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Thread: Might cut front springs. . . . .

  1. #1
    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Might cut front springs. . . . .

    I got there Gr2 front struts and springs off of a 2 door accord and put them on my 4 door. I notice i have outside wear on my tire and the front end looks like its jacked up a little bit. Anyone know where i can get a spring compressor for cheap so i can cut them . Went threw a set of 205 40 17 s already . Any ideas ? Would be a cheap fix. Donno i guess i shoudl grabbed the back ones too when i was there.



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    LXi User RAZR's Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    ever think of putting the stock suspension back on?

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    3Geez Veteran A18A's Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    you probably need a wheel alignment. i made a post a while ago on how to get the springs out safely without a spring compressor, should look it up

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    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    I had a front left wheel bearing go out so that ahad some effect on it . But for sure is to high in the front. Im lookin your post up A18A. And yes another alighnment.

  5. #5
    2.0Si User mushroom_toy's Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    for a spring compressor use a ratchet strap...it works.
    1986 Honda Accord Lx-i

    ~~NGK~~Silvania~~MSD~~Pioneer~~MSW~~Bosch~~DC Sports~~
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  6. #6
    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/z...2/IMG01118.jpg
    http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/z...2/IMG01121.jpg
    http://i818.photobucket.com/albums/z...2/IMG01120.jpg
    Check this pic out u can see how its jacked up in the front ...Mushroom just a ratchet strap huh good idea.. . Never thouhgt of that did u do it on the front springs ? Just tie one one each side ?

    Hey A18A i couldnt find ur link ..



    Word peeps.... Shes still runnin waitin for this bearing to get here and get it pressed and thats when i wanna fix how it sits.... I donno why its off either all corners messure different hight . Did all bushings and everything all around ball joints tie rod ends got the springs and struts did real lower arm bushings becuase they were so worn out u could move the whole strut assembly if u put some weight on it.
    Was thinkin just take it to osmeonne with a torch and heat it up and measure it out,,,, But i got to get it sitting right again its not even any ways around it .costly measures on tires when there 205 40 17 's
    i KNOW i went off..
    She needs my attention again.. But shes stil around and runs like a champ.


    A couple minutes later after posting this my wheel bearing shows up ...Sweet ...Lookin to do it at the begginng of this week so i gotta get ideas fast and get er done .
    Last edited by -$MOKIN-; 12-24-2010 at 12:32 PM.

  7. #7

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    instead of cutting them get some springs from a civic or some car with shorter springs at least then the car wont handle like arse on cut springs and cause you to crash when you corner

    /suggestion

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    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    I think by cutting my springs its going to improve cornering if anything .It will adjust my camber correctly .Thanks for the info tho. Im not tryin to spend any cash on it. Thats why i wanna cut em . To get my tire wear and ride highth correct. Not tryin to take it low anymore..

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    Kudo's on doing bushings and ball joints and tie rods, thats a good start for tighter handling and alignment.

    It would have been easier to do wheel bearings at the same time though... and you always want to replace wheel bearings in pairs.

    I dunno if you have a Harbor Freight Tool store around? Those would be the cheapest spring compressors I could think of.

    As for the uneven ride height that is rather strange. Springs will sag with time sure but it shouldn't be that drastic. I have a couple ideas... make sure your front swaybar isn't bent and pre-loaded. Make sure the springs are set properly on the perches, simple stuff like that. If all else fails start from scratch and get another pair of springs from another car that are even.

    DO NOT torch a spring for any reason. Heat will alter its spring-rate unpredictably so you'll end up back where you started. Also if you are going to cut springs you want to start with an even set or you'll magnify the problem you're already having, except in reverse...

    I wouldn't say cutting your springs is a terrible idea as long as you do it right. There is a way to increase the spring rate of a cut stock spring so you don't bottom out or bind the spring. I saw this trick in grassroots motorsports and I've wanted to try it. Let me know if you want more details...

    Cutting your springs isn't ideal sure, but neither is using springs that are too stiff. Each manifests different handling problems that are dangerous and scary.

    Also, regardless of what you do with your suspension, running wheels that are too big for what the car was was designed for, and tires with low profile sidewalls will ultimately remain the limiting factor for grip.

  10. #10
    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    Scars your totaly right about the wheel bearings going out becuase when i did the ball joints i also did a wheel bearing on one side and told the guy who pressed them that i was going to wait for the other side to go out before i did it. lol kicked me in the arse.inwhich was 6 months ago on my last set of tires/
    for the lower strut bolt bushing in the back i had to take the whole assymbly apart and cut my emergency break becuase i couldnt get damn wire out . So i gotta get to re run the emergeny break wire soon also .sometimes the actuator for the emergency break clicks now.
    Yep theres harbor frieght close to me ..love that joint .I did a tool loaner deal from auto zone on the compressor they have to loan there. and the hinges were to big to fit in the springs. I gotta find one that is small and will fit in between each srping. For cheap to im thinking if they have one at H.F. that it might be like 30 .. ?? i donno .

