The most annoying thing is people say it'll fuck your shocks and your handling will be shit. But putting a set of £200 coilovers on there lowest settings isn't going to do the inserts or your handing any favours. Its not like your going to adjust them all the time either.

For sucks sake.

There's so much bullshit on this forum.

I think i'm going to put together a proper thread explaining how springs work, how they are made and, how it is safe to cut them, how it is unsafe to cut them and the whys of each. At the end of the day a spring is a chunk of metal with specific qualities, and as long as those qualities aren't removed there is no reason why it should be dangerous.

Oh yeh, and all springs are cut springs.

Edited 9 August, 200818 yr by AdamP

Mikey, i did say in that instance, I'm only talking from personnal experience, just in case people come on giving their 2 pennys worth on cut springs, when they've never done it yourself (not aiming that at you)

I cut off 2 coils, lowered roughly 40-50mm, fucked it up, that simple.

It isn't dangerous, i dont care what anyone says, I'm a mechanic so I'm know what I'm talking about!

Obviously if you cut way too much, ie -in half ,then it wont do the car any favours, but it still isn't dangerous. I'm sick of all these people thinking that it is a life threatening thing to do, when they know fuck all about cars!

Grow some balls and get the angle grinder out!!!

Mechanics can take parts off and put things on cars. What part of your training taught you about suspension travel and ride quality?

Edited 9 August, 200818 yr by JohnCoupe

Yay for people reading what they want to read and not whats ACTUALLY infront of their eyes :-D

It isn't dangerous, i dont care what anyone says, I'm a mechanic so I'm know what I'm talking about!

Obviously if you cut way too much, ie -in half ,then it wont do the car any favours, but it still isn't dangerous. I'm sick of all these people thinking that it is a life threatening thing to do, when they know fuck all about cars!

Grow some balls and get the angle grinder out!!!

Mechanics can take parts off and put things on cars. What part of your training taught you about suspension travel and ride quality?

Quite a substantial part of my training covered how suspension works (as all cars haver suspension believe it or not ), and its obvious that ride quality suffers when you lower a car.

And the mechanics that you describe are just 'fitters'. There is alot more to fixing cars other than just taking parts off/on. You have to know what your doing to diagnos some faults. So i should have called myself a motor vehicle technician.

Sorry for that post i was rude.

Back to the topic, I think the best way to describe cutting springs is they're like remould tyres. They aren't going to kill you directly, but they sure has hell aren't going to be helping you. Comparing cutting springs to the lowest setting on coilovers is unfair. If you want performance you have the ability for it and if you want style you've got that too. Cutting springs is just being stingy. I got a set of lowering springs from ECP for 40 quid and they improved my car's handling immensely (a mk1 polo). I know for a fact lowering it 40mm by cutting them isn't going to improve the handling.

Sorry for that post i was rude.

Back to the topic, I think the best way to describe cutting springs is they're like remould tyres. They aren't going to kill you directly, but they sure has hell aren't going to be helping you. Comparing cutting springs to the lowest setting on coilovers is unfair. If you want performance you have the ability for it and if you want style you've got that too. Cutting springs is just being stingy. I got a set of lowering springs from ECP for 40 quid and they improved my car's handling immensely (a mk1 polo). I know for a fact lowering it 40mm by cutting them isn't going to improve the handling.

But not improving the handling isn't making it dangerous... By slamming your car on rock hard coilies you aren't improving the handling either.

Remould tyres aren't dangerous.

I don't really see your point.

Sorry for that post i was rude.

Back to the topic, I think the best way to describe cutting springs is they're like remould tyres. They aren't going to kill you directly, but they sure has hell aren't going to be helping you. Comparing cutting springs to the lowest setting on coilovers is unfair. If you want performance you have the ability for it and if you want style you've got that too. Cutting springs is just being stingy. I got a set of lowering springs from ECP for 40 quid and they improved my car's handling immensely (a mk1 polo). I know for a fact lowering it 40mm by cutting them isn't going to improve the handling.

But not improving the handling isn't making it dangerous... By slamming your car on rock hard coilies you aren't improving the handling either.

