What are the consequences if I cut a coil out of my rear coil springs to lower the ride height? Is doing so a really bad idea? Plannig a rearend swap this week.

 

It changes the spring rate. When you buy lowering springs they are the same springs but wound differently. Aftermarket springs will lower the car and keep the same spring rate. There's nothing really wrong with cutting springs. Do it with a cutoff wheel, not a torch, and cut 1/2 a coil at a time. A typical drop is 1 full coil cut off. If you cut too much, you'll need to get new springs.

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Stephen's racing page

87 IROC-Z Pro ET Bracket Race Car and knocking on the SuperPro ET class
383 stroker (carbed) with double hump cast iron heads and pump gas
Best ET on a time slip: 11.857
Best corrected ET: 11.163
Best MPH on a time slip: 117.87
Best corrected MPH: 126.10
Best 60 foot: 1.662

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!

Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

 

Yeah, you can cut the springs front and rear and it still aligns perfect. I purchased some Eibach 1" lowering springs for my convertible and I installed them and it still sat too high. I proceeded to cut a full coil out of the rears and a half out of the fronts. Since the rear springs are tapered, you must cut only from the top so they'll still sit in the pocket right at the bottom. On the fronts, cut off from the bottom so that the tops will remain flat (at least on eibachs you must do that.) Stock front springs can probably be cut top and bottom. So lets say that you want to cut a full coil out of the front, you take a half out of the bottom, and a half out of the top. Good luck with it man, and cut in small incriments, before you know it, you'll be sitting on the ground if you're not careful.

 

Thanks for the input, man. I cut the springs on my Monte Carlo several years ago, but wanted to get some f-body owner input before I went to whacking. I subsequently bought some Eibach 1" lowerring springs for my m/c too. Haven't yet, but probably will cut those, too