steering and suspension I Joined The Infamous Ranks Of Cut Springs...

[Cyclone101]

I noticed a while ago that my 2002 was hanging lower at the right rear corner than the left by about 2 centimeters.

Last night I gathered enough courage to remove both springs to see if they are uneven in height.

 

Once they were removed it was clear that the one spring did indeed sag, so I thought I would swap in the springs of my 2002ti since they were just standing in the corner of the garage anyway.

 

It turned out that the 2002ti springs were cut 1 coil at the back, so I thought I would swap the fronts as well, as I assumed the front springs would also be cut already. Wrong again. The fronts were still the stock height, and I only found that out after I already removed the spring from my 2002, so, not wanting to have the rears lowered and not the front I opted to cut the fronts myself.

 

I grabbed the dremel and cut the spring out of the car 1 1/2 coil shorter, re-installed it, and cut the other one while on the car.

 

I have to admit, it was not easy for me to actually cut the springs. The cutting was easy, but the 'convincing myself' part was hard. My 2002 is bone stock(or was at least), and I loved it that way, but after driving it around today I will admit that I should have done this sooner!

 

It has MUCH less body roll, and a sharper turn-in, and only a little more bumpy. I'm sold. It works.

 

I will post some pictures of my lowered car tomorrow.

 

Regards

Jacques

 

ps. Here is a 'before' picture I took just after I resprayed my boot lid.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Cyclone101

[c.d.iesel]

good job

 

No loss of any fingers and toes

 

perfectly ok procedure

 

now  - if you also have an E46 3-Series in your stable -

no need to cut your rear springs because they just break

at the bottom coil as pictured due to road salts/sand causing the

fracture.

 

have safe fun

 

Edited July 20, 2013 by c.d.iesel

[Johnson]

I had the springs on my 1600 cut for awhile.  I loved it, but the rears were worn out, so I put some Bav Auto springs in it.  I like them, but the front is gonna have to go down some more.....

[Cyclone101]

No loss of any fingers and toes

 

Not that I noticed, but I have been known to misplace things... I will do roll-call tonight.

 

Regards

Jacques

[Dabliz02]

I will probably cut my stage 2 IE springs just for a little drop.  I will progress no more than half a coil at a time.

[Chamonix72]

The horror!!!

Er, my IE Stage II's are cut 1/2 a link too.

[jrhone]

My ie stage IIs are cut in the front. I'd start at 1/4 coil. I did 1/2 cool and I had to put the spring spacers back in as it was too low. Rubbing everywhere.

[Cyclone101]

Some pictures I took on my drive today. There is a lovely open road leading into farm land close to me, and a nice sunny day makes for a perfect test run.

[jgerock]

good job

 

No loss of any fingers and toes

 

perfectly ok procedure

 

now  - if you also have an E46 3-Series in your stable -

no need to cut your rear springs because they just break

at the bottom coil as pictured due to road salts/sand causing the

fracture.

 

have safe fun

 

The rear springs on my wife's 2002 M-B C240 sedan broke just beyond 100K miles.  There was a loud "sproing" sound after going over low-speed bumps.  I could not see anything wrong when I crawled under the car, but the shop found the cracked/broken part down inside the trailing arm "cup".   And I thoroughly rinse the underside of my vehicles especially after the nasty winter driving season.  Maybe BMW and M-B use the same coil spring source?   

[roadhog0]

Shit, even my Korman springs are cut a half a coil in the front... 

[Cyclone101]

I love the handling, and it feels much more planted through quick esses, but I somehow still miss the soft and pliant ride it used to have.

The pros do very much outweigh the cons though, so I will keep it like this for now. But I was wondering how some H&R progressive springs would feel compared to stiffer linear rates? Anybody running H&Rs want to chime in?

I guess when my 2002ti is done, I would have a stiff setup in it, but keep the 2002 softer.

Regards

Jacques

[Dev02]

I run H&R's, and went from stock to these. The change was huge for me. It never feels harsh but always feels firm. The cornering difference was huge, and I thought it was a good handleing car to begin with.I do find the front is a tad higher than I want and have thought about removing the pads, as suggested by others, but don't like the idea of metal on metal.

[Dabliz02]

I have yet to do this or any spring cutting but from what many have said is that if you decide to take off the pads, it is a good practice to either cover the tip with a garden hose or a rubber hose of some kind.  Im like you I don't like metal to metal.  It may be a little noise possibly on big bumps/ pot holes.

[Dev02]

I likee the hose idea.

[Johnson]

I removed the pads on my Bav Auto springs, and used 1/2" clear hose from tractor supply on it.  Used some grease to help force it on, got it a full turn top and bottom.  It seemed to work well, and cost me under $10 for the tubing.  I think Eurotrash has ran his for a while like this.  However, I only ran it for like 2 weeks before pulling the engine, so I can`t say anything about longevity.

 

-Jake