Cutting an Eibach?

[MrSho]

So I ordered a set of Eibach springs to go with my Koni's I also just ordered and from what I've heard they are what I want since it is a daily driver and most likely will have two car seats in the back. But my question is... I've heard of Intrax owners cutting off the "dead" coil to get a lower ride height but is there a dead coil on my Eibach's I could "In Theory" cut to get it a little lower? Is it possible to get it to near uncut Intrax ride height or should I just forget it? Roads here in NY are BAD so I want some comfort in my grocery getter. Thx in advance.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

im not an expert and actualyl now youv got me thinking of trying to do this, but id say look to see if there is an extra coil down there. If i remember correctly therr isnt on the bottom but i think there might be on the top.

 

[SHO Continental]

yes, cutting two coils on eibach will get you uncut intrax height.

I have intrax and eibach, and I just cut my eibachs today when I put on new struts.

eibach vs stock


two coils cut


cut eibach vs stock



new strut with cut eibach (top), old strut and uncut eibach (bottom)

 

[1993MTXSHO]

wow could you ask for anything better then those pictures to look at, sweet. Be carful how much you cut off, Since you got me interested I was reading and I read not to cut anymore then 2 coils off. Im thinking about cutting one because it looks like the eibach will still seat nice because of the way the coils are. Sounds like your in my position want it lower but not to low, id cut one coil. I Also read that some people said the handling sucked after cutting and they had probelems but I think that was with stock springs not aftermarket. Call eibach and ask them about cuting them. Also when yo cut make sure you dont use heat it will weaken the spring. A cutoff wheel is the best.

 

[Ishodu]

Damn two coils is way too much to cut off them. I took off 1 coil and its damn low and the springs are loose in there with no weight on them.

 

[Silver95]

Will cutting of the dead coils effect ride harshness or will it be the same as uncut eibach's?

Marcel, i never really saw too many pics of your cars stance, do you have any?

 

[SolidState]

I should have taken some while in motion this weekend....his car sits VERY nicely...probably the nicest stance I've seen in any SHO.

 

[Entropy]

Not to make anyone worry (or start any crap), but I thought the general consensus a while back was that a cut coil on an Eibach drastically changed the handling capability of the spring.... Anyone care to chime in for support or was I drinking too much the night I read about this?

 

[twr]

yes, cutting two coils on eibach will get you uncut intrax height.

I have intrax and eibach, and I just cut my eibachs today when I put on new struts.

Wow, you are brave to cut 2 coils of an Eibach. I cut a coil off my Intrax springs about four years ago.... Think I was one of the first to try it. How does it ride??

 

[K-Dawg]

I'm sure Marcel won't mind me posting a couple pics of his very clean SHO...

 

[Ishodu]

Thanks Kelvin.

 

[SHO Continental]

yeah Marcel your SHO is insanely good looking. It had a pretty nice ride when I was in it one of those days at the indiana convention.

Mine handles better now then it did, but I did put new struts in when I chopped mine. It's also about the same hight as Marcels from the pics. Not sure why mine is so high with two coils cut?

 

[Ishodu]

Give it a little time to settle in.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

how about the front of the car guys, did anyone ever have issues with the front tire hitting the fender whe nthe suspention sinks? or does the car bottom out before the tire will hit?

 

[Silver95]

Marcel was anything done to the rear springs?

Also, will the cutting of the dead coils effect ride quality or no?

 

[AutoSHO]

I wouldn't recommend cutting more than one dead coil off the Eibachs. I cut 1.5 coils and that was too much - It made the strut bearings sit funny and rub on the strut towers (very annoying). 1 coil out will still allow the spring to sit flat against the strut mount and keep it from making noise.

I prefer the way the intrax sit as compared to the eibachs... Even with 1.5 coils cut it wasn't low enough for me. However, you've got so little strut travel left in the SHO by that point that you really shouldn't go much lower anyways. Kind-of a catch 22.

 

[SHO Continental]

how about the front of the car guys, did anyone ever have issues with the front tire hitting the fender whe nthe suspention sinks? or does the car bottom out before the tire will hit?

there's a 3 inch strip on the inside of the fenders on my (uncut) Intrax'ed '93 that's now polished..

 

[Ishodu]

Marcel was anything done to the rear springs?

Also, will the cutting of the dead coils effect ride quality or no?

All 4 corners a dead coil was removed. Ride quality wasn't changed that I noticed.

 

[Epi]

I had the same problem with the spring not sitting flat on the bearing. Other than that the ride doesn't seem to be compromised any.

 

[MrSho]

Ok, so 1 coil off is ok and won't cause any problems. The ride will not be any more harsh and the spring sits ok in the bearing/mount. But what about the handling? I wanna be able to take the car seats, and others seats for that matter out, turn the koni's up and go for some spirited driving but I don't wanna lose the whole progressive rate thing. I'm tempted to just go get Intrax but I don't want a car that my kids can't fall asleep in while I drive... Trust me sometimes they NEED that sleep!