Performance Springs

[sawmkw]

Just put a pair on the height of my car went up, not down. According to the "vendor" the fact that I do not have bumpers is the reason that it sits higher...okay...but not buying it. The recommendation was to cut off a coil to get it lower. Why don't they sell these springs already the right length or at least quit advertising them as "lowering your car 1 inch". I am told that they are manufactured domestically. I have a friend who has a pair of springs from Spider Point which is over the pond and his car is lower. This is just goofy... Be warned...

[spiderrey]

What year car did you install them on. These springs usually lift early cars. Hopefully mark comes thru with the correct springs in the future.

[TulsaSpider]

Hmmm interesting!

[azygoustoyou]

Hey Scott,
What springs are you using. I'm wondering if I'm going to run into the same thing?
Hope not.

[narfire]

I have IAP red springs and the car did sit up high (80 FI ), chopped one coil off the rears and left the fronts alone. Worked for me. I took my bumpers off as well.
See the thred..rack on rack off and see the before and after pics.
Chris

[azygoustoyou]

Hi Scott,
Is your car drivable yet? Show us a pic of it with the height your describing. Did you purchase your springs from IAP?

Chris,
Did it change the ride much after you cut the springs. I have the red IAP springs.

[kmac33]

I'm running the IAP red springs on my 74 and the height is (in my humble opinion) perfect. It is definitely not higher than it was with the 34 year old stock springs.
Best pic I could find showing ride height:

[narfire]

Did it change the ride much after you cut the springs. I have the red IAP springs.

The ride is firmer for sure. I have 15" wheels and 205/50 series tires as well. I had a stock 80 last year for awhile and the ride was smoother. Currently in my car you know when you go over a manhole cover,pothole ect.
I don't mind the ride as the handling is improved in the twisties. Give and take I suppose.
Anyone nearby you could "test drive" a re-springed" car and see yourself?
Chris

[Daniel]

you can have springs made there are companys that do this not sure where but a search on the net
would most likely bring sources up . I did talk to a company years ago about making some for a car
i owned back then but never followed through with that, they wanted me to tell them with spring
rating i wanted and i had no ideal how to decided that . I have cut springs on a few Fiats and like
what i've ended up with on the most part though the rears seems a bit to soft in hard driving conditions .

[sawmkw]

I thought about letting this go but there is some mis-information going around. I had bought the yellow performance springs from Vicks and when I contacted them to complain that my car now sat higher, I was told that the problem was my car and not the springs. Vicks also said that they "normally" did not take back parts that had been installed and would get back with me but they did not. A buddy of mine had just had a set of the red performance springs from IAP installed and he thought his car now sat too low so yesterday we swapped springs. It was a major PIA but at the end of the day, his car sat higher with the yellow springs from Vicks and mine sat lower with the red IAPs. Vicks had told me that all springs come from the same manufacturer but while we had them off I got out the caliper and measured the thickness of the steel and the IAP springs are smaller in diameter and the number of coils was the same. You could argue it was the thickness of the paint but the difference was fairly significant.

I'm not trying to say that you should use one spring over the other or use one vendor over the other. I have bought from Vicks for over 10 years now and buy from IAP as well. I'm just pointing out that there are differences and that you should not always expect that your vehicle will be lower, higher, or end up the same. I wanted to wrap up the thread by saying that both of us are now happy.