Wanting to go 1" lower. Spring recommendations?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

I think you will find that underneath you are very low. Trying to go an inch lower than that safely it will be struggle to retain suspension travel. If you do manage 'o get it that low I put money on you hating how it rides

Very true. That reminds me, I have to measure the clearance under the car with my current springs. I'll be sure to do that shortly. I don't mind sacrificing a bit of comfort but if it feels like I'm constantly driving down a gravel road it's another story

If you are only interested in appearance & not performance than I would suggest having your current springs compressed & your shocks shortened to suit if required.
Quick, easy & cheap.

Photo is of my friends AE101 FX-GT, tucking 18s up under the back guards

That's awesome. Sits at a nice height. With my 17's it should sit just above the tyre. Any idea what the ride comfort is like in his car? Love that plate by the way

Two or three bags of sand in the boot will do the trick or a chubby chick in the passenger seat will work too

Haha, an easy solution but would cost a fortune in the long run since I'd be burning more fuel carting around all that extra weight (plus the food for the chubby chick)

I may be selling the springs and shocks that are in my corolla in the next few months..

Good to know . What springs and shocks are they? And what model Corolla do you have?

[solitaire]

Just my 2 cents, I think it looks awesome just how it is.

I think its time to attack engine bay, rest of the car is near perfect in my opinion.

[d1 mule]

Just my 2 cents, I think it would look awesomer 1
' lower

I think its time to attack engine bay (7agte), rest of the car is 1" lower away from perfect in my opinion.

[eskimo]

^^ agreed, drop a 7agte in it

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Just my 2 cents, I think it looks awesome just how it is.

I think its time to attack engine bay, rest of the car is near perfect in my opinion.

Thanks. I quite like the way it looks now too, although since a friend of mine did the Photoshop of it an inch lower the other day it really got me thinking. It's always been in the back of my mind that I'd like to go a tad lower but it wasn't until I saw the photo that it gave me the incentive to look into it. You're right though, putting the money towards an engine swap would be far more beneficial. Hopefully I can get it to look as good as it will perform before that time comes

Just my 2 cents, I think it would look awesomer 1
' lower

I think its time to attack engine bay (7agte), rest of the car is 1" lower away from perfect in my opinion.

^^ agreed, drop a 7agte in it

Lol, donations welcome

[MR2SIK]

Hmm. A fwd that low\bouncy with a 4/7agte.. Sounds like a recipe for alot of tyre smoke or a one way ride into a ditch on the side of the road.
I'd think about suspension that will work with future engine work.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Hmm. A fwd that low\bouncy with a 4/7agte.. Sounds like a recipe for alot of tyre smoke or a one way ride into a ditch on the side of the road.
I'd think about suspension that will work with future engine work.

The extent of any future engine work would be a 4A-GE 20v Blacktop, so nothing too overly powerful. For some reason Toyota opted to not to put a front sway bar in the SE Limited model so it oversteers quite a bit if accelerating heavily around curvy motorway on-ramps (which I must admit is a lot less unnerving than understeer ).

I just measured the clearance under my car on level concrete and I'm currently sitting 120mm from the ground. The flexi pipe for my exhaust sits at exactly 100mm from the ground but that's not structural so I think I'm allgood in that regard.

So technically if I dropped it an inch (25mm) I'd be under the legal limit by about 5mm, although I think a drop of about half an inch would be more realistic with Super Low King Springs, bringing me just above the limit.

This is a shot I took the other day, where I chucked the self-timer on the camera and jumped in the back to make it a fraction lower (I weigh about 65kg). This is the height I'd ideally like to achieve all round (for some reason my front right has always been slightly lower than the front left so the other side) -

[Grrrrrrr!]

. For some reason Toyota opted to not to put a front sway bar in the SE Limited model so it oversteers quite a bit if accelerating heavily around curvy motorway on-ramps (which I must admit is a lot less unnerving than understeer ).

Eh? a front tugger oversteering under acceleration? You sure you haven't got your over and understeer mixed up?

[Snoozin]

If you are only interested in appearance & not performance than I would suggest having your current springs compressed & your shocks shortened to suit if required.
Quick, easy & cheap.

Photo is of my friends AE101 FX-GT, tucking 18s up under the back guards

I remember this car from my Chch days... quite like.

Anyway...

Save up the cash, put coilovers in it, and super slam it. AE101 Corolla super touring cars should provide all the inspiration you need.

Don't compress the springs it's about the worst option possible, no change in spring rate, coil binding, just absolute gayness.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Eh? a front tugger oversteering under acceleration? You sure you haven't got your over and understeer mixed up?

