corsa b/c springs on a cav

[cavalier3822]

i didnt want to start getting technical here but what you are saying is just stupidity, especially from someone who is meant to be an experienced fully qualified engineer.

i will try keep it fairly basic so its easier to understand, lets say the stock spring has a resting loaded height of 10 inches. The car will be lowered 2 inches, using either a stock spring which has been cut or a lowering spring. With the stock spring, the suspension has 4 inches of travel before bottoming out, if the suspension at stock ride height has 4 inches of travel, and the stock spring has a constant of 100 lb/in, then the spring will absorb up to 400 lb of force before the suspension bottoms out.

If the stock spring is then cut so that the resting height is the desired 2 inches lower, then there is 2 inches of suspension travel left. The spring constant is roughly equal to the old constant multiplied by the length ratio, so the spring can absorb only 250 lb of force before the suspension bottoms out.

If a 2 inch lowering spring with a spring constant of 200 lb/in is fitted, the spring will be able to absorb 400 lb/in before the suspension bottoms out, as was the case with the stock spring

The cut stock spring would only absorb 250lb of force, meaning that a significantly larger force would be transmitted to the chassis when going over large bumps. A car's chassis is only designed to handle a certain amount of force, and the cut lowering spring would be sending a greater force to the chassis. Because the cut stock spring's ability to absorb energy before bottoming out is so low, the suspension would bottom out much more often than with the other springs. For example, a 300 lb bump force would not bottom out the stock spring or the lowering spring, but it would bottom out the cut spring. Ride quality would suffer as a result of bottoming out frequently.

When the suspension bottoms out, the chassis is unsettled by the sudden large force being sent to it from the suspension. Because a cut spring will be sending a very large force to the chassis, the car will lose grip more readily. This causes a reduction in handling predictability, and hurts performance on rough surfaces.

there really is only one way of looking at this, cut springs are not safe, they have a negative effect on every aspect of your cars handling abilities and the overall structure of your car, as I said previously, lowering springs were designed and made for your specific model of car for a reason.

cut springs will lower your car, but so will letting the air out your tyres.

[cavgsi20009]

thanks for the info guys was just wondering cause i cant find a cheap set of cav 60mm or lower drop springs

[bigmitch]

thanks for the info guys was just wondering cause i cant find a cheap set of cav 60mm or lower drop springs

You can have some made but I am suprised that you can't get some
one question why would you use corsa springs on a cavalier

[luketd]

i fitted corsa 60s on mine because due to my financial circumstances i couldnt afford coilovers and i wanted it slammed and could only find cav 60s but in my opinion fitting corsa 60s on a cav is just as bad as cutting them just as bouncy and has done just as much damage.

[jimmy]

Cutting a spring, if done properly, does not make it weaker. I said it increases spring rate.

And as for pig tail springs, it only becomes useless as it won't fit. My point was it is safe to cut them if done properly.

Well let me know when you do this and it fails

My father-in-law 30 years experience engineer has told me it is not safe weather you allow the spring to hot or not he mentioned something that makes very good sense the fact that when the spring is manufactured the top and the bottom are made so when they are seated they sit flat but the rest of the coils are at an angle therefore if you cut the spring it will no longer sit in its mounting position correctly and we all know what happens to springs when compressed and not secured.

My opinion is based on common sense I have asked 2 fully qualified mechanics whom work together and between them I wouldn't be surprised if they have 50-60 years experience being a father son team my father-in-law whom is a military trained engineer of 30 years experience agrees with me also posting in this thread another aerospace engineer agrees with me we also have two posts from two different people saying they have cut springs and it went wrong

I'm not trying to be little any one or make myself out to be better/smarter than every one else as believe me I will be the first person to tell I'm not I come out of school with shit grades I work in a factory but I'm not stupid either an if there's one thing I do have its common sense my mechanical knowledge has been gained either through the knowledge of others that are in the know or from my own personal experiences

Since I seem to be getting basically told I'm wrong and argued with by the same two people I will no longer post in topics/threads of this nature!

[btcctroy]

lets end this here,

cut springs dont work on a cavalier fulll stop

if cut springs wont fit the cups.

lowered springs are readily available from 70 pounds upwards, shortened shocks should be used if its extra low with a camber mod fitted to rear

[gsi pie]

if you want custom spring made i can send you in the right way buddy if needs be

ive had a few made befor and had any pondage made

had these made 120mm at 220lbs (for my corsa) he'll make any typpe off spring you want

[luketd]

Cutting a spring, if done properly, does not make it weaker. I said it increases spring rate.

And as for pig tail springs, it only becomes useless as it won't fit. My point was it is safe to cut them if done properly.

Well let me know when you do this and it fails

My father-in-law 30 years experience engineer has told me it is not safe weather you allow the spring to hot or not he mentioned something that makes very good sense the fact that when the spring is manufactured the top and the bottom are made so when they are seated they sit flat but the rest of the coils are at an angle therefore if you cut the spring it will no longer sit in its mounting position correctly and we all know what happens to springs when compressed and not secured.

My opinion is based on common sense I have asked 2 fully qualified mechanics whom work together and between them I wouldn't be surprised if they have 50-60 years experience being a father son team my father-in-law whom is a military trained engineer of 30 years experience agrees with me also posting in this thread another aerospace engineer agrees with me we also have two posts from two different people saying they have cut springs and it went wrong

I'm not trying to be little any one or make myself out to be better/smarter than every one else as believe me I will be the first person to tell I'm not I come out of school with shit grades I work in a factory but I'm not stupid either an if there's one thing I do have its common sense my mechanical knowledge has been gained either through the knowledge of others that are in the know or from my own personal experiences

Since I seem to be getting basically told I'm wrong and argued with by the same two people I will no longer post in topics/threads of this nature!

well jimmy just let them crack on i found out the hard way let them do the same 2 days 2 weeks a year maybe you can only be lucky for so long lucky for me i havnt had a accident due to dodgy springs.

[cavgsi20009]

i wouldnt cut them as i said i was just wantin ppls opinion on this and i think i willl stick with cav springs although lookin for second hand set pref because of time of year many thanks alan

[luketd]

i wouldnt cut them as i said i was just wantin ppls opinion on this and i think i willl stick with cav springs although lookin for second hand set pref because of time of year many thanks alan

iam on the lookout for some also as my cav really sufferd fitting corsa 60s but dont put corsa ones on.