Anyone ever cut a coil off of their springs?..Lowering springs.

[iwashmycar]

The back of my car sits way too high, and I was browsing the 94-95 section and it looks as if the majority have trimmed the springs to lower a little more.

I have the FMS B springs and it is as if the back didnt lower at all.

Here is a picture of some springs, the back springs have a little side which fits the retainer, and thus probably cannot be trimmed,and what appears to be a flat side, like the fronts which are flat so they seat. Can they be trimmed safely?

see what i mean!?...i know some say it looks good that way but i dont really dig it.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

They should be able to be trimmed, but it may affect the ride quality. Did you install the rubber isolators with the springs?

 

[Tonys96Cobra]

That just means you need a bigger stereo!

 

[87ttopstang]

I trimmed about 1/2 coil off my BBK springs. Doesn't ride much different than it did before I cut them.

 

[rigamaroles]

I ran chopped springs for a while, not by choice, I bought em like that...but I wouldnt recommend it personally... Have you let them seat long enough as well? One of the problems with cutting your springs is that you will lose traction, you rely on your springs to be able to put the power to the ground, when you sacrifice the resistance of the coil you will find it hard to keep your tires planted. It may not be that bad with one coil out, but I wouldnt do it personally...

 

[iwashmycar]

i am running the isolators...i dont remember any on the rear, but maybe that will give me extra drop if they are there and I take them out???? Good, bad, or doesnt make a difference??

I have let them seat for about a year lol...

I am not in real need of keeping tires planted really, i mean the way i drive it 99% of the time....but that is a good point i will look into

 

[DeVus1]

I would just try different rear springs. Cutting the spring is usually frowned upon.

 

[Strype]

I would just try different rear springs. Cutting the spring is usually frowned upon.

Agreed- makes the car sit unevenly

 

[iwashmycar]

ah....well then no cutting for me...fugg it.

BUT....IF there are isolators, is it alright to take em out if they are thick??

 

[trents99]

I run Mach 1 springs front/rear that have been cut, they ride comparable to other cars I've had with true lowering springs. If you read about the FMS C springs it actually states some cutting may be required.

 

[HISSIN50]

I run Mach 1 springs front/rear that have been cut, they ride comparable to other cars I've had with true lowering springs. If you read about the FMS C springs it actually states some cutting may be required.

That's for the dead coils in the back, right?

Trent, did you run the Mach's without being cut and if so, was the drop decent (like the advertised 3/4-1")?

 

[bill302]

That's for the dead coils in the back, right?

Trent, did you run the Mach's without being cut and if so, was the drop decent (like the advertised 3/4-1")?

JT do you have some spec.,install info. or know where i can get some info about installing the mach 1 springs,struts and shocks i'm looking to buy some for my 95 stang...i'm trying to find a good application to get traction at the track and good driveability on the street.do you think this will give me what i'm looking for?

and iwashmycar i think you made a good decision not to cut...i did it one time and the car a 87 cutlass rode like a buggy and you could see my headlights for miles away bouncing up and down like someone running with a latern....

 

[LIZARDKING]

Ive cut springs alot. Back in the old days there wasnt a bunch of companies offering lowering springs at outrageous prices.

Cut them 1 coil and see if you like the height and ride.

Ive got a set of 94+ new oem springs for my 84. Im going to cut 1 1/2 coils off them and see how it sits and rides. If I dont like it, well I only paid $15 for the set of 4.

 

[HISSIN50]

Bill, I sent ya a PM.

 

[vristang]

Cutting a progressive rate spring should have less affect on ride quality than cutting a standard spring, correct?

Iwashmycar - I realize you have progressive springs, but you need to know what type of spring others have cut when first hand experiences are provided.

I would think the constant bouncing to be a problem with the dampers not doing their job.
The rate of the spring needs to be balanced with the stiffness of the shock. Otherwise "porpoising" can occur.

You may have to upgrade the shocks when you cut a spring, at the very least have good shocks installed.

I cut the rears springs on the 2.3 87 LX. I don't care for the result, a little too harsh. New lowering springs are on the list.

jason

 

[trents99]

That's for the dead coils in the back, right?

Trent, did you run the Mach's without being cut and if so, was the drop decent (like the advertised 3/4-1")?

Sort of

3/4 of the dead coil in the back was cut down. I also cut the fronts naturally by 3/4 of a coil. This resulted in a perfect stance (for me anyways). The front measures 25 3/4'' from ground to fender arch. The rear measures 26 1/2'' ground to fender arch.

