Cutting Springs.....

[ROLLingKING]

I was gonna hate and comment DONT CUT SPRINGS. leave it for hondas.

but then I thought about it and re-read the original post. id say cut away at your stock springs.lol if your shocks are old and worn expect slight problems after cutting.lol but hey xmas and weddings are more important things.
good luck. cut and post pics. only u will know when ppl say, hey nice stance.haha

[OnMy2ndE30]

I disagree.. but either way cutting them wont be as detrimental as people try and tell you. Just don't add a lot of heat into them when doing it or you'll get an uneven rate

Only heat made would be from the sawzall cutting through the coil.....no hot wrench here unfortunately.....

I did find a set of e36 m3 springs.... I have used them before, but with stock shocks. gives a nice lowering rate. I think I may have the Billy sports in the front of my car. I have them in the rear and would assume they are the same in the front.

[acolella76]

I actually don't even use springs anymore. Or shocks. I welded in a solid piece of steel pipe so the bitches know i'm totl srs.

[ak-]

See now heat is a different story, that can detrimentally change rate since it's unevenly applied to the coils

[PNWDan]

I disagree.. but either way cutting them wont be as detrimental as people try and tell you. Just don't add a lot of heat into them when doing it or you'll get an uneven rate

[ak-]

Bounce is caused by cutting the springs. Cutting a coil off the spring increases the spring rate and thus the spring rate becomes to strong for the factory shock to control. This is why your shocks and springs should be matched.

M3 springs are the same as the standard E30 springs minus one full coil. I have experimented and cut up to 2 coils off the factory springs before the rate overtook the factory shocks. I currently am running with 3 coils cut and billie sports. No bounce

lol stock springs are rated 105lbs, cutting them a few coils is not going to significantly increase the spring rate and get them to be bouncy.
Many people here run h&r sports, which are stiffer than stock obviously, with stock replacement kyb shocks and the ride is perfect.

He is going to bounce due to hitting his internal bump stops if he cuts too much not because of rebound specs/matching

[AndrewBird]

The bouncing is not from the springs. Directly anyway. If you lower a car without shortening the struts, the struts will start to bottom out a LOT more as they are compressed more at static height. This eventually blows them, giving you no absorbing force, much like if you had no shocks at all.

You can cut them and run them for a bit, but it will eventually blow the struts and you will get bounce. How long that takes depends on how much you cut off and how your driving is.

[OnMy2ndE30]

I found a set of e36 m3 springs for $75 for the interim until I can get H&R springs. I am going to offer $50 and see where it gets me......

[OnMy2ndE30]

Juse Perez, you know there is an e30 vert being parted up by you on craigslist right? I checked with him on some body parts, but he thinks that damn thing is made of gold, even wrecked in the rear end like it is......

[OnMy2ndE30]

they're stock springs, not like you're going to be able to sell them anyways. Just cut them. Nothing wrong with it if all you want is less gap.

That is what I was thinking. I am not going to auto x this car and it is mainly used to go on short day trips on the weekends with the wife.

[acolella76]

they're stock springs, not like you're going to be able to sell them anyways. Just cut them. Nothing wrong with it if all you want is less gap.

[themoonman]

i'm tired of being 4x4 while saving up for my coils so i'm probably going to end up cutting my stock springs on stock shocks! hopefully it rides like shit.

[OnMy2ndE30]

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/pts/2554385459.html maybe???

I texted him already, I actually bought an afm off him but he hasnt responded to my text about the springs......

[Roysneon]

I cut like 2 coils from my stock springs on my early 318i after the springs I bought ended up being wrong and I couldn't stand the hella gap anymore. Although they were soft it there was enough travel to keep them off the bumpstops.

[PNWDan]

Bounce varies on how much you cut.
Bounce is from bottoming out/sitting on shock's internal bumpstops.

Bounce is caused by cutting the springs. Cutting a coil off the spring increases the spring rate and thus the spring rate becomes to strong for the factory shock to control. This is why your shocks and springs should be matched.

M3 springs are the same as the standard E30 springs minus one full coil. I have experimented and cut up to 2 coils off the factory springs before the rate overtook the factory shocks. I currently am running with 3 coils cut and billie sports. No bounce