backafter20

Okay, I've read the discussions about cutting your OEM springs and seen the instructions. Many consider it a big no-no , others have been doing it for years with no problems . I just want the rear lowered a bit to level the car out. I don't really want to risk messing with the front-end geometry or alignment. I am getting ready to cut one coil from the rear only. Several of you have done this quite awhile back and should have a well-founded opinion. I would be interested in hearing from those who have actually cut their springs. Any problems or regrets? Would a dealership even notice? Is cutting the single coil worth the effort, or is more recommended? I appreciate your comments.

odiaz

Just buy a set of take off springs from steeda and cut those. This way, it you don't like the way they turn out, you can always put the originals back in.

2k5GTC

I plan on doing the same when I get the time. I asked my Ford alignment specialist if cutting one coil off the rear coils would affect the alignment. He said it could and recommended the alignment be checked after the mod.

hippiehead025

i'd never cut a coil spring....thts a big no-no....heating a spring can cause many a problems, such as cracking, bending, changing the spring rate, changing alignment, etc....... just get lowering springs.

06GT&06MCS

I just got the Roush lowering springs installed thru my dealer-
I'm super pleased with the results because not only did they leave me enough room to do the Mustang Tuning deep dish bullets I've had my eye on, but the car feels remarkably more solid handling wise.

I noticed the solid feel as soon as I picked it up, it really is amazing. I don't think cutting the oems will give you any improved handling. You should always have a 4 wheel alignment done after changing springs as well.

The rear was only lowered 1", less than I was expecting, and my guess is the front came down about 3/4". The Roush site has the actual amount somewhere. The mechanic said the rears were easy, about 1/2 hour only. the fronts were about 1-1/2 hours of time. The alignment was about $65 or so. All told parts and labor was just under $600 for all 4 wheels.

RadBOSS

Cutting a spring at its end slightly affects that area, but the end sits in the seat and is of no consequence because that part does not flex. What is a no-no is to heat a coil, say in the middle of the spring to effectively change its pitch. This does have a negative effect on the spring as the properties of the material in the area is affected (weaker).

Dropping the rear only will have a very negligible effect on the front geometry. Castor will increase a hair and toe in a will change a hair as well. I doubt enough to require an alignment, but for piece of mind it might be worth while ... it may not be right anyway.

If you just get a pair of Steeda rears it may lower the rear more than you like and the spring balance front to rear will be affected in a negative way ... more than a cut coil off your stock spring. If you consider your self a high performance driver you should care about the balance. Generally when you lower a car you need more spring rate to cater to the less bounce travel ... the rate needs to go up quicker than a coil cut accomplishes.

If you are still undaunted, to get a better feel how much a rear coil cut on the rear will net on your car, crawl under it and measure the loaded pitch between coils near the base (but not last) ... say 1 coil up. If the loaded pitch measures 1", a coil cut will net 1" drop, a half a coil a 1/2" drop.

These springs look to be variable rate ... either variable coil pitch, tapered wire or variable coil dia. in any combination makes that estimate trickier. A constant rate coil is constant pitch, wire dia. and coil diameter.

Cutting a rear coil will increase the rear spring rate w/o increasing the front. Not bad in the sense your car will be come uncontrollable, but it will affect the balance slightly. Most drivers won't notice because they are not skilled enough to push it hard enough to see how it affects the limits, or they don't understand it when it gets there. You might try a half a coil cut and see what that gets you. Might be just enough.

So far only one kit supplier provides truly adjustable front and rear ride height capability and there is a cost for that capability.

Sonic05

I cut my rear springs -- cut one coil, dropped 3/4 inch. It made a slight change to Caster, and actually brought it closer to specs. It had no other effect on the front alignment. I did re-center the rear end using an adjustable panard bar, which required a front toe adjustment to re-center the steering wheel.

I only have 3200 miles on my car, but so far, absolutely no problems or noises. I can't say how long the upper spring bushing is going to last though.

I've also changed the lower control arms, so I can't say what was really responsible for the handling change, but the rear of the car is more "solid" now, and just a little easier to get loose.

FYI: I also installed a K-member brace and strut tower brace. All in all, I love the way the car handles now. Seems to corner a tad flatter, and just feels more solid.

