Who has cut there springs ?
04-05-2006 | 07:32 AM
#2
You can cut the stock springs, but your ride quality will be **** and you will take the structural integrity out of the srping. Basically you would end up buying new ones either way. I dont recommend it.
04-05-2006 | 07:51 AM
#3
No it won't. DO NOT use a torch to cut the spring ...that will ruin it. Use a sawzall or cutoff wheel. Also I wouldnt really drop the car more than 1" or so(either with cut springs or lowering springs) without looking into revavalved shocks, thats why the ride will go to ****. do a search there are a couple good threads about cutting coils
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04-05-2006 | 12:05 PM
#8
Originally Posted by indyboom
cutting springs is gay.. dont do it.. Just spwnd th time and money to do it right, even if it takes a month loner..
the 10th power. Get some new ones. Hotchkis has 1" lowering springs and some of the sponsors sell them. R/
Frat
04-07-2006 | 08:02 PM
#13
I have BMR springs
Before we installed them, we cut 1/3 of a coil from both front springs to prevent that ***-dragging look under acceleration. It also gave the car a more aggressive stance with the front end sitting just a tad lower than the rear.
Before we installed them, we cut 1/3 of a coil from both front springs to prevent that ***-dragging look under acceleration. It also gave the car a more aggressive stance with the front end sitting just a tad lower than the rear.
04-07-2006 | 08:14 PM
#14
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Las Vegas
There is nothing wrong with cutting springs..... if it is done correctly. The Grandfathers of the "F" body, Guldstrand and Adams have done this for years.
?? The problem with cutting stock springs ?? Is that they are a progressive rate spring design. If you cut them, you are changing many parameters of this spring design and its very hard to do them correctly. Now, if it were a linear rate spring...... it is much much easier and a correctly cut spring can be controlled, whereas a progressive rate spring can not be. The variables here are mainly the rate and ride height.
The cutting method is somewhat important but there is nothing wrong with oxy/acc torch.... if it is done correctly. The idea is to cut the spring with as little heat transfer into the material itself. A torch, in the capable hands of someone that knows how to properly use one, allows the cut to be hot and fast..... minimizing the heat transfer into the spring coil. It would also be in the best interest to put the spring into a bucket of sand as they were doing such a cut..... as the sand will pull the heat away from the spring.
Using a grinder, cut-off wheel or a sawzall are effective methods but none of these minimize the heat transfer, unless you were to only cut for a short period of time to minimize the heat saturation and then let it air cool before you started the cut again.
It is advisable to do just as Indy stated. Do it right the first time.... spend the money and purchase the correct part for the correct end result.... even if it takes a little more time to save the moola to do it. this would be my recommendation as well.
?? The problem with cutting stock springs ?? Is that they are a progressive rate spring design. If you cut them, you are changing many parameters of this spring design and its very hard to do them correctly. Now, if it were a linear rate spring...... it is much much easier and a correctly cut spring can be controlled, whereas a progressive rate spring can not be. The variables here are mainly the rate and ride height.
The cutting method is somewhat important but there is nothing wrong with oxy/acc torch.... if it is done correctly. The idea is to cut the spring with as little heat transfer into the material itself. A torch, in the capable hands of someone that knows how to properly use one, allows the cut to be hot and fast..... minimizing the heat transfer into the spring coil. It would also be in the best interest to put the spring into a bucket of sand as they were doing such a cut..... as the sand will pull the heat away from the spring.
Using a grinder, cut-off wheel or a sawzall are effective methods but none of these minimize the heat transfer, unless you were to only cut for a short period of time to minimize the heat saturation and then let it air cool before you started the cut again.
It is advisable to do just as Indy stated. Do it right the first time.... spend the money and purchase the correct part for the correct end result.... even if it takes a little more time to save the moola to do it. this would be my recommendation as well.
04-08-2006 | 10:39 AM
#16
Seems like there are multiple threads out there on this. Someone always ends up calling someone else a ricer.
