does anyuone have expirience of dricing about with cut springs, I've heard its a cheap easy way to lower the car but can be quite dodgy, i only want to go 60-70mm drop and was wondering if this would be feesable until I've saved enough money for coilees

opinions ?

does anyuone have expirience of dricing about with cut springs, I've heard its a cheap easy way to lower the car but can be quite dodgy, i only want to go 60-70mm drop and was wondering if this would be feesable until I've saved enough money for coilees

opinions ?

don't do it, if i were you id ride standard ride height until you can afford some proper springs. It isnt worth the hassle mine was horrible when i did it

i chopped my standard springs about 60 mm and it was sweet suprisingly improved my handlin a little and didnt really effect the ride just dont take too much of at once i done a coil off the front and one and a half of the back

if you do it just remember try not to be too much of a cock i have known people to have their springs fall out!!!

i chopped my standard springs about 60 mm and it was sweet suprisingly improved my handlin a little and didnt really effect the ride just dont take too much of at once i done a coil off the front and one and a half of the back

are you joking better hanling its like being on a bouncy castle constantly i thought, my mate did it, but then he bumpstopped it to the top and made my friends boobs pop out on a bouncy rouad niiccceee

Why not do JUST springs. Granted its like £50. but thats cheap enough no? and then safe! Just my thoughts

Iv cut springs in the past on a few cars, never really had any problems tbh, just keep the spring cool when your cutting it, use a hacksaw or if you use a grinder use some water to keep it cool.

Ride will be shit, you will bottom out all the time, if you go mad chopping 6 coils out and go caning it down a b road they probably will dislodge.

The only good side to chopping springs is that you can go low for free, and do it without stripping suspension ect.

But tbh i would just buy springs, so much better in the long run, and its worth 50 quid just to be able to go down the road not worrying about a spring over taking you.

your probably going to get slated for this topic.

but yeah, cutting springs will lower it, take off small amounts and try as apposed to guessing.

also most likely youll jack it up and the springs will fall out the cups, (MOT failure) but this also means it wont be safe etc.

but its doable and will lower your car, but for £50 lowering springs are your best bet, but a 60-70mm drop on standard dampers isnt good regardless

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But tbh i wound just buy springs, so much better in the long run, and its worth 50 quid just to be able to go down the road not worrying about a spring over taking you.

if you have ever seen the suspension set up on a polo you will know that it is impossible for the spring to fall out as it's would around the shock.

and to every one saying to just buy lowering springs, how is that any different to chopping a standard spring down? think about it, if you chop a spring down to the size of a 60mm spring and it some how does the impossible and fall's out, how would putting exactly the same size spring in there, just without the chop, make it any more less prone to falling out??

chopping springs will only give you a shit ride if

A. your shocks are fucked

B. you chop so much off it's riding on the bump stops

C. you chop too much off and the old shocks shit themselves

it's not the spring being shorter that make's the ride bouncy, this is due to the shocks giving up and failing to absorb the energy from the springs. this will happen on any car with shafted shocks no mater how short or long the spring, after all the car is sitting on 4 springs, springs are designed to bounce

as with every thing, if it's done in a certain way it's perfectly fine, but if you go stupid it will go wrong. not in a way where if your driving down a road at 20mph your chopped springs will, without warning fire your car 20 foot in the air in a ball of flames before landing on a poor cute kitten, but if you do do it wrong it will make your car drive badly. it's really not difficult to get it right tho.

Edited 12 November, 201015 yr by McLOVIN

But tbh i wound just buy springs, so much better in the long run, and its worth 50 quid just to be able to go down the road not worrying about a spring over taking you.

if you have ever seen the suspension set up on a polo you will know that it is impossible for the spring to fall out as it's would around the shock.

and to every one saying to just buy lowering springs, how is that any different to chopping a standard spring down? think about it, if you chop a spring down to the size of a 60mm spring and it some how does the impossible and fall's out, how would putting exactly the same size spring in there, just without the chop, make it any more less prone to falling out??

chopping springs will only give you a shit ride if

A. your shocks are fucked

B. you chop so much off it's riding on the bump stops

C. you chop too much off and the old shocks shit themselves

it's not the spring being shorter that make's the ride bouncy, this is due to the shocks giving up and failing to absorb the energy from the springs. this will happen on any car with shafted shocks no mater how short or long the spring, after all the car is sitting on 4 springs, springs are designed to bounce

as with every thing, if it's done in a certain way it's perfectly fine, but if you go stupid it will go wrong. not in a way where if your driving down a road at 20mph your chopped springs will, without warning fire your car 20 foot in the air in a ball of flames before landing on a poor cute kitten, but if you do do it wrong it will make your car drive badly. it's really not difficult to get it right tho.

i think what your saying is right but lowering springs are abit stiffer than the origionals and also when people say its really bouncy i think what they mean is that the suspention system is bottoming out which can cause seriouse damage

tbh id just save my money and be patiant and get coilovers

But tbh i wound just buy springs, so much better in the long run, and its worth 50 quid just to be able to go down the road not worrying about a spring over taking you.

and to every one saying to just buy lowering springs, how is that any different to chopping a standard spring down

Exactly, and when you just lower the springs the shocks will most likely fail making it an MOT fail anyway.

