I just pick up some springs and just curious how long does it take to break in, so far my rear’s have a 2 finger gap and my fronts are about 3 -4 finger gap. i put the springs all in the right place, but some of my friends say the front is slightly high. what is the cause of the problem i have only been running the suspension for about 2 days. I need you POV, thanks in advances.
this is how my car looks
HELP me please
how do you know there in the right places?? looks like it needs to be switched around and you’d be good…
Springs don’t “break in” or “settle” like some people say. Your suspension may look slightly higher immediately after you lower the car back on the ground, but that will go away as soon as you roll the car a little to get all the suspension to it’s normal geometry. And this is not due to the springs, it’d due to the fact that your tires swing on an arc, not straight up and down.
Unless there’s something wrong with the install or a spring isn’t seated properly your ride height isn’t going to change from what you have now.
Generally most aftermarket springs will not give you an even ride height, they will often lower the rear more than the front in an attempt to create a more balanced weight distribution by shifting some of the weight to the back of the car.
If you install your springs incorrectly (fronts in the rear and vice versa) you don’t end up with a high front and low rear, you end up with a really low front and a really high rear. On most aftermarket suspension (stuff made for street, not race) the front spring rates are higher than the rears because the front of the car is heavier. If you install them backwards then you get a soft spring in the front (car sits low) and stiff springs in the rear (car sits high).
[QUOTE=Colin;2244392]
Unless there’s something wrong with the install or a spring isn’t seated properly your ride height isn’t going to change from what you have now.
Generally most aftermarket springs will not give you an even ride height, they will often lower the rear more than the front in an attempt to create a more balanced weight distribution by shifting some of the weight to the back of the car.
).[/QUOTE]
Yes sir that is true for our body style tegs. I’ve owned the car since 93 and back then I don’t think they coil overs. Just regular lowering springs. That said, the backs will be lower then the fronts with regular lower springs. Unless you get some coil overs or adjustable koni yellows you can fill in that gap. It annoyed me for years until I bought those things.
Do you think cutting one of the coils would, be a better suggestion to even the front balance of my car be bad? ,or should i just buy some really cheap coils to fix’s the front,
Personally, I don’t think cutting springs is a bad thing. People talk shit on it all the time, but generally they are uneducated on the topic. Sure, it’s a little ghetto, and it’s FAR from an exact science (don’t be surprised if you cut too much or not enough) but contrary to popular belief it does NOT cause a “bumpy” “bouncy” or otherwise “harsh” ride. The “ride” you have is a factor of your spring rates, your shocks, your tires, and a bunch of other factors. Cutting your springs will change the spring rate. If that spring rate change makes the ride worse, then that’s the problem, not that the springs are cut - you could have installed a un-cut spring with an identical spring rate and you’ll have the identical “ride”. And obviously there are other factors like the overall length of the spring, how it’s cut, how that effects how it sits int the top hat or on the shock…etc…etc
I would say you should have done this research before running out and buying springs for your car which don’t suit your needs.
i did, but got
these for only $40 bucks
im rollin on cut springs in front but we cut the bump stops too in half to compensate and to be honest its really good… not that bumpy and handles turns well… it took twice to get the perfect height of cutting them… in the end on the coils i had it was like 6-7 coils cut…
glad colin chimed in he’s a smart guy.
[QUOTE=Swift;2244426]i did, but got
these for only $40 bucks[/QUOTE]
If you’re in the market for ‘really cheap’ parts, you’re probably not going to get a product that fits your exact needs or desires. That or you’ll probably end up with a product that will not be very durable.
Colin is right though… if a spring is properly cut, you can achieve a better look with little side effects.
[QUOTE=Swift;2244426]i did, but got
these for only $40 bucks[/QUOTE]
Yeah, if you’re working with cheap stuff like that and you’re just going for looks… I say cut 'em, what’s the worst thing that happens, you lose $40? Any chance you have a pic of what the springs look like? Not sure how much you want to lower the front or what springs they are. But most lowering springs have a few “dead coils” (the ones that are close together and pretty much collapsed when the suspension is loaded. Start by cutting those. If you remove the dead coils you’ll be changing ride height more than you’ll be changing spring rate, which is probably what you want. Unless your springs are way too soft in which case you’d probably want to up the spring rate to help slightly with bottoming out.
[QUOTE=Colin;2244455]Yeah, if you’re working with cheap stuff like that and you’re just going for looks… I say cut 'em, what’s the worst thing that happens, you lose $40? Any chance you have a pic of what the springs look like? Not sure how much you want to lower the front or what springs they are. But most lowering springs have a few “dead coils” (the ones that are close together and pretty much collapsed when the suspension is loaded. Start by cutting those. If you remove the dead coils you’ll be changing ride height more than you’ll be changing spring rate, which is probably what you want. Unless your springs are way too soft in which case you’d probably want to up the spring rate to help slightly with bottoming out.[/QUOTE]yea that’s true, they are Blox’s Springs. here a pic’s
's
The “dead coils” I was talking about are the ones in the bottom of that pic. If you looked at the spring when it was on the car and the car was on the ground you’d see that those coils have no space between them, they’re completely collapsed. That’s the end you should cut.
It’s not an exact science, how much to cut is basically a guess. IIRC the motion ratio for integra front suspension is 1.5:1, which means that 1" at the spring = 1.5" at the wheel. So, theorhetically if you shorten your suspension by 1" the wheel well gap will decrease by 1.5". You can use that as a reference guide to try and figure out how much to cut. But remember it’d be smart to be conservative, not cut enough, and have to cut again, rather than cutting too much the first time and have now way to fix the problem.
[QUOTE=Colin;2244497]The “dead coils” I was talking about are the ones in the bottom of that pic. If you looked at the spring when it was on the car and the car was on the ground you’d see that those coils have no space between them, they’re completely collapsed. That’s the end you should cut.
It’s not an exact science, how much to cut is basically a guess. IIRC the motion ratio for integra front suspension is 1.5:1, which means that 1" at the spring = 1.5" at the wheel. So, theorhetically if you shorten your suspension by 1" the wheel well gap will decrease by 1.5". You can use that as a reference guide to try and figure out how much to cut. But remember it’d be smart to be conservative, not cut enough, and have to cut again, rather than cutting too much the first time and have now way to fix the problem.[/QUOTE]
i was told by aftermarket shops that you cut the top part, i am only cutting one coil to even the gap that’s it. I am just droping it an 1 inch.
Sure go for it if your on a budget. BUT cut them right. When you saved enough, get some coilovers.
[QUOTE=91akira;2244888]Sure go for it if your on a budget. BUT cut them right. When you saved enough, get some coilovers.[/QUOTE]Yea that’s what i ended up doing i bought some coilovers, and now i am selling the springs when i switch them out this Thursday.
Post pics of it when you get them installed. Man your car looked like mine when I bought it in 91. Clean car man. Hey where are you from in SD? I hardly see clean ones just like yours out here.
well i am from Mira Mesa, and the later move to Linda Vista.