Can u cut e series springs

[InitialD]

Originally Posted by TWiZTiD EA

i was talking about the height being legel not the cutting part i know its not ment to be done so is add cams and every thing else we do cause it changes the exhurst gases readings which also a no no but we all do that ??

:yeees: is your exhaust leaking into the cabin?

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by INJECTED_250

Nothing wrong with cutting springs.... All u end up with is a shorter/ stiffer rate spring, Its no more likely to break than a stock spring or some super lowes (which are high).

but if its all about it being legal for you, then go the kings way or pedders

How did you work out that the spring will be stiffer after cutting it??
It's will still be soft but now have less travel, so it will bottom out more, although the centre of gravity is lower the springs are still soft do handling will not improve a great deal.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

How did you work out that the spring will be stiffer after cutting it??

It will be stiffer because of the less active coils.
As I said in my post above, a springs rate is determined by 3 factors.
1 of them being the the amount of active coils, IE, wire length.

A coil springs is just a length of spring steel wire wound up to form a coil, shorten the wire, IE, cutting a coil off, and we have less leverage.

Less leverage means more pressure is needed to bend the wire, our shorter coil now needs a greater force to compress it.

It's will still be soft but now have less travel, so it will bottom out more, although the centre of gravity is lower the springs are still soft do handling will not improve a great deal.

Not true in all cases, IME, shortened coils (by cutting) are sometimes stiffer than aftermarket coils.

Rick.

[geckoGT]

The thing that concerns me about the "go for it" brigade is all there opinion is based on if it is done properly. What happen if it is not sdone properly?
That is where I get to pick up the pieces, of the family that you have wiped out mid bend!
I am tipping there is a reason it is illegal, because it is dangerous.
I remember reading an article in street machine years ago about modding suspension. They stated that cutting spring is dangerous and should not be done.

[Stevo]

dont be so povo and buy some springs

[ChAmP-EAgHiA]

my uncle bought a old beamer with cut springs, i dont know why but it cracked the top of the strut makin it sit 15mm lower at one side he wasn't happy

[MrQuan]

I don't understand spring cutting. Are you really THAT tight?? Just wait until next payday and do the job right, then it's no worries and all is cool.

Meh, I'm sure your street cred' won't suffer that much by waiting another week or two. :yeees:

[DanXR6T]

Originally Posted by geckoxr8

The thing that concerns me about the "go for it" brigade is all there opinion is based on if it is done properly. What happen if it is not sdone properly?
That is where I get to pick up the pieces, of the family that you have wiped out mid bend!
I am tipping there is a reason it is illegal, because it is dangerous.
I remember reading an article in street machine years ago about modding suspension. They stated that cutting spring is dangerous and should not be done.

I was one of the it's not a terrible thing brigade, but I didn't say "gor for it".

I would be willing to bet that the reason it is illegal is that springs are subject to ADR approval and when you cut a spring you have modified it from its ADR approved specification and therefore is no longer approved for use on the road.

I believe, and reckon I'm not far off the ball, that "most" (not all) people who cut springs would also fit into the worn shock absorber, wearing brake pads and bald tyre catagory. Which is probably why they wipe out a family around a corner, or that they think they have created a WRC or V8 Supercar and so are driving too fast for the conditions/their ability.

As for Street Machine - what else would you expect them to say? If they print that its safe (whilst still be illegal) and someone does it and has an accident (whether caused by the cut springs or not) then the pulishers will get a nice slap over the wrist I'm sure..

Part of the Whiteline Works suspension package for early eseries falcons is a modification bracket that re-positions trailing arm(?) mounting points. However this has been engineered and approved for sale so its okay.

Dan..

[DanXR6T]

Originally Posted by Sox

It will be stiffer because of the less active coils.
As I said in my post above, a springs rate is determined by 3 factors.
1 of them being the the amount of active coils, IE, wire length.

A coil springs is just a length of spring steel wire wound up to form a coil, shorten the wire, IE, cutting a coil off, and we have less leverage.

Less leverage means more pressure is needed to bend the wire, our shorter coil now needs a greater force to compress it.

Not true in all cases, IME, shortened coils (by cutting) are sometimes stiffer than aftermarket coils.

Rick.

I'm not sure I agree 100% but I am not a physics guru so I may be wrong.

With springs how they are in a car, aren't we talking linear travel? So therefore the leverage is really linear travel and so total coil length would be negated because you will still need x kg to compress the spring x cm?

Therefore a short spring would have the same "linear stiffness" as a long spring with the same pitch, coil spacing and thickness?

Dan..

[Sox]

Originally Posted by Axeman82

I'm not sure I agree 100% but I am not a physics guru so I may be wrong.

You are.

With springs how they are in a car, aren't we talking linear travel?

Yep, and the travel stays linear.

So therefore the leverage is really linear travel and so total coil length would be negated because you will still need x kg to compress the spring x cm?

Therefore a short spring would have the same "linear stiffness" as a long spring with the same pitch, coil spacing and thickness?

Dan..

Yep, it does, you almost have it, though you need to look at it another way.

Lets say we load 100lbs on a spring with 10 coils, each coil compresses 1/10 of an inch for a TOTAL of 1" compression.
This spring is rated at 100lbs per inch.

