Q: can you lower a clio without spring compressors?

[Harry_manback]

Q: can you lower a clio without spring compressors?

i have the springs and the jacks and tools etc, just no compressors.
so i just went for it. loosened off the rear dampers and pop, with a little help from some cable ties out came the back springs.

so i fitted the new lower springs in a piece of piss and banged it all back together again.

then i thought id just do the front.

start:

2 hours later.

i couldnt get the top strut nuts off without breaking allen keys, boooo

A: maybe, just not today.

 

[ChrisPearson]

dont mess with springs you should see what i did to my face

 

[DrR]

I unlowered my car no problems without spring compressors, why did you use cable ties on the back???

 

[len_beach]

LOL at the cable ties. If you've ever seen a spring go you will realise that the cable ties are a token effort if that.

 

[Justin]

i never used compressors when lowering my 182

 

[Josh@Renparts]

lol ive got some compressors, you don't need them though, you can just pull the rears out once you have unbolted the rear shocks.

 

[Josh@Renparts]

if you want your strut tops taking off bring a swan neck spanner over and you can use my hardened allen key.

 

[D1CKY]

Just a thought, try soaking the top nuts on the front suspension struts with wd40 for a while to try and make it easier to free off with a allen key and swan neck spanner

Either that, maybe a bit of brute force without rounding it it off

 

[D1CKY]

i never used compressors when lowering my 182

How come ?

Was there not much compression on yer front springs ?

How easy was it to remove the rears ?

Did you have to remove rear shocker ?

 

[bmh.01]

You can remove the tension on the springs before the nut comes off the top of the strut. I wouldn't and won't be doing it without compressors though, its a very bad habit to get into. As plenty of people have said, there dangerous things if you piss about with them.

 

[StevieGreenstuff]

if you want your strut tops taking off bring a swan neck spanner over and you can use my hardened allen key.

That sounds sightly perverse...

 

[Harry_manback]

Just a thought, try soaking the top nuts on the front suspension struts with wd40 for a while to try and make it easier to free off with a allen key and swan neck spanner

Either that, maybe a bit of brute force without rounding it it off

i soaked them in ease-it which usually works but didnt, then applied a s**t load of heat and then snapped another key.

FFS.

reason for the tie is cos i thought the rear beam wouldnt go down low enough to release the springs, i thought they might hold them just enough and they did, although i could of prolly prised them out.

 

[D1CKY]

if you want your strut tops taking off bring a swan neck spanner over and you can use my hardened allen key.

That sounds sightly perverse...

Lol

 

[D1CKY]

Just a thought, try soaking the top nuts on the front suspension struts with wd40 for a while to try and make it easier to free off with a allen key and swan neck spanner

Either that, maybe a bit of brute force without rounding it it off

i soaked them in ease-it which usually works but didnt, then applied a s**t load of heat and then snapped another key.

FFS.

reason for the tie is cos i thought the rear beam wouldnt go down low enough to release the springs, i thought they might hold them just enough and they did, although i could of prolly prised them out.

Ah ok, they must be well stuck like :dapprove:

The heat may have expanded the shocker rod (i think it is) your allen key goes into making it tighter on nut :dapprove:

What allen key are you using ?

A normal L shaped one ?

Or sockets with wee allen keys on them ?

 

[Christopher]

dont mess with springs you should see what i did to my face

do tell

 

[huckin18]

i had to get my mates garage to undo the top bolts with his air gun then did them back up just enough to hold em til i got home driving v. slowly and its only about 2 miles... i couldnt move em before and i have decent tools...

dont need spring compressors on 172/182 shocks and rear beams no pressure on them at all....

 

[pinky]

That just made me cringe seeing the cableties...you are ok with the rear..as when the car is raised there is no compression in them.
But the front are different...Do not attempt to remove them with cable ties..you will have
a spring embedded in your head. Spring compressors are £18 from a1 moterway stores.

I would spray the top strut nut with wd40 and try again tomorrow..(with compressors)


This is for a 1.2 16v...dont know if its the same for your car.

 

[DrR]

Front springs have no compression in them no need for the spring compressors at all.

 

[ChrisPearson]

o back you can do without anything its front you need compressers
Most cars anyway!Ive heard you dont need them with 172/182

 

[ChrisPearson]

dont mess with springs you should see what i did to my face

do tell

Trying to do a bravo with 3 spring compressers instead of two.Tightened them then bang spring in the cheek bone.Was bleeding etc no real injury thank god just knocked me sick and gave me a big lump fpr a few weeks.

 

[jonny mac]

do tell

Trying to do a bravo with 3 spring compressers instead of two.Tightened them then bang spring in the cheek bone.Was bleeding etc no real injury thank god just knocked me sick and gave me a big lump fpr a few weeks.

well that's ok, least you were not seriously hurt, if anyone on here remembers the renault 19 the springs came up to you'r knee uncompressed.

a mechanic in scotland lost his life through trying to compress it and unfortunately failed.