I knew they woudn't give me the stance I wanted uncut so I cut them. The Mach 1 springs are identical to the Bullitts as far as spring rates go, 650 lb/in fronts 250 lb/in rears. Compare that to the C springs which are 650 lb/in front 200/300 lb/in rears and you see they are very close.

I matched them up with Strange adjustables all the way around so I could fine tune the ride the way I wanted it. I can't compare the ride before them because it rode like crap. Then again it had original struts/shocks/springs that had over 200,000 miles on them. It doesn't ride much different than my old solid axled Cobra that had Eibach Sportlines on it with Mach 1 shocks/struts. I'll try to post pics later of the stance once my hosting site is back online.

 

[HISSIN50]

Sort of

3/4 of the dead coil in the back was cut down. I also cut the fronts naturally by 3/4 of a coil. This resulted in a perfect stance (for me anyways). The front measures 25 3/4'' from ground to fender arch. The rear measures 26 1/2'' ground to fender arch.

I knew they woudn't give me the stance I wanted uncut so I cut them. The Mach 1 springs are identical to the Bullitts as far as spring rates go, 650 lb/in fronts 250 lb/in rears. Compare that to the C springs which are 650 lb/in front 200/300 lb/in rears and you see they are very close.

I matched them up with Strange adjustables all the way around so I could fine tune the ride the way I wanted it. I can't compare the ride before them because it rode like crap. Then again it had original struts/shocks/springs that had over 200,000 miles on them. It doesn't ride much different than my old solid axled Cobra that had Eibach Sportlines on it with Mach 1 shocks/struts. I'll try to post pics later of the stance once my hosting site is back online.

Thank you for the info. I recently hashed through a ton of this stuff myself (as Iwashmycar and others were kind enough to post pics on my thread).

I have a set of Mach 1 take-offs that are gonna go on the vert, I think. I was scared off by the drop from C's (just a little too low for my taste and particular car). I have a set of brand new front C's and there's quite a noticable difference between them and the Mach 1 fronts (and I think my taste for what I'd want is inbetween).


If you get a chance to post pics, that'd be cool. I appreciate your posting the amount you cut and the fender height - that kinda gives tangability to this stuff (for me).


IWashmycar, I'm sorry for the derailment of your thread. My bad! At least Trent's info can be helpful to you I think.

 

[trents99]

Thank you for the info. I recently hashed through a ton of this stuff myself (as Iwashmycar and others were kind enough to post pics on my thread).

I have a set of Mach 1 take-offs that are gonna go on the vert, I think. I was scared off by the drop from C's (just a little too low for my taste and particular car). I have a set of brand new front C's and there's quite a noticable difference between them and the Mach 1 fronts (and I think my taste for what I'd want is inbetween).


If you get a chance to post pics, that'd be cool. I appreciate your posting the amount you cut and the fender height - that kinda gives tangability to this stuff (for me).


IWashmycar, I'm sorry for the derailment of your thread. My bad! At least Trent's info can be helpful to you I think.

As much info as you post, a lot of which has helped me, I'm happy to help. I have some pics now but it's an odd angle and doesn't show the stance very well. I'll get some better pics up in a few hours when I get home.

Here's the best one I have for now that shows tire/fender clearance. These are 245/45/17s front and 275/40/17s rear.

 

[iwashmycar]

Cutting a progressive rate spring should have less affect on ride quality than cutting a standard spring, correct?

Iwashmycar - I realize you have progressive springs, but you need to know what type of spring others have cut when first hand experiences are provided.

I would think the constant bouncing to be a problem with the dampers not doing their job.
The rate of the spring needs to be balanced with the stiffness of the shock. Otherwise "porpoising" can occur.

You may have to upgrade the shocks when you cut a spring, at the very least have good shocks installed.

I cut the rears springs on the 2.3 87 LX. I don't care for the result, a little too harsh. New lowering springs are on the list.

jason

new shocks / struts / endlinks..

im gonna try removing some rubber and ill see how it looks. I am putting the Tri's back on so it may have a new stance and ill post results if there are any!

thanks everyone

 

[rd]

Yes you can cut the rear springs.

I would cut no more than 1/3 coil to start, reinstall, and check.

Measure the ride height to the top of the fenderwells BEFORE and after.

If it is too high with 1/3 coil cut, then cut 1/4 coil at a time until it is ok

I cut them with a cutoff wheel, but a torch will work also. Since you are cutting at the end, you should not cause any significant problems with heating the metal, etc, that I can see.

Cutting in short increments also lets you keep it even from side to side, although I have not had the problem.

I have B springs in my Capri, and they were high in the rear, so I cut about a 1/2 coil, like 12 years ago. They have been fine since.