cutting springs

[GoLfMan]

ive heard a mixed bag about cutting springs, whats the deal is it good? or bad? and how do you do it.

[Belgianwaffler]

I would'nt recommend it ...not for the front end anyway (on mk2 &3). basically there is a preload on the springs if you loose that then the springs are free to move around ( mainly when the car is up in the air) but it can still move while driving ..in extreme case it will partly jump off the perch and you don't want that ... for the front springs there are not many coils to start with so cutting can result in big increase in spring stiffness (it's the amount of coils that makes for the "springyness").

If your wanting to save $$ and just have a lower ride than go for it but the balance will be affected; if you like to give it around corners with a good solid ride then I would go for a sport setup once installed they look a bit tall for a couple of weeks then settle down ...by the 2nd month it will look great too .. and don't forget the shocks they need to be matched to your springs too (my preference is Koni yellow adjustable) ... I've had neuspeed on my MK3 and have istalled Spax on a friends MK2 both are good and there are surely other brands out there.

[GoLfMan]

yeh ill wait it out. but do you know any cheaper brands???

[Belgianwaffler]

hmm ...not of the top of my head ...there is a company called "king spings" I think who is based here ...I'll have a look around ...what's your budget?

[GoLfMan]

its a tight one somewhere up too $500 max. its not that im tight its just i dont have the doish being a student and all

[Belgianwaffler]

ok cool ...well the springs can be had new for anything between $280 - $600 for a set (front and back) I'll let you know if I find somewhere who sells them.. the shocks well there are a wide range of them some not so good and some good for about $700 (front & back) but you can always start with the springs first....

[GoLfMan]

i was planning to start with the springs what happens if i get lower springs but retail the stock shox? would the ride be lower and handel better?

[Belgianwaffler]

the car will definitly handle better than stock ..but ! ...not that much better on rough roads as you'll get that typical "honda civic" look ..you know the one where it looks like the car is bouncing up and down ...the reason is the shocks have 2 functions 1) it absorbs the shocks from hitting imperfections on the roads (like small dips and pot holes ..I mean small ..) and 2) it dampens the springs ( imagine dropping a spring on the ground ..it'll bounce back .. if there is a shock inside the spring , the spring will compress as it hits the ground and come back to it's original shape slowly ..well not really slow though)..
so in short you'll be ok with the springs first (I started like that too).

[GoLfMan]

awesome stuff and start with springs i shall you can get king springs from autobarb cant you??? and they make them for mk1's ive heard?

[finemk1]

i cut the springs on my 77 MK1 it was ok for a while untill my front drivers side strut tower ripped right off the chassis, DAMN........i welded it back on with a few bolts aswell, ,and cut off the roof to lose some weight, ended up a pretty tidy convertible.......which didnt convert....oh well was fun at the time