Cutting front springs?

[bmartin]

For those with experience in cutting E30 springs? preferred budget for lowering = $0.00 and no one selling lowered springs is open over the xmas-new year break - I need it on the road next tuesday. For the time constraints and for this budget I am prepared to try cutting springs.

For approx 40mm lowering, how much should i cut off? One coil? 1 1/2 coils? The shocks are used scavenged but OK Mtechs.

I have -50mm rear springs. All I have for the front is stock springs. A conservative cut should not lower it too much and if necessarty I can make up spacers to raise the rear a little to balance the rake.

I am happy to try this on an interim basis, as worse comes to worse, I'll chase better springs and trial the drophat option. I have done this on other cars before successfully.

[Sagaris]

now that we have that over with


I suggest running "drop hats" or removing your spring pads before cutting coils since the above mentioned items are quickly/easily reversible if/when you realize you hate smashing your oil pan, driving a car that handles like crap, bounces around, and looks like @$$.

Performance springs are quite cheap. The classifieds should have something affordable that isn't hodge-podge like cut springs.

Sorry to not directly answer the question but the ghetto-low thing drives me bonkers.

[Exodus_2pt0]

If you must, just cut a couple inches at a time and re-install. Do it little by little, you can always cut more.

Just don't tell anyone that you cut your springs....

[Exodus_2pt0]

that pic made my balls hurt....

[xwill112x]

I cut mine on the car. Lol, worked out great for about a month, then the shocks were trash and it handled lke ass. Super soft and bounced everywhere. I don't recomend it, buit if you must, cut about a coil and a half and see what ya got.

[antil33t]

Don't be fucking stupid.

if you can't afford to be doing it properly, don't do it at all.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Don't be fucking stupid.

if you can't afford to be doing it properly, don't do it at all.

You're trying too hard man. :hitler:

If the guy has drop springs for the rear (which I doubt you even bothered to read), then I would say cutting springs is a better alternative to some severe reverse rake.

Wait a sec, you're not one of those internet trolls I keep hearing about are you? I ask because that comment was completely uncalled for and unjustified.

[noE30]

My car has cut H&R sports up front, it rides like shit. We cut one dead coil off because I hated the reverse rake, at this point I would gladly take the rack over the shitty ride any day.
Don't cut the springs, trust me you will hate it eventually. My front suspension is all brand new, from tie rods to shock mounts, to CABS, everything except the cut springs and my car rides like absolute shit fyi.

[nrubenstein]

Cutting the springs isn't really any worse than a lot of the spring kits. Remember that spring rates go up as you cut coils off (every coil is essentially an independent spring, and they are stacked). The big issue with cutting springs is that lots of People cut too much and/or use them with crap/blown struts.

[AndrewBird]

The big issue with cutting springs is that lots of People cut too much and/or use them with crap/blown struts.

This.

I ran cut springs on my Jetta (lol) for several years with no problems until the struts finally blew from being bottomed out so much. They weren't as good as correct rate lowering springs, but they were a LOT better then stock length due to the increase in spring rate.

And I'm with everyone else; cut one coil at a time until you get the height you want. I cut the springs on my Jetta I think 4 times before I got it to the height I wanted. Because of this, I can cut all 4 springs on a Jetta, from start to finish, including pulling them out of the car, in ~45 minutes. lol

[AsharC]

I cut my springs. You have to cut from the bottom because of some geometry thing. They are like the aggression coils or something I cant remember. I cut two coils and im not really sitting that low.

Ill try to find the sit where i found out about the coil thing.

Pictures:

[Jim Lepage]

I cut my front H&R Race with no issues.

[mr ilia]

Do not cur rear springs, i see you did not. You can cut the front, but only a coil at a time, if you run stock spring hats. I have 1991 318i with 325is springs with 1 cut coil up front. Did not make any difference in the ride height, but I can feel it's stiffer now. I will be cutting 1 more coil in the spring time. My estimate, I will be -25mm in the front.
For the street use and "just for looks" cut springs are fine.

[taiden]

There is nothing wrong with cut springs assuming you realize a few things first.

1) too much heat input will cause the spring to lose it's temper, and it will not be much of a spring anymore. Cut slowly or risk a useless spring

2) when you cut a spring, you effectively increase the spring rate. there are calculators for this, but the calculations are all for simple springs. our springs are not so simple

3) in the front, the upper spring perch will rotate to interface properly with the new spring end. In the rear, it won't. So it's less desirable to cut in the rear, unless you cut 360 degrees worth of coil each time (1 coil)

Food for thought, if you use drop hats in the front, you will be dropped with no increased spring rate. if you want a stiffer front spring, cutting is better than using drop hats.

[taiden]

Do not cur rear springs, i see you did not. You can cut the front, but only a coil at a time, if you run stock spring hats. I have 1991 318i with 325is springs with 1 cut coil up front. Did not make any difference in the ride height, but I can feel it's stiffer now. I will be cutting 1 more coil in the spring time. My estimate, I will be -25mm in the front.
For the street use and "just for looks" cut springs are fine.

This is also a good thing to consider. Depending on a lot of things, you can cut 2" of free length off the spring, but the rate change may be so great that it only drops you 1".