oh yeah cut springs

[daltah]

i live in a big city and cant realy be flying around corners at 50mph so if i have stock springs and just cut one coil off isnt that fine?Before i got coilovers i had cut 2 coils of my stock springs and it was low as hell but road just like it was stock.so basicly my car i just show for now so isnt it fine just to cut one coil for now?

 

[L2RTSiAWD]

Do it if you want to but if you have stock shocks prepare for them to blow out sooner and prepare for a shitty ride.

 

[daltah]

when i did do it the first time my shocks did blow but it still rode like stock

 

[BenieMan]

it's not reccomended, but it's really up to you, if you don't have the $ to dish out for some springs, you can be ghetto and go that route,. but you'll never be able to go back to stock height, and as you said you'll constantly be buying new struts..

 

[daltah]

how am i going to keep going through shocks with only one coil gone.before i cut off two and i was fine till i hit a speed bump real hard at my girls appartments. thos damn speed bumps!

 

[nutshot]

A coil spring is designed specifically for the length, guage, and number of coils of the wire used. Cutting off a coil will change the spring rate of the coil (often making them softer), and most modern coils are tapered at either end, so cutting them will create a larger affect. The reason struts/shocks wear out sooner is the springs will allow for more travel, causing the fluids inside the shock body to heat up faster and deteriorate the gaskets sooner. An aftermarket lowering spring is firmer because it allows for less travel, thus prolonging the life of the strut/shock. Also, the process of actually cutting the spring heats the wire and allowing the heat to dissipate too slowly will soften the metal, too fast and it will become brittle.

 

[RootBeer]

Could i keep using my stock struts with aftermarket lowerings springs?

 

[BenieMan]

um, read nutshot's reply and your answer is there..

in other words,.. yes, but they will deteriorate faster

 

[JohnWH]

I've had my stock struts on with lowering spring for about a year now...they've yet to need replacement.

 

[nutshot]

Right, after-market springs travle less distance that stock bits, and require more force to compress. So stock struts/shocks will last longer b/c they will see less use. However, an aftermarket strut/shock is designed specifically to dampen the forces of a stiffer spring, so they will ride better.

 

[Tevenor]

Originally posted by nutshot
Right, after-market springs travle less distance that stock bits, and require more force to compress. So stock struts/shocks will last longer b/c they will see less use. However, an aftermarket strut/shock is designed specifically to dampen the forces of a stiffer spring, so they will ride better.

Your shocks are always working. They push and pull against the springs. It doesn't matter if you cut a coil or drop it. What determines how hard the springs have to work is the travel distance and the spring rate they are trying to control.

 

[BenieMan]

ok well I guess I was wrong,.. but the point is it's better to get aftermarket shocks if you are using aftermarket springs..

 

[Tevenor]

Originally posted by BenieMan
ok well I guess I was wrong,.. but the point is it's better to get aftermarket shocks if you are using aftermarket springs..

Yes. Most definitely.


Springs and shocks should always be considered as a set. If you are going to upgrade one, you need to look to see if you need to upgrade the other.