IRS Question

[Toddlez]

Hey, a m8 of mine had a look at the springs on my VS n said that they had been cut, but anotha m8 told me that its imposible to cut IRS springs, so whoz rite?? Theres alot of cops around my town atm n i really dnt wanna get defected

[HARVZ-6]

at the end of the day theyre just springs, they can be cut

jack it up and have a look yourself.. generally obvious when theyve been tampered with

[sweefu]

going to be a dodgy ride on chopped irs springs lol

[GMH304]

i always thought it was impossilbe to cut irs springs..would be a scary ride if they where cut..

[GAMBLR]

depends on if yours is IRS or not. there's a few ways to tell. the panel under the radio will have an "IRS" logo on it, or alternatively look at the springs themselves. IRS springs are not the same diameter the whole way up and down the spring. the coils are thinner up top and down the bottom, and fatter in the middle (Not the actual metal, but the coil as a whole). a Non-IRS spring is a perfect cylindrical shape the whole way up and down.

now you know the differences, it's easy to see why people cut the Non-IRS. as the shape is the same for the entire spring, there appears to be no drama. Cutting an IRS spring on the other hand, takes out the top/bottom that help seat the spring and hold it in place. If it's stupid to cut non IRS springs, it's a death wish cutting IRS springs.

if you need pics or a better explanation let me know. in case it is live axle (Non-IRS), as you are probably aware, it is dangerous, impractical and illegal to cut springs.
hope this helps. cheers
CC

[Toddlez]

Under the radio it has the abs logo, I would have a look at the springs myself but I havnt got anythin 2 jack the car up with n because I kno so little about cars it probably wouldnt do me 2 much good anywayz. Id love 2 c sum pics if you've got any. Also, is there any other way to tell if its IRS without jackin it up?

[stocky]

stick your head under there and look

[GAMBLR]

stick your head under there and look

i would suggest that also. with most commodores you can see the springs by looking under the rear behind the wheels.

However, since you asked, i shall provide...



These ARE NOT commodore springs (Cant get on ebay at work lol) but commodore ones are just different size. The middle two are rear springs for a Live Axle, and (this is a bit of guesswork, i haven't had anythingto do with LARS) the bumpstop sits in the top and bottom of the spring. If coils were cut off, the spring changes in height, but the width is not affected, as it is a constant width the entire spring. Not that I condone it, but it can be done.





These are IRS coils. Note that the coil is fatter in the middle than at the top and bottom ends. Also note the coil ends are tight to fit just over the bumpstops (i believe its bumpstops anyway). This is what prevents them from falling out. You can see now if they were cut off, the bigger space for the bumpstop would allow the spring to move around and leap out as soon as you hit a bump.

Just thinking about it, urs is an Acclaim correct? AFAIK VS acclaims had IRS as an option, so it may or may not have IRS. I would think though, if it did with cut IRS coils, they would've bounced out by now...
Have a look at yours as soon as you get the chance, just lie on the ground and have a look under. Your springs are more than likely black from factory. see what shape it is and go from there. also check the spring for signs of being cut. whether it's IRS or LARS and it is cut, i strongly suggest replacing them wiht standard or replacement lowered springs ASAP
Cheers
CC

[Toddlez]

Yea its an acclaim, and I called the guy who sold it 2 me and he says that there not cut, but I just wanna b absolutely sure. I had a look at the spring and from what I can tell there IRS springs, and I dont think there cut, but ill show you a foto anywayz. Anotha dumb question, how can I upload the photo so its not an attachment?

[GAMBLR]

i'm not 100% sure what you mean by that. When it's uploaded, click the 'Attachments' icon again and click the photo u want to insert. puts it in the message itself.
only other option is to use a image sharing site like photobucket

[Toddlez]

Ah k, onli askin cause it wont let me upload any more attachments.

acclaim springs picture by Toddlez69 - Photobucket

thats the url 4 the pic i took, hope it helps, sorry bought the quality, iphone foto

[GAMBLR]

looks to be IRS but if anyone wants to back me up or correct me, please do...
it looks alright from here, but what you need to do is jack it up, take a wheel off and have a look for yourself. what you're looking for is the coils at either end to be fairly tightly wound around the bumpstops. if they aren't and there looks to be a fair bit of room between the coil and the bumpstop then you might be in trouble.

[Toddlez]

Thanku SO much 4 all ur help Cruzn. I havnt got a jack or anythin so ill have 2 take it 2 my otha m8s house n check.

[stocky]

...you dont need a jack to check if you have IRS

[Toddlez]

nah i dnt wanna jack it 2 c if its irs, i wanna make sure the springs arnt cut. Im pretty sure there not now...the day b4 yesterday I got really lost on the way 2 clunes n i was on sum outback wolfcreek lookin dirt road that was very rough n the springs didnt jump out. but lyk i said b4 i just wanna b absolutly sure, i gotta drive 2 sydney soon n i dnt wanna b stranded because of sumthin so stupid

[greenfoam]

...you dont need a jack to check if you have IRS

I can pick a IRS VP-VS from about 100 meters away they stand out pretty good

[GAMBLR]

...you dont need a jack to check if you have IRS

i agree, but it might be easier to check to see if the springs have been cut if its jacked up with the wheel off. it's a bit hard to tell from the photo and i've seen a photo of the car - lowered with a kit makes it a bit harder to see one would assume...

Thanku SO much 4 all ur help Cruzn. I havnt got a jack or anythin so ill have 2 take it 2 my otha m8s house n check.

no probs mate, if i can help someone with something like this it's a bonus. as i said, i dont think they'd be cut as they look like IRS springs and they would've fallen out by now, i would assume... let us know how you go
CC

[GAMBLR]

I can pick a IRS VP-VS from about 100 meters away they stand out pretty good

wots an easier way to tell greenfoam? apart from camber

[Toddlez]

lol funny u mention the bodykit. i dunno if its because of that, or how low it looks, or cause i look 15 but ive neva seen so many cops in this town till i bought this car. B4 u would b lucky 2 c 1 cop car a week, ive seen 4 just 2day, n yesterday there were 10 undercover/unmarked cars parked in a dead end street, dnt think that was cause of me though

[greenfoam]

wots an easier way to tell greenfoam? apart from camber

Well apart from them looking totally different when following them from behind (looking under it). The whole stance of the car is different thanks to the rear camber