Originally Posted by MikeR
ppro, I will have to disagree with you. The Crossfire does not have progressive springs. Here is the link to BrianBraves DIY on cutting your springs to lower your ride. He is VERY happy with this mod and several others have done the same. I will do mine when I install my Koni shocks.
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...t=lowered+ride
MikeR
You're welcome to disagree. You confirmed one of my predictions. Three actually (you disagree, cite someone who has done it, but have not done this yourself). That's OK. Fair enough.
To
kolevski - price a set of new factory springs. See if you're willing to spend the money to fix the damage from cutting the ones you have?
Back to the cited example:
First off, the thread confirms that the springs are progressive
Originally Posted by SRT-6 Steve
Yes, the coils are different spring rates throughout the coils. Many cars are this way so they soak up the smaller bumps easier and still handle the larger ones without bottoming out. I honestly do not know if it would be obvious while looking at them or not but this is important to know.
Steve
You can't "see" progressive spring rates - it's about the metal, the manufacturing process, and the design.
and
Originally Posted by SRT-6 Steve
Someone may have already answered this but are the coils progressive? If so, as a rule of thumb, most advise on not cutting the coils but rather replace with a shorter progressive spring so ride quality does not deteriorate.
Steve
and the owner's post-op observations support it
Originally Posted by BrianBrave
Steve,
It's a little stiffer - but not any more extreme then the stock SRT ride.
BB
So let's review:
Progressive rate springs (do not cut) (not a matter of opinion - fact)
Degraded ride quality ("a little stiffer") (because the part of the spring that absorbs the little bumps was cut off!)
Person disagrees who hasn't done it personally. (do you take advice from people who don't have any experience?)
Further, nothing in the article talks about alignment, shocks, sway bar connectors, check straps, track bar adjustments, etc. And changing ride heights that the owner observed over time indicate that the person who did the work didn't properly set the control arms and introduced preload that eventually "wore" off as the car was driven. Which probably led to premature bushing wear, and given that he was cutting springs, may have cut too much off overcompensating for incorrect control arm installation...
Do the follow up with the owner and see - It's been a year - ping the guy and see how it's holding up. If he's honest I think you'll be surprised:
how is the tire wear,
handling etc.?
Is it "darty"?
How about nose-dive on hard braking?
Any suspension noise?
What about rubbing?
Any damage as a result (direct or indirectly) from cutting springs?
As I understand it, Eibachs give a 1 inch or 1.3 inch lower ride, and the tires barely graze fender liners under certain conditions. I'd hate to think what a 2 inch+ lowering does. The owner in the example also talks about dragging bottom...
Sorry if I seem like I'm being a jerk - that's not my intention - but if you want to make a quality modification to something like suspension, you really need to know what you're doing. These are not tractors. You can't just cut off coils. Well, no, actually I guess you can. It's just not a good idea.
My experience?
Performance suspension installed on the following cars and trucks:
NO SPRINGS WERE CUT IN THE FILMING OF THESE MODIFICATIONS!