Here are a few not to...
Adam,
Whether they're good enough is up to you. That you may already have your doubts is perhaps evidenced by your question.
a) Consider that there are likely good technical and legal reasons that say Bilstein for instance, offer a damper which accommodates shorter springs;
b) A possibility, with your current set-up, during an occasion when having the suspension suddenly go "solid" could be harmful, you may already be into the bump-stops; exactly when you need to have some free-travel remaining to avoid that harm. A suddenly too "solid" single corner of the car could cause a slide;
c) The MoT guy may still not approve;
d) It (clamping) immediately points out that incorrectly matched components have been cobbled together, often but perhaps politically incorrectly called "ghetto";
e) The accident investigator/insurance co. may not like it;
f) Does any car, any where, come OEM equipped with hose clamps so employed?
g) The top perch's circular ramp is indexed to the spring end and needs to be kept that way, the correct spring's length provides the pressure that does that quite reliably; a hose clamp cannot. Would you're upper perch clamp interfere with strut rotation for steering?
h) Note the bottom perch's factory tab which locates the end of the spring, but does not attempt to totally fix that end in place either laterally or vertically. There are reasons for that;
i) This spring/lower perch interface is the exact source location for noise in complaints often voiced by B2/3/4 owners, particularly when non-OEM parts are employed (think low-speed "Twang"). That noise is the result of spring movement which must be accommodated;
j) If you've ever had the spring and lower perch apart, you might recall seeing the wipe pattern made by the pig-tail of the spring into the paint and steel of the perch, the result of the spring squirming and moving about during normal suspension travel. There are large forces at work here; and a hose clamp simply isn't up to it;
k) The spring moves in part because the spring's geometric and effective centers are not co-incident, and it must be allowed to move. This is why the perches are so generously sized, simply cupped or coned; and not "clamping" the spring at one small single place. So even after picking a spot on the perch to clamp it, if it could be done with something more suitable, such clamping would have to allow for the movement at that location, i.e. be loose enough; and therefore likely very effective at taking the paint off in this high-stress location, hastening spring failure;
l) Particularly here where the intent of the mod is permanent, it's execution should not look like something you would do just to "get home" after breaking a spring while away.
m) Are you certain you'll keep your alignment settings beyond the next trip on a hoist?
n) Perhaps this is an example of why the best done mods are incorporated invisibly. They ought to be done seamlessly using both OEM and hot-rodding's empirical techniques.
o) Consider the why of your trying to do this mod now. What are you trying to achieve/improve? The key to a mod is in it's proper execution. Does this get you there? Currently, wouldn't the car work better with some stock height springs?
p) Also consider that lowering a car has a certain reputation. Don't prove it.
Adam,
Whether they're good enough is up to you. That you may already have your doubts is perhaps evidenced by your question.
a) Consider that there are likely good technical and legal reasons that say Bilstein for instance, offer a damper which accommodates shorter springs;
b) A possibility, with your current set-up, during an occasion when having the suspension suddenly go "solid" could be harmful, you may already be into the bump-stops; exactly when you need to have some free-travel remaining to avoid that harm. A suddenly too "solid" single corner of the car could cause a slide;
c) The MoT guy may still not approve;
d) It (clamping) immediately points out that incorrectly matched components have been cobbled together, often but perhaps politically incorrectly called "ghetto";
e) The accident investigator/insurance co. may not like it;
f) Does any car, any where, come OEM equipped with hose clamps so employed?
g) The top perch's circular ramp is indexed to the spring end and needs to be kept that way, the correct spring's length provides the pressure that does that quite reliably; a hose clamp cannot. Would you're upper perch clamp interfere with strut rotation for steering?
h) Note the bottom perch's factory tab which locates the end of the spring, but does not attempt to totally fix that end in place either laterally or vertically. There are reasons for that;
i) This spring/lower perch interface is the exact source location for noise in complaints often voiced by B2/3/4 owners, particularly when non-OEM parts are employed (think low-speed "Twang"). That noise is the result of spring movement which must be accommodated;
j) If you've ever had the spring and lower perch apart, you might recall seeing the wipe pattern made by the pig-tail of the spring into the paint and steel of the perch, the result of the spring squirming and moving about during normal suspension travel. There are large forces at work here; and a hose clamp simply isn't up to it;
k) The spring moves in part because the spring's geometric and effective centers are not co-incident, and it must be allowed to move. This is why the perches are so generously sized, simply cupped or coned; and not "clamping" the spring at one small single place. So even after picking a spot on the perch to clamp it, if it could be done with something more suitable, such clamping would have to allow for the movement at that location, i.e. be loose enough; and therefore likely very effective at taking the paint off in this high-stress location, hastening spring failure;
l) Particularly here where the intent of the mod is permanent, it's execution should not look like something you would do just to "get home" after breaking a spring while away.
m) Are you certain you'll keep your alignment settings beyond the next trip on a hoist?
n) Perhaps this is an example of why the best done mods are incorporated invisibly. They ought to be done seamlessly using both OEM and hot-rodding's empirical techniques.
o) Consider the why of your trying to do this mod now. What are you trying to achieve/improve? The key to a mod is in it's proper execution. Does this get you there? Currently, wouldn't the car work better with some stock height springs?
p) Also consider that lowering a car has a certain reputation. Don't prove it.
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