2'' drop from cutting stock springs?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Hertzdaddy

I have drop spindles and experience with both 1 and 1.5 coils cut on stock springs. I agree that stock springs are a little too soft once you start getting low like with drop spindles. The ride is great but I've dragged the headers once or twice at 1.5 coils cut. I'm thinking about getting some HD springs at the yard and cutting them down too. Either that or sectioning the headers and tucking them back up inside the frame rails.

Question for those that know: Doesn't spring rate decrease as coils are cut? I've never been clear on that.

Yes, spring rate does increase but it's minimal vs. the amount of travel lost (the ones I tested were about 10% increase in rate @ 1 coil on a 350# g-body spring).

Cutting 1 coil is about the 'limit' for height vs. ride quality change. Once you cut more than 1 coil, the spring rate does not keep up w/the now shorter travel dimension so the ride quality can suffer (it's a grey area).

I always try cutting the existing coils if...
a) I felt the ride was decent
b) the vehicle was fairly square (one spring wasn't sagging more vs the other)
c) I don't 'need' to save the original springs

I have used aftermarket dropped coils on several applications where I needed a more agressive spring rate to compensate for the shorter travel range once dropped. Case in point, the above mentioned 350# spring was on a g-body Malibu. With 2" dropped spindles & 1-coil cut from the factory springs, the tires were constantly buzzing the tops of the front inner fenderwells. There just wasn't enough spring rate for the limited/decreased travel (<400#). I revised the set-up w/some 640# dropped coils & achieved the same ride height but rarely buzzed the fenderwells. The ride was comparable to a late model Z28 or Mustang.

For these 60-98 GM trucks, I typically will trim 1-coil before paying for a generic aftermarket 'lowering' spring.