cutting ipd blues

mxqwjskspak · Post by **mxqwjskspak** » 05 Sep 2011, 23:52

Hi, I recently got ipd blue springs for my 1993 850. After they've settled in I've noticed kind of a raked look, the front sits way higher than the back. Is there a safe way to cut the rear springs? I noticed they have quite a few dead coils on the top, so I was wondering if it would be "safe" to go ahead with this?

Post by **JRL** » 07 Sep 2011, 15:55

You said the FRONT is higher so why would you want to cut the REAR springs?
What strusts do you have on the bront?
If you have Bilsteins, THAT is the problem, not the springs (they push the car back up).

mxqwjskspak · Post by **mxqwjskspak** » 07 Sep 2011, 18:28

Sorry I meant the other way around. But anyways they're the OEM sachs struts.

Post by **JRL** » 07 Sep 2011, 21:29

Odd
I would call IPD, everyone makes a bad set of springs once in a while, these are all handmade

mxqwjskspak · Post by **mxqwjskspak** » 08 Sep 2011, 21:19

Well when I do my rear shocks I guess ill go ahead and lop off one of the dead coils and see how that goes

hrahn · Post by **hrahn** » 14 Sep 2011, 01:53

Do NOT cut off any coils from the springs! Please, don't do it, you are actively endangering your life!

The reason why some of the upper coils are sitting on top of each other "en block" is that they are there to expand when the wheel hits a pothole or a part of the road that's lower than the other side, ensuring that the wheel always gets the quickest possible road contact. When you just cut off the spring you remove that part, and when driving on a bad road you could lose road contact in a very bad situation (i.e. in a corner or while accelerating).

What kind of shock absorbers do you have in your car? Are the rear ones normal or Nivomats?
Nivos need different lowering springs (not all companies make compatible ones) and if they are replaced with normal shock absorbers you need to change the stock springs, too (the Nivo springs are softer). You also need different strut mounts for Nivos and normal shock absorbers.
Could it be that you got a set of springs for a car with Nivomats?
Some people also replace the rear springs with uprated ones to make the rear sit higher, but that lowers the comfort quite a bit.

So please, check the numbers on the springs first to make sure you got the correct set. But please, for your own safety and the safety of others, do not cut the springs! (btw, that would result in an instant TUEV fail in Germany and possibly a MOT fail in the UK!)