How to on how to cut springs on a 3rd gen

[.:dutchtuner:.]

I was wondering if anyone has made one?

I really want to go low but I'll never
spend 1200 dollars on a coilover kit

And an other small question, are there any other
coilover kits from like volkswagen or civics
that fit with some modification?

Coilover kits for these are like 200 euros over here

thanks in advance

Bart

[Joay]

Oh yeah you can use Civic coilover sleeves or get some Tokico struts with springs from H&R, Progress, Neuspeed, Goldline and some others. Adjustable full-bodies aren't the only option.

EF Civic front struts (http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61806)
IDK if there is a how-to on it, but 90-93(97?) Accord rear struts work I believe.

[MessyHonda]

cut springs will not ride nice

[Civic Accord Honda]

cut springs will not ride nice

low and slow ese :flash:

[markmdz89hatch]

I don't think there's any how-to on cutting springs, but it's pretty easy. You can use either a hacksaw, sawz-all, or angle grinder. All work well, but each has their challenges. the hacksaw will just take forever, but is really pretty fool-proof. The sawz-all and angle grinder both pose the same challenge: heat.

The worst thing for any spring steel is heat because it changes the properties of the steel and can make it more brittle, which is definitely not good. Just cust slowly and even use a cutting agent (cutting oil) and/or water (water to keep it cool) while you're cutting. DO NOT let the spring cut to get glowing red hot. It should remain cool enough (or at least almost) to touch with your bare hands without getting burnt.

It's easy to cut too much, and may be a little work to cut a bit, install to test, then cut again if you want it lower, but it's the right way to get it the height you want instead of just guessing.

Anyway, the front and rear are different springs entirely, so don't expect to cut the same amount of coils from the front and rear to get the same drop.


Now to kill some of the bad myths out there...

Is it bad to cut springs? Absolutely not, as long as you do it properly and don't cut too much or cut it unevenly.

Is it better to buy aftermarket springs rather than just cutting the stock springs? If you're considering one or the other, I'd be willing to put money on the fact that it'd be safer/smarter/better to just cut the stock springs. ALL aftermarket shocks (available to us) are not built to handle the spring rates of any of the aftermarket springs out there.

........So then why's it better to just cut the stocks? Or is it? IMO, it is better to cut the stockers because although you will increase the spring rate of the stockers by cutting them, at the same ride height I'm be willing to put money of the fact that they'll still be a much lower spring rate than any of the aftermarket ones.

So why does cutting stock springs get such a bad rap? Because many people just immediately think that taking a saw or grinder to something is a 'hack' or 'ghetto' way of doing things, when buying something made for dropping a car is better. NOT the case with our cars.

That argument isn't helped by all the true 'hacks' or 'ghetto rigged' jobs out there that truly were done unsafely. Too many people cut the spring with a grinding wheel or sawzall dry and let the thing get glowing hot. ...then they end up cracking a spring. I've also seen people heat the beJesus out of the spring and compress it down in a press. That's just about the worst idea there because it basically tempers the steel making it super brittle.

Then too, some cut them right, but cut way too much material out just to dump the car. The major problem here (not including the risk of gutting the underside of your car even trying to drive over a pebble), is that you limit the travel of your suspension so much that you're pretty much riding rigid. This is VERY bad for your car and every damn joint in your suspension. ...and you also risk structural damage from bottoming out too much and potentially cracking your shock towers.