Hey guys.. Have been thinking about this for a while as I'm not happy with the ride height in the rear of my car.. I currently have King Springs super low and to be frank they are not low at all. Have any of you guys had good results of chopping one coil from your rear springs??? And if so what was the best method in doing so.. Would appreciate some feed back.. Thanks
DO NOT DO IT......extremely dangerous and extremely illegal, puts yourself and other road users at risk.............. if you want lower still then change suspension, maybe since you have super lows and want to go lower a set of coilovers will fix your problem, they can be bought new from as low as $999 for some brands, and theres even a set of bilsteins on ebay for $400 second hand if you dont want to spend much
And King Super Lows are very low IMO. Too low actually. I had the normal Lows and they where just about right.
go for coilovers, do not chop the springs. the coilovers will give you a different suspension set up all together. not only are they good for going low, when there set low there not extremely bouncy as a set of super low springs would be, so you can have a nice firm ride but still have a very low ride height.
Apart from giving your car the handling characteristics of an obese child in a shopping trolley, chopping springs are reserved for VL commodores and pulsars. It's just not on. Removing the springs will give you similar handlings characteristics to chopped springs anyway, just do that. :W: If your super low's aren't low enough then you've been sold the wrong product. Super lows will tuck most of your tyre into the wheel arch and with stock rated shocks you'll be sitting less than 15mm from the bump stop.
Don't bo too low on the springs without changing the struts, the shocks will bottom out and give a very bouncey ride. My new Ausspec does this with King superlows and it is annoying to say the least. Makes an otherwise good ride painful.
In Tammy's R33, the previous owner put in shorter/lower springs. This resulted in the tops of the struts becoming bent. Maybe this could also happen in the Z. Dangerous!
If you simply must have a shorter spring on the cheap, see any decent spring manufacturer. They will be able to properly adjust the characteristics of the spring, and are a way better option than a DIY chop job. I had a pair of heavy duty leaf springs refurbished for around 80 bucks or so, so the sort of work these blokes do is every-day stuff, especially with springs etc. Just food for thought.
hunt around on SAU... you can grab r32 rear coilovers for your zed. then all you need to do is hunt down a pair for the front and your done... shouldnt be too expensive. you can only go so low with springs... every time you go lower you'll need to adjust your shocks... so coils are a great upgrade. SLAM HER!
WRX method Can always use the tried and true wrx method to lower your car, makes more sense than chopping springs.
If you've done this in the past then you "may have" found some of the issues with shoving the oxy or angle grinder at a coil spring.... it like everything else may sound simple but unless you know what your doing and do it correctly then its usually a 'fail'. If however you havent done it before.... then I suggest that for your first attempt you have a 2nd set handy to replace the set your about to stuff up ! ( practice on the original set is perfered ) It can be done and done very successfully ..... IF you do it in the correct manner. Research "re-setting spring steel" for starters Understand the process involved BEFORE you start The end result should look exactly the same as the std coil ... only shorter Kingy p/s I've actually lengthened coils buy significant amounts for my bashcar, yet it still maintains ride levels/ comfort / durability / & performance & has survived 9 outback bashes without an issue (yes we drive cars where many wouldnt take a 4x4 !!! ). Many others that have attempted to do similar things to their springs have failed and have ended up broken down in the middle of no-where as a result....... broken springs must suck for them ! A simple task provided you understand what your doing from the get go.
Thanks guys for all the feed back.. I will prob look into have the springs compressed as mentioned in previous posts to get the disired look that i am after.
have you got a bodykit fitted? i'm using low king springs, with a bodykit fitted i'm just on legal ride height. if i have a passenger i come under the legal requirement.
Dont be pov, King Springs will make you custom springs at any drop/spring rate you want for a mere $250 a pair.
