Cutting springs?

[cappy72 10+ year member]

**** I wish I could be someones hero...

im depressed...

 

[ss3079 5,000+ posts]

because if im not mistaken me cutting the prring is exactly like buying a set of lower springs.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/read.gif.ff512c499c00ed3faae9a20f4b088b29.gif

 

[tRiGgEr 5,000+ posts]

because if im not mistaken me cutting the prring is exactly like buying a set of lower springs.

I'll draw it out for you...

Imagine a 10 coil spring sitting upright on a table. You place 200 lbs on the spring. The weight moves the top of the spring down 1 inch. So your spring rate is 200 lbs per inch. Each one of the ten coils has shrunk 1/10 of an inch.

Now cut the spring in half. You have 5 coils now. When you place the 200 lbs on it, each coil still shrinks 1/10 of an inch. (same diameter coil, same amount of deflection.) Because there's only 5 coils, the spring will only move down 5/10 of an inch.

This gives you a new spring rate of 400 lbs per inch. Twice as short = twice as stiff.

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

If thats the care, then why can people put lowering springs on their car without replacing shocks, because if im not mistaken me cutting the prring is exactly like buying a set of lower springs.

It's called SPRING RATE!!!!!!!!! We flipping warned you about this before you went and acted like a moron and did it anyway!

Any idiot can put lowering springs on a car and keep the current shocks - no idiot can do it and have a decently riding car. And no idiot can chop those shitty stock springs and have a decent riding car. If you claim you do - you don't know jack about how those cars can really ride.

And of course, I won't expect you to be smart enough to get an alignment - chew the hell out of your tires.

 

[chris96camaro 10+ year member]

It's called SPRING RATE!!!!!!!!! We flipping warned you about this before you went and acted like a moron and did it anyway!
Any idiot can put lowering springs on a car and keep the current shocks - no idiot can do it and have a decently riding car. And no idiot can chop those shitty stock springs and have a decent riding car. If you claim you do - you don't know jack about how those cars can really ride.

And of course, I won't expect you to be smart enough to get an alignment - chew the hell out of your tires.

You know dude your a real smarta** for something that has no effect on your life at all. And FYI i asked as many people as i could if doing it would cause a problem, and if i felt that it would then i wouldn't have cut it at all. And you tell me that i have no clue how MY car should ride, well let's see...i've ridden in it with stock wheels and tires, my new wheels and tires, and once with lowering springs that were too low for my taste. I have replaced the shocks, sway bars, tie rods, rotors, and numerous other things, so i think i have a clue how my own car should ride, and i had it out most of the day today, and could not tell the slightest difference in the ride comfort. ANd getting my car aligned was the first thing i did today, so dont think you are the only person who knows anything about cars, you stick to your car and let me handle mine...

Because when it comes down to it, it's my car, my money, and my decision, and you flaming me because you think you know more than me doesnt affect my decision...

 

[cpierce 5,000+ posts]

It is acceptable to cut springs, but remove no more than 1 inch from the overall length of the coil.
The rate for a coil spring is determined by the spring’s inside diameter (id), the number of active coils, and the wire diameter. To increase spring rate, use larger-diameter wire, a larger id, or fewer coils. but as soon as you cut a spring, the spring rate increases. This is due to a rule of coil-spring design that uses the number of coils and the wire diameter to determine the spring rate.

Also...The factory provides 2 rubber flanged cups that fit into both ends of the coil springs. These are sized to fit the tapered ends of the coil (once you take one off, you'll see). After you cut any length off the coil, the cups won't fit anymore. Therefore to avoid metal-to-metal contact, you can use two pieces of rubber gasket material to fit up into the upper hat for the coils to compress into. Make sense?

x2 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/word.gif.64b12e39f936af3b4fff38a1c0bd0244.gif

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

You know dude your a real smarta** for something that has no effect on your life at all. And FYI i asked as many people as i could if doing it would cause a problem, and if i felt that it would then i wouldn't have cut it at all. And you tell me that i have no clue how MY car should ride, well let's see...i've ridden in it with stock wheels and tires, my new wheels and tires, and once with lowering springs that were too low for my taste. I have replaced the shocks, sway bars, tie rods, rotors, and numerous other things, so i think i have a clue how my own car should ride, and i had it out most of the day today, and could not tell the slightest difference in the ride comfort. ANd getting my car aligned was the first thing i did today, so dont think you are the only person who knows anything about cars, you stick to your car and let me handle mine...
Because when it comes down to it, it's my car, my money, and my decision, and you flaming me because you think you know more than me doesnt affect my decision...