Nope, haven't got them mixed up . If accelerating around a wide bend in say second gear at 60kph it will understeer a bit towards the barrier then oversteer . So it does initially understeer, but when the weight shifts back towards the centre as the centrifugal force becomes less near the end of the bend it oversteers a bit and you can feel the ass slip out a fraction. It's because it's got a rear swaybar but no front swaybar, thus increasing the likelihood of oversteer when pushed to it's limits. So if I fitted a front swaybar it would reduce the oversteer when pushed to it's max, but increase understeer in the same situation.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Save up the cash, put coilovers in it, and super slam it. AE101 Corolla super touring cars should provide all the inspiration you need.

Don't compress the springs it's about the worst option possible, no change in spring rate, coil binding, just absolute gayness.

Yeah I think coilovers might be the only real option here. I've been doing a bit of research online into Super Low springs (such as King Springs) and have heard they're kidney killers and that if you don't want to get a replacement spine after every drive it's best to stick with the lows. What I may just do is stick with what I've got in the meantime until I can save up for some coilovers and do it properly. The cost will be a lot greater than chucking in a pair of King Springs and shortened shocks, but if it means that I won't be dreading driving my car because it's too uncomfortable then so be it

[2jayzgte]

Have you had a look at the TRD options for your car???

I'd say stay away from coilovers they are a have and if you want the good coilover suspension you have to spend alot of money alot around being offered in the $1-2 K range a rubbish alot will tell you different but for real I think coilovers are the worst way to go.

I think if you want the best comprimise for a look and ride quality I'd hit one of the TNZ parts guys on this site and have a good look at what TRD has to offer for your car.My biggest reason for going down this route is you get a suspension setup soughted by people who no what there doing not the best guess option which is what coilovers are a best guess hence why they have 16 and 20 way adjustability.

[phoenix]

I agree the TRD springs are a great choice but I don't think they would give the height he is after?

Tein S.Tech would be my pick, would probably be around the same height as the Jamex but from my experience are a lot better product.

[Grrrrrrr!]

As far as coilovers (and dampers in general) go, try reading this link that Al posted on the mr2 club forums.

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html

It might put you off the sort of coilovers you can afford for life. Of course if you want to spend $7-15k on coilovers im sure koni or ohlins will be able to sort you out.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Have you had a look at the TRD options for your car???

I'd say stay away from coilovers they are a have and if you want the good coilover suspension you have to spend alot of money alot around being offered in the $1-2 K range a rubbish alot will tell you different but for real I think coilovers are the worst way to go.

I think if you want the best comprimise for a look and ride quality I'd hit one of the TNZ parts guys on this site and have a good look at what TRD has to offer for your car.My biggest reason for going down this route is you get a suspension setup soughted by people who no what there doing not the best guess option which is what coilovers are a best guess hence why they have 16 and 20 way adjustability.

TRD springs had crossed my mind before I originally bought my current springs a few years ago, and while I'm sure they'd handle brilliantly they're a bit on the high side unfortunately. They'd probably sit at about the same height as my current springs, if not higher. Would be nice to use genuine parts as I'd be confident in their quality however and it would go with the theme of my car, but right now looks are more important to me the the handling characteristics as the car is never raced and rarely thrashed.

I agree the TRD springs are a great choice but I don't think they would give the height he is after?

Tein S.Tech would be my pick, would probably be around the same height as the Jamex but from my experience are a lot better product.

I've heard great things about those springs, but a friend of mine in the US is running Tein S-Techs in his AE101 and by the looks of the photo he showed me it seems to sit at about the same height as mine. Here's the pic:

As far as coilovers (and dampers in general) go, try reading this link that Al posted on the mr2 club forums.

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html

It might put you off the sort of coilovers you can afford for life. Of course if you want to spend $7-15k on coilovers im sure koni or ohlins will be able to sort you out.

Thanks for the link. Makes for a very interesting read . $7-15k is a little out of my price range I'm afraid , but certainly gives me a lot to think about.

[iOnic]

Just keep it at current height IMO. It doesn't look horrid or anything. Is that small drop really worth spending $2k+ (expect to pay at least 50% of the price of coilovers on top of purchase price to get them installed, certified and an alignment done) to end up with worse handling and comfort?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Just keep it at current height IMO. It doesn't look horrid or anything. Is that small drop really worth spending $2k+ (expect to pay at least 50% of the price of coilovers on top of purchase price to get them installed, certified and an alignment done) to end up with worse handling and comfort?

Hmm, yeah it's starting to sound more and more like it's not going to be worth my while to spend such a huge amount of money on something that isn't going to make a hell of a lot of difference (in terms of looks anyway). I'd be better off spending that sort of money on an engine swap

[Al]

Fit a 3SGTE and e153 box up front and some bags of sand in the boot. Ride height sorted. It will only work for a week though

[iOnic]

Fit a 3SGTE and e153 box up front and and another one of each in the boot. Ride height sorted. The 3SGTE's will only work for a week though

[Al]

*touch wood* haven't had a 3S fail me yet!