There are lots of threads on here cautioning against cutting the springs as a method of quick and cheap lowering of your car. I agree that simply cutting the springs and running stock shocks is a definite no-no If I was rich, I would have just purchased lowering springs, but I didn't want to spend more than $550 total on my suspension and I figured the money was better spent on quality shocks.

In short, I removed 1.5 coils from the tops of each spring and used the money I saved on springs to buy the best shocks I could: Koni Yellows.

I had researched some information and found that stock '97 GSX springs are 277 #/in front, 165 #/in rear
eibach springs are 320 #/in front, 170-217 #/in rear
(stiffer by 15% front and 15% avg (3-27%) rear)

From what I could gather, it seemed that the spyder application was closer to that of the GSX due to the increase in weight from the convertible.. So I figured (and hoped) that if I removed aproximately 15% or so of the spring height that would be close to the spring rate of the eibachs and give me the slight drop I wanted.. (1-1.5") There was a bit of guesswork involved.. and I understand that the 2g uses progressive rate springs, so thats why I started at the top where they are wider. After careful measuring, I concluded that 1.5 coils from the top was about 15%..

I am quite happy with the end result. I have been driving the car one day now, I have the konis set on 1/4 turn in from least stiff... and it corners like its on rails. Body roll is severely reduced in low and high speed cornering. I have not felt any contact on the bumpstops (which I left un-cut) and the car absorbs bumps nicely. I drove on some pretty rough roads, with potholes and speedbumps... and on the freeways at high speeds. no problems with any of that.

The car sits about 1 1/4" lower than it did before.

Here are some before and after pics:





I'm convinced the key to doing this successfully and achieving results that both look good and perform well is careful measurement and being very careful to not cut too much of the stock springs... it will only work for a mild drop since we are working with factory springs here... and you MUST spend some coin on quality shocks. Just cutting the stock springs and using stock shocks or OEM style shocks will probably yield unsatisfactory results. I used a heavy duty grinder with a metal cutoff wheel to do the slicing. I paused halfway through to let the spring cool in an attempt to not overheat the metal, which will ruin the temper. I then filed the cut end and painted it black to protect it (hopefully).
I'm going to autocross this car on Sunday. I'll post more about my findings and results after I race on Sunday.

Congrats on not listening to the Great Unwashed and being brave and penny-wise.

- Jtoby

or for the same money you spent on koni's you could have gotten a tokico illumina shock and spring set up off ebay

Exactly!

Although most people who really care about handling would actually express it the other way around. We see people who bought Illuminas and ProKits and say "for the same amount of money you could have gotten Konis and cut your stock springs."

To the thread-starter: if you kept the bits you cut off, please weigh them. We can compare the weight of the parts cut off to either what is left or to my uncut stock springs are thereby calculate the new rates. And was it exactly 1.25 coils off each?

- Jtoby

Not a smart move at all. Suspension geometry is critical to proper operation of your car. By cutting the springs, your causing unequal forces on your suspension. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but trying to save a couple bucks by cutting your springs will cost you a lot more in the long run. Or in this case, the short run.. good luck.

I also hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have no idea of what you're talking. The "suspension geometry" produced by cut springs and fancy springs that lower the same amount is exactly the same.

- Jtoby

Thanks for the support Jtmcinder.. I guess the people who think this is so terrible need to ride in my car to see for themselves... I really don't understand where the big problem is? maybe these guys are upset that they spent big $ on name-brand (or generic ebay) springs and I didn't? well, whatever.. I wanted to prove that this controversial mod can be done properly with good results if you are thoughtful and use high quality shocks! I am a believer in Konis now and I'm very happy with my setup!!

I raced this car at an autocross event yesterday up in Everett, WA and it performed well beyond what I expected! With the help of my brother (an experienced autoXer) we dialed in the konis and we each co-drove, making 4 passes each. I improved on most runs, and had alot of fun. With the shocks dialed in, the spyder handles awesome! and it turned some respectable times at the track. By comparison, with my brother driving, the car beat out a 1g AWD talon that was on R-compound race tires by almost a full second The car feels great driving around town and its really fun to throw it into tight corners at speed. It hugs the road and now literally feels like a new car! The ride is a little stiffer than stock, but still comfortable and smooth which is exactly what I wanted. On bumps or rough roads, it feels fine and is not harsh, bouncy or otherwise uncomfortable. I cannot say enough good things about my konis!

