Cut Springs

[Q5Quint]

I have read all the info about it I could find, as well as the other topic about cut springs~ but I want some FIRST HAND experience before doing this to my ix. If you haven't done it I don't want your opinion on how bad it is, or what you think about it, I want information from the people out there that have actually done it.

Especially if there is a person who has gone from cut springs to h&rs with koni shocks since thats where I plan to go a long way in the future.

So~
Who out there has cut their springs?
How is the ride?
How is the look?
Any advantages?
disadvantages? (cv joints going, stuff breaking etc)
would you do it again?

thanks-
Quint

[Gabi_323i]

i don't think you can cut the rears, but anyway just say no to cuting springs 8-[

[Mpowered02]

I cut a coil and a half off the front springs on my '89 4-door iX ala the 325iX FAQ. Ride is a bit harsher and stiffer than stock. Looks much more balanced as the stock front ride height on the iX is a bit high IMHO. To me it pretty much looks like a stock height i or is E30...

[iXer]

I will most likely cut the front springs on my iX later this year when it's on the road.. it seems like the right thing to do. Anything more advanced than that and I'm going to have to spend cash..;)

[raimo_iX]

A guy that i know cut a coil from lowered springs and had no problems :)

[Q5Quint]

So only one person on this whole forum has actually cut the springs? I will send some emails to the ix registry later this week~

Im not looking for a slam, just looking to make the car look more balanced~ the front looks higher than the rear almost. Like a rocket about to take off into space or something.

[chris325ix]

ix mtech springs are your answer.. but you probably don't want to spend money. :???:

[Q5Quint]

eventually yes~ but I know the shocks on my car have been replaced~ they are newer looking boge sports, and no point in swapping them out unless I need too. Cutting the springs should make the car look more even and still not damage anything.... and still let me clear snow drifts next winter.

[florin83]

front springs from a normal E30 will fit on IX?

[68monkey]

front springs from a normal E30 will fit on IX?
from what i hear they wont fit

but chris325ix, with those springs you would still need new shocks yes?

[raimo_iX]

i'm thinking of cutting mines, because they are off the car at the moment - with new shocks and other things getting swapped. i eventually will buy new ones, -30mm lowered, but to get the even look, i think i have to cut the new ones too a bit :twisted:

[Gabe]

If you are lowering your car to look good, cut your springs.

If you are lowering your car to turn fast, shell out the cash.

Should you decide to cut your springs, you WILL at the very least notice decreased life of your (stock) shocks.

This isn't a matter of opinion, or something that is up for debate. It's a proven fact.

[chris325ix]

front springs from a normal E30 will fit on IX?
from what i hear they wont fit

but chris325ix, with those springs you would still need new shocks yes?

they fit, they are just too soft.

I don't know what shocks BMW used with mtech springs. I would probably get bilstien HD at the very least anyway.

[Q5Quint]

bought a die grinder and a cutting wheel yesterday~ look for before and after pictures here in the next few days.

[Q5Quint]

Turns out somebody already tried to cut my springs~ they cut 1 loop off the drivers side but couldnt get it out so the spring is just sitting on top of the cut loop.... and Ive been driving it like that for a year now. Remember that when you cut the spring to only cut half a loop at a time so that you can get the piece of cut spring back out around the strut in the middle, you cant bend these things wider!

[Thing-90ix]

A reminder;

Bilsteins DO NOT work on lowered iX's. period.


Now about the topic.
Cut springs on stock shocks will not work very well. The rebound damping is too soft and the car will bounce on the suspension (as opposed to tires).
Been there, done that.

Cut springs should work with konis though. I wouldn't run cut springs for any extended period of time though since they put additional strain on the top bearing. This is due to the compression force not being evenly distributed over the whole spring pad/holder thing.

[chris325ix]

Turns out somebody already tried to cut my springs~ they cut 1 loop off the drivers side but couldnt get it out so the spring is just sitting on top of the cut loop.... and Ive been driving it like that for a year now. Remember that when you cut the spring to only cut half a loop at a time so that you can get the piece of cut spring back out around the strut in the middle, you cant bend these things wider!

are you sure it was cut? I find it more likely that the spring broke due to extreme rust.

[Q5Quint]

Nope, it was cut~ exactly one loop cut off perfectly sitting under the spring on the drivers side.

looked like this when I pulled it up with a screwdriver

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cut%20Springs/Hpim1264.jpg

Anyway~ I have read a lot about it, for and against. And I decided to do it; especially since one had already been cut.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cut%20Springs/Hpim1268.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cut%20Springs/Hpim1284.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cut%20Springs/Hpim1278.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cut%20Springs/Hpim1275.jpg

At first something wierd was going on, because the car pulled just slightly to the left where before the cut it pulled slightly to the right, then after gassing up the car pulled HARD to the right. I thought I had a flat tire, but what really happend was the spring had not seated properly into the top spring hat and was putting a side tension on the whole strut. After some work with the compressors and crowbar I got it back in and now it pull just slightly more to the right than it did before the cut. Not enough to warrent getting it aligned I would say, but I am just for good measure.

The suspension is def stiffer, body roll in the front is maybe half as bad as it was before. No bottoming out on bump stops even going through big holes in the yard. Seems to stick way better in corners at speed, but it may be just the body roll is reduced so it feels better. It also lowered the car almost 2 inches and the ix now looks 'even' in the front and rear. The front is actually around an inch lower than our stock 89 325is, I will have to bump their noses together and take a pic.

So far I am happy with it, but its only been a few days. It was also a lot of work to try and do it with the strut assembly still on the car because the spring compressors I had were too big to get the spring small enough to un-tension the hat. I will do a writeup of it later~ I have lots of pics of the way I did it, but I would recommend dropping the whole assembly just as if you were going to put new springs on. You might actually save time.

[chris325ix]

doesn't really look like 2" to me, you got a before and after shot of the fender gap?

[Q5Quint]

oops, sorry I didnt post em yet

I had a really close before and after, and I have some more back up in the mountains of the wheels when I put them on, but for now this is what I have of before and after...and it really is close to 2"

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Ix%20Paint/1261r2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Ix%20Paint/Hpim1291.jpg

maybe like 1.5-2"

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cars/IM000581.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cut%20Springs/Hpim1278.jpg

[Q5Quint]

oops, sorry I didnt post em yet

I had a really close before and after, and I have some more back up in the mountains of the wheels when I put them on, but for now this is what I have of before and after...and it really is close to 2"

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Ix%20Paint/1261r2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Ix%20Paint/Hpim1291.jpg

maybe like 1.5-2"

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cars/IM000581.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/q5quint/Cut%20Springs/Hpim1278.jpg

[TCossuto]

wow that's a huge difference. Looks alot better IMO.

[GrippyDrifty]

Nice. How many coils did you end up cutting off?

[gli_ryan]

I wish i could get my pics on here but i have no idea how to, can some one tell me how to and explain it. but anyways my front springs are broken so im just going to buy the h&r springs right now and buy the konis later. your front end was really high, i dont think mine is that high but it looks great now.

[Q5Quint]

use photobucket to host pictures for you~

1.5 coils

The car has been fine since the cut, no negatives so far. Rides a little stiffer but it isnt even that noticable till you decide to run 50 mph on gravel roads up mountains through large craters/potholes. Its a bit more noisy now.



and how do you break your front springs?

[chris325ix]

and how do you break your front springs?

rust.