Lowering your car by cutting springs

If you are thinking of lowering your ride, but don’t have the cash for it and you’ve been thinking of cutting your coil-springs, here are a few tips to consider before making your decision. The first thing you need to know is that cutting a coil spring will not only lower the vehicle, but depending on how much you cut it, will give you a harder and more bumpy ride, and can possibly limit the amount of people (and weight) you can fit into your car. I know a lot will reason that buying drop springs will do the same and to some extent that might be true but, the effect of cutting your coil springs will double the result. However, there is another side. What some do not know is that cutting will also stiffen the spring, making the ride and handling a bit firmer; this is a good thing because lowering a vehicle reduces the amount of suspension travel. A safe place to start is by measuring how much you want to lower the vehicle. Then cut half that measurement off the length of the springs and reinstall them. Then take her for a drive, and drive her like you were involved in a hit-and-run to get the springs well worked and seated properly. Now check your ride height. If she’s still too high, repeat step one until you get the look you want. Remember, you can always take more off, but you can never put them back. It is a matter of measure twice, cut once. We limit the amount of lowering to two inches maximum because as a vehicle is lowered, the amount of travel left in the suspension before there is metal-to-metal contact, is reduced. Too much lowering can cause other parts of the vehicle to knock against each other, and this would be a bad thing, so we stick to two inches to avoid this problem. If cutting is the route you have chosen, be very sure that you cut exactly the same amount off each spring. Cutting off too much can and will be a nuisance. Having been in different cars that had their coil springs cut, here are a few extremes that you will face if you cut off too much. Remember, all of these are dependent on the distance between your bumper and the road, as well as the distance between the tyre and the body. Can’t transport more than two average-sized people otherwise your car will scrape the road or the body brushes against the tyres. Can’t make sharp turns because the tyre runs against body. Can’t go over a speed hump (especially in Rehoboth). Can’t enter a road that has an immediate steep uphill or downhill. Will have to re-spray your front bumper every now and then. The best method will always be to buy original drop springs, if that still sits to high, opt for adjustable coil-overs. If you feel the need to go even lower and have the money, air suspension is the way forward. GARWIN BEUKES