bbsukidesu

Like the title says, what are the disadvantages of cutting your springs?
Is it safe?
How much would I have to cut to go one inch lower?
Where on the spring would I cut it?

(I have DF210s if it matters)

Thanks.

MattyRattyPoo

If your gonna cut the fronts, you have to cut from the bottom. As far as how much to cut, its all trial and error. Cut half a coil and then see the stance and then move from there. If your gonna cut the rear (which I dont suggest) you can only cut mybe 1/4 or 1/2 of a coil. If you cut too much in the rear, the spring may pop out. I cut the front of my Eibachs by 1 coil and the ride is the same. Are the Tanabe df210s low enough, I dont see a need to cut them.

bbsukidesu

you can never get low enough.

FLINT

DON'T CUUUT YOOUURR SPRIIINGS!!!!
Listen youngster, the reason behind my bold statement is this. I've seen enough cars with cut springs end up in a accident cuz their suspension failed, cracked shock towers, bent control arms, stressed sway bars, and bent rims.
It's the worst ride quality ever. The back of your car will raise up and the front will dip all the way down to your bump stops when people see it , its kind of like following the bouncing ball. save your money up for some coilovers PLEASE
They cost less than a 4 corner suspension repair job on an xB. to give u an idea of how much it is, think TOTALED.

mikee1680

If you wanna go low... just go for coilovers. The ride is gonna be all messed up with cut springs. My Civic used to have cut springs. Really bouncy....

crayonBOX

^ agreed with the above 2

cutting springs can be okay on some vehicles (usually very heavy vehicles that dont lift up/ recoil easy) but the xB is too light to do such a thing

+ isnt it cooler to have air ride?

Boxer_Rebellion

This topic has been covered. You CAN cut the front springs on our platform. It's been done by some of the most knowlegable people on here. I will be doing it to my S-Techs soon BTW and will post a write-up.

Lance

one word.............GHETTO

Fujiz_xb

dont cut. coilovers or bags.

saveacivic

ok smarty pants', how is it ghetto? can you explain why this is not an efficient method on the xb? cut springs has nothing to do with getting in an accident. also; saying cut springs gives the worst ride proves is pretty bold. soft springs, proportional shocks and proper shock travel by means of a shortened bump stop provides the smoothest ride you can get. it wouldnt handle good, but it would ride smooth. and no offense but you guys really should not post things like this just because you heard it or had a bad experience because you paid some shmuck to cut your springs and dont know what he did. did your bump stops get cut to allow travel? did your shocks do their job? if you have suspension experience (and lowering several cars for people doesnt constitute as experience) then you can educate people. experience is someone who has designed suspension, not just springs. i can guarantee that if you did not major or study geometry extensively, you dont know suspension. and if someone cut springs and ignored the other factors, then bounced out of control and crashed. it s his fault, not the springs...

[quote="Boxer_Rebellion"]This topic has been covered. You CAN cut the front springs on our platform. It's been done by some of the most knowlegable people on here.quote]

thank you! there is a right and wrong way to this method. a civic and an xb cannot be compared as there is no correct way to cut civic springs. i worked at the same suspension shop for over 9 years (dont care to tell which) ive done test driving for several big companies such as progress, tein, toser, hayame and mackin. and yes i did study the geometry of suspension for 2 years prior to all of this. i have done shock design and valving, spring and shock proportioning technology, stability ideology.. seriously, it is not an opinion type of thing. suspension is pure geomety and ride quality is pure physics. my whole point here isnt to brag but to say i know suspension and saying cutting springs is ghetto is like saying all indians are drunks. there is a right and wrong way. ive done a few test runs where the coil needed to be shortened and then needed to be remade that way. that didnt make it ghetto. someone made a remark that their civic springs were cut and rode bad; well the spring isnt the most dominant ride facotring part of the suspension anyway. sure, stock springs have a lower spring rate but even the best uncut springs will ride like crap without correct travel (this is why you cut bump stops) and proportional shock valving. not to mention that your civic (if it is 2000 or older) has flat tops and smaller diameter bottoms. there is no where to cut it that it will allow it to seat properly. the xb front is not even the same design... people who cut the front bottom springs are fine as the diameter is wound at the same diameter on bottom which leaves no effect when cut. most of this i have covered here;
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...ht=cut+springs
i dont know what it will take to get people to realize that not all suspensions are the same. the way OUR XB"S are in front, it can be cut with no effect on the bottom fronts only. i have the mugen springs cut 1/2 coil in front right now. it is great with no effect. bumpstop is cut 2/3 and rides just great.
cutting springs can be ghetto but dont compare a different type of suspension to your xb, it's just not the same. read the link and understand how the xb is in my post there, it makes sense. i have had several pm's from xb owners here that understood it, did it and now get why it affects nothing to cut the fronts. seriously you guys, suspension is just geometry. Boxer_Rebellion, thanks for sticking up for the truth sir. im sure i will get replies from people calling me a bragger and that;s fine. im really not, i am however just so over people making bogus remarks who know nothing of what they speak. that is my only reason for pointing all of this out. call it what you will...