You've ridden in your car with new wheels and you have an idea how it should ride? Uh... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Yet you don't seem to be smart enough to realize cutting the shitty stock springs and keeping the weak factory spring rate is not only completely stupid, but completely worthless? You've spent money on new shocks, but are too cheap to spend money on a set of lowering springs? I find that more than a little odd... The shocks were easily more than a set of BMR springs that would have given you a better ride, and about the same stance that you tried to get with the hack job - and have the stiffer spring rate to compensate for being lower to the ground in the first place. But hey man - you have a PM from a custom car builder... Or something... So ignore the several other people that say "hold up! bad idea!"

Supposedly, if you knew something about your car -one would hope you'd know enough to do it right.

Just like you've been told by what... the last 10 people?

There is a difference between "getting by" and "doing it right" - I think it's obvious what you prefer. Not really flaming, just sick of seeing people cut corners on things that they have pride in. You've spent an exuberant amount of money on aftermarket Z06 rims, so you obviously care about the apperance of the car, now why don't you treat the rest of it right?

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

Put a real set of springs and a nice set of shocks to match them in the car, then come back and tell us it was a good idea. I bet you can't. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[LoudCrownVic 5,000+ posts]

Pwnt.

Hackjobbing would take more work than doing it right would, so...

Do it right ^^^ (agreeing with oh, say 20 other people)

 

[99StangGt 10+ year member]

Here is part of an article from chevy hi performance:

This brings us to cutting the original springs. According to Eaton, you can lower most cars about 2 inches before you begin to run into suspension and alignment difficulties. It is possible to cut the original springs to gain a 2-inch drop, but as soon as you cut a spring, the spring rate increases. This is due to a rule of coil-spring design that uses the number of coils and the wire diameter to determine the spring rate. Spring rate is expressed in pounds per inch (lb/in). For example, a typical front coil spring for a ’67 Camaro would be a 320-lb/in spring, where adding a 320-pound weight to the top of the spring would compress it exactly 1 inch.

Cutting a spring immediately increases the spring rate, which will increase ride stiffness slightly. But there’s more to the story. Because there is a ratio between the spring and the front suspension, the amount the spring is cut is multiplied when the spring is installed in the car. There is disagreement on the specific ratio, but our sources place it between 1.5:1 and 2:1. This means that cutting a spring by 1 inch would mean dropping the ride height between 1.5 and 2 inches. This only applies to the front suspension. Rear spring changes, either leaf or coil, are a 1:1 relationship.

Lowering a typical ’60s or ’70s Chevy by more than 2 inches creates more than just ground-clearance difficulties. As you lower the front suspension, the top of the tire tilts outward, gaining positive camber at an increasing rate. You are also reducing effective suspension travel. Again, you can compensate by trimming the lower bumpstop height to regain some travel, but the gains are limited.

The best way is to buy either lowering springs or dropped spindles. Im sure these guys writing these articles know what they are doing and are getting advice from experts.

here is a link to the article.

Lowering article

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

Here is part of an article from chevy hi performance:
This brings us to cutting the original springs. According to Eaton, you can lower most cars about 2 inches before you begin to run into suspension and alignment difficulties. It is possible to cut the original springs to gain a 2-inch drop, but as soon as you cut a spring, the spring rate increases. This is due to a rule of coil-spring design that uses the number of coils and the wire diameter to determine the spring rate. Spring rate is expressed in pounds per inch (lb/in). For example, a typical front coil spring for a ’67 Camaro would be a 320-lb/in spring, where adding a 320-pound weight to the top of the spring would compress it exactly 1 inch.

Cutting a spring immediately increases the spring rate, which will increase ride stiffness slightly. But there’s more to the story. Because there is a ratio between the spring and the front suspension, the amount the spring is cut is multiplied when the spring is installed in the car. There is disagreement on the specific ratio, but our sources place it between 1.5:1 and 2:1. This means that cutting a spring by 1 inch would mean dropping the ride height between 1.5 and 2 inches. This only applies to the front suspension. Rear spring changes, either leaf or coil, are a 1:1 relationship.

