out over there with the 6month tough inspections!! Oh well the price you pay for having cheap imports I guess... hehe

andrew lohaus

ill ask someone who will realy know tomoro, but i was always under the understanding that for a linear rate spring with a resonable # of coils. adding or subtracting a few coils will have baisicaly no effect on the spring rate. i mean why would it. the rate is a property of the metal, the radius of the windings and the angle betwwen them. i its about turning the linear compression of the spring into a torsional force on the wire that it is made of.

so the same amount of force can either twist more wire less, ore twist less wire more. wither way you end up at the same level of compression and thus spring rate.

i'll double check tomoro tho cuse im not interly sure.

604Ryder

hmm i cannot advise anyone to cut their springs, imo just wait the extra couple months or whatever and buy new springs, in most cases they should b replaced anyways

SpeedFreak03

Wow that sucks! Can you do anything to the car though (as far as mods)? Man I thought emissions testing was bad...! On the bright side it keeps the unsafe cars off the road !