Cut the spring in half to give only 5 coils.
Load the spring with the same 100lbs and each coil will compress the same 1/10 of an inch, however because we now only have 5 coils, the TOTAL compression is now only 1/2".
This spring is rated at 200lbs per inch.

You understand?

So if we cut 1 coil from a 10 coil spring, we shorten the spring by 10%, AND we increase it's rate by 10%

Rick.

[DanXR6T]

I just read that, and imitated compressing a spring with my hands in the air, which would have looked funny to someone watching me..

That was a good way of explaining it and now I understand and it makes sense.

Thanks.

Dan...

[jedaarr]

Well my mate cut 1 coil off the front springs- mirror of
bottom coil-it dropped the car roughly 28mm.
The rear he cut 2 coils of & it dropped 34mm but when
u jack up the car (REAR) on body the coil stays in place
up the top- but pops out of the bottom, but sits back in
place once the car is lowered of jack.
This will not happen if u jack car up on lower susspension arm,
as he uses a trolley jack.
The car sits roughly 35mm lowered all around & nothing like its
illegal to view by eye. With stock shocks it still handles great
if anything it is much harder on the road we found no bounce
it was more harder if anything.
We went through roundabouts etc if anything i was playing
shoulders with the left door (as a passenger) The car really
handled better-I have been in me ol mates eb before hand
On a whole the thing handled great & looks so much better
having being chopped.
I have King springs in my ol girl & honestly cant feel any
difference in handling other than legal issues.
By the way u cut of the bottom coil not the top as u would
not have head support .
I know it is illegal , but this is a forum- if u dont like it -dont
copy it- or follow it- dont do it- as this is a open forum.
we are all just commenting on are trials & failures. :

[AdzT3-146]

put 2 people in the back and see if it bounces.

[jedaarr]

Originally Posted by ef_classic

put 2 people in the back and see if it bounces.

Mate my buddy had a trailer on the back of his car & it
did not bounce so what are u on about- 300 kgs it still sat
sound under and over are u for real.

[AdzT3-146]

fair enough then, not trying to start a netfight, just saying from personal experience.

[LUXO_8]

Originally Posted by jedaarr

Mate my buddy had a trailer on the back of his car & it
did not bounce so what are u on about- 300 kgs it still sat
sound under and over are u for real.

pull your head in you twit.
you go on about how its a public forum, then go off at the first person to comment.

its a public forum, get a life.......

[stockstandard]

Considering the price of a set of springs I dont know why poeple bother cutting them. If you cant stretch the $250 odd bucks to lower it properly, then grab some xr or aftermarket springs 2nd hand.

There are just too many problems associated with cut springs to make it worth while IMO.

[sphell]

i didn't read any of the other posts so sorry if i'm repeating what someone else has said but from my experience, cutting springs is fine as long as you don't cut too much off them so that the car sits on the bumpstops and the spring becomes useless.

[Sprint_ED]

look mate what u do is fine, fine u may save a few dollars, but what about if something happens and ur car causes damage or injury or death to someone else. heres 2 examples:

1: mate in EA went round round about, spring popped out lost control and went thru a house

2: another mate in a gemmi did same went round a corner, rolled the thing, and nearly killed 2 passengers,

so before use em take ur finger out ur ***, spend the money on safe car parts and not dodgy , because if something did happen, ud have 2 live with it for the rest of ur life, and ud only have urself to blame

[jedaarr]

Originally Posted by MADNC_8

pull your head in you twit.
you go on about how its a public forum, then go off at the first person to comment.

its a public forum, get a life.......

U are right I come home half tanked sometimes &
log on the forums & rant on crap so i agree with u.
The twit does not sit to well, but i agree that i
do deserve it.

[LUXO_8]

haha.....perhaps i went a little over too..

its all good

[Laminge]

I can feel the tension of a cut spring in the air!

[InitialD]

Originally Posted by Laminge

I can feel the tension of a cut spring in the air!

GOLD

[jedaarr]

Dont get cheeky initialD i do remember u from
earlier posts. Cheers.

[InitialD]

Originally Posted by jedaarr

Dont get cheeky initialD i do remember u from
earlier posts. Cheers.

:

[Damo]

you have a good memory dude. :S

[jedaarr]

Only when i have had a good drowning of
amber.

[PULLY6]

I shelled out $215 last week for Superlow King Springs, and couldn't be happier with the ride. Its very, very worth paying the extra money.

Though I wouln't mind cutting 1 coil off the front....

[BLKPHN]

spend the $200 bucks its nothing in perspective. if you go an chop them u are going to kill tyres all un evanly, ur gona send ur shocks in to CBF mode ( they will be F*#ked ) in no time and mr TOGY wil be more then happy to give u a nice yellow sticker on ur car becase of "uneven suspension" true fat defect where slaped on my mates car cause they has this mysterious offence.

[INJECTED_250]

THe only reason it bounces is because its hitting the bump stop.. if you dont cut to much of it will be fine... 'Mine used to to bounce like hell.. i cut the bump stop in halF and it rides MINT no bouncing or any thing