If you want to lower a car for cheap, chop a couple of coils off, I've never had a problem with them, and as long as you don't take too many off, it'll be fine.

I meant springs dislocate themselves from the cups. Obviously they cannot 'fall out' my lowering springs are pretty much the same length as standard, they just have a few weak coils which compress much like helper springs on coilovers, this is for mot purposes and safety.

You probably have no idea how much work and development and testing car companies put into springs and dampers or air sus, whatever they run.

Working in a development area for a company, with dynamics being one of our main areas, I think I have the right to make accurate comments about how cutting springs will effect the suspension.

You have made some good valid points, as have I, and we all know you can cut them and most likely be fine, but I'd rather not feel guilty after causing someone to have an accident due to not telling someone that it COULD be unsafe.

So there you have it, this should be locked. Been covered and argued about on numerous occasions.

il say it again... before the days of cheap coilovers and suspension kits, everyone did it

yea it might bounce around a bit but for the cost involved who cares

Working in a development area for a company, with dynamics being one of our main areas, I think I have the right to make accurate comments about how cutting springs will effect the suspension.

and owning an angle grinder and loving low car's i have a lot of experience with chopped springs, both on my car's and mate's car's. it my not be my job, and i don't have qualifications in the subject, but what i do have is a lot of experience with chopped springs, i don't know the theory's, but i do know the results, and to me that is the important part

but pray tell, what happens if a chopped spring that is has been cut too short for the shock dislocates from the cups while you are driving? baring in mind i have experienced this apparently deadly event...

you hear a slight twang as the spring drops back into place

exactly the same thing you experience if your lowering springs are too short for your shocks.

also if chopped springs are good enough for Chip Foose, then they are good enough for me.

Also to whoever said lowering springs are stiffer. So are chopped springs. If you chop a coil or two off, they become stiffer.

Yeah well I know it would most likely be fine, was just giving advice.

I'm just stating worst case scenarious and the facts about springs being too short mot time.

I know I'm being picky seeing the company I work for make luxury cars everything is very picky, cutting a few coils off on an old polo will be fine.

that was quite a debate haha, I'm jsut going to chop them, see what happens and save !

Yeah well I know it would most likely be fine, was just giving advice.

I'm just stating worst case scenarious and the facts about springs being too short mot time.

I know I'm being picky seeing the company I work for make luxury cars everything is very picky, cutting a few coils off on an old polo will be fine.

it's just the problem is all too often you get people going way over the top with the worst case scenarios. on a polo the worst case scenario is that if the spring dislodges it will ping as it goes back into place, or if you take too much off it will shag your shock's, but you shouldn't be taking that much off any way. in the same way that you shouldn't be fitting 80mm lowering springs on to standard shocks.

also if you chopped a coil (maybe even two at a push) off a standard spring on standard shocks, the spring will still sit tight between the cups meaning it's not an mot fail. even if they are loose you can fasten them into place, i've seen jubilee clips used for this before but i've also heard of people using big ass zip ties, i even had a mate once that welded the springs to the cup's

as i said before it's more a case of taking into account what the shocks can handle rather than "yeah blud i'm gonna chop me springz in alf becuz i want lowz innit"

do it in moderation and your car should ride better than before, be a knob and it will ride like shit, the choice is your's

ok, after reading all this ..it doesnt seem to bad!

I'm going for it!

how would you guys suggest going about it for a mk3 breadvan?

taking the whole strut out, spring off etc?

thankyou that man that started this topic!

yeah, thats what i mean, going lower than like 40mm on standard dampers isnt the best, and cutting springs by 80mm would probably need some method so they're not lose mot time cut them anyway, if its shit youve learnt a lesson haha

I chopped the spring on my 2 tonne Volvo and life was all good. Drove shit, but it was a cruising barge anyway. God I miss my Volvo.

ok, after reading all this ..it doesnt seem to bad!

I'm going for it!

how would you guys suggest going about it for a mk3 breadvan?

taking the whole strut out, spring off etc?

thankyou that man that started this topic!

The strut or even spring don't need to be off the car, just jack the car right up with the wheels off so theres enough room.

Also I'd recommend compressing the spring abit further up, just so when you get through it the spring wont fire off and crush your hand.