H&R spring owners......(or anyone knowledgeable)
 

OK well I installed my H&R springs on my p5 along with my 17" Enkei RS6's with 205/40/17 tires. Now the backend of the car sits beautifully, I can barely squeeze one of my fingers in between the fender and the top of the tire. Now the front though I can easily slide two fingers in between (lol kinda sounds like I'm talking about girls huh? ahhh nm). SO I guess my question is so any of you other H&R spring owners have this same issue. Because I am contemplating taking a coil or two off the top of the front springs in order to get the car to sit level front to back. Sugestions, comments, even flames for me wanting to cut my srpings are all welcome, thanks.

since cutting your springs is the ghetto way of handling your problem, i would suggest getting a spacer made to raise the back end up to match the front. but, that's just me.

lol, ghetto indeed. But is there really anything that terrible about taking one of the dead coils out of the top that doesn't have any travel to it anyway? I mean I know cuttin is ghetto, but I think its less ghetto than raising the back up. I was just curious if anyone else with the H&R's has this problem, or if anyone else has, um let's say trimmed instead of cut (that sounds less ghetto ;) ) their springs here?

I don't own a p5, but my '00 is the same way with my H&R's and my 17's with 205/40's. I can barely fit one finger in the rear, and gotta squeeze two in the front. i don't think it looks bad or anything. i like it better actually. the rear sits how it should, and the front still gives it play room i guess so it doesnt rub or hit. :| i dunno. yeah, i got the same problem. lmao

would you H&R owners recommend them? im still deciding between h&r and eibachs

im in the exact same boat as protegeFive. Cmon all you eibach and H&R owners, please comment. expecially the H&R people

OH I love the way my springs ride, stiff, but still comfortable, you know you just can "feel" the road more, and I personally like that. Yeah the ride is not as plush as the stock setup, but it rides and handles killer. The only thing is the issue that I stated above about the back seeming to sit lower than the front, only by a marginal amount, but its enough for me to notice. I think I've made up my mind, because since there is no travle in the upper coils as they are already compressed on top of each other I'm just gonna a coil or two, and then grind it down to a flat surface so it properly sits in the upper cup. I know cuttin springs is ghheeetttoooo, but we are only talking about maybe a half inch at the very most here guys. So I'll do the hack job this weekend and let ya know how its turns out. I'll also post some before and after pics. Peace out.

Oh and thanks for your reply prototype, at least now I know I'm not crazy, or got some bunk springs or sumthin.

don't cut the springs bro... your ride is probably gonna end up sucking. most of the time, it does. few people do it and actually like it. most end up regretting the decision to do it when they bounce like mad after hitting the slightest bump. you can always tell who's got cut springs and who doesn't. you cant live with .5"? that's about all the difference is. the H&R's are kick ass springs... don't ruin em! hehe thats just my 2 cents.

Dude, I know I don't wanna bounce my kidneys all over tha damn place. I'm only gonna cut out the top part where there is no travel. I will still have the ride, the suspension will still work properly. And if it doesn't work, well fuck it I guess I'll get off my tired ass and go buy those damn coilovers. I got the H&R's in a really sweet tire/wheel/spring package deal, $1150. And trust me I don't want my shit doing the ghetto bounce, BUT THAT .5" BUGS THE EVER LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME. So like I said, I'll break out the damn grinder and let ya know how it goes, if it sucks ass I'll tell ya straight up. If its helly fresh I'll also tall ya that. I'll be the guinea pig, don't worry.

bounce bounce bounce muahahaha..

I saw a lincoln with cut springs yesterday when I was in Boston, MA.. hehe.. the guy looked like he was having fun blasting his music and bounce bounce bouncing..

good luck :)

have fun buying ground controls later on

I don't seem to have that problem with my eibachs. Is it true that they settle after you have riden on them for a while? I would think that if the springs are progressive rate then the ride would quality would degrade horiably. Is this true about the ride quality?

Dudes I don;t know wtf you guys are talking about BOUNCE BOUNCE. I'm cutting the freakin dead coils where there is no fuckin travel. What part of no travel don't you understand? It means the coils I cut are not going to affect the way the springs compress. It will still absorb the bumps, AND ITS ONLY GOING DOWN A HALF AN INCH MORE. Jesus I know cutting springs is ghetto, but I'm trimming them, its not like I'm cutting 3" out of a stock ride height goddamn. I even think that one dude with the 2nd gen red protege was even talking about removing a coil or two due to the same issue. But if for some god awful reason I am mistaken, then yes I will buy the GC's, but damn man I'm optimisitic that this can work. I will inform you guys this weekend, so I will either be a jackass, or offer a warm cup of the shut the hell up. BTW I know you guys don't know me, but I'm not pissed, this is just how I talk, remember in my initial post I expected some shit :)

Sweedenhouse b4 you cut your shit could you post some pics of how it sits. I havent put mine on yet and am curious to see how it looks. And did u do the installation yourself?

