Im curious if anyone has cut their rear springs a bit to deal with Stinkbug versus adding spacers to the front? Any issues with this other than accidental overcutting??
Cutting springs (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter bugsnbikes
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Grench
SILVER Star
I don't think they would seat right just buy 'cutting' them.
What is your suspension front/back now? Stock or something else?
If it is the stock suspension, the quick way is to put two bags of sand in the back end behind the 3rd row. It doesn't take a lot of weight to move the stock springs.
Speaking of stock springs... We have to find something constructive to do with all of the FJ80 and FZJ80 stock springs that we all have left over taking up space in the garage. Any ideas?
What is your suspension front/back now? Stock or something else?
If it is the stock suspension, the quick way is to put two bags of sand in the back end behind the 3rd row. It doesn't take a lot of weight to move the stock springs.
Speaking of stock springs... We have to find something constructive to do with all of the FJ80 and FZJ80 stock springs that we all have left over taking up space in the garage. Any ideas?
Sell/Give to 4runner owners...stock 80 springs will lift runners.
Cutting springs??? I thought only ricers did that? 
Cutting Springs = Not Good.
Cutting Springs = Not Good.
- Thread starter
- #5
Not stock springs--Its actually some 2.5"front and 3" rear springs. Ive decided to not go with a super heavy 250lb rear bumper for the time being and the 3" rear in what is already a light rear end without 2nd and 3rd row seats.
I currently run 255/85 and have no clearance issues at all. In the front im planning on running a shortbus bumper-8k winch and two 6volt Deep cycle batts- 120lbs (60 ea)--one in front-and one near the tranfer case. I think when all is said and done--the resulting front lift will be close to 1.5". The rear without both rows of seats and 3" spring is a super Stinkbug-- a few sandbags will help for around town-but ideally id like to shorten the rear versus lifting the front more.
The ricer dewds run into issues mainly because they try wild 2" chops and typically dont have shocks to accomodate. Also taking 2" out of a 4" shock is much more drastic than what im talking about. In this case- i dont see how .5"-.75" will really effect anything but the height mainly. Am i way off on this thinking? if so- im curious why 1/4 of a coil being removed will offset the springs progressiveness and overall strength by anything more than 50lbs or so assuming 8 full winds is good for about 200-400lbs of added weight.
I currently run 255/85 and have no clearance issues at all. In the front im planning on running a shortbus bumper-8k winch and two 6volt Deep cycle batts- 120lbs (60 ea)--one in front-and one near the tranfer case. I think when all is said and done--the resulting front lift will be close to 1.5". The rear without both rows of seats and 3" spring is a super Stinkbug-- a few sandbags will help for around town-but ideally id like to shorten the rear versus lifting the front more.
The ricer dewds run into issues mainly because they try wild 2" chops and typically dont have shocks to accomodate. Also taking 2" out of a 4" shock is much more drastic than what im talking about. In this case- i dont see how .5"-.75" will really effect anything but the height mainly. Am i way off on this thinking? if so- im curious why 1/4 of a coil being removed will offset the springs progressiveness and overall strength by anything more than 50lbs or so assuming 8 full winds is good for about 200-400lbs of added weight.
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Just dont risk your ride quality when you can buy a 30$ spacer kit and be done with the stinkbug.
Cutting springs will heat them and thereby change their rates. Might not be so bad but for the fact that the rates of each rear spring would likely be different after the hack job. Unequal rates will cause ride issues and the operation may even cause unequal height issues.
Just add coil spacers up front.
Just add coil spacers up front.
- Thread starter
- #8
heating---really? i was thinking a cutting tool would heat about 1/4" of the spring nearest to the cut.....how is that going to effect the progression on the entire spring?
It was my understanding that the turn of each coils length/diameter is what made the given progressiveness and strength......and dont see how removing 1/32cnd of that overall length and 1/4 of a coiling would really account for much change other than height.
The average OME spring is a $14 taiwanese piece and is not forged-cold rolled and mainly relies on its winding numers-and coil diameters for its overall ride. Yes- overly excessive heating of an area will mainly cause weakness---but i just dont see how a fast-clean cut on the very end of a spring will effect an entire springs ride if done evenly and with some degree of precision in terms of matching where each cut is done.
It was my understanding that the turn of each coils length/diameter is what made the given progressiveness and strength......and dont see how removing 1/32cnd of that overall length and 1/4 of a coiling would really account for much change other than height.
The average OME spring is a $14 taiwanese piece and is not forged-cold rolled and mainly relies on its winding numers-and coil diameters for its overall ride. Yes- overly excessive heating of an area will mainly cause weakness---but i just dont see how a fast-clean cut on the very end of a spring will effect an entire springs ride if done evenly and with some degree of precision in terms of matching where each cut is done.
Try it and let us know. It seems like alot of work to modify something that you may have to buy again after you add weight to the rear. Whats so bad about adding spacers up front? Most folks on here would welcome the little bit of added height. If you decide to cut the springs you may want to at least use some sort of heat sink close to the cut.
Pulled this off a website:
- "Most springs are designed to a fairly tight tolerance of material volume to load carrying capacity. That is, the amount of steel used in the spring is hopefully just enough to hold up the car over the life of the vehicle with normal use. Chop off some coils and you've dramatically reduced the amount of material, which almost always will lead to an overstressed coil that will sag prematurely."
- "The cutting method can also be a problem. Generating heat is not so much a problem as reduction in the heat afterwards. That is, heating the material beyond its temper and then rapidly cooling it will affect the composition of the material."
- "Most springs are designed to a fairly tight tolerance of material volume to load carrying capacity. That is, the amount of steel used in the spring is hopefully just enough to hold up the car over the life of the vehicle with normal use. Chop off some coils and you've dramatically reduced the amount of material, which almost always will lead to an overstressed coil that will sag prematurely."
- "The cutting method can also be a problem. Generating heat is not so much a problem as reduction in the heat afterwards. That is, heating the material beyond its temper and then rapidly cooling it will affect the composition of the material."
Less costly solution to the stinkbug is to build a heavier drawer system. I build mine based on pismojim's plans but used 3/4" plywood all around. It's the perfect preload for a great ride and it's useful and functional as well. And most importantly, it's easily removable when you have to carry a lot of heavy cargo.
I've known coil springs on rice rockets to be cut using only a brand new hack saw blade. I believe the operations were successful as it continues to be done even by people who had done it to their older rides and were now doing it to their newer rides.
In the case of the 80, I expect that you might unseat the spring if ever your wheel undergoes extension to a significant degree. You might have to construct some sort of spring stay so as not to lose the spring on a reasonably interesting off road trip. You would have to make sure your axle action does not exceed the length of the spring.
It seems to me the simpler and cheaper solution is to add spring spacers as your only stated purpose is to lose the stink bug effect. $ 35 dollar spacers are easily affordable and have the added benefit of being reverseable. Cutting is a one way road.
Kalawang
In the case of the 80, I expect that you might unseat the spring if ever your wheel undergoes extension to a significant degree. You might have to construct some sort of spring stay so as not to lose the spring on a reasonably interesting off road trip. You would have to make sure your axle action does not exceed the length of the spring.
It seems to me the simpler and cheaper solution is to add spring spacers as your only stated purpose is to lose the stink bug effect. $ 35 dollar spacers are easily affordable and have the added benefit of being reverseable. Cutting is a one way road.
Kalawang
I could see a hack saw working better than a cutting tool due to alot less heat being generated. But still...