    Yeah the uneven ride highth was also before i even changed to these springs i had .I think that it is something to do with me removing the ac compressor makes it in the front and no idea about the back its like a half inch differnece on each side and i thouhgt that gettin stock springs and struts for the back inwhich i got off of ebay shipped to me ould level it out.and doing the bushings it didnt.

    sweet grassroots motorsports ??? Sounds like the ticket to just cut them. At least it will get my camber for my tires better than it is now. Which i beleive is + 1 or more i donno.
    And yes tires are a btich for me. I was thinking of maybe going back down to 15 inch rims and posiblly might if i can find the right deal on a set .but if i can get this camber right with these tires its shouldnt be a problem.
    Last edited by -$MOKIN-; 12-24-2010 at 02:52 PM.

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    Wow sounds your car has been a bitch for you sorry to hear that.

    For my 86 3G I built a hybrid shock/spring setup with stiffer shocks from a V6 Legend. (If you search for "Nars Accord Hatch" you will see pics.) I ran Skunkworks springs with em which ended up being waaay too stiff.

    My 3G was gutted and if you think about it, lightening a car makes your springs feel even stiffer. If you are using stock springs it might even raise the ride height. It is true that taking weight off of one part of the car with stock springs could even raise it unevenly.

    The 3G is damn light already, if you gut it nearly all the weight comes off the rear and the ride height changes. If you saw pics of my 3G after I gutted it, before I swapped the springs you'd laugh cause it had a rake like an old school dragster. And no the rake is not good because it makes the rear drums wanna lock up quicker.

    I had a full size Optima battery relocated to the rear to try and help the balance but it wasn't enough. So a good rule of thumb is don't lighten a car with stock suspension you may do more harm then good in how it handles. It affects center of gravity, roll-center, brake-balance etc.

    The only thing you can lighten on a car without any drawbacks is unsprung weight. That means control arms, wheels, brakes, etc... anything that moves with the suspension or is part of the suspension. Reducing unsprung weight makes the suspension move easier (less static mass) without changing the spring rates. A suspension that moves easier will actually help the springs and shocks do their job to absorb bumps and keep the cars weight planted on the tires and keep the tires planted to the road.

    Now I have another question for you... when you installed your busings, did you tighten them up while the car was still up on jackstands? If you did, that explains everything. Bushings must only be tightened after the car is fully settled on its suspension. Bushings are like springs themselves, they resist motion to a degree so you want your suspension...

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    ...to be in its loaded, neutral position when you tighten them. This is why its really nice to have a full size drive-on lift, but you can make do lowering the car unto wheel-ramps or whatever otherwise.

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    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    I had the bushings pressed in then when i put the struts on i used jackstands .and tightined the bolt that went threw the bushing.

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    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    I did the bushing on the lower rear knuckle that the strut bolt went threw.

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    But back to the topic of cutting springs... the only reason this is sometimes better then installing aftermarket springs is often times the oem spring rates are closer to whats optimal for your particular car on the street.

    Of course, cutting springs also reduces your effective wheel travel because the spring will not stretch or stay seated on the shock if your wheel falls out beneath you (think pothole) or if your car bounces off the spring entirely (think spedbump).

    Now obviously unseating your springs is bad news... the wanna be coilover spring kits are usually less dangerous in this regard because the sleeve the spring perch sits on is ideally set tightly on the shock and the spring is sits more snugly on the perch, but odds are the upper hat for a coilover spring will not reseat itself properly if you pull it out of the spring.

    I used to run a ground control adjustable spring kit on my FC RX7 and every time I jacked the wheels off the ground the spring would drop off the upper perch. It was really annoying (and kinda scary) to reseat it when I lowered the car back down because I had to stick my arm up under the wheel well and there wasn't enough clearance at full drop to do so without crushing my arm if I lowered it too much too quickly. This also meant I sometimes had to lower or re-raise each corner of the car seperately since I couldn't reseat both springs on either side of the car simultaneously.

    A quality aftermarket spring will have rates appropriate for your specific car. (Eibach Tanabe, Tein, RSR, ST etc.) But again, unless its adjustable for height you shouldn't lighten it, and if it is adjustable for height you should corner balance your car like you're supposed to.

    Those Skunkworks springs I mentioned earlier were not for a 3G. I have no idea what they were for. I couldn't find an catalog with the original Skunworks part numbers in it to find out.

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    Quote Originally Posted by -$MOKIN- View Post
    I had the bushings pressed in then when i put the struts on i used jackstands .and tightined the bolt that went threw the bushing.
    Well now you know what you have to do... go jack up the car, loosen the bolt through the bushing (without removing it), let the car drop completely. Jounce the struts a few times... and then retighten those busings with all the cars weight on the tires somehow. That should solve your problem.

  17. #17
    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    Your talkin about the bottom bolt for the strut right where it goes threw that bushing right ? Thats what im talkin about . i think its more than what im thinking .i donno.

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    Well are you gonna do it? Its simple man, just loosen up the bushings the car might be hanging on.

  19. #19
    LXi User -$MOKIN-'s Avatar
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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    What bushings are u talkin about paste me a lnk to a pic of it or somthing if you can .

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    Re: Might cut front springs. . . . .

    Quote Originally Posted by -$MOKIN- View Post
    What bushings are u talkin about paste me a lnk to a pic of it or somthing if you can .
    Dude... your killin me... this isn't hard to grasp. Whatever bushings you replaced, loosen em all up, jounce the suspension and retighten them with the cars weight on em at the normal ride height.

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