Remould tyres aren't dangerous.

I don't really see your point.

X2

There's some truth in that John,but as with the attitude of a few here,you've seen one thing and it applies in all cases according to your post. Well it doesnt.

Yes,40mm lowered springs are better than cut standards imo. But slightly cut 40mm lowered springs are better than 60mm springs,as long as they're preloaded in shortened shocks. They bounce less,as the shocks are more than enough for them.

..They give a smoother ride than the 60mm springs,as they're softer. And they even handle better on our poor quality public roads,as they are supple enough to follow the bumps. 60s are skittish by comparison.

Their compromise is in holding the car up after a drop - jump a hump-backed bridge,and they're not as capable of stopping the undercarriage from bottoming-out and scraping the floor.

Comparing cutting springs to the lowest setting on coilovers is unfair.

no its not, i've had cars on both and can tell you there was very little difference in ride quality and handling, the only difference is coilovers cost a shit load more and you have the option of highering them if you get bore of driving a 'dangerous' car.

^^ Then why do coilovers exist? everyone should just cut their springs up.

^^ Then why do coilovers exist? everyone should just cut their springs up.

JJJEEEEEZZZZZZZZZ

I really can't believe some people.

Either read the posts above or think about the differences between a coilover and a chopped spring! What does one offer that the other doesn't?

*bangs head frantically on desk*

^^ Then why do coilovers exist? everyone should just cut their springs up.

no coilovers exist to improve handling, but some people use them to slam the shit out of there car, its not what they were designed to do but they do it well, but in doing so it makes them ride like a car with chopped springs. are you trying to deny that?

No not at all. I guess its about comprimise and what you're trying to acomplish on the car.

And adamp keep your wig on

Would you cut springs if it was on a brand new BMW M3?

No. End of story.

That's right because a brand new M3 is comparable to a Mk3 Polo.

Would you cut springs if it was on a brand new BMW M3?

No. End of story.

Now this I really really don't understand

I wouldn't cut the springs on a BMW M3 if I could afford one. How the hell does that affect whether it would be safe or not?

Someone on here owes me a new desk! And a new forehead....

BTW I don't run cut springs on my cars, I have however been in and driven quite a few.

I consider the handling of my Polo to be more 'dangerous' than my mates Mk3 golf GTi which has cut springs. And the springs fall out of their seats on my car even though they aren't cut, so I have cable tied them in with industrial cable ties. It has been through an MOT like that.

Would you cut springs if it was on a brand new BMW M3?

No. End of story.

could i afford a brand new BMW M3?

No. End of story.

I think his point is that cutting is a bit of bodge job, and you wouldnt do it on an M3 or car of similar value.

I sort of agree but then it just boils down to budget.

I did a free spring chop on a £450 Polo.

If i could afford an M3 then i'd probably be able to spend £1k+ on something like KW's...

Would you cut springs if it was on a brand new BMW M3?

No. End of story.

Would you want to lower such a "drivers car" like an M3 or any other expensive monster so much that it ruins what it was made for?

No. End of sequel.

People who want their cars so low that they are willing to cut springs obviously dont give a shit about how the car handles, they're on poor performance cars anyway 99% of the time

Same goes for people who want to lower their cars so low by having coilies on the lowest setting

Edited 9 August, 200818 yr by walshc

Even if i had the funds,i wouldn't buy an M3. But if i did,it wouldn't need lowering anyway. The only new Beemer id buy is the 120 2dr loon,and yes,i would trim the springs on that if it meant getting the stance just right.

Comparing cutting springs to the lowest setting on coilovers is unfair.

Well I've had cheap coilovers (£200 - TA Technix), mid range coilovers (£400- FK Highsports) and expensive coilovers (£800 - KW V2) and I've used chopped springs.

The cheap coilovers on there lowest setting had similar characteristics to the chopped springs. If you go into a corner really hard they just start to bottom out and start to skip. Going in a straight line they were both uncomfortable in there own way. Chopped springs seemed to make it crashy, but the coilovers are quite crashy as well. They don't really soak up the bumps as much as they do reverberate them through your spine.