Shock absorbers/ Suspension?

[ToNo10]

Hi, I have a mint 2010 Avensis, I find the ride too firm, has anybody swopped/ modifies their shocks or suspension to get a slightly softer ride?

Thanks 👍

[TonyHSD]

Hi, 

toyota shocks are usually very reliable and last ages, how’s in some cases they can get faulty in a different way and got stuck which means there will be almost or no movement at all. The all cushion from road will be done by the tyres flex only and the ride quality can be horrible. 
These events often happens after the car been in a garage for tyre replacement or any other work where car been lifted with wheels off the ground for 30 min or more , the shocks can become rock solid. To check that  look the tyre arch gap and see if any higher clearance has occurred, compare to other same model cars. Try to push down each corner but be careful as usual Toyota cars are hard to press down. Another test is if you have a hydraulic jack lift up each tyre and release jack slightly faster to see if the car will sink down or drop solid. 
Those are most common signs and how to look for. If you about to replace shocks only do so if you are 100% sure they are faulty. Shocks that are known to be on the more comfortable side are Sachs, but lately those are made in China and I haven’t use any to say for sure they are good like before . Your Toyota original ones are likely to be made by KYB. 

[ToNo10]

I really appreciate your feedback, thank you 👍

[avensisnz]

The T27 Avensis does have very firm front suspension. It's my main gripe with my 2013 Avensis. Apparently, Toyota was going through a phase where their chief engineer wanted their cars to feel more sporty, but that's not what Toyota buyers want. In the third T27 facelift (2015-2018) they softened up the suspension. Maybe you could fit new front struts from that model?

[Cessna]

On 5/5/2024 at 10:28 AM, avensisnz said:

Apparently, Toyota was going through a phase where their chief engineer wanted their cars to feel more sporty, but that's not what Toyota buyers want.

I do! I was very pleasantly surprised that my T27 wagon didn't roll like barge when I test drove it. I don't find it tiring on a long journey either. I appreciate not everybody wants sporty handling though, and would prefer being able to waft along. It would be interesting to know what the proportion of those for and against sporty handling is in the Toyota customer base.

[Seb_90]

I've got a 2005 Avensis, I was thinkg to completely replace the struts and springs as the original one are now 157k miles old. 

I can get 4 springs and 4 shocks from MONROE for under £300. Does anyone know if this is a good brand?

[TonyHSD]

4 hours ago, Seb_90 said:

I've got a 2005 Avensis, I was thinkg to completely replace the struts and springs as the original one are now 157k miles old. 

I can get 4 springs and 4 shocks from MONROE for under £300. Does anyone know if this is a good brand?

Generally speaking it is a good brand and have their shocks fitted to some makes as oem, how good they are in comparison to oem Toyota or KYB I can’t say. 

[avensisnz]

On 5/6/2024 at 11:12 PM, Cessna said:

I do! I was very pleasantly surprised that my T27 wagon didn't roll like barge when I test drove it. I don't find it tiring on a long journey either. I appreciate not everybody wants sporty handling though, and would prefer being able to waft along. It would be interesting to know what the proportion of those for and against sporty handling is in the Toyota customer base.

Don't get me wrong, it's great at motorway speeds, but if you live in a city with rough roads (like I do), it can be quite jarring.

[ToNo10]

Yes, the suspension on the T27 is far too hard.

[yossarian247]

My wife unfortunately grew to hate our T27 due to the firm ride. Whilst the handling was pretty good, it was no better handling than our current Corolla TS which has a far smoother ride (and is not much smaller than the Avensis). 

[ToNo10]

I don’t know what possessed Toyota to put a ‘sporty’ suspension on the Avensis - that’s not what that demographic wanted!!  🤔

[Cessna]

1 hour ago, ToNo10 said:

I don’t know what possessed Toyota to put a ‘sporty’ suspension on the Avensis - that’s not what that demographic wanted!!  🤔

That is just an assumption on your part. Neither you or I know the actual figures for the potential customer base. Just because you do not like a sporty suspension does not mean others (perhaps even the majority) do.

[ToNo10]

No, Toyota got it wrong! They envisaged the ‘new model’ would attract ‘those in their 30’s’, but it didn’t. When did you last seen a 20-30yo driving a Avensis? When did you last see a taxi driver or an OAP in an Avensis driving it like a sports saloon? 

Edited May 11 by ToNo10
Typo

[yossarian247]

Compare the T27 Avensis to say, a Mondeo of the same age. Ford managed to give the Mondeo good handling and  a comfortable ride. The ride quality really let the Avensis down in my opinion. In most other respects ours was a fantastic car and 100% reliable.

[ToNo10]

That is perfectly true!  I have had a Sierra Sapphire from new, a Ford Mondeo from new, niether of them had the jarring suspension of the Avensis.

[Cessna]

23 hours ago, ToNo10 said:

No, Toyota got it wrong! They envisaged the ‘new model’ would attract ‘those in their 30’s’, but it didn’t. When did you last seen a 20-30yo driving a Avensis? When did you last see a taxi driver or an OAP in an Avensis driving it like a sports saloon? 

This is still just your opinion and nothing more. Being a scientist I like to see the data rather than blindly jump to conclusions.

[ToNo10]

I have done my research and Toyota have documented the fact that the ‘new shape’ was aimed at a younger demographic, the 20-30’s. Major miscalculation! That is probably why the first appearance of the Avensis/USA equiv. was showcased in the late teens- late twenties cult Tv show ‘Dexter’, he was seen bundling a body into the boot.

[avensisnz]

Toyota's press release for the 2015 Avensis facelift talks about improved ride quality, so clearly they knew it was a problem.

Toyota's latest platforms, e.g. the new Corolla, show you can create a suspension system that irons out bumps, yet still attacks corners without body roll.

[ToNo10]

Thanks 👍

[Cessna]

On 5/12/2024 at 12:30 PM, ToNo10 said:

I have done my research and Toyota have documented the fact that the ‘new shape’ was aimed at a younger demographic, the 20-30’s. Major miscalculation!

I still do not see any evidence that it is a "major miscalculation". I am not saying it was or was not. I am saying that unless somebody has asked a reasonable number of owners we do not know if was a major miscalculation or not.

[ToNo10]

The major miscalculation was that they only sold very modestly to individual buyers and By 2015, around 87% of all Avensis sales were to fleet and business customers!!

[Cessna]

17 hours ago, ToNo10 said:

The major miscalculation was that they only sold very modestly to individual buyers and By 2015, around 87% of all Avensis sales were to fleet and business customers!!

Do have comparable figures for previous models, or indeed competitor models? Do you have projections from Toyota for the split between private and fleet/business customers? Without both of those you are just guessing it was a miscalculation.

[ToNo10]

Do you think that I dreamt up the spilt figures!?

 

[Cessna]

On 5/14/2024 at 11:02 AM, ToNo10 said:

Do you think that I dreamt up the spilt figures!?

Not at all. I said "do have comparable figures for previous models, or indeed competitor models? Do you have projections from Toyota for the split between private and fleet/business customers? Without both of those you are just guessing it was a miscalculation."

You have the actual split figures, but you do not have Toyota's original projections, and you do not have figures for competitors' models, so you are simply not in a position to state whether or not it is a miscalculation. Thinking about it some more, it is the original projections or a definitive statement from Toyota stating it was a miscalculation that would show it was a miscalculation. Anything else is a guess!

 

[ToNo10]

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