Struts question.

[E-volve]

No, you cut above the pearch, so the spring will not drop.
The only lowering can be because the pretension you get in the spring by lowering the shock. Now you're springs will be free when you jack the car up.
The strutcase shortening is because of the the better working range for the shock, basically you don't lower the car more with it.

But when i see you're car, mine is about 1-2cm's lower i guess (on 195-50-15 tires also stripped). You can lower more if you shorten the strut a bit below the perch, but then you can better take some coilovers or grind of a ring of the spring.