Has somebody suggested using blocks on your springs? Read this.
Ride Height
Cutting Coil Springs
Under certain circumstances, you can cut coil springs. Read on to find out how, why, and when to cut your coils.
Stock Ride Height Is Too High, How Much Should I Cut My Front Springs?
Should I cut these coils, and how much should I cut them?
Ride Height Difference
How do I know the springs I ordered will sit my car with the right stance?
Ride Height Problems
I put new shocks on my vehicle but it still isn’t at the right height. What am I missing?
Are Welded Coil Springs Salvageable In Any Way?
My vehicle had coil springs welded to the lower perch. What should I do?
How Do Lowering Springs Affect Ride Quality?
Mike, I want to lower my ’54 Ford but still keep it riding good, can this be done? -Jerry Jerry, Whenever a vehicle is lowered, there is a reduction in the amount of suspension travel. Because of this, the spring rate (how much weight it takes to deflect a spring one inch) is increased. Suspension […]
Raising A 1966 GTO: Coil Springs Vs Air Shocks
Sir, I have a 1966 GTO with new coil springs installed; I have no idea what brand but the car appears to set to pretty much its stock height. I would like the car to sit a little higher in the rear verses the stock height. I thought about installing air shocks, but this car […]
Different Spring Rates Doesn’t Mean Different Ride Height
Mike, I have a 1966 Mustang Coupe with a 200ci engine and 3 speed manual transmission. Not a speed demon by any account. The rear end is sagging so I want to get a pair of leaf springs from Eaton. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews from the Mustang forum I frequent. I’m undecided whether […]
Should I Cut Coil Springs or Use Dropped Spindles?
Mike: Hope you can help. I am in the process of rebuilding the front end of my ’57 Chevy car. If I use 2″ lowering springs, can I use the same front shocks or do I need to get something else? Would it be better to install the 2″ lowering spindles instead of the springs? […]
Shocks Raise Rear Of ’56 Bel-Air
Mike, I have a stock 1956 Belair which is sitting kind of low in the rear. I have installed new Load Leveler shocks that raised the rear a little, but I need to raise rear another 1-2 Inches. Can this be done with just adding a leaf? The original springs appear to be OK, she […]
Adding Leaves Vs Rearching or Replacing Leaf Spring
Mike, The car in question is a 1954 Studebaker Champion Regal 4-door, six cylinder 169 engine. I would like to raise the back of the car 1 to 2″, and I am considering adding a leaf on each side since I have to pull the rear springs off anyway for some work. – Ron Ron, […]
Lowering a ’67 Chevy Nova Wagon
Mike, Okay you got my attention. I just read all of your website and now I am thoroughly confused. But I take your opinion over all the others because you are an expert. Here’s my dilemma. I have a ’67 Chevy Nova Wagon. It has all original, factory stock suspension, front and rear. It has […]
How Complete Does My Car Need To Be Before It Sits Right On New Coil Springs?
Dear Mr. Eaton, I must let you know that I am a very unhappy customer. In August of 2009 I purchase both front and rear coil springs for my 1969 Pontiac GTO. Your sales person, Gary, seemed to be very knowledgeable at that time. He asked more questions about my car than any other parts […]
Why Is The Nose of My Unfinished Vehicle High After Installing New Coil Springs?
Q – Mike, I bought both front and rear springs for my KR from Eaton and I am not happy at all. Just look at the picture. The nose of my car is sticking way up in the air. This is crap. I was sent the wrong springs. What are you going to do about […]
Extreme High Lift Springs
Mike, I am in need of some custom leaf springs made for a 20 Inch lift on my truck. Is this something you can do? I have checked with a lot of places and no one can help me. Can you? – Scott. Scott, You are about to add us to your list of those […]
Is There A Trade Off Between Comfort and Handling? (Also, Diagnosing a Leaning Bonneville)
Q – I’m interested in new springs for my 64 Bonneville. I bought new springs from XYZ Company 2 years ago and I’m not happy with the results. When I was having them installed the mechanic said one of the rear springs was bad so I got a replacement. I wanted a pair, but they […]
If Not Rear Springs, What Causes A Leaning GTO?
