My research has come up with conflicting information on the stiffness added to a coil spring by cutting coils:
I am working with a coil spring that has 8 active coils.
Once source states that each coil is 1/8 (12.5%) of the “give” in the spring, so cutting one coil off equals a gain of 1/8 (or 12.5%) in strength. If that is true, then cutting the spring in half would make it 1.5 times as strong.
The other source states that cutting a spring in half makes it 2 times as strong…. In that case, cutting one coil (1/8 of spring) would equal a gain of 2/8 (25%) in strength.
Edited to remove second part as it made no sense... it is too early and I am not awake yet. lol
but I do need some help figuring out ride height before I cut the newer/stonger spring.
thanks in advance,
Cody
Google spring rate calculation, take some measurements, and calculate the new rate. Then forget it and cut 1/2 a coil at a time for the desired ride height.
TOP: replacement spring (uncut)
BOTTOM: stock spring
[URL=http://s798.photobucket.com/user/kaywoodcove/media/0507141717_15.jpg.html][/URL]
According to the calculator, cuttiong 2.5 coils off makes it a 775# spring.
cutting 2.7 coils off makes it a 805 lb. spring.
the stock 279# spring does not support the weight of the car. although, I like the height, I need to raise it about an inch to keep the exhaust from dragging in my driveway.
Here is the spring in the fully extended suspension:
[URL=http://s798.photobucket.com/user/kaywoodcove/media/0507141600a.jpg.html][/URL]
however, the coil spring calculator shows my stock 279# spring to be a 331# spring
Are you measuring the actual diameter of the metal in the spring? If there is some sort of coating that will throw your measurements off.
I am going by the MOOG problem solver and using published data.
Is there a way to figure out how much to cut for a given lowering?
Dusterbd13 wrote:
Is there a way to figure out how much to cut for a given lowering?
Zomby Woof covered it a few posts back...