I kinda hate to even this, as it seems pretty basic, but I'd rather be sure & look like a fool now, than 'guess' incorrectly & spend the money twice...

I'm wondering because I did quite a bit of reading before ordering springs, & I seem to remember reading that one end was supposed to be flattened - which I understood to mean that the actual wire itself was flattened (more or less into a "spade"-type shape) from being round.

Now, I get these, & both of the wire ends are round. My plans are to cut the springs a bit in order to lower the front end of my car some, but I don't dare do any cutting until I know that I won't need to return these in order to get the correct ones...

I'm including three pics with this post so that you guys can see what I'm talking about - one of each end of one spring, & one of the whole thing. I've also measured, & they appear to be correct in all other respects - 12-7/8" long, 5.5" outside diameter, & a (roughly) 3/4" wire diameter. In addition, they cross-referenced as being correct for a thirdgen, but I'd really prefer to be sure before I fire up the cutting wheel...

The part # is the TRW equivalent to the Moog 5662, I got these because the local parts place could get them to me by today (was trying to get the car together for a local show tomorrow). In fact, the PN is CS-5662.

If you've replaced your springs with 5662s (or if you're just familiar with thirdgen front springs), could you please take a look at these pics & let me know if they're formed correctly and/or OK to use?

Thanks.

My inclination right now is that they're probably just fine, & I could cut the end shown in the first picture, which would leave the other end with the same "geometry" (for lack of a better term).

In other words, if I cut the end shown in the first picture, it won't change the shape of the spring (or, perhaps more correctly, the relative position of the spring end from the coil beneath it), but if I cut the end shown in the 2nd pic, that would definitely change the entire spring's characteristics.

Am I on the right track?

Thanks guys!

Having done springs and used the same ones, they look fine to me. One end is bent slightly to where it just touches the coil below it, that is what they mean by "flattened" and that's the part that goes on top.

Here is a pic of my moog front spring - alongside the stock one I took out. Dont be surprised if yours differ in length like this, its normal.

If you really want to cut it, cut from the bottom. NOT the side where the end is touching the coil below it.

I'm unsure of how low you want you car to sit. I replaced with the 5662's a month or so ago, and currently my IROC sits at 27 1/8 (ground to fender lip). I believe the stock ride heigh is 27 1/2. With the 5665 rears, the car's butt is still sitting a bit high for my tastes.

JamesC

Yeah, after thinking about it a bit, I figured that's how it was.

I appreciate that, I probably would've been wondering about that if I saw it...

Right, that's what I was trying to get at in the 2nd paragraph of my latest post.

Thanks a bunch guys, looks like today's the day that my GTA gets the right stance!!

Good luck with the springs, please don't kill yourself.