Domzs Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 How much lower would i get by cutting 1/2 a coil or 1 coil ? Need to lower the rear 1 in. and the front 2 in. Any inputs would be appreciated . 78 Z . The rear is not so bad . I can live it , but the front looks like a 4x4 . LOL . I posted this in " brake , susp. " , didn't the get the info. that i'm looking for . If you have pic of before and after , please post them . Thanks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morbias Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 All you have to do is stick your head in your wheel arch and measure the distance between one coil and the next, that will give you the answer you are looking for. Your car might have different springs installed to what anyone else is using, better to take the measurement yourself then there can be no question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 (edited) All you have to do is stick your head in your wheel arch and measure the distance between one coil and the next, that will give you the answer you are looking for. Your car might have different springs installed to what anyone else is using, better to take the measurement yourself then there can be no question. That's not true. The actual drop seems to be more than distance between two active coils, most of the time. I have not found a way to calculate the end result of how many coils to cut for a desired amount of lowering, at least not any easy way. It always seems to come down to trial and error. Edited March 9, 2013 by Six_Shooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 9, 2013 Author Share Posted March 9, 2013 I have done this before on my 83 ZXT . After i converted it to LS1 w/ 6 spd , gutted the dash , replaced bumper reinforcements with lighter brackets to hold the body kit . I cut a coil off at each corner to get it back to its normal ride height . Ride is a little harsh , not bone breaking . The rear is not as stiff as the front and it reduces a lot of squatting during launch . The Z and ZX coils are not the same . I just need to know the amount of lowering with 1/2 a coil cut and 1 coil cut and so on . As you can see the above photos , after LS1 conversion , the front looks like a 4x4 . I just want to close the gap between the tires and the fenders . I went with larger tires , 25" diam. , to gain some ground clearance and narrow the gap by 1/2 " . The exh. sys. is low due auto trans. swap . Here are before and after pic. of the ZXT . Last one is a photoshop ( when she's done ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler031734 Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 (edited) I know you can put earlier model shock isolators in the rear and lower 280z's 1.5" that way without making your suspension softer by cutting coils. Keep an eye out on CL and the for sale part of the forum. I bought a set of lowering springs for $60 and got to check out a DD LS1 sleeper while I was there. Edited March 9, 2013 by tyler031734 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 9, 2013 Author Share Posted March 9, 2013 I know you can put earlier model shock isolators in the rear and lower 280z's 1.5" that way without making your suspension softer by cutting coils. Keep an eye out on CL and the for sale part of the forum. I bought a set of lowering springs for $60 and got to check out a DD LS1 sleeper while I was there. That was rec to me in another post . The rear is not so bad , would like it to be a little stiffer and maybe an inch lower . Thanks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palauoriginal Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 I know ebay accord springs fit on the Z, I cut them as well. I didn't know the rates but they were progressive and I threw them on. I about 2.5 inches lower. They go for like $50. I was pretty low but the ride was horrible as you would expect from cut springs. I eventually got coilovers. Now everything is x1000 better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morbias Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 (edited) That's not true. The actual drop seems to be more than distance between two active coils, most of the time. I have not found a way to calculate the end result of how many coils to cut for a desired amount of lowering, at least not any easy way. It always seems to come down to trial and error. probably because you're cutting off the flat end of the spring and one coil as well instead of just the flat end? Once the flat end of the spring has been cut the end coil then becomes the flat end when load is put on it. Edited March 9, 2013 by morbias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 9, 2013 Author Share Posted March 9, 2013 It seems like coilovers is the solution to my problem . Just don't want to go that route , not yet . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexter72 Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Domzs, After i cut the 2 coils out of the front springs it lowered my front about 2 1/2 inches. Now remember the car had some aftermarket springs on the front that had the front end way up in the air. From the side view the front fender is now even with the top of the tire. I have 205-60-15's all the way around on stock 2000 infiniti G20 wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 9, 2013 Author Share Posted March 9, 2013 Domzs, After i cut the 2 coils out of the front springs it lowered my front about 2 1/2 inches. Now remember the car had some aftermarket springs on the front that had the front end way up in the air. From the side view the front fender is now even with the top of the tire. I have 205-60-15's all the way around on stock 2000 infiniti G20 wheels. Wow . 2 coils to get 2 1/2 in. . Bet the ride pretty harsh . Thanks . I was going to get 205/50R16 , but i need a little ground clearance . The exh. sys. sits pretty low with LS1 auto setup . Figured 25" tires will 1/2 " higher ground clearance and bridged the gap between tires and fenders . Also give me a little more room to lower the car . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkspeed Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Another poor man's option is to cut off the spring perch and reweld it lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Another poor man's option is to cut off the spring perch and reweld it lower. I was thinking about doing that . I'm going to cut 1 coil off in the rear and 1/2 up front ( due to lighter LS1 motor ) . I'm shooting for 25% stiffer up front and maybe , 35% or so in the rear . Then i'm going to lower it by lowering the spring perches to get the stance that i'm looking for . Hopefully , i have enough strut travel so i don't have to sectioning the strut tubes . Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexter72 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 The ride isnt really rough at all, like i said they were some aftermarket replacement springs which had the car looking like a 4x4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 The ride isnt really rough at all, like i said they were some aftermarket replacement springs which had the car looking like a 4x4. Thanks . Going to try my way first . I can always cut more off . It would be nice to know the end result before hand , it's not a fun job . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I was thinking about doing that . I'm going to cut 1 coil off in the rear and 1/2 up front ( due to lighter LS1 motor ) . I'm shooting for 25% stiffer up front and maybe , 35% or so in the rear . Then i'm going to lower it by lowering the spring perches to get the stance that i'm looking for . Hopefully , i have enough strut travel so i don't have to sectioning the strut tubes . Thanks You can calculate the change in spring rate when cutting coils. There is a formula for spring rate based on measurements of the spring itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 According to my research , 1/2 a coil is about 25% stiffer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 According to my research , 1/2 a coil is about 25% stiffer . That will only hold true for one particular spring. Wire diameter, coil diameter, number of active coils, and a couple other variables all play a roll in spring rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 That will only hold true for one particular spring. Wire diameter, coil diameter, number of active coils, and a couple other variables all play a roll in spring rate. Agreed . Correction , if you cut 1/2 a coil off , for most OE springs , you will get about 10% stiffer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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