Sweedenhouse:

how long have u had ur spings in for? if they are new, you might want to hold off on cuttin the deadcoils for a bit and give it a couple of weeks to let them break in / settle in ... it should lower your car around a quarter of an inch more... u neverknow it might even out...

as for cutting it... its not that bad just maybe a lil bouncer, i have a buddy who cut the deadcoils outta his springs (accord) ride was a bit bouncer..

Hi Guys,
I usually just browse the forums, dont say much just like to read whats going on...I have a black P5 with a ractive intake, Vibrant exhaust, B&M shifter, H&R Springs...which are cut and 17"alt on 205/40/17's. I also had the problem of the front higher than the rear, I cut 3/4 of a coil off the BOTTOM on the two front coils, ride is fine, cant tell any difference and the look is much better. I guess cutting is ghetto but its cheaper than coil overs and really wont hurt your spring performance too much. I know spring manuf. say the springs are "engineered" to a certain degree..lobbing half a coil off wont do too much...dont worry.
Cheers, and good luck!


Chris

Mechanical Engineer
General Motors Defence
London Ont. Canada.

Pics of my 99 sedan with H&Rs
 

Look at this link: http://communities.msn.com/DaveandNo...nw?albumlist=2
second photo page 1 that's my ride with H&Rs, on page 2 is a before / after and during the install. I love the ride I get plus how they corner is awesome. I can throw my car around how I want when I want with the H&R plus Mazdaspeed struts. Now just need more rubber to the road to really take advantages of the new suspension set up. Also running MP3 sway bars.
:blue:

Well I've only had the springs in for about 2 weeks now, and the wheels on for only 3 days ( I ordered everything at once but f#%@$! UPS lost two of my wheels) Yeah I did the install myself, but I've put springs in before, I'm sure there are in there right, I had a shop align it afterwards and they found no issues. PLus it sounds like a few others have had this problem as well, so I'm sure the difference in height is not due to the way I installed them. Yeah I'll post some pics before I cut them. I really do appreciate all your input guys, while the way I talk may sound like I need to chill out, I really don't I'm one of the most mellow people there are, I just have a kind of unusual vocabulary I guess is the best way to put it. So I think the springs are broke in, and I'm gonna attmept the hack job, but like I said, ain't gonna front and have some ghetto bouncy ride and then come back here and say "Wow guys I cut my springs and its A OK!!", no way I ain't gonna fake the funk like that, if the ride is fresh I'll keep it like the way it is, if its ghetto I'll buy the coilovers.

WORD UP!!!!

go for it
 

i say go for it dude
tell me how it goes..
i wanted to chop my eibach springs cuz its sitting too high..but there wasnt any dead coils in the front..so i gave up the idea..

your ride will be stiffer..thats about it. another thing to look out for is when u jack your car up, springs might or will fall out of place and u have to set them back into place when u lower the car back down.

im planning to get ground controls when i get the money... lower it like 2.5" for ripping around during the weekends.

oh i have 205/45/16.. plannin to get 205/40/16 once i get the coilovers...

15"
 

I own a 02 sedan with the 15" rims. What would this look like with HR springs. I assume the since the 17" rims fit the 15's definately would. Do the 17's ever rub? I am considering putting on the springs and then doing the rim and tire upgrade. Hey will the 17" fit with the factory springs?

Re: Pics of my 99 sedan with H&Rs
 

Nice pics, thx

Its not the top of the strut, the lower part of the strut plate is where the cut coil will fit plus 3/4 of a coil was still a tight fit and I still had to use the spring compressors to get the strut assembly back together thus...no free play. The lower strut plate has a recess to accomodate the shape of the coil, cutting the coils isnt as bad as everyone thinks, it slightly changes the spring performance and I have found no bounce...not yet anyhow and as for strut damage....any lowering spring will damage your struts regardless of what the spring manuf says. Keep in mind 1/2 to 3/4 of a coil ONLY!!! Dont go lobbing off more than one coil or your struts will be short lived for sure!!! My H&R's have been cut since August and still no problems...knock on wood.

