do it right or do it twice
OR,
whatever you do, do it right the first time.
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cutting springs is just not a good idea at all no matter what. i have done it a couple times and even using the cold saws at work it wouldn't work, they end up at impropper lengths and uneven from eachother.
so, because you are incapable of producing satisfactory results, nobody can?
(and the fact that you are distinguishing between a cold saw (toothed blade) and a hot saw (carbide blade) merely proves you don't have the first clue about the topic....it's little wonder you didn't succeed)
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the eibach springs may be progressive but they still work and are better than a hack job spring that wont perform.
can you describe this lack of performance? specifically...without generic hipster excuses?
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ricer mods are ricer mods, no matter how you look at it. the bouncy ness alsp comes from the fact that you kill your stock struts which arent ment to handle lowered vehicles.
actually, in most cases the bounciness comes from a multitude of factors. dead shocks are dead shocks. dead shocks on cut springs are dead shocks in a new location. dead shocks on brand new eibachs or ground controls or JdM HaWtpRo X are still dead shocks.
lesson learned: spend money on shocks? sure. that's where your ride is.
most people who cut springs don't trim the bumpstomps....the bounciness preventS kidney dislocationness. force them to hold up the car...YOU cause bounciness.
most people who cut springs don't reclock their control arm bushings. those aren't slip fits (well, they aren't supposed to be). lower the car...twist the bushings...increase effective spring rate...cause bounciness.
most people who cut springs don't check compression clearances. hammer a control arm into the body (not the 3 gen civic, obviously) and your gonna feel some bounciness (infinite spring rate = ride is in your sidewalls).
most people who cut springs don't validate the compressed length of their shock bodies or their allowable travel. bottom out the shock (or force it to operate at the ragged end of its travel) and you cause bounciness.
oddly enough, i've seen dozens of people buy brand new equipment, fail to do the things i listed above, and end up with a car that rides (and performs) like hammered dog poop (but since they paid for it....their butt dyno tells them it's the best thing they've ever driven)
lesson learned: install is important. knowing what you are doing is, too.
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so if you do do this you are going to have to buy the struts anyways which cost money so why not just pick up a set of springs and do it right
springs are springs. they don't grow in the wild. they are all cut from a (sometimes theoretically) larger spring. you can't easily build shocks, you can really easily build better springs.
most performance springs are a higher spring rate than your stockers. the prevailing theory* says that cutting coils increases spring rate. in my experience, a trimmed spring feel like it tightens up about where you'd expect to find a performance spring.
most performance springs are smaller in overall height than your stocks. the laws of physics say that cutting coils decreases overall height. in my experience, a trimmed spring lowers the car exactly as much as the trimmer wants.
a few notes:
if you are going to cut springs, use a cut off wheel, chop saw, or a cold saw. spring steel is tempered steel. heating and cooling it can soften the temper or take it away entirely. cutting it quickly with a carbide blade can distemper the very end (last 1/2" or so) of the wire....but since that section is sitting in a cup, you weren't using it for spring anyway. if you have little springs or big arms, you can use some bolt cutters and do it just like honda does. DO NOT USE A TORCH (unless you are a metalsmith with good torch control)
if you are going to cut springs, go slow, and just do a little at a time. you can always cut it shorter, it's damned hard to cut it longer.
if you are going to cut springs, realize that you are removing weight capacity as well. while prevailing theory* ignores this fact, physics doesn't. another reason to sneak up on the final height.
if you are going to cut springs, recognize that you are asking each remaining coil to do more work. this will cause even the most well worn springs to settle. i've seen cut spring cars lose another 1/2" 6 months down the road.
if you are going to cut springs, make sure your shocks can compress enough to take advantage of the new heights. you might need to look at extended top hats to let the shaft ride where it wants to while the car rides where you want it to.
if you are going to cut springs, try to make the same cut on either side. also try to mimic the factory ends as best you can. the 3rd gen rear spring is coned at the bottom. don't cut that end. it'll never seat correctly on the axle. cut the top coils. cut them square to the wire, grind a flat edge on the end, just like the stock ends. if you want are tempted to tweak the new last coil to sit flatter than it wants to (like the original last coil did), you can....but it's not going to make much difference. it'll probably give you another 1/4" or 1/2" of drop.
*some of you might notice my use of the term "prevailing theory". my experience leads me to believe that the generally accepted concepts of spring rate increase due to cutting might be accurate, but not complete. every source i can find agrees: the length of the wire in the coil is important. every formula i can find to determine the rate (usually supplied with those same sources) effectively ignores the length of the wire. at the very best, they treat a coil spring as a wound torsion bar. torsion bar spring rates increase as they get shorter (twisting), the prevailing theory says coil springs do, too. however, the math that goes with the theory does not account for either the rake of the coils or the overall length of the spring, all it recognizes is the diameter and number of the coils (which are mathematically straightened out and joined together). i can't find anyone who will disagree with the prevailing theory, but i also can't find anyone who can generate a formula that can differentiate between two VERY different springs.
I feel that the lack of weight capacity exhibited by the cut spring indicates an action unique to coil springs that prevents them from being mathematically modeled as wound torsions.
i could be wrong, and i would gladly accept being proven as such.
Edited by psychoboy, 18 March 2011 - 11:55 AM.