New To The Cts Club.

[whitt]

hi . im pickin my 04 plate cts on thurs. jst wanting to kno a few things like what to expect etc etc. but first off want to change the springs for a 35 or 40 mm drop. do i need to change the shocks as well. any help would be great cheers

also need help with fittin new stereo.well a guide to get the old one out? and recomend an induction.

[UK86_MarK]

First of all Welcome to the Club mate. Always nice to see another CTS driver in the world :)

I've had my 04 CTS for 7 months now, and i haven't come across any problems. Some will say that the gear change is a bit knocthy when the engine is cold, but i've spoken to 2 separate mechanics ( Toyota being one of them) both have told me that its a normal thing in the T Sport. However one of the other guys MiniMarc is working on a fix for this.

The radio is also known to come away from the dash, not by alot, about 5mm along the top. However i had this problem fixed under warrenty so no idea how much it is to fix. Apart from these mate, lovely car that i have enjoyed and will carry on enjoying for ages. Performance wise (if you test drove your CTS you will know what im on about :) ) is very good. You'll never get bored of hitting the 'lift' at 6200rpm.

Unfortunatly my CTS is completly stock, so i haven't had any experiance with lowering springs, but many people here have :)

Enjoy your CTS mate!!

Mark

[MarcTS]

Hi there and welcome to TOC, you're going to love the CTS.

OK a few thinks to expect...

• The OE brakes are pretty rubbish so I'd be looking to get some new discs and pads (especially for the front);
  
• as Mark has stated, the gear changes can take some strength to engage at times and feel quite notchy. My car is being repaired atm (wheel fell off) and when I get it back I will hopefully be able to post a fix to get the gears changing like silk :D
  
• The tyres wear down pretty fast and are horrid in the wet so as and when you need to replace them, get some better ones rather than replacing like for like. I put some Toyo Proxes T1Rs on mine and the difference was amazing. I could definitely feel the tyres dig in and grip the road whereas before it was very floaty and a bit scary when accellerating as I didn't have much confidence in the grip.
  
• As you've already mentioned, new springs are a must (as a minimum). Others will say get a full setup from koni/tein etc but I htought getting some 30mm Eibach springs was well worth the money. The handling improved dramatically and definitely improves the profile of the car. Most people say that 35mm is about as low as you can drop the car before needing to look at new shocks aswell but I know of 2 people (there may be others) who have g-max springs on their rollas and from memory I believe they drop the car by 45mm and neither of them have put new shocks on.
  
• There are a few induction kits out there for the CTS and you can't go wrong with a K&N Typhoon but there's also the PiperCross, the 57i and one by Blitz too. I haven't got one myself so I'll leave proper recommendations to others.
  
• The radio does have a fitment problem (again mentioned by Mark) and if you search for posts and threads by man_bing he has a link to some pictures on how to remove and replace the cd player. There is also lots of discussion on fixing the fitment of the standard cd unit and a quick search of the corolla forum will provide a few results for you.
  

Again welcome and enjoy the forum and especially the new car

[UK86_MarK]

Minimarc,

Just out of curiosity, did you fit your 30mm eibach's yourself? Or buy them and just get them fitted?

Looked at some 30mm springs today, just pricing them up :)

Cheers mate

Mark

[whitt]

cheers for all that mate. jst cant wait to pick it up on thurs. jst ordered a facia plate off eBay due to my local Halfords having nothing in for a toyota at all. useless.need it to fit my pioneer avh unit in so i can get all my system in asap cant cope with stock stereos.i have looked at the typhoon induction kit and its very temptin but want to get it lowered first so jst lokin for the Eibach springs or g max. g max only do one option tho that iv seen which is 45f and 30 r? the other way round would be alot better goin lower on the rear.?haft to research it more. but thanks for all ur advice and help

[MarcTS]

Minimarc,

Just out of curiosity, did you fit your 30mm eibach's yourself? Or buy them and just get them fitted?

Looked at some 30mm springs today, just pricing them up :)

Cheers mate

Mark

I had them fitted as it was one of the first things I did to the car and didn't want to screw it up. Given the chance again, I'd probably do it myself but some people say its a nightmare on the rolla.

[UK86_MarK]

Cool, thanks mate :) Just you local garage?

Mark

[MarcTS]

Coll. thanks mate. Just you local garage?

Yeppers

[dvw]

Welcome to TOC!!

I have the GMax springs fitted dropping 45mm at front and 30mm at rear. The standard shocks are fine as Gmax have designed the springs to fit over the stock shocks. Tried to do it myself with a friend who restores classic cars. What a MARE!! Ended up taking it to a garage and having it done right. Some have said they have fitted the springs themselves but for me and a car that has only done 13K two of my shock mounts had seized and had to be angle grinded loose and the anti-roll bar linkage broke. BUT, the handling is greatly improved (over my pre-facelift CTS). It is a bit skittery at the back now especially when turn right at speed over broken tarmac but the front just feels so much more confident and sure of itself and body roll is all but gone.

Hope this helps,

DVW