MK5 Golf GTI

All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: Skilgannon on August 16, 2016, 10:05:47 am

Title: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Skilgannon on August 16, 2016, 10:05:47 am
Hi,
As the subject. Back in the day people I grew up around used to lower their cars by heating up a coil or two. And they weren't rubbish cars. I saw people do them on Cosworths and other fast cars of those days. I was speaking to a mate of mine who just bought a jag s type and he told me that he will be lowering his car by heating the springs. He said he's always done it to his cars.

I never really heard of anyone's spring snapping or having any adverse effects on their ride. Do you guys have any stories, opinions or experiences?

P.s I'm not thinking of doing this. Just want to learn a bit more about this method of lowering.
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: r5gtt on August 16, 2016, 10:08:05 am
Silly idea mate get some lowering springs  :doh:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: lukemk5gti on August 16, 2016, 11:18:04 am
DON'T DO THAT!!!

Foolish idea, heating up a critical part of your suspension to the stage that it will actually decompress will completely compromise it's structural integrity.

You'll take a corner at speed and the sheering force will cause the coil to snap.

Don't cheap out on a safety critical part of your car.

Go buy some coilovers if you want adjustable or just some lowering springs!
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Shoduchi on August 16, 2016, 11:19:41 am
Big no no! :doh:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: john87 on August 16, 2016, 12:27:45 pm
Yep, bad idea..

from an engineering perspective, your cars' springs have been heat-treated after being wound to have specific properties - heating them to an unknown temperature may change these properties for the worse. Up there with chopping a coil off..
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Skilgannon on August 16, 2016, 01:13:18 pm
Yep, bad idea..

from an engineering perspective, your cars' springs have been heat-treated after being wound to have specific properties - heating them to an unknown temperature may change these properties for the worse. Up there with chopping a coil off..

Thank you. I was interested in the scientific/engineering reasons why it's a bad idea. I'll let me mate know the bloody cheapskate.
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Andy on August 16, 2016, 05:02:23 pm
Like when you cut them down  to lower the car
please don't go down this route
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: dronners on August 16, 2016, 05:53:29 pm
Changing spring rates to something totally random and changing the structure of the metal can never be good.  manufactureres wouldnt spend years and and Tens of thousends of pounds in research and development if someone could come along willy nilly and change it as they see fit with no adverse effects.. It is an exact science
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: bonelorry on August 16, 2016, 08:26:04 pm
Oh dear, I though the days of reading crap like this where over...  :doh:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Skilgannon on August 17, 2016, 12:19:26 am
what about a few garden slabs in the boot......... :evilgrin:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: r5gtt on August 17, 2016, 10:18:29 am
what about a few garden slabs in the boot......... :evilgrin:
yeah do that  :signLOL: or maybe two 20 litre drums of water  :doh:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: lukemk5gti on August 17, 2016, 10:39:51 am
what about a few garden slabs in the boot......... :evilgrin:
yeah do that  :signLOL: or maybe two 20 litre drums of water  :doh:

Sure that's only 45kilos in total... Half a grown man like!

What you really need is to reverse a cement mixer up to the boot and unload!
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: r5gtt on August 17, 2016, 10:41:22 am
what about a few garden slabs in the boot......... :evilgrin:
yeah do that  :signLOL: or maybe two 20 litre drums of water  :doh:

Sure that's only 45kilos in total... Half a grown man like!

What you really need is to reverse a cement mixer up to the boot and unload!
:signLOL: into the spare wheel carrier and let it harden. :happy2:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: john87 on August 18, 2016, 10:00:57 am
reminds me of that Top Gear episode with the old Merc with the concrete floor  :grin:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Paradox1 on August 18, 2016, 10:26:09 am
what about a few garden slabs in the boot......... :evilgrin:
yeah do that  :signLOL: or maybe two 20 litre drums of water  :doh:

Methanol :thinking: :thinking: :driver: :driver:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: r5gtt on August 18, 2016, 08:12:30 pm
what about a few garden slabs in the boot......... :evilgrin:
yeah do that  :signLOL: or maybe two 20 litre drums of water  :doh:

Methanol :thinking: :thinking: :driver: :driver:
:signLOL:  :driver: :nerd:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Skilgannon on August 19, 2016, 11:43:26 pm
lol nice to see you guys have a SOH  :drinking:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: r5gtt on August 20, 2016, 12:02:39 am
 :rolleye:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: chigmuss on August 20, 2016, 08:56:11 am
How come Chip Foose gets away with this
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Shoduchi on August 21, 2016, 03:59:34 pm
How come Chip Foose gets away with this
American cars (specially old muscle cars) can't corner properly so for them it's whatever... They just drive fast on the straights. :signLOL:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: AJP on August 21, 2016, 04:34:16 pm
A lot of them still use leaf springs too. 19th century engineering!
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Shoduchi on August 21, 2016, 05:53:39 pm
A lot of them still use leaf springs too. 19th century engineering!
They're cheap! :laugh:
Title: Re: Heating a coil or two to lower car...
Post by: Andy on August 21, 2016, 06:19:52 pm
How come Chip Foose gets away with this
because yankiee cars are crap at handling