E12 ZZE121 Hatchback Coilovers/Shocks

[Cottondell]

Does anyone know of any sub-£1000 performance shocks or coilovers for a 2005 corolla hatchback?

[APS]

At that price you are restricted to "Chinesium" ones.

https://www.pbbrakes.com/toyota-corolla-e12-coilover-suspension-kit.html

 

I'd sooner go with BC but then you'll be over a grand, which is still cheap for decent coilovers. 

https://www.bc-racing.co.uk/applications/toyota-coilovers/toyota-corolla/toyota-corolla-zze130-01-07-matrix-03.html

 

You get what you pay for. Cheap steel ones rust like there's no tomorrow and you quickly loose the ability to adjust ride height.

[APS]

Also take a look at what non-coilover options there are. KYB do firmer damper versions of the OEM dampers that you can combine with shorter springs. We used this on the Yaris Tsport where we actually kept running the OEM springs. 

[flash22]

Koni adjustables and Eibach springs will be in your budget

[Cottondell]

On 4/18/2024 at 11:59 AM, APS said:

At that price you are restricted to "Chinesium" ones.

https://www.pbbrakes.com/toyota-corolla-e12-coilover-suspension-kit.html

 

I'd sooner go with BC but then you'll be over a grand, which is still cheap for decent coilovers. 

https://www.bc-racing.co.uk/applications/toyota-coilovers/toyota-corolla/toyota-corolla-zze130-01-07-matrix-03.html

 

You get what you pay for. Cheap steel ones rust like there's no tomorrow and you quickly loose the ability to adjust ride height.

Thanks for the suggestions. I can stretch the budget a few £100 over a grand but don't want to go too far as the car itself was only £3500.

I've seen them BC coilovers before but not specifically for a ZZE121 chassis - Are the ones you linked definitely compatible with my chassis?

[APS]

5 minutes ago, Cottondell said:

don't want to go too far as the car itself was only £3500

That logic falls down very quickly when working with older cars. You could buy a car for a few hundred pounds and spend 10 grand on it - easily. You cannot look at it as a financial investment. It's an investment in yourself. Like a holiday. You'd easily spend £1300 on a holiday. 

 

12 minutes ago, Cottondell said:

Are the ones you linked definitely compatible with my chassis?

It was the closest I could find, but you need to contact them to verify. 

Again, KYB, Koni and lowering springs like Eibach are perfectly fine alternatives. The difference is mainly that you cannot easily adjust ride height.

[flash22]

Give Fensport a ring or drop them an email

https://www.fensport.co.uk/

[Obsidian Estate]

 TEIN coilovers would be well in budget. I had some Flex Z on my GT86.

[APS]

2 hours ago, flash22 said:

Give Fensport a ring or drop them an email

+1 for Fensport - always helpful and can do the install and setup for you if you come to them.

[Cyker]

Fensport are great - Always very helpful on the few times I've sourced stuff from them.

You could get 2nd hand ones for a lot less, but may be a bit of a gamble as it's difficult to know what condition they're in.

On a side note, what's so good about coilovers vs normal shocks and springs anyway?

 

[flash22]

Adjustability

with coilovers you have the added cost of setup, not great if the car is a daily driver

[Cottondell]

On 4/24/2024 at 12:59 PM, APS said:

That logic falls down very quickly when working with older cars. You could buy a car for a few hundred pounds and spend 10 grand on it - easily. You cannot look at it as a financial investment. It's an investment in yourself. Like a holiday. You'd easily spend £1300 on a holiday.

That's a good way to look at it, makes me feel less guilty as well. Ill send Fensport an email and see if they know what options should fit my car.

Between coilovers and shocks/springs, what would you recommend for a daily with some "spirited" driving on the weekends. I'd like to get some new rims eventually so would the adjustability of the coilovers be a big advantage or not worth the extra cost? I don't mind the setup time.

[APS]

Good question. Coilovers will give you hours of 'fun' adjusting and tweaking your suspension while standard fit dampers and springs will be more set and forget, less faff. The way coilovers are designed with smaller diameter springs they may also give you a bit more space for wider tyres, more negative rim offset, and/or negative camber. The other positive with coilovers is that they offer a wide range of adjustability of damping and it is usually easy to go back to the manufacturer to get softer or harder springs. Too firm damping can really make a car very jittery and bouncy. in a nutshell, coilovers are more flexible and give you more choice in the future. 

That said, the Corolla as a platform is quite limited in terms of wheel alignment, in the rear in particular. I'd say a set of KYB or adjustable Koni with lowering springs will be fine. It is very easy, and tempting, to make a car too stiff. But, for weekend B-road blasts, you don't want the car to be too low or too stiff or you will loose grip as the car bounces on bumps and bashes the underside (of course, this is assuming the backroads around you are as poor and uneven as they are here). 

Coilovers are worth it if you are a tinkerer who likes to try new setups and combinations. They are by no means essential for having fun or even doing the odd track day here and there.