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Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not) 

 

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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:06 pm 
Oompa Loompa
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dazza027 wrote:
My two bobs worth on this one is pretty simple. Springs are rated to X lbs/foot of spring height when coiled. Therefore, cut a loop, say 2 inches in height off spring, then you will lose that amount of ability to carry load, which in turn makes the spring less likely to behave the way it would at full length. Easiest way to go about it is find a spring the same radius and length, but of higher rating and lop a coil or two off that. That way you will roughly retain some sort of resemblance of handling. We did it with a Mk 2 Escort, put some TF (I think) Cortina springs in and even with the extra coils off, was still stiff as Groom on his honeymoon.


Brilliant!
Cheers Daz.

Next combat. Poxy Self-levelling Suspension leak. Definitely have to change to standard shocks.

The rears leak and droop after a couple of weeks (there's a valve in the boot that I can pump up at the servo {dunno if thats ridgy-didge or if dad put it in}). Pretty sure that was dad.

It looks nice'n'low when they do sag, but then start to bottom out so I have to pump 'em up again.

The fronts stay put (at monster truck height).

I'm pretty sure it's been disconected cos there is no pumping up sounds etc...

Any thoughts???

Probablly should have been a new thread but oh well....... We can discuss both now.
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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:05 pm 
Getting Side Ways
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don't know much about the self levelling suspension but my old fairy (ZF bit older than urs hehe) had the valve in the boot. i thought that if they had the valve they weren't self adjusting ?

 

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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:46 pm 
Getting Side Ways
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i have done this before plenty times. usually cut two coils out of standard springs. ride quality is rubbish because normally you dont change the shock (i guess if i had the $$ to get shortened shocks i would have bought lowered springs)

Anyway i now have super low's in the back of my car with one coil chopped sitting on ultima short shocks. it rides fine and handles great. i would never do more than one coil these days.

you see it done on overhauling all the time. if you 'do it right' then your ok IMO.

 

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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:58 am 
Stock as a Rock
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hey guys i have a 94 ED, got myself superlow kings and shortened shocks in the rear (2inch im pretty sure?)

and the height isnt quite as low as i want it to be, any opinions on cutting 1 and a half coils out of rear, and half coil out of front?

any info is appreciated cheers!

 

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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:51 am 
Getting Side Ways
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i have cut e-series before 1 off the front 1 1/2 off the back, its not going to kill you but its going to throw your spring rates up s**t creek, i would advise buying a set just for the fact if you take to much off it will bounce all over the joint and even small bumps in the road will make you feel like your riding a mechanical bull bouncing from the fronts to backs, not very nice ride and i recon it causes rapid suspention component wear.
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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:58 am 
Getting Side Ways
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Brownbear wrote:
hey guys i have a 94 ED, got myself superlow kings and shortened shocks in the rear (2inch im pretty sure?)

and the height isnt quite as low as i want it to be, any opinions on cutting 1 and a half coils out of rear, and half coil out of front?

any info is appreciated cheers!

your best option is to remove them all together and cut you self some bits of 4" by 2" to suit, get some long tec screws and screw them to the shockers, cheers.
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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:05 pm 
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SA, Australia

Just to clarify...

Cutting springs INCREASES the spring rate!

Spring rate = wire diameter/ number of coils X coil diameter (this is the simple version)

The more coils the softer the spring, the thicker the spring, the harder it is and vice versa.

Thats why custom after market springs have few coils and are thick. The ride becomes bouncy only because the spring is overwhelming the shockers.

Cut springs aren't dodgey, the people who do it are. Any increase in spring rate needs the equilivent increase in damping.

I fitted custom made 7kg/mm springs to my car and they were very short and very stiff, they sat very uncaptive even with after market shocks. And they were bouncy (not as bad as cut springs and stock shocks though).

I once had kings lows in my car (way too high lol) and they are about 1.5kg/mm. I cut 3 coils off I think haha! and they were as stiff (if not more) than my previous racing coil overs with 5kg/mm springs! I had koni shocks with these cuts springs so the ride wasnt bouncy at all, it was very solid. It was no good, offered no traction and stuffed up the geometry of the car cause it was too low, so I bought some lows again and lived with the poo ride height.

Ok so things you need to consider about cut springs:

1 You will never get all four corners the exact height

2 Cutting the spring heats it up and to some degree buggers with the spring rate and strength of the spring itself

3. The more you cut the spring the more you will degrade the ride unless you change shocks

4. It is inadvisable to cut the spring short enough it becomes uncaptive

5. When you cut a spring, you are making it stiffer!!!(in severe cases, too stiff!)


If your springs are uncaptive, you can use steel cable ties to hold them in, its less than ideal but it can work. Here is me hitting turn 1 at mallala in my skyline at about 80-90kph with uncaptive springs. The ripple strip is about 30cm high and it chucked each wheel into the air and smashed my swaybar into the sump however the springs stayed put! Good enough proof for me!

http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd68 ... 090588.flv
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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:29 pm 
Fordmods Newbie
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Ride: ford falcon GLI 96'

Location: sydney
NSW, Australia

Iv got a ef falcon and cut two coils out of each spring been drive around for about a year without any problems it rides f*cking rough but handles greet on the track
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 Post subject: Re: Angle-grinding springs (Bodgey or not)
Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:34 am 
Getting Side Ways
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phongus wrote:
Swine flu has killed a couple of hundreds of people...at that state they would have been zombified. So from your statement, cutting springs may kill a couple of hundreds of people.

In saying that, 1 coil may be good...as long as the springs sit well in the shocks. If it doesn't sit right, and you travel along a road with a dip, the spring may just pop out as the shock is at full extension. However it is illegal and if caught you, will get a fine bigger than the amount it would have cost you to buy the proper springs and got them installed by a pro...and then have to get it fixed properly...so double the cost.

Your life your choice.

Swine flu sucked a** big time. Even when not dying you wish you had for a while. I hated that s**t. And the idea of chopping springs ain't much better to be fair. You are chopping out part of the firmness. You are getting a lower bouncier spring. What is that good for in the end?

Doing 20km/h with doof doof and neons under car is about all.

Go find some performance parts on the cheap and do it proper. Real XR6 springs are under $100. Go figure.



And at least, if you are going to chop springs, use a hacksaw....
:P

 

 

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