Thank you blackp5ca, your input was very hepful.

at the risk of pissing people off ill say this: are you guys sure the fronts arent on the rear and so on? im sure they aint but, its really eay to do it-i almost did on my 99' Si and it happened because i didnt pay attention.

also, im not sure if this is the case but, perhaps the front wheel well cut out is a higher curve than the rears. perhaps it is this way so that when it rides on stock springs it wont look lopsided? not sure i cant tell as my cars out int he driveway and its dark. ill look closely tommorrow.

good luck though and DONT CUT THE DAMNG SPRINGS!!!!!IMHO!

Umm it is physically impossible to mix the front and rear springs up on a 3rd gen.

it'd be kinda hard to mix these up...
http://www.logicdesigning.com/mikelu...r/dcp00473.jpg

well , I have this same look with my 2nd gen protege, first off, you have to understand something..
1) you are eyballing this , by only looking at the tire to the top of the well ,, if you look at the side molding from front to back you can tell wheather or not the front is lower than the back , actually the front is lower than the back , not much lower but it is ,... most times you can see this rake , by using the side molding and basically seeing where it lines up with the spoke ..
you can cut a coil off , it's not recomended by most, will it affect handling ? , your decision will let us know.

Also you have to remeber that all protege's have short suspension travel in the front, the back has better travel ,, but the front you need as much height as you can get on there..
Bruce

[QUOTE]Originally posted by protegeFive
[B]Sweedenhouse:

how long have u had ur spings in for? if they are new, you might want to hold off on cuttin the deadcoils for a bit and give it a couple of weeks to let them break in / settle in ... it should lower your car around a quarter of an inch more... u neverknow it might even out...

no it wont
Bruce

lol a picture says a thousand words

A spring compressor is the safest way to change the springs, but not absolutely necessary. I find most of the less expensive, readily available spring compressors that come with two different pieces are cumbersome and slow to work with. I've changed the springs on my car a few times now without using a compressor. I put the car up on four jack stands, and remove the upper spring seat retaining nuts one at a time with the jack holding the spring under compression. Slowly release the jack and remove the spring. Lowering springs are short enough to compress by hand in the front, and so short in the rear that no compression of the spring is needed.

Yeah its not too hard. You can rent spring compressors for around 5 bucks a day (at least I did in the past). But alas I don't use them anymore either, I really don't recommend the way I did my p5 though, but I was bored. With the car still on the ground I loosened up the the top bolt on the strut cover just a little, cause its a bitch to try to loosen with the strut out. Once I have that one bolt loosened, well here comes the fun part. I just kinda stand on the bottom part of the strut and loosened the top all the way until the spring went shotting off. Its kinda scary, but I guess kinda fun for people who are easily amused like me.

That's the extreme sports method of changing springs. :eek: Not recommended if you like your body parts where they are. :laugh:

we did that when we installed the springs on my sisters old saturn. it is kinda scary. them things are on there good. i guess if you're into the 'extreme sports method' as eric put it, just make sure you're not aiming it at anything that could dent or break easily :D invest in some spring compressors, you can usually buy a set for under $15 off ebay.

No I haven't hacked my springs yet. I'm still waiting till I install my sub enclosure. That way I can see how the car will finally sit, and make my final judgement on how much lower I need to go in the front. I should have that done within the next month or so.

Here is a couple of pics of how it sits right now though. Its kinda hard to see with the shading, but the front is defintely higher, and yes this ground is level. See the back sits perfect in my eyes.




http://sweednhouse.homestead.com/files/File05602.jpg

http://sweednhouse.homestead.com/files/File0231.jpg

Sweedenhouse, how much clearance do you have between the ground and the front bumper? I have an idea from the pic but i just want to be sure. . .

OK, I went out and measured it this morning it roughly sits about 6 1/2" from the ground.

just give your springs a few months. they should settle a tad more and perhaps the front will settle due to the weight of the engine. the springs on my old 99' Si (Neuspeed-3/4" drop) settled to a total drop of 1" after a few months. perhpas yours will also.

Can you post those pics back up? Id like to see how low H&Rs get.

Yeah sorry I just took them down cause of the ghetto bandwidth on my webspace, and I thought this thread was dead. But here ya go. I can send ya bigger more detailed pics if ya want.

http://sweednhouse.homestead.com/files/File0004.jpg


http://sweednhouse.homestead.com/files/File0005.jpg


http://sweednhouse.homestead.com/files/File0006.jpg

OMG!!! dude, you mean to tell me that you dont see why its doing that? first off, it aint bad at all!!! it looks good!!! similar to BMW's and how they sit.

if you look closely at the fender well, or arches, youll see that the rear fender arch is cut lower than the front. thus, making hte rear "look" like it sits "lower" than the front. in reality it does not. its merely how Mazda designed the rear fender well arch to look.