It sounds like you are using very long and stiff springs, and as your clubmember suggested, probably too long, hence the cut them down a bit.
I wouldn't cut them down myself, rather look for shorter springs, because by cutting them down, you lose the endcoils which are designed to give you a proper fitting.
Which brand, size, thickness, etc of springs are you using? Might be springs designed for the trucks?!
The asso ones:
http://www.teamassociated.com/pdf/ca...ring_rates.pdf