Lowering a typical ’60s or ’70s Chevy by more than 2 inches creates more than just ground-clearance difficulties. As you lower the front suspension, the top of the tire tilts outward, gaining positive camber at an increasing rate. You are also reducing effective suspension travel. Again, you can compensate by trimming the lower bumpstop height to regain some travel, but the gains are limited.

The best way is to buy either lowering springs or dropped spindles. Im sure these guys writing these articles know what they are doing and are getting advice from experts.

here is a link to the article.

Lowering article

Perfect. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

But that's logical...

Not to mention the stock springs are a constant rate (on the newer cars, the classics I'd have to place a call to my father in law about as I only play with 4th generation vehicles), so if you are hard on the car you have the same mushy stock system and no extra kickback and are actually closer to the ground than when you started. Less suspension travel + not enough spring rate = why???

It's a patch job... Which is foolish when you have a nicer car like he does.

 

[chris96camaro 10+ year member]

You've ridden in your car with new wheels and you have an idea how it should ride? Uh... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif
Yet you don't seem to be smart enough to realize cutting the shitty stock springs and keeping the weak factory spring rate is not only completely stupid, but completely worthless? You've spent money on new shocks, but are too cheap to spend money on a set of lowering springs? I find that more than a little odd... The shocks were easily more than a set of BMR springs that would have given you a better ride, and about the same stance that you tried to get with the hack job - and have the stiffer spring rate to compensate for being lower to the ground in the first place. But hey man - you have a PM from a custom car builder... Or something... So ignore the several other people that say "hold up! bad idea!"

Supposedly, if you knew something about your car -one would hope you'd know enough to do it right.

Just like you've been told by what... the last 10 people?

There is a difference between "getting by" and "doing it right" - I think it's obvious what you prefer. Not really flaming, just sick of seeing people cut corners on things that they have pride in. You've spent an exuberant amount of money on aftermarket Z06 rims, so you obviously care about the apperance of the car, now why don't you treat the rest of it right?

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

Put a real set of springs and a nice set of shocks to match them in the car, then come back and tell us it was a good idea. I bet you can't. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

I am going to replace the springs as soon as i get my motor debt paid off. this was a temporary fix until i have the finances in order to buy some springs, i bought some used springs before and the car was way too low. This was more of a learning experience than a permanent fix, as i am going to be driving the impala here for the next little while because i am going to be getting some body work done on my camaro.

 

[Dustin07 10+ year member]

hahahahahahahahahaha lol. great thread.

i never cut them in my old S-10 because the possibility of the cons outweight the pros... in my opinion. but i'm planning on baggin my Silverado.

seriously, screw the coils and buy bags. it's more expensive, but done right you'll get a better ride, you can slam it on decent roads and when parked, and raise it as high as you need to cover speed bumps and whatnot.

slam that ***** //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/peace.gif.2db28b618ed8d1964ebbe2f5021d2c39.gif

 

[99StangGt 10+ year member]

I agree with you jlaine on the handleing aspects. The car wont handle much better a little because of the lower center of gravity. Just depends on what people are going for, handleing or looks.

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

I am going to replace the springs as soon as i get my motor debt paid off. this was a temporary fix until i have the finances in order to buy some springs, i bought some used springs before and the car was way too low. This was more of a learning experience than a permanent fix, as i am going to be driving the impala here for the next little while because i am going to be getting some body work done on my camaro.

Ok - so why didn't you tell everyone here that was warning you against it that you were only going to do it temporarily?

Don't get the alignment done if you are going to replace them soon, you'll end up doing it over again and paying twice - unless you have a deal with tires plus or a few other places that offer alignments for life for cheap.

 

[chris96camaro 10+ year member]

Ok - so why didn't you tell everyone here that was warning you against it that you were only going to do it temporarily?
Don't get the alignment done if you are going to replace them soon, you'll end up doing it over again and paying twice - unless you have a deal with tires plus or a few other places that offer alignments for life for cheap.

I guess i should have mentioned that it was temporary, i just wanted to know if it could be done. I was hearing different things from people on here than i was from people i actually spoke to, so i decided to go ahead with it, most of the factual arguments on here didnt come until after it was done anyway...

And my father is a fireman and they have a deal with one of the tire places around here for free alginments for life after you have paid for one, so it didnt cost me anything