can this work as a cheap way for lowering springs?

 

Cutting your stock springs is a popular ghetto fix for lowering your car. If you just want your car to be lower, and are not expecting performance benefits and can handle the possibility of crappy ride quality, then cutting the stock srpings is an option.
But cutting the stock springs is not an acceptable alternative to getting a decent set of lowering springs.

 

i would not do it. cutting the springs will decrease the spring rate. it is not safe

 

Cutting the springs will not affect their spring rate.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIC Performance &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Cutting the springs will not affect their spring rate. </TD></TR></TABLE>

they certainly would, unless its a "dead" coil, like usually used in the rear springs.


why cut stock springs when you can get any number of spring kits under the sun for reasonable prices and varying spring rates and ride heights.

 

edit: Thats true, you're right. Oops.

 

aright well a friend of mine has decided to give me his old springs since he has just bought coilovers. nuespeed race front springs, and eibach rear springs. lowers me 2.25 in the front, and 2 in the rear. what do you guys think?

 

FYI,

Cutting your spring actually increases the rate.

But it's never a good idea. If you want to lower your car, then use the spring your friend gave you.

 

Wait wait, what happens when you cut a progressive spring?

With linear rates, wouldn't it soften the rate?

 

Remember that a coil spring is just a wound up torsion bar.

If you make a torsion bar shorter, it gets stiffer.

If you cut a coil spring, you're just shortening the torsion bar.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BA5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Remember that a coil spring is just a wound up torsion bar.

If you make a torsion bar shorter, it gets stiffer.

If you cut a coil spring, you're just shortening the torsion bar.</TD></TR></TABLE>

While I haven't given it much thought, logically that makes sense. However, if that were true, wouldn't cut springs be a reasonable way to lower the car then? Whatever length the spring is, if you cut off 25%, wouldn't that then up the rate about the same percentage? Using the 25% example, an Integra with stock 220/110 springs (I think thats about right) would then be up around 275/138 or so, which while not optimal sounds like it would be stiff enough for that much of a drop. Hum, maybe 4 cut front springs would work better...

That said, I love my Ground Controls. And while it really isn't that expensive to do it "right", I guess I've got enough ghetto in me to always consider the free route.

 

im not so against cutting springs as dogmatically as internet ppl are, i see its possibilities, but really... spring kits arent expensive. its not like cutting springs is totally free, its a lot of labor to cut springs, and then either bend or sand down the top coil flat. and in the end, you really dont know what youre getting because much of the trick in designing proper springs is the first and last coil, which you just cut...

anyway, for the person wondering what happens when you cut a progressive spring, it wont make any spring softer, but depending on the coil that you cut off, it will either make no difference, or make it a lot stiffer, or make it only stiffer for the first portion of the spring travel. but it wont make it softer.

 

i wonder why people are even discussing this.....you have got to be ******* kidding me......CUT YOUR SPRINGS? BUHAHAHA