Mike, I purchased a set of new rear springs from you for my 1967 GTO and when I put them in the car leaned to the driver’s side about 3/4 of an Inch. The lean was there with the old springs but I thought the new springs would level it out. I even switched the […]
Do Lightened Front Ends Need Lower Springs or Drop Spindles?
Mike, I have a 1970 Firebird, Fiberglass fenders, hood and nose piece, no fender wells and the battery in the trunk. So I have lightened up the front end by about 175 – 200 Lbs. The car now sits up high in the front and what I want is for it to sit 2″ lower […]
Lowering Blocks
Q -Mike, I just bought a ’54 Chevy 2 door. It has 3″ lowering blocks and is – in my opinion- exactly 1″ too low in the back. I’m really not a bubble gum things together kind of guy and I believe, in most cases, lowering blocks are a version of Bazooka Engineering. Agree? Aluminum […]
How Much Can Coils Lower My Resto-Mod, Should I Check The Alignment?
Mike, I have a ’55 Ford Fairlane Tudor Club Sedan that needs new front coil springs. I am going with a resto-mod approach. Better handling with a decent ride quality. The question I have is, can the front end be lowered by using shorter springs? Will this throw any alignment or other related issues off? […]
Lowering Mono Leafs
Mike, Good morning, I have a street rod shop and retail parts store. I am building a ’68 Camaro, and looking for a lowering mono leaf springs for the rear. Can you help? Thanks – Bruce Bruce, We sure can. We make F and X Body mono-leaf springs with up to a 3 Inch drop. […]
How Much And When Do Coil Springs Settle? (Also, How To Choose The Right Mustang II Springs)
How much can one expect the springs to settle after installation?
How Are Ride Height Changes Calculated?
How do you measure ride height? What does plus/minus one inch actually mean?
Why Is My Car Sit Higher With New, Stock Ride Height Springs?
Q -I ordered a set of coil springs so my 1969 GTO would sit 1 Inch lower. But when I put them on the car sat higher than it did with the old springs. How come? Don – New York A – Don, Remember when you placed the order with Gary he said asked how […]
Springs & Air Bags
Mike, I have a 1968 Camaro Hardtop that I want to lower 2 Inches in the rear. I have headers and dual exhaust, which sometimes scrape on the driveway, so I want to install air bags to lift it as required. My question is, how does this affect the suspension and spring rate? Can I […]
Do Heavy Duty Springs For ’63 Galaxies Change Ride Height?
Hello, I have a question about 1963 Ford Galaxie rear leaf springs. I was told that a 1963 Galaxie with 6 leaf spring packs sits 3 Inches lower than a car with 5 leaf spring packs. Do you agree with this? Thank you for your time, -Cliff Cliff, The one who is spreading this information […]
Cutting Coil Springs
Mike, I need to lower the front of my car approximately 1 to 1 1/2inches. I understood from your " Question of The Week "answer, that you would cut an Inch off the spring to lower it an Inch but people are telling me that I am reading that wrong and that I would have […]
Can I Cut Coil Springs With Pigtail Ends?
Q -Mike, I have a Riviera that I want lowered about 2 Inches in the rear. You don’t make lowered springs for this car, something about not enough demand. So what I want to do is cut the coils. Is this alright? Frank from Seattle A -Frank, in a lot of cases it is fine […]
The Math Behind Cutting Coil Springs
Does cutting a coil change the spring rate?
Will Stretching Then Cutting Coil Springs Increase Spring Rate While Maintaining Ride Height?
Mike, I cannot believe I finally found a spring expert! I have read all your tech articles and thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. Now for my question – Can you take an existing spring, stretch it and then shorten it to get a stiffer spring rate while keeping the car at the […]
Leaf Springs with Extreme Lift
Mike, I’m in need of some custom springs, and I’m trying to gather information from every company I can so as to get the best spring for the best price. I have a 1993 Jeep Cherokee, 4-dr, 4.0 I6 Engine, Automatic Trans, 4×4. I am wanting to lift my Jeep, and the lift I need […]
How Do I Find Firebird Front End Springs With The Right Spring Rate?
Mike: I have a 1976 Firebird front stub grafted to my 1936 Chevy. The stub has been narrowed 2 ½”, the drag link has been sleeved, and the engine moved back 11 Inches to accommodate the radiator. The front springs now are too stiff and carry the car like a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The […]