Gothbox

I cut my stock springs and they have been done for about a year now and I travel down a lot of ruff roads and have traveled MANY miles like that and have not had ANY prob at all, with the smaller tires I am 4" off the ground from the side skirt.
It is a ruff ride but I am saving up for air bags. I wanted the look more than the ride.

TRDBox

i think what lance meant was that to cut a "lowered" spring is ghetto to him
you seem the most qualified to speak on this saveacivic but it seems to me that the people who are making these springs are making them that way for a reason
they offer diffrent types of drops
imo if you are going to buy "lowered" spring and cut them you wasted your money
just buy some cheap coilovers and call it a day
it is a matter of opinion and this is just mine

Lance

saveacivic....no need for name calling

I wouldnt cut my springs, I wouldnt recomend that anyone cut their springs. These springs are designed by professionals, But sure, go ahead grab your torch and bolt cutters, and rock out...

Boxer_Rebellion

Get em saveacivic

Cheap coilovers suck. If you like the ride and handling of your current springs but want the fronts a little lower, cutting is the way to go. Just check out Randode's car.

Also, never heat your springs. You have to cut or saw the coil off w/o heat.

FLINT

[quote="saveacivic"]ok smarty pants', how is it ghetto? can you explain why this is not an efficient method on the xb? cut springs has nothing to do with getting in an accident. also; saying cut springs gives the worst ride proves is pretty bold. soft springs, proportional shocks and proper shock travel by means of a shortened bump stop provides the smoothest ride you can get. it wouldnt handle good, but it would ride smooth. and no offense but you guys really should not post things like this just because you heard it or had a bad experience because you paid some shmuck to cut your springs and dont know what he did. did your bump stops get cut to allow travel? did your shocks do their job? if you have suspension experience (and lowering several cars for people doesnt constitute as experience) then you can educate people. experience is someone who has designed suspension, not just springs. i can guarantee that if you did not major or study geometry extensively, you dont know suspension. and if someone cut springs and ignored the other factors, then bounced out of control and crashed. it s his fault, not the springs...

even hundreds of pro tuners say dont cut your springs. he asked for disadvantages, i gave them. he asked about safty, its dangerous. 1of the accidents was caused by the cut right front spring goin through the shock tower. the out come was a blown tire and a 76mph roll over (flip) off the highway in2 a ditch. i'm just glad he recovered.
yes i was a witness

