Lowering on 17's

[cjcavman22]

Ive got 17'' alloys with 205/40 tyres on my cav, i want to lower it but not sure how much i can get away with? I know that the rear is higher so would obviously be different then the front. Anyone got any ideas??
And ive heard that some people cut the springs instead of buying proper lowering ones, could this be a cheaper option??

[Gaz]

I find if you stand in the boot with a mate and bounce it, will give indication of if the wheels will clear, crude but it works

[Unknown_Cro]

i recomend you 60mm at front and 40 at back

[simonbach]

if you want it mega low then use 60mm cavalier front springs an nova 60mm rear springs because most cavalier 60mm lower dspring kits leave the rear sitting high.
as for cutting springs dont bother because the rear springs are a pig tail design so they wont fit back in if you cut them,cutting springs only works on cars with springs that are the same diameter from top to bottom like mk3 and 4 ford escorts,also when you cut springs it usualy gives a very harsh ride as the spring will no longer be progressive,by this i mean the first few coils on a spring are designed for minor small softer bumps and with these missing you will be running on the tougher coils only thus a far harder ride.
a mod i have seen on a mk3 cavalier is 60mm lowering springs on the front struts and cut down rover 214/216 coil springs on the rear,these are a very slim spring that fits in the spring cups,pretty pointless as nova/corsa/astra springs fit fine
another thing worth considering is how much traver the standard dampers have ie 90mm travel for example and if you fit 60mm springs you will only have 30mm travel before your on bumpstops,i dont know the exact amount of travel on mk3 cavalier shocks but as a rule of thump if fitting mega low springs its wise to fit suitable dampers
if your wheels are close to 45/49mm offset a 60mm drop will be fine

[branny361]

I have 40mm front and back , the ride is a bit hard but there are no issues with clearance or rubbage.
They did bottom out when my old shocks were fitted, but a std set of new ones have coped fine , 2 years on

[LETSTICK]

mine sits 60/60 mm , on 205 ,40 , 17 " rear spring rubbers removed , used to be on corsa 60,s but couldnt get into the carpark at work . i carry all my work tools / mates , if you have the right offset and make a decent and tidy job of triming the rear arches then it wont rub , but i prefer looks over comfort , its not that harsh

[cjcavman22]

Ok thanks for all the info, so has anyone got any springs for sale???

[humbucker]

mine sits 40mm all round with koni adjustable shocks, eibach springs and on 17" rims. can rub arch lips at speed over big bumps like bridges but by and large its fine. dont think id want to go any lower.

[larry83]

i have got a 1.8l LS i was wondering if i can use 40mm lowering springs from a 2.0l.i can't seem to find any that are directly suited to a 1.8l

[Gaz]

they will be fine.

[Adamw5433]

i have 215 / 45 / 17's on my cavalier (more suited to scoobys) i can get away with -40mm all round.
Although on high speed cornering the tyres tend to catch the inner wheel arch.
Also with my tyres size, under heavy breaking they'll also catch the inner arch...
The out endge of the inner arch lining has now started to wear through so thats something to sort out.

The short answer is, you can get away with 205/40/17's easily on -40mm without any problems
I'd be suspicious of cutting springs down, i'd rather use purpose made springs myself.


Adam

[Squig]

Cutting springs is a quick shortcut... and not a good one. If you get wheels with the correct offset you should easily do 205/40/17 on a 40mm drop... but less than 40ET and you will rub...

[crocadmin]

im running -60 all roung, gmax gsi front shocks wiv the first bump stop cut off & the rears r standard .... im still running the standard expression rims atm coz im saving for tyres for my 17s but iv already checked them out & i get no srcubbage or bottoming out, a mate of mine slammed his diplomat -100 on 17s not sure wot he did but he never had any probs, he did tell me tho not to go wider than 205 40s or they will scrub

[humbucker]

as squig says, the offset of the wheels will cause most scrubbing issues. cav wheels are usually 49ET, but mine are 37 (i think)

this is really the cause of my scrubbing... so as long as i dont have any passengers in the back and treat dips and speed humps with respect i should be ok. basically pretend its a two door sportster hehe damn, i knew i should have bought a calibra

[lem0nmonkey]

doesnt matter how low you go at the back on 17's it shouldnt rub, unless the bushes on the rear suspension are knackered or you've got a massively low offset, fronts 80mm would be the lowest before the arches rub, again depending on offset, personally 60 rear and 40 front for levelness and good ride hieght. also bearing in mind that from new they will drop slightly after a while as the springs give slightly