chopped suspension springs...

[Pep]

before you comment i'm not considering this!

but i've been in a bit of an argument about this, is there actually anything dangerous about this?
i always hear people saying never do this etc etc but no-one ever has a reason for which to back themselves up.

are they actually dangerous or is it just an opinion?

 

[Ollie82.]

I've always wondered about this actually.

Come on all you "experts"....whats the actual scientific evidence for or against it?

 

[Pep]

just to confirm, i dont mean chopping some coils and taking some material from the middle then rewelding them together, as that could obviously offer some dangerous stuff,

but i mean just chopping some coils from the top of the spring.

i know loads of drifters who have done this, and nothing has ever gone wrong suspension wise after having done these.

 

[Ollie82.]

I think thats the only way of ever doing any chopping to a spring anyway.

Not unless you are completely numptified to go chopping a spring up and welding it back together in the middle!

 

[Pep]

^ lol, just making sure i don't get any replies like that!

where are all the experts?!

 

[Ollie82.]

Hehe...Good work covering your back!

 

[brisa4984]

and lowering springs shorter and stiffer...

If you cut the standard spring, the stiffness remains but its shorter. And easily compressed which will wreck your shocks.

 

[Matt_Pleece]

I heard it was rele dangerous cos they go flying accross the work shop due to the elastic energy inside or summit meh just do it and tell us if it hurts.

What brisa4984 says makes more sense tho!

 

[giorgio1712]

I thought as they are shorter yet still rather springy the shocks bottom out resulting in a loud noise and some metal on metal action?

 

[Flash Arghhh]

and lowering springs shorter and stiffer...

If you cut the standard spring, the stiffness remains but its shorter. And easily compressed which will wreck your shocks.

bottoms out to easy as well. so it fecks alot up.

 

[Peperami]

Lowering springs are stiffer, so they cant bottom out. If you chop a standard spring, its still soft, so will reach the end of its travel. Car will bottom out, which isnt very good for the shocks, and you'll get a nasty jolt over potholes/ speedhumps and the like.

 

[Pep]

what if shorter shocks were being used already, and it was only slightly shorter etc?

just wondering now how my mates cars have been lowered a hell of a lot with chopped springs and shortened shocks and the ride is so much better than my clio which was lowered on just springs

 

[Peperami]

Ride will be smoother, as they have soft springs, albeit shorter. Guessing they still get more body roll than you though? And the car bottoms out over potholes?

 

[Pep]

no they have full lowered kits, but just chopped the springs shorter, and there is pretty much no body roll at all, confuses me greatly!

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Chopping springs is cool. Do it without taking them off the car for a quicker job.

 

[Russ_16v]

the rate in which the spring comprssses is still the same,so a chopped spring will try to compress as if it still has all its coils in,the worst case with this is you are driving fast and corner hard and the spring compresses too much and 'bottomes out as such,also the ends of springs are shaped in a way to keep them still in the spring cups,cutting them you dont get such a end,and i have seen springs actually come out there mounts as a car lifts up ie over a hump bk bridge

in my opinion dangerous and not worth taking the risk

the price of spring kits these days is so cheap whats the point in taking any chances

 

[brisa4984]

and lowering springs shorter and stiffer...

If you cut the standard spring, the stiffness remains but its shorter. And easily compressed which will wreck your shocks.

bottoms out to easy as well. so it fecks alot up.

yep and if it bottoms out over a hump on a bend it will throw the car off into the bushes

 

[Djw John]

Heard of people being charged for driving unroadworthy cars after chopping springs!

 

[Pep]

lol, well the state of some of their cars chopped springs will be the last thing they check!

thanks for all the info, fountain of knowledge as usual!

 

[Black_clio]

christ u experts r long - chopped springs are surposed 2b an MOT failure, plus if cars really low the filth will pull u over cause of the apparate risk of a blow-out if car bottoms out and i personally never thought it a good idea either

 

[RichMcc]

First car I ever bought had this done, and I can say DONT! I was told it was "propperly lowered", was it hell! Boy was I mad when I realised but you learn from stuff like this.
They hadn't cut the springs evenly so the car was slightly lob sided, your shocks will die, geometry will be all to hell + all the comments above.

C'mon how much are a set of new lowering springs? They dont break the bank and if they do get some second hand there always loads up for sale, I saw a set of apex on here for £30!