I have cut just a bit off of my stock springs (don't torch the springs), same ride quality as stock, only probably 1/2" to 3/4" lower than stock. I had pro-kits on and absolutely hated them. They sagged in the rear so the rearend was lower than the front and if I hit ANY joint in the pavement or bump in the road I would bottom out hitting the bump stops to the axle. Yes, I replaced my shocks at the same time as well.
I would recommend researching a good shock/ spring combo and getting something that was designed to work together. I will probably go for a different set of springs (such as Hotchkis) pretty soon.
I have cut just a bit off of my stock springs (don't torch the springs), same ride quality as stock, only probably 1/2" to 3/4" lower than stock. I had pro-kits on and absolutely hated them. They sagged in the rear so the rearend was lower than the front and if I hit ANY joint in the pavement or bump in the road I would bottom out hitting the bump stops to the axle. Yes, I replaced my shocks at the same time as well.
I would recommend researching a good shock/ spring combo and getting something that was designed to work together. I will probably go for a different set of springs (such as Hotchkis) pretty soon.
04-08-2006 | 11:56 AM
#17
Originally Posted by chicane
There is nothing wrong with cutting springs..... if it is done correctly. The Grandfathers of the "F" body, Guldstrand and Adams have done this for years.
?? The problem with cutting stock springs ?? Is that they are a progressive rate spring design. If you cut them, you are changing many parameters of this spring design and its very hard to do them correctly. Now, if it were a linear rate spring...... it is much much easier and a correctly cut spring can be controlled, whereas a progressive rate spring can not be. The variables here are mainly the rate and ride height.
The cutting method is somewhat important but there is nothing wrong with oxy/acc torch.... if it is done correctly. The idea is to cut the spring with as little heat transfer into the material itself. A torch, in the capable hands of someone that knows how to properly use one, allows the cut to be hot and fast..... minimizing the heat transfer into the spring coil. It would also be in the best interest to put the spring into a bucket of sand as they were doing such a cut..... as the sand will pull the heat away from the spring.
Using a grinder, cut-off wheel or a sawzall are effective methods but none of these minimize the heat transfer, unless you were to only cut for a short period of time to minimize the heat saturation and then let it air cool before you started the cut again.
It is advisable to do just as Indy stated. Do it right the first time.... spend the money and purchase the correct part for the correct end result.... even if it takes a little more time to save the moola to do it. this would be my recommendation as well.
?? The problem with cutting stock springs ?? Is that they are a progressive rate spring design. If you cut them, you are changing many parameters of this spring design and its very hard to do them correctly. Now, if it were a linear rate spring...... it is much much easier and a correctly cut spring can be controlled, whereas a progressive rate spring can not be. The variables here are mainly the rate and ride height.
The cutting method is somewhat important but there is nothing wrong with oxy/acc torch.... if it is done correctly. The idea is to cut the spring with as little heat transfer into the material itself. A torch, in the capable hands of someone that knows how to properly use one, allows the cut to be hot and fast..... minimizing the heat transfer into the spring coil. It would also be in the best interest to put the spring into a bucket of sand as they were doing such a cut..... as the sand will pull the heat away from the spring.
Using a grinder, cut-off wheel or a sawzall are effective methods but none of these minimize the heat transfer, unless you were to only cut for a short period of time to minimize the heat saturation and then let it air cool before you started the cut again.
It is advisable to do just as Indy stated. Do it right the first time.... spend the money and purchase the correct part for the correct end result.... even if it takes a little more time to save the moola to do it. this would be my recommendation as well.
I believe this should be a sticky of some sort as often as this question gets asked. Or at least in a FAQ, esp. if you consider how quickly people start spitting out wrong information and insults every time it gets asked
04-08-2006 | 08:46 PM
#18
I had a couple of days off from work, so I decided I would cut a coil off of the front stock springs. I did this thinking that if I hate it I can always pull them off and buy aftermarked springs. It's not my daily driver, so no big deal if it's horrible. An experiment for the good of the community if you will.