 

[Hutchie]

i just took the strut out, laid it on the floor then un-did nut, with a few old tyres left on the floor to catch spring etc worked well, and because shorter springs going on front just need one middle weight FATTY to compress spring while you start nut, then reverse previous steps, job done pikeys-r-us

 

[jonny mac]

yes there's easy ways to do it like what you said above but for the price of compressors i'd rather pay for them than risk a serious injury

 

[ChrisPearson]

Trying to do a bravo with 3 spring compressers instead of two.Tightened them then bang spring in the cheek bone.Was bleeding etc no real injury thank god just knocked me sick and gave me a big lump fpr a few weeks.

well that's ok, least you were not seriously hurt, if anyone on here remembers the renault 19 the springs came up to you'r knee uncompressed.

a mechanic in scotland lost his life through trying to compress it and unfortunately failed.

F**k :dapprove:

i just took the strut out, laid it on the floor then un-did nut, with a few old tyres left on the floor to catch spring etc worked well, and because shorter springs going on front just need one middle weight FATTY to compress spring while you start nut, then reverse previous steps, job done pikeys-r-us

Ive done that a few times but never again!

 

[gazbenger]

do tell

Trying to do a bravo with 3 spring compressers instead of two.Tightened them then bang spring in the cheek bone.Was bleeding etc no real injury thank god just knocked me sick and gave me a big lump fpr a few weeks.

I think it was god telling you to get away from that fuckin hideous car

 

[ChrisPearson]

Trying to do a bravo with 3 spring compressers instead of two.Tightened them then bang spring in the cheek bone.Was bleeding etc no real injury thank god just knocked me sick and gave me a big lump fpr a few weeks.

I think it was god telling you to get away from that f**kin hideous car

Yeh or the fact that the standard springs were as long as your :quiet: x

 

[xcore]

U used 3 compressors and it still popped out?

 

[ChrisPearson]

Yes.use 2 or 4

 

[xcore]

really? i used 3, came as a set

 

[ChrisPearson]

o clio springs are much shorter any way so you probably didnt have the problem.Thinking about it now i was clamping standard bravo springs to go back on a bravo that had prevesly been lowered.

 

[Christopher]

do tell

Trying to do a bravo with 3 spring compressers instead of two.Tightened them then bang spring in the cheek bone.Was bleeding etc no real injury thank god just knocked me sick and gave me a big lump fpr a few weeks.

oops

lesson learnt

 

[Turkish]

There seems to be alot of dangerous statements being made in this thread. 1*2's YOU DO NOT need spring compressors I know from firsthand experience having swapped suspension on RS clio's several times. However on 1.2's 1.6's DCi's etc I would suggest you use spring compressors if you value your safety.

TBH I think a mod should really consider removing this thread as someone on here will see the cable tie bodge try to copy it and end up doing themselves a serious injury as a result. Cable ties are not a safe way to compress a spring anyone with half a brain should realise that.

 

[pinky]

agree^^

 

[Harry_manback]

out of interest, where does the washer fit to stop knocking, i have just got some out of stores.

 

[HartZ]

Ive had absolute ball ache trying to get the front of my 172 down, the rears took me 15 minutes at the most, just cant get that damn top strut bolt off! Im getting it done properly tomorrow though

 

[kully]

There seems to be alot of dangerous statements being made in this thread. 1*2's YOU DO NOT need spring compressors I know from firsthand experience having swapped suspension on RS clio's several times. However on 1.2's 1.6's DCi's etc I would suggest you use spring compressors if you value your safety.

TBH I think a mod should really consider removing this thread as someone on here will see the cable tie bodge try to copy it and end up doing themselves a serious injury as a result. Cable ties are not a safe way to compress a spring anyone with half a brain should realise that.

as said above :nono:

 

[kully]

There seems to be alot of dangerous statements being made in this thread. 1*2's YOU DO NOT need spring compressors I know from firsthand experience having swapped suspension on RS clio's several times. However on 1.2's 1.6's DCi's etc I would suggest you use spring compressors if you value your safety.

TBH I think a mod should really consider removing this thread as someone on here will see the cable tie bodge try to copy it and end up doing themselves a serious injury as a result. Cable ties are not a safe way to compress a spring anyone with half a brain should realise that.

as said above :nono:

after recieving a pm from a member , please note -:

well you definatly do need compressors on dci , some other models ie 1.6/1.2 etc you can get around but best be safe and tell everyone you have to use them. I'd hate to imagine the damage it will do when someone try doing a dci in particular withouth them reading some posts thinking they can do them without compressors.