cut springs ?

[satur9]

who has done it ? will a sawzall work? . i dont really like the way my car is higher in front.(per post below) i only need to shorten the front bout 3/8 to half an inch.(or find some way to raise the rear).

[Raven]

Madbill did it to fit his Bigboots. He cut the springs because too big a drop made his tires rub.

[B18B]

Don't cut your springs. If you want to lower your car, lower it properly by changing the springs. By cutting your springs, you are compromising the ride, handling and safety of your car. Not to mention your warranty and insurance liability. I won't get into why, but do a bit of reading on spring physics you'll see how cutting the springs will affect the suspension on your car.Seriously though...you must see those lowered civics bucking and hopping on bumps you can barely discern on your Vibe...is that what you really want? Its not worth it for the lowered look. Save up and do it right the first time.

[satur9]

i want to cut my NEW springs to even up the drop.it shouldnt be more than a half of a coil. so it should be okay

[Devlop]

People have cut them on our cars actually. From what I remember, it works cuz the factory springs are progressive. I've read about it on MO.com. Do a search over there, you should find some info.

[B18B]

All springs are progressive Dev; so says Robert Hooke anyway.Sat, let us know how it works out for you!

[MadBill]

The standard line is: don't cut your springs! Ever! Even if you don't die, you'll probably go blind!BUT... Here's the take by someone (me) who's been messing with cars for more than 40 years and has cut dozens of suspension springs (the last being my Vibe, almost two years ago and still working fine 50,000 km. later):A spring is just a coiled up length of heat treated wire, no rocket science. Done right, for a modest drop, cutting is only slighty more risky than using a commercial kit. (18 months ago, this forum was rife with comments about one brand of springs that sagged terribly after just a couple of months.)Let's assume you're going to ignore all the good advice about leaving the drop job to the experts and touch on a few points, some of which (in quotes) are made by the experts right after they tell you not to do it. If you find this all a little confusing/intimidating, it is a sign that you should explore other options, e.g. an experienced shop or a set of adjustable coil-overs that will give you as little or much drop as desired "To avoid losing the heat treat and risking later sagging, use a cut off wheel or several top grade hacksaw blades". Good advice, but if you use a big cutting torch and get the job done quickly, the heat affected zone will only be an inch or two, and is at the end of the coil where the stress is mimimal.o "You can only sucessfully cut an 'open' coil spring (where the end coil is not flattened to seat on a flat surface.)" Not so. On the Vibe's springs, I had to heat about 3/4 of the coil to a dull red after cutting and then thump it on the concrete to flatten it to match the seat. I then dipped it in an oil bath to restore some semblance of heat treat (see note above re heat affected zone) and touched up the paint to maintain corossion protection. o Another problem is if both ends of the spring are "indexed" to fixed angular locations on the strut, e.g. the top coil must end at say the 3 o'clock position, and the bottom at 9:00. Obviously, if you trim any less than a full coil, this can't happen. I did my Vibe in a late night frenzy nearly 2 years ago and can't recall if this was an issue, but I can tell you I trimmed 3/8 of a coil for ~ a 1.0" drop F & R.0 "Changing the number of active coils by cutting will increrase the spring rate." True, and a good thing too! With the car lower, you have less suspension travel, and need a stiffer spring to prevent excessive bottoming.o "Excessive lowering can damage struts/shocks by causing bottoming out hard on bumps." Right! a good reason to go this route only for modest drops.There's more, including threads on the "step by step" of a spring change, but this should get you thinking about whether or not this approach is for you. (and probably trigger a few comments from our members!) PS: All springs are not progressive, at least not deliberately or to the extent implied by the word as an automotive term . Progressive springs are very common on road vehicles and fairly un-common on race cars.

[drunkenmaxx]

around here in the ghetto, people heat the springs and then apply pressure to lower them, is that bad too? (dont worry, i am not even thinking about it, just curious)

[MadBill]

Risky! It's hard to know just how much the temper has been affected, and it's likely they'll keep drooping lower until the car is bottoming out running over cigarette butts!