Yes/No to cutting rear springs???

[VRSICK 0]

Peeps,

 

My Rado VR is currently lowered - Front 40mm approx

Rear 35mm approx

 

Fronts are adjustable however, the rear isnt and i really wish to lower the rear 'slightly' so someone recommended cutting the rear springs and im not convinced that its a good idea or not :scratch: ............whats your thoughts??? :confused4:

 

Thanks

[monzablau16v 0]

wouldnt recommend for two reasons mate...

 

if (god forbid) you have an accident and your car is scrutinised and found to contain "chopped" springs :wave: goodbye to your insurance covering any costs...

 

your ride quality will be pants and think the rear will be a jittery

 

 

 

just my pennies worth

[leeeeshad 0]

A very bad idea from what I hear.

[Danny B 0]

Don't do it mate you will bugger up the spring rate which is NOT good.

 

It may make the car look better but it will make you not want to drive the thing.....I'm pretty sure its actually dangerous as well.

[Jim 1]

Definitely not! It's the ultimate scary bodge!

[Wullie 1]

A spring is "calibrated" throughout it's length. The centre will compress first moving progressively outward. Cutting the spring totally messes up the thing. Even trying to balance it by cutting both ends results in chaos.

[tandino 0]

Its not dangerous if you know what your doing,

Many springs have coilbound retaining coils at the bottom of their travel, these are to ensure that when the car is raised the spring does not unseat from the spring perches,

Providing you have enough coils you can cut the spring here providing the spring will still locate in the perch correctly.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Lopping off 1, maybe 2 coils at the back is OK-ish, as it's a long spring, but the more coils you chop off, the stiffer the spring rate becomes, which is not a good thing at the back for people who don't know how to recover from oversteer.

[tandino 0]

Lopping off 1, maybe 2 coils at the back is OK-ish, as it's a long spring, but the more coils you chop off, the stiffer the spring rate becomes, which is not a good thing at the back for people who don't know how to recover from oversteer.

 

Agree..

 

As i said, IF you know what your doing..

[StuartFZR400 0]

Don't do it mate you will bugger up the spring rate which is NOT good.

 

It may make the car look better but it will make you not want to drive the thing.....I'm pretty sure its actually dangerous as well.

A spring is "calibrated" throughout it's length. The centre will compress first moving progressively outward. Cutting the spring totally messes up the thing. Even trying to balance it by cutting both ends results in chaos.

 

I'll throw in a 10 penny worth and clarify the above observations that are true. There are different types of spring; most have variable compression rate within one spring, in that some coils are open (giving little resistance and thus lots of travel) and then you tend to get close knit coils (where it tends to stiffen up and allow less travel). It depends on where you plan to cut your coils; cutting the close knit coils is a finite and very unadvisable business, as you can easily lead your self to bottoming-out; ie cornering hard and you hit a bump, instead of having lots of travel or a progressive absorbtion, instead you will hit the stop and lift the car clear off the road for a split second.

 

Chopping the open coils still has the same idea of risk, but less so for the same drop. But just realise that if you bought Lowering springs, that while they are shorter, they have been manufactured to take the weight of your Corrado (they're stiffer/stronger) and give you typical absorbtion rate - whereas a cut coil certainly does not give the same absorbtion. Handling will certainly be hindered on the road IMHO; and on track it will simply aid lowering/balancing(compared to front) the centre of gravity of the car, but it certainly does not give a stiffer/firm/planted ride - you are loosing resistance with each chop.

 

Try clicky link for pic of examples of different types; some are close sprung both ends: http://www.lunaticfringe.org/vwfox/mod/RearSprings.jpg

 

How much are rear springs? And you want to do this because... it looks better?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

He just wants to trim the ride height Stu :D

 

Some good info there chap.

 

Pinched from the internet, but explains it quite nicely :D He's not cutting the spring in half obviously, but you get the idea!

 

"Imagine a 10 coil spring sitting upright on a table. You place 200 lbs on the spring. The weight moves the top of the spring down 1 inch. So your spring rate is 200 lbs per inch. Each one of the ten coils has shrunk 1/10 of an inch.

 

Now cut the spring in half. You have 5 coils now. When you place the 200 lbs on it, each coil still shrinks 1/10 of an inch. (same diameter coil, same amount of deflection.) Because there's only 5 coils, the spring will only move down 5/10 of an inch.

This gives you a new spring rate of 400 lbs per inch. Twice as short = twice as stiff."

[StuartFZR400 0]

He just wants to trim the ride height Stu :D

Trim the Ride

1ered

 

Are you sure you didn't buy a scooby on the sly? :lol:

[Jonny777 0]

My old Mk2 Golf was on chopped lowering springs all round and was near enough on the deck. Was fine and more than MOT worthy i was told by 2 different testers. But that was a 500 pound Golf, i wouldn't do the same with my Corrado...

 

If done right would be fine, just depends how low you want it to go. One or two coils as said would probably be ok...

[Laser Mark 0]

Just come across this thread and thought that I'd put my views forward.

 

My first job was a 7 year apprentice at a firm making Springs, although I've moved away from this business I still remember more than I've forgotten. :D

 

I was asked on many occations if I could make lowering springs or modify friends existing setup.

 

I never did it as each car has different weights and therefore different loads and rates throughout the springs length.

 

Although cutting the springs may sound an easy fix, I personally wouldn't recommend it as you'd be changing the dimestions and characteristics or the spring. Creating extra stress's and possibly taking the spring out of its working range. I'd recommend lowing springs which are designed and coiled to the specific requirements of the car.

 

Hope this helps.

[krnau 0]

you can get them pressed, but I wouldn't

[Laser Mark 0]

you can get them pressed

 

Pressing or setting the springs will make them shorter, keep the number of coils but it takes the spring past it's elastic limit and permanently alters the load and rate parameters. This weakens each individual spring, also you couldn't be guaranteed that each spring would take the same set, the springs could be too different.

[krnau 0]

that's why I said I wouldn't do it to my car. but it would pass mot ...

 

a friend of mine got it done (front springs only) and it looks/drives good

[steveo29 0]

cant see a problem with lopping off a coil to level the car ...nothing bad will happen and you wont crash and burn

 

its chavs that cut corsa springs in half and run around on worn dampers that make it dangerous

[VRSICK 0]

Thanks guys, gettin sum great responses. Don't think I will be goin ahead with this mod to be honest

[StuartFZR400 0]

Thanks guys, gettin sum great responses. Don't think I will be goin ahead with this mod to be honest

 

Good luck; I'd be looking out for lowering springs on ebay (new) or bargin price somewhere. You'll find them and they'll work, as long as they're spec'd for the car; part numbers are easy to check on decent brands.

[fla 9]

well i'll have a set of nearly new PI springs for sale shortly - they were too low for me but might be ok for you? Here's how they sit atm:

[VRSICK 0]

How much do they lower the car by?

 

It sits nice on your Rado coz of your 17's, i have 16's AZEVS on mine :scratch:

 

It mite just be a little too low :(