is it a good idea to put a torch to my springs to lower the car. i see that most of the threads on the different springs ride like crap anyway so i should save the cash

 

I wouldn't ever do it...and I don't know anyone that has. Only heard bad things.

 

Torched springs will ride like crap too. They may also break.

It's up to you.

What's the point anyway, your max will never be as fast as you vette???

 

i`m thinking of lowering the car but don`t want to put alot of $$$ into in.. hell it`s only my wifes car...and of course a max won`t be as fast as my vette even with all those expensive mods.

 

heating the springs is a bad idea, it will ride bad and it wont lower evenlly. Just spend a hundred bucks and get some maxspeeds. Thats not to much is it?

 

Look at it this way...

Spend 140 bucks now, and get your car lowered correctly, or torch them, and spend more than twice that much when they break.

Just some food for thought.

 

That's what I was thinking...

 

the only reason their cars drive crappy with the springs is cuz they don't get new shocks with appropriate rebound. if you car's an inch or so lower and the shock is trying to compress then decompress to full extension it's gonna be rough.

by "drive crappy" you mean it bangs real hard over minor dips right?

 

Would your wife even drive the car if she knew the springs are heated up so it lowers without proper tension on teh set...too risky in my book to run on hopes and aspirations...personally I know my wife would

and me

 

If you must.... and I wouldn't since breaking springs at the wrong time are real bad...

Use or find someone with a good 50+ amp plasma cutter(check under weldors in the yellow pages). Do NOT use oxy-acet as you'll have to heat too much up. The plasma cutter will only heat a very small area and is much much quicker.



-RMB

 

Tell me, which is cheaper. Paying $100 for some cheap springs or $4,000 for your wifes funeral when the springs let go and she gets into an accident. Some things just aren't worth risking.

 

I've never in my life heard of a spring breaking due to heating it.

I'm not saying it's a good way to lower your car either.

Most of the research I did only disclosed noisy springs due to coils that touch each other constantly. (you've altered it's design shape)

I've yet to come across anything that lead to failure of a spring when it was heated.

 

Could it be because anyone's who has done that and ended with a major problem would be too embarassed to admit it?

 

When I lived in California, heating coils to lower cars was very popular for the obvious reasons. It was cheap, easy, and didn't require a Phd in physics to perform. If I had a dollar for everytime a saw some riced out import with busted springs (and/or other suspension bits) due to heated coils, I'd be writing this on an M5 forum, not a Maxima forum. Heating coil springs changes the temper (heat treatment)of the metal. It does so unevenly and causes areas that are more brittle than should be for this application. Anybody who has a basic understanding of metalurgy will confirm this. Brittle springs=broken springs. Trust me, it happens and it's not worth it. Even if there was only a 5% increased chance of breakage, is that a risk that you would want to expose your family/friends to? Not when you can get a set of springs for cheaper than the price of a night out on the town. Not trying to be a jerk, just trying to save sombody some potential heartache.

 

Right on bro!

 

If you really want to cut the springs the best way to do it is to use a hack saw because there is no heat involved. Just buy a good fine tooth blade and have at it. Take about a half coil off at a time to get the ride height you want. I did it this way on the front of my SCCA ITS Porsche 944 before buying coil-overs and it worked fine for a race car where ride quality is not a concern. One thing to remember though is that when you cut a coil spring you are making it shorter and stiffer at the same time.

Whichever way you do it prepare yourself to replace the struts and shocks because they will take a dump on you shortly thereafter.

If you really want to lower your wife's car do it right. Buy some H&R's because they are the closest to stock ride (softer than cut springs at the same height) and either KYB-GR2's (inexpensive and high quality) or AGX's (adjustable,can compensate for wear). She will love you more for it...