Mybowlcut Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 Hey. With some encouragement from the boys on the last WA cruise, I'm thinking about cutting the stock springs on my KE70. Just wondering what peoples experiences are with doing this... good.. bad.. advantages.. disadvantages. It won't be an extremely low height (will be a legal height), but my car sits quite high so I'll be dropping it a bit. Cheers.
Mybowlcut Posted October 18, 2008 Author Report Posted October 18, 2008 Don't be cheap. Buy new ones.Haha. This is just temporary until I buy RA60 struts/brakes and stuff off Chrisandliz. Why is it cheap anyway? :) I think I may have already asked you this question, and I think you said Lovells... but what are the best springs to buy for a '70? Also, do they come in varying heights or.. ? Cheers.
Redwarf Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 Anything but Kings. You can buy lowered ones, stiffer ones and all of the above. Contact a reputable suspension shop. You can always sell them off when you get your new struts.
Mybowlcut Posted October 18, 2008 Author Report Posted October 18, 2008 (edited) Anything but Kings. You can buy lowered ones, stiffer ones and all of the above. Contact a reputable suspension shop. You can always sell them off when you get your new struts.Is Pedders reputable? Haha. Thanks for the advice. I'll wait until I get the new struts though.. too much messing around otherwise. Do stiffer springs take bumps better or something? Never understood what stiff meant in that context... Oh and this is what I meant by advantages/disadvantages: Damage to springs, such as using oxy-acetylene to cut the end off a car suspension spring to lower a vehicle's ride height, can destroy the tempering in localised areas of the spring. Edited October 18, 2008 by Mybowlcut
KE ping it real Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 Stiffer means you will get less body roll but you will feel a whole lot more bumps in the road But essentially, your car will handle a shitload better :)
fozz Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 i have cut springs all round and it handles great but i use fto shocks which are really short to kkep the rear springs capitative so they don't pop out and i havent had a problem yet
coln72 Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 Cut springs are illegal. Saying that I ran cut springs for close to 10 years without issues. If you use a hacksaw you shouldn't do any damage to the heat treatment of the spring.
Mybowlcut Posted October 18, 2008 Author Report Posted October 18, 2008 Stiffer means you will get less body roll but you will feel a whole lot more bumps in the road But essentially, your car will handle a shitload better :) Ah... well I already feel a lot of bumps so I guess a few more wouldn't hurt if it meant better handling, right? i have cut springs all round and it handles great but i use fto shocks which are really short to kkep the rear springs capitative so they don't pop out and i havent had a problem yetHow much did you shorten them by? How did you ensure you got the same height all round? Is the popping out thing an issue if I cut my springs? Cut springs are illegal. Saying that I ran cut springs for close to 10 years without issues. If you use a hacksaw you shouldn't do any damage to the heat treatment of the spring. Yeah the guys told me that but I figure if I do it to a respectable height then cops won't notice it and won't look. Again, how much did you shorten them by and how do you ensure you get the same height all round?
KE ping it real Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 If i were you, i would just buy some new springs. They'll cost you a couple of hundred but you will be able to sell them again for almost what you paid for them (with low km on them) and you'll have peace of mind that they are nice and new and safe :)
Mybowlcut Posted October 18, 2008 Author Report Posted October 18, 2008 If i were you, i would just buy some new springs. They'll cost you a couple of hundred but you will be able to sell them again for almost what you paid for them (with low km on them) and you'll have peace of mind that they are nice and new and safe :PWell, the RA60 struts/brakes are going in soon.. I was going to go into Pedders to get my car looked at and have my options laid out for me but I figure the different struts will affect what I can upgrade to haha. Will refrain from any cutting of springs until the new struts I guess. :) Cheers for all of your help!
DearmanKE Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 cut a coil off of each spring and then if u like that height keep it, n if u want it lower then go from there,
Instigator Posted October 18, 2008 Report Posted October 18, 2008 2 coils taken out. 15 inch rims. Ride is slightly firmer, feels great to me, handles a bit better as well.
philbey Posted October 19, 2008 Report Posted October 19, 2008 Stiffer means you will get less body roll but you will feel a whole lot more bumps in the road But essentially, your car will handle a shitload better :) Yeh, exceptionally better when you have too high a spring rate for your 20 year old spongy shocks on a corolla built to keep granny comfortable. Take a good look at the next slammed ke70 you see. Watch it as it rides the bumps in the road and it will continue to bounce around all the way down the road. It'll be lower and stiffer but whether it qualifies as "good handling" or "dodgy handling" is in the eye of the beholder.
KE ping it real Posted October 19, 2008 Report Posted October 19, 2008 I guess it depends on the purpose for which it was intended On our shit roads then you want to find a good balance but if you are using more track then you'll definatly wand a good stiff one.......LOL
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