saveacivic

im glad he's okay too, no one should die from an idiotic modification. but as you just said yourself; the spring went through the shock tower. that means it never seated correctly. (or how could it go through the shock tower? the car doesnt weigh more when you cut a spring. and if it bottomed out then he didnt cut the bump stop to give adequate travel so the rebound result was out of control) which means he cut a spring on a car that shouldnt have been. like a civic or integra or a "football coil." you still arent getting it, some springs are wound and the diameter stays constant with no flat top or seating issues to change. so when you cut it, the result is the same diameter but shorter spring. = no effect sir. if your friends spring went through the shock tower, it didnt seat correctly which means it wasnt on a car that had a constant diameter wound spring. it is not dangerous or harmful. im not calling you an idiot. i think you just arent grasping what im saying. oh and if "pro's" dont reccommend it it's because it makes the car sit differently than originally requested. when i was at progress i remember johnathan telling me that the only reason they wont honor warranties on cut springs is because people arent willing to allow ample time for settling. so they cut the front and cut too much resulting in an unwanted drop. it just opens the door to customer complaints. okay i dont know if you consider my history with suspension "pro" but i can tell you that a REALISTIC 60% of the track drivers cut the front springs to make it seat lower in the front for reasons of needing more oversteer.
seriously dude, im not trying to preach how much or how little you know about suspension, but what you are saying makes no sense. your friend cut his springs and crashed so his crash was a result of shortening a metal coil in his suspension? okay, i'll level with ya, what kind of car was it? a civic? well civics have flat top coils in front, so if he cut it, yeah, that was stupid. it will not seat, i dont care what you do. if it was a 240sx, it made no difference that he cut it. the front coils are wound at a constant rate with no coil sensetive seating properties.
i'll make is really simple so even a retard can get it:

-)whatever design the coil is, (flat top constant rate, unconstant rate diameter, football style...) the coil has to sit on a strut mount or spring seat (or perch) or whatever it rests on for the coil to stay put.

-)whatever the design of the coil, the seat has to "mate" up to the coil so that it can stay put. like a puzzle piece if you will...

-)if the coil is cut and the coil no longer has the shape to "mate" up with the seat, the coil will not stay put correctly (sounds like this is what happened on your friends car)

-)if after cutting the coil, the coil end still has the same shape and dimentions as it originally did, it will still "mate" with the seat as it did in the first place. so zero effect is experienced, this isnt an opinionated issue. it either seats or it doesnt. you can sugar coat it and say you saw someone crash due to spring cutting. the spring either seated or it didnt. if it didnt then the coil end dimensions changed after the cut. end of story.

-)lets not forget that ride is a totally different issue. which can be modified by means of shock valving, harder/softer bushings, shock travel, bump stop material, etc.... if you cut your springs and lost control, you either went so low that loss of control was impeckable, or you didnt take the cautions to ensure the coil will seat after the modification.

*** okay, when you buy coilovers, sleeve type or full coilovers, the springs bottoms usually come flat, right? well have you noticed the spring seat (perch) comes flat too? well that's because it wont seat correctly any other way! if they were all the same for every car, you could buy springs for any car and they would fit.

seriously, i dont know how to say it any simpler...
not trying to be a smart ___, just want to get the point across.

saveacivic

i have to say, i hope no one is taking what i say to heart. i dont mean to be rude, dont want to be a know it all or say i have all the answers. we all have our strengths and i just happen to be the guy that started in suspension as a business when i was 15 with my parents' signed work permit and stayed there for 9 years. (i have done hundreds of suspensions. remember i started over 10 years ago, about 5 cars a day over a 9+ year span is alot of suspensions. and suspension was way bigger many years ago, the scene has way died down since several years ago. i started designing sway bars for suspension tecniques years before many of you were learned what a sway bar was) i started doing motor swaps at 19 for the local shops. ive done work for major companies for anything from test driving, test fitting, suspension design and suspension geometry theory. so if i have the opportunity to shed some knowledge on anyone who wants it, you better believe i am there. i hope those of you who have knowledge in any given are would do the same for me. i have tried to keep the info i post factual and precise. i have steered away from the "i heard" and "he said she said" stuff. pictures were always available until i lost my camera but it looks like i will need to get another one to explain some things.
so again guys, nothing personal, just trying to keep it all factual. again, no bragging. just lending the same and hoping you'd do the same for me...

djct_watt

This has been a very informative thread. . .

FLINT

yea i know. i knew i could get it out of somebody

FLINT

i really didnt feel like reading all that, but i get the jist of it. since u r a suspension genious, i'll expect to c a full write-up with pics included for the next class period ne ways, after i c the tech app i will fully change my view of this topic. if its really good, then i'll look in2 doing my trds.