Anyone cut stock springs?
- Thread starter cbrcrx
- Start date
red95_240sx
Member
hes right...u cant cut them that much though
ive seen them heated and torched before too
ive seen them heated and torched before too
shane02pro5
25ish_psi
- :
- New Caney TX
Heating causes weak spots and can break.
red95_240sx
Member
thats a drop on top a drop
Somebody with a brain.
why don't you just put lowering springs in the front and leave the rear stock? either way cut stockers or aftermarket in the front you will have different spring characteristics front and rear and with a fully intact aftermarket spring you would probably have less chances of a catostrophic failure resulting in kareening into a tree at a high rate of speed. if its not a question of money then what have you got to lose?
I guess I shouldn't have even started this. I just didn't know if there were any ideas I haven't thought of. I wasn't planning on debating spring cutting this much. I have done it on quite a few cars. I have done solos with them cut. We also go to the local airport and race. I don't understand why you guys think it will cause such problems. The spring rate doesn't change. They aren't going to be uneven. They aren't going to break. These are some of the dumbest things I have heard. I AM going to cut them and I AM going to drive just as hard as I usually do and it will handle great, nothing bad will happen and everything will be just fine. So, "die hard P5 fans" that's all I have to say and I AM going to post pics. Then you can just complain and say it doesn't handle and all that other crap. Then you'll still have no idea what you're talking about.
I still don't understand if money is not an issue, get nice full coils like BC or K-sport?
Even if you're 100 percent right about it not making any problems and blah blah blah, I think anyone would still rather have full coils.
Coils=go up or down anyday
Cut springs=no going back.
If any of you have Herb Adams book "Chassis Engineering" look on page 33, Adjusting ride height and lowering. I'm quoting some of his remarks.
"Before you invest in springs to lower your car , you should be aware that your chances of success are much better if you simply cut your existing springs."
The remainder of the paragraph explains why. In general new springs will settle and you don't know where the car will settle. In his next paragraph;
"This is why I recommend you cut your existing springs and save the cost of new springs. The results will almost certainly be better. Your car's existing springs have already taken a permanent set, so you know where they will end up."
If you want to lower a car 1 inch you don't cut an inch off the spring, you need to determine the spring lever ratio to determine how much to cut the spring for the desired ride height. It will change the spring rate a little if any part of the live coils are cut but not enough to be a problem. Cut springs are no more likely to fail than a new spring. I have done it on some cars including circle track race cars.
Tom03es and cbrcrx are correct, it's not a big deal and it will work if done correctly.
Clifton
"Before you invest in springs to lower your car , you should be aware that your chances of success are much better if you simply cut your existing springs."
The remainder of the paragraph explains why. In general new springs will settle and you don't know where the car will settle. In his next paragraph;
"This is why I recommend you cut your existing springs and save the cost of new springs. The results will almost certainly be better. Your car's existing springs have already taken a permanent set, so you know where they will end up."
If you want to lower a car 1 inch you don't cut an inch off the spring, you need to determine the spring lever ratio to determine how much to cut the spring for the desired ride height. It will change the spring rate a little if any part of the live coils are cut but not enough to be a problem. Cut springs are no more likely to fail than a new spring. I have done it on some cars including circle track race cars.
Tom03es and cbrcrx are correct, it's not a big deal and it will work if done correctly.
Clifton
Well...Clifton...that's if its done by a professional. They are not professionals...therefore it will not be done correctly.
This thread will earn fail of the year if he posts pics.
You don't have to be a professional to do something right. Most responses to this thread say cutting your springs will be a failure. I ask, have any of you that say it will fail ever tried it? If you haven't tried it you don't know it will fail. I responded to the thread because I have cut springs on other cars and experienced no problems.
cbrcrx has tried it on other cars with success and asked if someone has tried it on a Mazda. A spring doesn't care which car it's under, it will respond the same regardless of which car it's under.
Clifton
cbrcrx has tried it on other cars with success and asked if someone has tried it on a Mazda. A spring doesn't care which car it's under, it will respond the same regardless of which car it's under.
Clifton
And from the pic he posted and the description he posted, it looks like he cut WAY too much. Looks to me like he's riding on the bump stops. The only compliance left in his suspension appears to be the flex in his tire's sidewalls and the bump stop (if he even had any).
Here is the spring constant equation:
http://www.ajdesigner.com/phpspringrate/spring_rate_equation.php
Someone PLEASE tell me how by reducing n by a small amount will cause the spring constant to blow up!?!?!?!?!
Then why even bother to post if you already had your mindset on cutting them
Because cut springs are way better then coilovers... duh (boom07)
1)I love lowering my car on the low spring rate
2)Hmmm, so cutting your spring on the stock soft spring rate is much better then going to get lowering springs. So your saying tein/eibach are wrong for making the springs with a higher spring rate? Or they just decided out of the blue to raise it for no reason? And cut stock springs are so much better then theirs?
3)Heat up your springs, then go auto x them over and over please. Lets see how long they last
So I can go put a small ass honda spring, or even corrolla spring on my car and it will fit/sit the same and preform the same? Because every car weighs the same. Wagons rear ways the same as sedan rears I guess. What about the rwd cars and the fwd? I can put 240 springs on my car to? Its still going to respond like my stock springs and sit the exact same?
Do you even know how companies make the springs and why they design them for that specific ride height and spring rate? I obviously have been misinformed
Lets all go have a cut spring party!!!!! (loser)
kboutsider
Member
- :
- 2003 Protege 5
I'm with the OP on this. In the past I used to own nothing but 2nd Gen Sunbirds/Cavaliers V6's I've cut springs on all of them. I've owned 6. I dropped them all 2". I also cut the springs for my Beretta and my S15. Never had a bit of suspension problems. I'd say if you know what you are doing which it sounds like you do go for it.
