I want to lower my car but i dont have the money to do much at the moment. i know its only about £70 for springs but thats just what i dont have.

So the other option is the get the springs chopped, a mate of mine said he could do it for me for peanuts.

Is this really a bad option???? It would only be temporary for about a month or so.

What do you think?? and what would be a safe amount to chop??

cheers

 

No!!!

A couple of things to keep in mind.

-First, it's really not worth the hassle if you're just going to turn around and buy springs a few months later.

-If you don't have the 70 pounds to buy correct lowering springs, then you probably won't want to spend the money to get your alignment done after you chop your springs, only to re-do it when you get your lowering springs

-The ride quality will be terrible since these are progressive springs... you will bounce all over the place. I've seen cars driving around with cut springs and they actually look much worse bouncing all over the place than they would look if the owner just left the thing alone

-The biggest cost with lowering your car is not the springs... It's the shocks. And if you lower your car without changing the shocks, you will destroy them in a matter of months. So if you're tight on money, make sure you understand the total cost of lowering your car (springs, shocks, alignment, labor).

Don't do it man. You will regret it.

 

If you don't have the money to do it correctly the first time around then save.

 

fair play may give it a miss then. have to wait a month or so.

wounder

 

Yeah, do it right or be prepared to spend more in the long run with these cars. I would also be aware that when lowering the car, your camber/toe will be way off and the stock arms will not be able to compensate to correct the alignment. Of course this can be fixed but also costs more money to fix so if you cant even afford the correct springs I'm going to assume a new set of rear tires every 3-5 months wont be making your piggybank very happy. Better to "spring" for proper springs and the camber correction kit in one fell swoop, but for your own safety and the cars do not chop, you can get away with that on light imports like Hondas but not these puppies.

 

and how many here have actually cut springs on their w124?
as long as you don't go ape S#it with the cutter things will be fine.

 

The saying "Better safe than sorry" comes to mind.......

 

Agreed, cutted a coil of mine and didn't notice any diference in behavior!!!

 

me too

 

Those of you that HAVE cut springs, most likely didnt notice the **** ride because your springs are already shot. If you took BRAND new OEM springs, drove on them for a bit, then cut the coils you'd see they don't work as designed when cut.

I cut coils on my first W124 (car was only 5 yrs old at the time) and saw a difference.

 

The qeustion is this- how much would it cost you to have somebody cut the coils, and how much would it cost you to buy new springs??

Maybe you'll save $100... Even if you work at McDonald's and live with your parents, you can save up enough to cover that difference. So why would you bother taking the risk?

 

Exactly.....to remove the wheels and cut the coils will cost the same as the shop will charge to replace the OEM with lowering springs...typically $200, so save another bit of cash and do it properly.

TRUST us people that have been in exactly the same position

 

my springs were NOT shot. mbenzman did my springs, and he used brand new OEM springs, and cut them to give me an even drop. i was on vogtlands before that. the ride was not bad at all, no bounce, no nothing, comparing vogtland to the OEM cut. it might have been because of the bilstein sports, or because the springs were brand new and still firm with no sag to them, but all i can tell you is that i personally had no problems and lost no ride quality. i don't drive hard or corner like crazy, so maybe for that type of driving there would be an issue. i have since put the vogtlands back in to try and go a bit lower.
i have always been against cutting springs, especially when you see lowered accords and civics bouncing all over the road over bumps, but after my experience, i can't say that without any doubt cutting springs is bad... at least not on a w124. i guess the OEM springs are better than other cars to start with...

 

You can cut the spring but have a bottle of cold water when your doing it. You don't want to heat up the metal because it makes it weak and the car is going to be bouncy. Never cut more than 1 1/2 coils ever!!

 

Hmmm...maybe my springs were cut by an idiot then....thanks for the insight guys!

 

I was an idiot once and that's why i have eibachs...

 

Just FYI, MB springs are very car/option specific, and progressive. You should never cut progressive springs because it totally changes the characteristics of the springs. When you order MB springs almost every single option on your w124 comes into play, its kind of ridiculous but thats the way they do it. Listen to everyone else and just wait for the $$$.

-Mike

 

"It would only be temporary for about a month or so"

Try a few hundred pounds of sand on the rear floor board, that'll save you a few £



The improvement will be worth the wait...
But more importantly, don't make your friend help you twice to get dropped once. Save the favor...your car is bound to need another.

PS: I have never cut springs, but the Eibachs on my Cab delivered just the drop I wanted...not quite as low as many of the west coasters like, but Jersey roads are less forgiving.

 

Ultimately it's up to you if you wanna cut em or wait.
I'm just saying one of my other W124s has cut coils on it
and it sits perfect and doesn't ride like $#it.
There's one member on here whose car once belonged
to someone I know and the springs on that car were cut
many years ago.

 

saw with plenty of cooling oil.You can start out with a full coil,and take it from there.It will firm up the ride about 10% and of course you will need to get it aligned properly on a hunter machine at the dealer or a good suspension shop that has one.
W124 sits fine on cut springs if you cut them properly.After all the springs have had 13 or more years to settle in and you won't have to worry about shrinkage

 

i wounder if mine are cut or not never actually looked.......either way rides like a champ lol

 

Cut one coil off each spring on mine. Looks great, rides great, no bounce. I'm a tech so it was free too, just some time spent on a Saturday.

 

that we've heard from all corners of the Seattle area If he wants to save some dough and has a buddy that will cut them properly and install sport shocks,and get it aligned properly.No harm,no foul
Although I wonder about the one month thing Does time pass slower in merry old England that waiting a month to install eibachs and bilstein sports and getting the proper camber adjustment parts can't be put off for 30 days or is this the kid waiting for Christmas syndrome

 

You're the only one that seems to know the difference between a progessive and linear wound spring....

Cut a progressively wound spring and more then likely you'll see the effects at high speeds....

You can live with it, but why as most of the time and cost is in the labor required in removing and installing the spring.

 

I think that, by the sound of things, you are very eager, but you don't really expect to get the £££ together. More likely, if this cheap solution works ok, you'll spend the cash on cosmetic mods, right?

Honestly, if £70 is too much for you to put into your car right now, I think you should keep your money for the inevitable repairs and maintenance an MB of this age will require.
These cars are not cheap to maintain. They ARE beautiful, but you may get more enjoyment for your money with a Honda or something. As Senor Zorro once said, "you've got to pay to play".

I think you'll regret cutting off these progressive springs.

Nice looking car though - good choice! And good luck.