i have decided to cut the springs on my 88 rs and was going to cut one coil how much will this drop my car. im looking for a 1.75" drop and i want a 1 1/2"
out back. i know that if i cut one coil from the rear springs it will be more than low than the front so how much should i cut? and how much drop is cutting one whole coil going to give up front?

 

I would cut little bits at a time (like 1/4 coil) and put them back in and drive around for a bit to make sure it's settled then see where it gets ya. Then keep repeating this if you need to.

 

yea that's what i might end up doing, because i don't want to end up ruining the springs

 

Nipping the rears two or three times wouldn't be difficult, but nipping the fronts the same number of times would be a task I personally wouldn't want to be involved in. Then there's the whole spring rate question. Wouldn't lowering springs simply be an easier choice (if you can find what you want)?

JamesC

 

I did my cars years ago...1/2 coil up front, 3/4 coil in the rear on 2 cars.

 

yea getting lowering springs would be better ,but cutting them is just something i want to do, if they don't work out i will just get the lowering springs but for now i just want to cut them
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so you cut more out back?

 

[QUOTE=88_thirdgen;3969342,but cutting them is just something i want to do, if they don't work out i will just get the lowering springs but for now i just want to cut them...[/QUOTE]

Some danger with the fronts, so be darned careful (personally, I chain the spring to the a-arm to avoid nasty repercussions).

JamesC

 

yea... thanks for the heads up, but dont you take off the front springs with a spring compressor?

 

This is tricky to measure...but possible.

You need to somehow get under your car AT RIDE HEIGHT with a tape measure and measure the spring height at stagnant compressed height. it should be somewhere in the 13-14" range.

Next, you need to measure 1 full coil loop at compressed height (not at free height)

Once you have those measurements, you can now disassemble the front suspension and remove the front coils.

The spring sets in the pocket at 42% of atriculation leverage....so....you cut 42% of the desired drop wanted off of the "compressed" height of the spring...YET..The spring is now no longer at compressed height, it is at free height.

With the above pre-measurements at hand, you will need to multiply the desired drop of 1.75 x 42% = 0.735 or roughly 3/4". You will need to get the spring to 3/4" shorter on compressed height for the desired 1.75" drop.

Lastly, you will now need to reference the compressed 1 full coil height and figure how much of that needs to be cut (example: 1/2 coil, 5/8 coil, 7/8 coil, 1 3/8 coil ????) If one full compressed coil is 1 1/2 ", then 3/4" compressed height is 1/2 coil to cut off- note that at free height that same 1/2 coil can be 1 1/16" tall.

If you are confused at this point, just get me the total compressed heght the spring is right now and also the height of one full coil and I will figure it for you.

Dean

 

That's one way, but not the only way. The compressor has been known to slip and release the spring wreaking havoc. A search will provide more info.

JamesC

 

thanks a lot for the info its very helpful
i will try to get you the measurements as soon as i can so that you can give me your opinion on how much i should cut