GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

i was talking to a relative of mine who really knows his stuff about trucks/cars and i brought up lowering springs. he suggested just compressing the springs already on my vibe so that way it lowers it but you dont have to go through the hassle of getting new ones. Does anyone know if this is possible?

This is touched upon in this thread: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=12600

i read that before i posted actually, and all i read was about cutting springs which is not what im asking about, but maybe i missed something in there.

The last couple of posts talk about heating springs, which is what I thought you meant by "compressing" Possibly you meant what is also called "bulldozing", wherein the spring is compressed to coil bind in a press and then tapped a few times with a brass or lead hammer. This jars the spring into "taking a set", leaving it at a shorter free length and thus a lower ride height. AFAIK this is a pretty hit or miss proposition re the resulting drop...

My understanding is that springs are far more techincal and precision components than many are led to believe...I honestly feel that messing with your stock springs, via cutting, heating, "bulldozing" or any other method is unsafe, and is doing more harm than good.You can get a good set of used springs for under $100 in some cases...and they're designed specifically for handling the car safely and properly at the lowre height.Plus, if you hang on to the stock springs, it leaves you the option for always returning to stock...Just my humble opinion though...

alright yes madbill i think the "bulldozing" thing is what im asking about and thank you for that, and that looks more like a hassle than buying new ones which is what im going to do now in response to your comments. thank you guys for the information.

I'm with ragingfish on this one. I picked up the Tein S-tech's (highest member recommended) for $142 including shipping w/ no tax.