First drive aspire suspension

[89fester]

I took a quick trp to home depot today. I replaced just about everything. Both control arms are new, all sway bushings are new. KYB struts. Cut aspire springs, aspire rear axle.

Maybe its just me, after all its just a Festiva, but it feels like the cut coils allow more body roll than the old Festiva coils. Not being an engineer, I am wondering if cutting the coil etc. is really giving a higher spring rate? Th coil is pre-loaded based on the extended length of the strut until the weight of the car is lowered onto it. Maybe its the fact that the rear of the car now has some roll resistance. It just seems that the car just dives immediately when I was testing out how it handled. My car is still not aligned so maybe this has something to do with it.

89 L

[Gro Harlem]

how many coils did you cut?

its possible that if you cut off a LOT, that the springs are actually leaving their perches under hard braking or cornering, causing the strut to basically bottom out on one side & top out on the other side.

The springs may be softer in stock-form but if they were cut in 2/3rds or 1/2, while the spring itself will be stiffer, the extra travel distance that the strut can travel can cause this kind of problem.

Do you have the KYB GR2's or KYB Specials? Remember...the GR2's are NOT performance struts & are meant to be a premium OE replacement. Their valving is NOT more agressive than stock and thus, especially on a festiva, will not suit lowering springs well.

Roger offers KYB Specials (non adjustable but way firmer) for about 70-80 per corner. Other than using some other make/model's struts they are the best choice if you want to lower your car.

[89fester]

I cut one coil. I was not looking to lower the car or have it really handle like a performance car. I figured replacing the worn out junk that was in there with the GR-2's would give a good street ride and make the car handle a little better. I said in another post that just eyeballing it, since I didn't take before and after measurements, that the car is sitting slightly lower than it did. Probably less than 1/2". The Aspire coil already has one less coil winding in stock form. So cutting one out looked a little hokey to me.

I have always heard and read that cuttings coils it not the right way to achieve anything, its very ghetto to begin with. But I figured I'd try anything once since I wasn't willing to blow any more money on this cheap street beater. Nothing is bottoming or making any noises up front, I think it just handles poorly because its a Festiva, and maybe because I am using a cut spring. Its no Miata or BMW 3-series. I may just put the stock Festy springs in for piece of mind.

89 L