Madvinegar's Corolla

[jamesjohn012]

Hi... Its nice with good color and have a good ride...

Performance Chips

[madvinegar]

Thank you for kind comments!

[dillonv]

Hi all. I just wanted to make a short presentation of my corolla. :P

I have a blue corolla E12 2004 model, 5door pro-f/l, which was initially 1.4 liters but I have converted it to 1.8 liters by using parts from an 1zzfe engine.

So, taking in mind that the engine blocks for 1zz, 3zz and 4zz engines are the same, I have replaced the pistons, the connecting rods and the crankshaft with the ones of a 1zz engine (celica 1zz).

I have also replaced my intake manifold and the throttle body with the ones of an Mr2 (1zz).

The output was about 140bhp and 18,7 kilograms of torque. Not bad I believe. The car is without any modification ECU chip etc.

Other than that I have the TTE springs on together with KYB AGX (lowered about 3mm).

I have a corolla TS exhaust.

Front brake disks and brake calipers from corolla TS (calipers painted red).

TSW volcano rims size 205/50/16 with Avon ZZ3 tires.

After market side spoilers.

TTE back spoiler.

Llumar titanium films on windows.

TTE quick shift with shift base bushings.

xcarlink mp3 player installed on the OEM radioCd.

I hope I am not forgetting something.

Any comments or questions are more than welcome! :D

Hello I love what you have made, nice corolla you have. i am getting to do this in the following months, Do i have to reprograme the ecu if i only change the pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft with a 1zz? And by the way thank you very much

[madvinegar]

Good morning my friend.

If you are not planning to reprogram the ECU, then indeed you should install crankshaft, connecting rods and especially pistons from 1zz.

When I oversized my engine this was all I had installed and the engine was running just fine. I had it just like this for many many kilometers.

After that I also installed an intake manifold and throttle body from 1zz in order to get more air into the engine.

I have done over 20.000 kilometers like this and the engine is running great. No reprogramming of the ECU, no bigger fuel injectors. The ECU and the injectors are still from the 4zz.

The good thing is that the ECU has adjusted on its own (at some level).

The consumption is much lower than when the car was 1400cc (of course if you drive it normally). If you floor the accelerator it consumes more but you get rewarded from the great difference in torque.

If you would like to see how the engine runs without reprogramming the ECU you can check my signature as I have dyno tested the car. Have a look at the diagramms.

142 bhp at 6.500rpm and about 17,5 kilograms of torque at 4.750rpm. Not bad, eh?...

I may proceed at simetime in the future to reprogram the ECU but just make some very minor corrections in the program. Other than that, the engine is just fine.

As I said in some post before, I believe that this is the best modification you can do to a 4zz engine. You get 45hp and 4 kilograms of torque more from a naturally aspirated and reliable car.

I wish you all the best with your project and I also wish you to be left as satisfied as I am. In case you have any more questions please let me know.

[sheepscloth]

Hi

Thanks for your comments regarding the KYB AGX.

I am looking at upgrading my shocks( with eibachs), but I was looking at Bilstein B8's. However, I have looked at (and heard good things about) KYB but the information available for these is very limited.

I was actually looking at the Ultra-SR, which is also supposed to be a performance damper.

Somehow I overlooked the AGX, but I like the fact it can be adjusted. How does these compare with the adjustable koni's?

Anyone else got experience with KYBs?

Cheers

[madvinegar]

I believe that KONI's or Ultra SRs "oblige" the ride to be permanently more "sportif" . This means that you cannot play with the adjustment and bring them to your own preference.

With KYB AGX you get a stiff ride and great improvement in handling but you also keep the normal ride of the car if you like. The adjustment is very easy. With a little screwdriver (provided together with the shocks) you adjust the front shocks (you just have to open the bonet), and just by hand you adjust the rear shocks (you just turn a round switch) but you have to lie down under the car. Total: 2 minutes work.

FYI the AGX adjustment is only regarding the stiffness (and not the height).

As I mentioned I have adjusted them 3 in front (out of 4) and 5 in back (out of 8). This is, lets say, a middle adjustment (going closer to stiff) and you keep both some smoothness and some stiffness.

I suppose that if I put maximum stiffness on them, the ride will be more sportif. I have not tried it yet... I am saving it when I will visit a track...

[sheepscloth]

Thanks.

Just found these reviews:

AGX

based on these reviews it looks like the AGXs are fading after just a year.

Have you experienced this?

[madvinegar]

hahaha...!

Not at all! And imagine that I have bought them as used!

It is true though that they should not be used with lowering springs.

I have TTE springs on, which, as you will read in the TTE web page, they work just fine with standard shocks.

The final decision is up to you ofcourse!

[sheepscloth]

thanks

when it comes to upgrade parts it is really a jungle out there.

In an earlier thread discussed the lack of objective/scientific tests available for performance parts.

It is so difficult to choose the best parts, but hey I guess that is part of the fun!

Happy new year!