LimeGT

Trust the old guys, just do it. I cut off a full coil from the top of the rear springs only and the car dropped about 3/4 of an inch, just enough to level it out and even up the wheel gaps. I cut them with a fiber cutoff wheel and only the last 1/2 got too hot to touch, and just barely. Put a little black paint on the bare steel to prevent rust and you'll be good to go.

Will the dealer notice? It's likely that only you and some very keen-eyed car people will notice. Your wife/girlfriend will not notice. In fact, she will tease you for spending an hour to lower your brand new car 3/4 of an inch. Some people just don't understand us.

How does it feel? If I didn't know that I had done it, I probably wouldn't notice any difference.

It is definitely a subtle change, but I 'm happy with it and it was free!

Import-Slaya

I cut 3/4 of a coil of my rears a few months ago. Easy to do, looks nice, and no problems (handling or otherwise).

azoufan

These cars do not have variable rate springs, if they did, cutting them would be bad. I know a guy who installed a set of lowering springs on just the rear, his verdict was that the rear felt rock solid which made the stock front springs feel like they were bouncing all over the place (think Uncle Buck).

Like stated before, use a cutoff wheel or chop saw, NOT a blowtorch. A chopsaw will not heat the spring to the point of changing any dynamics. I too probably wouldn't be able to tell by feel unless I knew I did it. Sit my car next to a stock GT and you just shudder at how much space there is between the wheels and wheel wells on the stock setup.

Do it.

backafter20

Thanks for the replies. Not one person who has actually cut their springs has had a negative comment, although I'm not sure about Craig's question about the spring bushing's longevity. If that's all you guys can come up with, I'm just gonna do it. OEM springs don't seem too expensive on ebay if I should ever regret the decision. Many thanks to Phil for the encouragement and the comparison photos. That's exactly what I hope to accomplish. I have honey-do's to take care of this week, so it may be this weekend before I cut 'em. I'll check here again before I do it. Thanks again everyone!

redfro

How do you cut your springs? Do you have to remove them first? I couldn't find a tutorial for this already posted.
Thanks, Redfro :bang:

red454

Everything you wanted to know about cutting your springs but were afraid to ask...

(There is a lot of reading here, but great info...)

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/index....pic=17140&st=0

backafter20

Others have suggested a dremel with cut-off wheels for cutting springs. Wow, that would probably use a lot of little wheels. A hack-saw would probably work, but who has that much energy? I saw an abrasive wheel for my circular saw at Wal-mart, 3 for under $5, that was specifically made for cutting steel. I think I'll give that a shot. And yes, please remove the springs first. :shock:

don_w

I have a master plan in place. Whenever I do a project (whether it's on the car or around the house), I always look for any excuse to buy a new tool to do the project. This helps me keep upgrading my tool selection, plus it's always fun to get a new toy. haha

Anyway, if you can, buy yourself a 4-1/2" angle grinder (I have a DeWalt like the one shown below), and you can get all sorts of disks (including metal cutoff disks) to go with it. This thing comes in handy a lot of times for me!! And it is a lot easier to handle than a circular saw.

biznazion

I used one little wheel on each spring - it went surprizingly fast. Shot a little black paint on the ends and they were ready to go back in.

ChrisM

Get a mandrel to fit your electric drill and use a 3" cutting wheel. These are available at most hardware stores or Sears. One wheel did the job for me. One coil off the rear spring levels up the car neatly!

Stoenr

I just got the roush rear springs 124.99 free ship from ebay. Took 15-20 minutes to install. And I love it. Dont think Ill be getting the fronts.

After and Before, obviously

backafter20

Too late, I did it. It wasn't very hard, but I took my time 'cause I didn't want to screw something up. Only 2 bolts on each side, the lower shock bolt, and the bolt holding the sway bar to the frame. The dremel worked great, and I did both sides on just one heavy duty cut-off wheel. I did have a hard time getting the jack stands out from under the car, though. My floor jack was lifting by the pumpkin, but with the lowered springs I just couldn't quite get the body high enough to pop out the jack stands. The result is perfect. It lowered the car 5/8" in the back, and actually raised it 1/16" in the front. Most people will never see the difference, but I sure can. It no longer looks like it's got something stuck up it's tailpipe. I think most would agree that it somehow looks meaner. The car sits fairly level now, I couldn't notice any change in the ride or handling. Why Ford thought we wanted 4x4 Mustangs is beyond me, but I'm quite happy now!