Cutting coil springs to reduce ride height

rockbottom

rockbottom

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Jul 15, 2023
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MT olive , Ms
Has anyone cut their coil springs to lower the lift?
Just read Eaton Detroit spring article and the say you can cutoff up to 2” if the spring has tangential ends on either end
My lift is 4” Zone and its more than I want

I dont do any riding requiring maximum articulation so either by cutting ir replacing the springs I would like to get to a 2” to 2 1/2” lift

Cutting is probably going to be ill advised but i wonder what experience thinks

I havent look at the springs to see if they are square, pigtail or tangential so it may be a no go based on design
 
Haven't cut springs before but I think in theory it can be done.

I would say to ensure that when cutting, the spring will still seat the same.

Another thing to note is cutting 2 inches may not necessarily drop it by 2 inches. Sure, the spring is over uncompressed by 2 inch but it's also lost 2 inches of compressive force so with weight, it'll probably be more than 2 inches since you're changing the spring rate
 
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Front springs are easy to cut down. Take a hard look at the rear springs and see why those are more difficult to cut down and still work.
 
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PeteN95 said:
Keep in mind that cutting springs also stiffens them. The spring rate goes up because you are reducing the amount of bar that you are compressing.
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The spring rate does not change. A 150lb/in spring is still 150lbs per inch no matter how long it is.
 
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jjvw said:
The spring rate does not change. A 150lb/in spring is still 150lbs per inch no matter how long it is.
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This is one of those things that gets warped in forum discussions just like every springs vs shocks discussions where people mix generalities with specifics of our application in a jeep.

I will have to look it up again, but the equation for the rate as a function of the parameters affecting it is a bit complicated, but theoretically the rate does depend inversely on the active (uncompressed) length. Whether that matters enough to be of concern (when one takes off say 1/2" or 1") from a TJ spring is a very different story. Unless you cut off 50% or more of the spring, it may not affect things any much at all for our application. And if you are cutting a spring that much, better to find a spring in the right length :)

Edit - found it.

Note that the number comes out of this is in SI units (Newtons per meter). To convert to the more familiar lb/in, you have to divide by 175.

1690990514743.png
 
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TurboTJ said:
Yes, a 150 lb/in spring is a 150 lb/in spring. But cut it in half and it is now a 150/0.5 or 300 lb/in spring.
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No. It is still a 150lb/in spring. All that changed was the free length. Changing either or both the free length or the rate will affect the final ride height. In this example, what affects the ride height is the change in free length.
 
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I have not had a problem with a multitudes of springs I have cut but to under score jjvw 's comment what is easy in the front not going to be in the rear. photo when i was lifting mine.

IMG_3168.jpeg


IMG_3163.jpeg
 
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At the end of the day, none of it matters. If the OP is going to cut his front coil springs, he will simply cut off a little at a time until he gets the ride height he wants. Then he buys a pair of rears that also provide the ride height he wants.
 
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deadbeat son said:
Why would you even bother cutting springs when choices for shorter springs are abundant and relatively inexpensive? It just doesn't make sense to me; it wouldn't be worth the hassle.
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Because then you can turn 2 springs into 4 springs! Duh!
 
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