[madvinegar]

Happy new year to you too my friend and I hope that you take the decision that suits you best.

Probably for me the AGXs are great but KONIs suit someone else better. It all comes down to the driving style or demands of each one of us.

At the bottom line, as I said, lets hope that we take the right decisions according to our own demands so as not to waste money, expecially during this economic crisis...

All the best.

[wangtastic]

hi madvinegar,

I've got a bit of money put by and I'm thinking of doing this upgrade very soon.

I've been looking on eBay and I can afford the pistons and the throttle body now, my question to you is:

can I upgrade in stages? I.E. put the throttle body in first then the new pistons then the crankshaft?

or do i need to do it all in one go?

thanks in advance

[madvinegar]

The only way you can go in stages is:

First stage:

Pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft from 1zzfe. (plus ofcourse a new headgasget, new crancshaft bearings etc.)

Second Stage:

Throttle body, intake manifold from 1zzfe.

Third stage:

fuel injectors from 1zzfe plus reprogramming of the ECU.

After that it is up to you i.e. to change the exchaust etc.

The first stage is the most expensive but must be done in one time. As you can understand, apart from the fact that the engine will not work with crankshaft and connecting rods from 4zz and pistons from 1zz, take also in mind that even if it did, you would have to dismandle the engine twice(!) or 3 times(!) which is the most dificult and expensive part of the operation! I can upload if you like some photos from when I did it, just to see the empty engine bay (as the engine has to be removed completely from the car before being dismandled), as well as my engine block ripped apart on a bench etc... But I stayed with the mechanic through the whole process. It was a great experience to see all this.

The car works just fine with just the 1st stage. It works even better with the 2nd stage and finally works perfect with 3rd stage.

So my suggestion is that firstly you have to gather all the parts for stage one. The car will be great and slowly slowly you can proceed with stages No2 (and No3 etc.). The first stage is the more determinative (and more expensive).

I am planning at sometime to get my ECU reprogrammed but probably I will keep my 4zz fuel injectors. I have learned that they are sufficient for the job... We'll see...

[wangtastic]

thanks for all the info man!

it's exactly what I was looking for, I shall start gathering the bits now.

if you could upload some pictures I would be most grateful. :)

[madvinegar]

Here are some pics!!!:

Something is missing ha???!!!

The block being ripped apart...

The header with the camshafts.

The 4zz crankshaft. Just compare this with the 1zz crankshaft from the photo I have in page1 of this thread... It's like the child next to his father... Just see the difference in the counterbalance weights...

[wangtastic]

Wow! haha what a difference.

I have so far bought:

Crankshaft

Pistons

and the connecting rods.

All from a celica engine from my friend :)

what else do I need now to complete stage one?

thanks again :)

[madvinegar]

I suppose you also need a new head gasket, new crankshaft bearings and new piston rings.

My only concern is if the pistons you got are the new type with the more oil holes.

When are you planning to do the work ??? !!

[wangtastic]

Thanks, I will buy those also. :)

The pistons are these ones:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170522941947&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_549wt_905

my friend replaced them about 2 months ago and bought the ones above.

I will hopefully do the work soon, I will be taking it to my friend Ed who is a mechanic and asking him to do it for me as my technical skills are limited to oil and spark plug changes haha!

[madvinegar]

I checked the part number of my pistons and it is different by only one digit (the last one). Mine have part No 13101-22032.

I will double check with my friend who works in a TOYOTA dealership and let you know if there is any kind of actual difference.

In any case, I HOPE EVERYTHING WORKS OUT PERFECTLY FOR YOU!!!

Keep us updated!

[wangtastic]

Aw mate you're too kind!

I really appreciate this!

I will keep you apprised and no doubt I will have a few more questions along the way :P

[madvinegar]

So, coming back to the matter I have just heard back from my friend who works in a TOYOTA dealership.

He told me that the part number of your pistons is one series older and they were replaced by the 13101-22032.

The problem is that he believes that since they are one series older, probably they have the limited number of oil holes and you may (I repeat "you may") experience oil burning at some time in the future. On the other hand, you may never experience it.

So, no worries. I just had to transfer his words to you as I owed you a reply.

Keep us updated about your project!

[wangtastic]

ahhh thanks buddy!

I've been trying to find the 13101-22032 pistons on the internet but I cannot for the life of me find anywhere to buy them from :(

Do you perhaps know where I could source some?

[madvinegar]

What can I tell you...? I bought mine brand new from a TOYOTA dealer in Greece...

As an administrator of www.corollaclub.com I have a reduction of 15% in all TOYOTA parts from this specific dealer...

[wangtastic]

Ahhh fair.

Well I might buy these older ones and keep checking my oil dipstick.

Thanks so much for your help!

[madvinegar]

Today's pics (as it remains clean...hehehe)

[Deepsky]

Very nice I like it.

You've managed to do some nice changes but still keep it looking tidy and smart and not 'in your face' like some other cars on here that look like they've been driven through a Wilco's store.

:)