sdime94

im thinkin bout cuttin the springs on my s10 to lower it a couple "s. what you think TR ? New lowering springs n spindles run like 250-300 for both. opinions ?

lordofthemiasma

sometimes it works fine other times it sucks. I cut the ebay springs on an s13 i had and it rode stiff as hell, we were surprised, sometimes it will be bouncy as hell. cut em and let me know how it goes.

markzeronine

mmmmmm cut springs ftw

5thgen_er

i would expect this kind of thread from edmel

extatic002

i say cut your springs to find the ride height you want then not be jewish and buy some lowering springs

RoadRacer

Moving to suspension tech.

Loren

Cutting springs is not inherently bad. A spring is a spring. But, BEFORE you cut, you should measure the spring and calculate its rate before and after and try to estimate how much it's going to lower the vehicle. (hint: It almost always lowers more than you expect.) The problem with cutting stock springs (aside from the cut end often not fitting the spring perch properly) is that the spring rate does not increase enough for the amount of lowering that is done. If you're just going for 1/2" or an inch of lowering and a slightly stiffer spring rate, try cutting half a coil (yes, JUST half a coil) and see what it does for you. If you want more than an inch of lowering, you're better off to buy proper springs.

The bouncing that people report from cutting springs is due to cutting the spring so much that it increases the rate beyond what the shocks are capable of handling. Springs bounce, it's in their nature, it's what they do. A stiffer spring requires a better than stock shock to control the bounce.

Over-stiffness from cutting springs is also usually a result of cutting too much from the spring so that the suspension rests on its bump stops, essentially leaving you with almost no suspension travel.

If you think spring cutting is for you, here's a good rate calculator to help you determine what your resultant spring rate will be: Pro-Formance Shocks, Inc

Just for a little real world experience, I cut the springs on a Saturn once. Removed half a coil from each spring. This increased the spring rate by about 10% and lowered the car 3/4 of an inch. I further increased the spring rate with some coil spring spacers to remove one more coil from the spring rate equation for a total of about 30% increase over stock. It worked VERY well for about 6 years. So, it CAN be done, and done right... just do a little planning before you start cutting.

Remember, you can always cut a spring again to remove more from it... but you can't put it back!

senor honda

To establish a bit of credibility....
I install aftermarket springs for some people as well as sometimes cut stock springs. A spring is a spring. I prefer to use stock springs since they are designed to support the weight of the car. I can check spring rates and have always had good experiences with cars I have worked on.

I carefully measure before cutting the springs........and that's where most people mess up.......they don't properly measure or properly understand
the suspension, and when they mess up, they don't blame their lack of ability, they blame the cut spring.....

If your springs are designed so they cannot be cut and match the spring perch, I would tell you instead of mess up your car. I don't remove bump stops because they keep your car form getting beat up.

.......a ride in my car will demonstrate that cut stock springs still ride well and also corner well....that can be verified by the people who have ridden with me.

If you want someone to look at your S10, catch me at the meets or click on the top link in my sig....there are several suspension articles there...I have worked on your type suspension before.........second opinions are free....-Bob
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My experience says that a person doesn't need to make a spring hard when it is cut. Hard springs cause loss of grip in the turns.
A spring that is too hard is a poor substitute for a person having cut it too short.......... cramming solid metal pieces into the spring is a poor substitute for a person having cut it too short.

If your shocks were going bad to start with, cutting springs doesn't
make them get better.

clean teg

don't do it

senor honda

I understand why Cleanteg thinks the way he does. Our past experiences
affect our future expectations.

A couple years ago, Cleanteg had a bad experience with someone who
messed up his suspension. I did not work on his car. He asked me
to tell his guy how to fix his car. Below is a partial reply from me.-Bob

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I heard that name witheld does good work for other people, and if you have had problems with him, I am not involved. Please don't ask *me* to tell *him* how to fix your car.

While name witheld may be a nice well-meaning person, in his postings, he has admitted that he doesn't know how to shorten coils, and has admitted that he doesn't think it CAN be done, and my "guess" is that he doesn't know how to check spring rates. He has said some other things that I can *show* to be incorrect, but I don't need to prove anyone wrong, or use words like "back to this crap". If you and name witheld worked on your car, and you are not pleased with it, it looks like it's between you guys, and I am not involved.

3 general rules:
1.Don't take your car to someone who doesn't know how to do a certain job.

2.Don't take your car to someone who doesn't think he CAN do a certain job.

3.Don't take your car to someone who believes he can't do what you ask him to do.
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It's possible that it bothers name witheld that I can both: 1. install aftermarket springs as well as 2.shorten stock springs without them flopping around, without the springs beating up the suspension, and without the tires being eaten......................something that I can actually *show* you, or anyone else that wants to take a ride with me.
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I heard that name witheld does good work for other people, and if you have had problems with him, I am not involved. Please don't ask *me* to tell *him* how to fix your car.-Bob

Quote:
Originally Posted by clean teg
Yes lets here more on this proven measurment.......
You have a quote of what I did to my car to lower and also what I did to correct it
So what would of ben the correct measurment 1 coil or half coil because me and name witheld did measure and the highth was right but how do you measure spring rate or load GUESS that what cut springs are a big guess