Cutting Springs
#1
Cutting Springs
So here's what i was thinking... I know a lot of you are probably against the whole cutting springs thing, but it really not as bad as some people make it out to be... Heck, chip foose does it on the cars he restores... I doubt that he would go through all of that trouble to restore a car and then half-*** the suspension.....
I have tokico HP's with the red springs that come in the kit... I have been searching for a long time now and i STILL cannot find out the spring rating on them. They give the car a decent stance, but when i can still fit 3 finers in the front wheel well and 4 in the rear, there are problems... As far as i am concerned, i have slightly better valved shocks/struts than mach's and bullitts come with from the factory... The machs and bullitts both have 600# linear rate springs up front and #250 linear rate in the rear.
I doubt that my progressive rate springs that came with the kit are nearly as strong as stock mach 1 springs... I can push my car down nearly 1+ inch if i put my weight on it in the rear. My friends GT with stock springs barely budges... I know it has something to do with him having linear springs and me having progressive rate springs which have more resistance as they compress more.
Anyhow, i came across somebody who is going to give me his stock mach 1 springs... I plan on cutting them anywhere from 1 - 1.5 coils to see if i like the stance and ride quality... I dont see why the shocks/struts cant handle a little bit more of a drop and a slight increase in spring rating due to losing coils and gaining resistance. My car still looks like a skyscraper IMO. I think that i would still have the same handling characteristics as the progressive rate, no? By the time i am done cutting, the springs should have let's say a 650# spring rating up front and a 275# spring rating out back... That's not even as stiff as H&R's, but its stiffer than stock mach's and such...
What do you guys think? I have been researching this for quite some time now and i just dont have the funds for coilovers and bilsteins yet... My car bounces around a little bit too much for me and its bc the spring ratings are most likely pretty low on my car, causing it to bounce a lot. The shocks/struts and strong as new so it's not them... I think a stiffer spring may help me out here...
I am anxious to hear input, advice, and criticism.
I have tokico HP's with the red springs that come in the kit... I have been searching for a long time now and i STILL cannot find out the spring rating on them. They give the car a decent stance, but when i can still fit 3 finers in the front wheel well and 4 in the rear, there are problems... As far as i am concerned, i have slightly better valved shocks/struts than mach's and bullitts come with from the factory... The machs and bullitts both have 600# linear rate springs up front and #250 linear rate in the rear.
I doubt that my progressive rate springs that came with the kit are nearly as strong as stock mach 1 springs... I can push my car down nearly 1+ inch if i put my weight on it in the rear. My friends GT with stock springs barely budges... I know it has something to do with him having linear springs and me having progressive rate springs which have more resistance as they compress more.
Anyhow, i came across somebody who is going to give me his stock mach 1 springs... I plan on cutting them anywhere from 1 - 1.5 coils to see if i like the stance and ride quality... I dont see why the shocks/struts cant handle a little bit more of a drop and a slight increase in spring rating due to losing coils and gaining resistance. My car still looks like a skyscraper IMO. I think that i would still have the same handling characteristics as the progressive rate, no? By the time i am done cutting, the springs should have let's say a 650# spring rating up front and a 275# spring rating out back... That's not even as stiff as H&R's, but its stiffer than stock mach's and such...
What do you guys think? I have been researching this for quite some time now and i just dont have the funds for coilovers and bilsteins yet... My car bounces around a little bit too much for me and its bc the spring ratings are most likely pretty low on my car, causing it to bounce a lot. The shocks/struts and strong as new so it's not them... I think a stiffer spring may help me out here...
I am anxious to hear input, advice, and criticism.
#4
I don't have the funds for coilovers lol. I would need some bilstein HD's ($575) and then the MM front kit $370+ shipping and then the rear kit $450ish?
See how ridiculous it gets?
Ok maybe i will start with half a coil. The mach's are what, .5" lower than the GT to begin with?
See how ridiculous it gets?
Ok maybe i will start with half a coil. The mach's are what, .5" lower than the GT to begin with?
#5
I just spoke to a guy from tokico... I got tired of looking for the damn spring rates online.
680 linear up fron and 250 out back... The guy said that the rear springs aren't a true progressive... meaning that the coils aren't really stacked on each other like a normal progressive would be...
The front can be cut, the rears he said to cut in 1/4 coil increments, but no more than 1 coil in the rear...
Do i trust what he said? He sounded pretty intelligent about it
I just didn't want to cut my tokico springs haha..
I think i still may hack up the mach springs and see what i think before i go cutting the tokicos.... I might like the linear rate out back on the mach's anyway. My rear is so bouncy until i take a turn. That's when the progressive rate springs start working...
680 linear up fron and 250 out back... The guy said that the rear springs aren't a true progressive... meaning that the coils aren't really stacked on each other like a normal progressive would be...
The front can be cut, the rears he said to cut in 1/4 coil increments, but no more than 1 coil in the rear...
Do i trust what he said? He sounded pretty intelligent about it
I just didn't want to cut my tokico springs haha..
I think i still may hack up the mach springs and see what i think before i go cutting the tokicos.... I might like the linear rate out back on the mach's anyway. My rear is so bouncy until i take a turn. That's when the progressive rate springs start working...
Last edited by hpwrestler220; 06-04-2010 at 06:15 PM.
#7
Crash - did i read correct when i saw that you had GT cut springs up front and stockers out back? Why didn't you cut more yet?! Crash post up a side profile pic of your car in this thread please. kthx
I wrapped up and greased my springs now when i removed the isos and they still creak... unbelievable... i am thinking about putting a piece of hosing in there...
Here are a pic of the springs. Click the link. It's bopiela's thread when he got his stuff in. Do the fronts look linear and the rears look as "not a true progressive"????
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l...ally-came.html
I wrapped up and greased my springs now when i removed the isos and they still creak... unbelievable... i am thinking about putting a piece of hosing in there...
Here are a pic of the springs. Click the link. It's bopiela's thread when he got his stuff in. Do the fronts look linear and the rears look as "not a true progressive"????
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l...ally-came.html
#8
got pic of his ride?
945LSTANG - didnt you cut your front stockers?
#9
Crash - did i read correct when i saw that you had GT cut springs up front and stockers out back? Why didn't you cut more yet?! Crash post up a side profile pic of your car in this thread please. kthx
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l...ally-came.html
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l...ally-came.html
#10
Yeah crash, i can see why you want to go a little lower... Your car looks lower than mine does lol. Your shocks and struts are handling it just fine? I think you car looks good now, but another half inch to an inch all around and you'll be pure sexxxxxx lol
And yeah the front GT springs are only a #450 i think... And the rears are a #210?
Bullitts and mach are 600/250
Do you have GT springs front and rear? How much did you cut altogether?
And yeah the front GT springs are only a #450 i think... And the rears are a #210?
Bullitts and mach are 600/250
Do you have GT springs front and rear? How much did you cut altogether?