I agree that suspension geometry is quite critical to the proper operation of a vehicle, especially a high performace car being street driven daily and autocrossed on the weekends! That's why I put alot of thought and research into this project before I cut my springs. I was very careful to cut off exactly the same amount from all four corners and was conservative when cutting.. I didn't want to slam the car, just lower it a reasonable amount and improve the handling.
I don't have a scale to accurately weigh the cut off pieces, but if I have time tomorrow I'll take them to the UPS counter and weigh them on the digital scale there. It will be interesting to see the difference in weight compared to stock.
I would like to note that not all the coils I removed were active coils. The topmost of the spring flattens out for about 60-70% of the coil's turn, and lays in the rubber mount.. this flat part of the coil obviously doesn't play an active role in the vehicle's suspension, so I had to cut more than I would have if the coils were "active" all the way up to the top of the spring. One coil and a half off the tops was the perfect amount to cut.

Anyone who thinks this is a bad idea, please don't cut your coils, just go and buy brand stuff instead. But if you are a do-it-yourselfer, you CAN cut your springs with success, the key is use good shocks and not going too low. Cutting too much will probably make your ride hit the bumpstops, and that would make for a harsh and uncomfortable ride.

I had considered the Illuminas, but after researching and drawing on my brother's extensive autocross experience I came to the conclusion that Konis were the least expensive shocks available that were actually high quality. I don't mean to knock guys with Illuminas or whatever else you are running, but I simply feel that the shocks are what counts when it comes to handling, and you get what you pay for in that regard. I think the konis are well worth the money and I probably would have not enjoyed such good results if I had cheaped out on the shocks.

Please keep in mind, my comments are from a performance and handling point of view... if all you care about is looks, then the quality of your shocks won't matter.

I'm sorry to jump in like this and I am by no means an expert...I am just a guy who generally knows WHO to ask if you catch my meaning. In any case, when I need something I don't know much about, there's a very short list of people I call and the folks at RRE are on that list...when it comes to shocks, they recomend the illumina series Tokico...they claime more adjustability over the koni's...the price is not the determining factor in their recomendation. I guess I don't know either way as I have never purchased a set of Koni's, but when it comes right down to it, people often mistake price for performance...people often also mistake performance for looks and performance for bragging rights....none of these things actually mesh together. I can have an exhaust guy bend me a downpipe to to muffler system for 1/3 the cost of purchasing from a supplier of name brand parts...if he has a mandrel bender and the specs, that exhaust would equal if not outperform the name brand equivilent...now it wouldn't be all shiny and it would rust sooner and maybe the braggin rights wouldnt be there, but it would PERFORM well...when it comes to those Koni's....they might be a superior shock, they might be the best shock on the face of the planet...the guys at RRE ( http://www.roadraceengineering.com/eclsuspension.htm ) don't seem to think they are, but who knows....I do know that this purchase could not have been made with "performance" in mind...the shock and springs work together...make a spring too weak or too powerful and the shock cannot control it and will furthermore be overworked and most likely fail prematurely. Now I'm not ragging on your work...I know the sense of satisfaction one can recieve from working out a cheaper resolution...but when you have so much invested in your shocks, why not consider saving up an throwing a few more bucks down on a set of springs? I'm just trying to throw in my friendly 2 cents because it might just save you some money in the long run....if you don't feel like it, well then good luck to you, nice looking car, and congrats on the work! (Sorry if I ranted about the Illumina debate...just had to defend us Illumina guys)

By no means do I think Konis are the best shock on the planet... there are probably plenty of better shocks out there for alot more money... I simply felt they were widely repected in racing communities as being a high quality shock that was tried and tested in competition... and was a reasonably good value. The RRE guys do seem to like illuminas for 2g eclipses... and on their website claim they have more adjustment than Konis, but then again, they are trying to sell you a product they offer, so its obviously a biased opinion. Personally, I don't understand how a shock with 5 settings is "more adjustable" than the Konis?
I've read mixed reviews on the illuminas on the internet. Neither myself nor my bro personally have experience with illuminas, but we do have the "Blues" series shocks as stock replacements on a non-modded Maxima and they are crappy... so that kind of soured us on the whole Tokico brand. Of course, thats probably not a fair comparison. Maybe the illuminas are just as good or better shocks than Konis?
It would be interesting to discover if good results could be had using cut springs with illuminas... which would mean I could have saved about $100 by using illuminas rather than the Konis and that would be another 100 steps in the right direction. I'd really like to read about somebody trying this same project with illuminas!

anyway... tomorrow I'm off to the alignment shop to make sure everthing is up to spec.

Did you ask John Mueller point blank, "which would you rather have on an autocross or road-racing car with springs that are slightly stiffer than stock"? If not, then please don't put words in RRE's mouth.

The reason why Konis are better than Illuminas for autocrossing has been covered many times. Please search.

- Jtoby