I've got Prostars on the car right now, and before I cut the springs the car looked like this.
Now the "gap" is reduced by about half. I think it looks much better.
I'll rinse the pollen off of it and take a picture in roughly the same position if there is an interest.
I've got Prostars on the car right now, and before I cut the springs the car looked like this.
Now the "gap" is reduced by about half. I think it looks much better.
I'll rinse the pollen off of it and take a picture in roughly the same position if there is an interest.
04-08-2006 | 09:04 PM
#19
Originally Posted by Hilton
I had a couple of days off from work, so I decided I would cut a coil off of the front stock springs. I did this thinking that if I hate it I can always pull them off and buy aftermarked springs. It's not my daily driver, so no big deal if it's horrible. An experiment for the good of the community if you will.
I've got Prostars on the car right now, and before I cut the springs the car looked like this.
Now the "gap" is reduced by about half. I think it looks much better.
I'll rinse the pollen off of it and take a picture in roughly the same position if there is an interest.
I've got Prostars on the car right now, and before I cut the springs the car looked like this.
Now the "gap" is reduced by about half. I think it looks much better.
I'll rinse the pollen off of it and take a picture in roughly the same position if there is an interest.
04-08-2006 | 09:41 PM
#20
Originally Posted by chicane
There is nothing wrong with cutting springs..... if it is done correctly. The Grandfathers of the "F" body, Guldstrand and Adams have done this for years.
?? The problem with cutting stock springs ?? Is that they are a progressive rate spring design. If you cut them, you are changing many parameters of this spring design and its very hard to do them correctly. Now, if it were a linear rate spring...... it is much much easier and a correctly cut spring can be controlled, whereas a progressive rate spring can not be. The variables here are mainly the rate and ride height.
The cutting method is somewhat important but there is nothing wrong with oxy/acc torch.... if it is done correctly. The idea is to cut the spring with as little heat transfer into the material itself. A torch, in the capable hands of someone that knows how to properly use one, allows the cut to be hot and fast..... minimizing the heat transfer into the spring coil. It would also be in the best interest to put the spring into a bucket of sand as they were doing such a cut..... as the sand will pull the heat away from the spring.
Using a grinder, cut-off wheel or a sawzall are effective methods but none of these minimize the heat transfer, unless you were to only cut for a short period of time to minimize the heat saturation and then let it air cool before you started the cut again.
It is advisable to do just as Indy stated. Do it right the first time.... spend the money and purchase the correct part for the correct end result.... even if it takes a little more time to save the moola to do it. this would be my recommendation as well.
?? The problem with cutting stock springs ?? Is that they are a progressive rate spring design. If you cut them, you are changing many parameters of this spring design and its very hard to do them correctly. Now, if it were a linear rate spring...... it is much much easier and a correctly cut spring can be controlled, whereas a progressive rate spring can not be. The variables here are mainly the rate and ride height.
The cutting method is somewhat important but there is nothing wrong with oxy/acc torch.... if it is done correctly. The idea is to cut the spring with as little heat transfer into the material itself. A torch, in the capable hands of someone that knows how to properly use one, allows the cut to be hot and fast..... minimizing the heat transfer into the spring coil. It would also be in the best interest to put the spring into a bucket of sand as they were doing such a cut..... as the sand will pull the heat away from the spring.
Using a grinder, cut-off wheel or a sawzall are effective methods but none of these minimize the heat transfer, unless you were to only cut for a short period of time to minimize the heat saturation and then let it air cool before you started the cut again.
It is advisable to do just as Indy stated. Do it right the first time.... spend the money and purchase the correct part for the correct end result.... even if it takes a little more time to save the moola to do it. this would be my recommendation as well.
For those who say it's rice to cut springs obviously never heard of Herb Adams. Adams was instrumental in designing the suspension for the 2nd gen f-body (70-81 model years) who formed his own company after leaving GM. His company was one of the first to concentrate on suspension components for the f-bodies in the 70's.
Anyway, in his suspension book he gives a step by step procedure how to properly cut springs.