Cut coils & the MOT man

[wagoneer]

Hi all.
I spent some time on Saturday talking to my local MOT tester about suspension.
Having cut the coils on the Volvo I wanted to know how they would fare when it came time for an MOT, or if I got pulled by plod.

He said that as long as the cut part of the coil could be seen to be well seated and not cutting into the spring cup, he would pass the car. This means that it is also a good idea to clean up the grinder cuts well.
I'm going to do mine and look at a way of making additions to the cup to better retain the spring. Photos to support the work as I do it.

[Alain]

mine fall out if i jack the car up by the jacking points

[Kris]

funkypunk89 said:

mine fall out if i jack the car up by the jacking points

Surely that could be a bit dodgy if the car became airborne over a humpback bridge

[wagoneer]

Some welding or wiring in may be in order I think........

[hayesey]

it should fail if the springs are loose or fall out when the car's jacked up. however, you can just cable tie them in place so they don't come loose & it'll pass the MOT. it's not exactly safe though.

personally I'd buy some proper lowered suspension. cutting springs isn't going to do the handling any favours.

[Alain]

hayesey said:

personally I'd buy some proper lowered suspension. cutting springs isn't going to do the handling any favours.

I agree! Mine handles like curse word. Needless to say it makes lots of noises when i hit big bumps.

Have you tried finding springs for my car though

[Shortcut]

yonks ago I had my Fiat 131 race prepped by Italtune. They lowered her up nicely, but I was surprise to see they had employed the hi tech device of two seat belt straps around the rear axel to stop it dropping too much and causing the rear springs to fall out!!

I was young and foolish so I didn't mind, but it has always struck me as dodgey!

The shorter springs on the ZS fit into shorter PTS struts, all nice and tight!

[wagoneer]

hayesey said:

personally I'd buy some proper lowered suspension. cutting springs isn't going to do the handling any favours.

I will when funds permit. This is a budget car. The handling is way better than before though, but of course, big holes are nasty.
making new shock mounts for the back will lower the mounting point on the trailing arms, but I'll need shorter struts for the front which don't come cheap.
Most off the shelf stuff doesn't lower the car more than 35mm and that's no use to anyone.

[Pillock]

A few months ago there was a formula published in Retro Cars regarding the 'force' of springs compared to the length and number of coils... i forget the exact outcome but it was something like a 3" drop reduces your spring force by 10 times or something, basically pointing out it was a Very Bad Idea[TM].

It was on the letters page, in the last 6 months or so.

[BenzBoy]

To be honest I think there's a lot of curse word talked about chopped springs (not on here, just in general . OK they don't compare favourably against aftermarket springs, and you can't really calculate how much you increase the spring rate by, but a few coils cut off isn't gonna transform a car into a deathtrap. So long as they seat properly and firmly, I don't see the issue.
Before all these aftermarket springs came about (or at least, became more affordable) I'm pretty sure most cars were lowered in this way.
My suspension's a bit firmer after a chop but otherwise it's perfectly alright.

[wagoneer]

Here here. I've had several cars done this way and some with proper struts with coil overs etc, sure they were adjustable and a bit more forgiving but anything other than standard saloon springs is going to be a harder ride.
My wife's Escort Si (sporting version with firm ride) is horrid over rough roads, the Volvo is loads better even with the chopped springs.


If the MOT man likes it, I'm happy.

[rmad]

I've run chopped coils on few cars in the past, most of the time it's for looks anyway - better handling is a welcome bi-product.
I think we all know that the proper springs are gonna result in a better handling car...but that's not always the goal and things like budget and availability are often very important factors!

[Philip]

Lots of older live-axle cars have limiting straps connecting the axle to the body to avoid this. I had to shorten the straps when I put new suspension on my 1800ES.

Phil

[v8ade]

to lower the firenza i pulled 2 coils together with a clamp and welded a bracket around them,this dropped the hieght of the car by about 2'' looked good but when it comes to mot time i cut the bracket off and its back to normal.it works the same as lowering clamps but is a lot more robust

[Ratters]

hayesey said:

it should fail if the springs are loose or fall out when the car's jacked up. however, you can just cable tie them in place so they don't come loose & it'll pass the MOT. it's not exactly safe though.

personally I'd buy some proper lowered suspension. cutting springs isn't going to do the handling any favours.

It will. Mine did fail 2 years ago even though the springs have been in there for about 7 years They've now been cable tied in since & pass no problems. Oh, & yes they ARE proper lowered uprated springs ;D ;D

[Shortcut]

ade said:

It works the same as lowering clamps but is a lot more robust

Halfords lowering clamps, proof that natural selection IS at work ;D ;D

[racer2]

jUST MY TWO PEN'ORTH ..........over the years I've lowered several cars ,my philosophy being ,drop it,chop it,'n' drive it !I have always wired the coils into the cups -usually using one of those wire coathangers,cut up. I always bend the spring to give a flat mounting surface ,then taper the end into a tang ,never had a prob with mot --only being so low it wouldnt go on the ramp or drop in the brake test rollers! . My volvo amazon sled drove like a dream ,and went round corners ,with suspension seriously slammed on the deck .

[Paul H]

racer2 said:

My volvo amazon sled

Tell us more!

[PhoenixC]

A lot of lowered uprated springs sit loose in the spring cups (mainly on mcpherson struts or coil overs) on full travel so it makes sense to cable tie them anyway.

[racer2]

AmazonSprite ..I built a sled a few yrs back ,won 'best in lead' at watford rods ,only trophy I ever won ! full on chopped roof etc /2litre Ford ohc powered . Yellow with flames in green ,then red oxide . serious car !