Suspension Kits

[c88kie]

Hi there i am looking foa a little advice. owned my corolla t sport fo a couple of months now and i am looking to put a suspension kit or lowering springs as i moved up from a clio sport and it feels like am driving a coach at the minute, i would just like some opinions on which kit suits the car best, is it worth buying a full kit or would a set of springs do

Cheers cookie

[Ed_Shek]

Hi there i am looking foa a little advice. owned my corolla t sport fo a couple of months now and i am looking to put a suspension kit or lowering springs as i moved up from a clio sport and it feels like am driving a coach at the minute, i would just like some opinions on which kit suits the car best, is it worth buying a full kit or would a set of springs do

Cheers cookie

I think most people have gone for just lowering springs as it makes a vast difference to the handling. The shocks might faster though after the mod.

[Ckman85]

if ur considering both, i wud recommend Full Suspension, it will make a BIG difference compared to just lowering springs. i just lowered my Tsport with TTE lowering springs yesterday, but its only gna b a temporary mod until my warranty runs out next yr and then im planning to get KW Coilovers, i think people on this forum hav either lowered their car with lowering springs or Tein Basic Suspension

[Ed_Shek]

Hi there i am looking foa a little advice. owned my corolla t sport fo a couple of months now and i am looking to put a suspension kit or lowering springs as i moved up from a clio sport and it feels like am driving a coach at the minute, i would just like some opinions on which kit suits the car best, is it worth buying a full kit or would a set of springs do

Cheers cookie

If you go for lowering springs in the end let me know what you went for as I might consider this mod as well.

[dvw]

With regards sorting the T-Sport's suspension out you have three options, all of which will improve the cars handling which to be honest is a bit rubbish compared to the rest of the car especially the awesome engine! Three options are as follows, most expensive first:

1) Coilovers - As good as it gets. Adjustable so you can have the ride as low/firm as you like. £600 upwards? Tein or Eibachs seem to be very popular.

2) Suspension kits - These are new springs and new shocks designed to go together. Firms the ride up and loweres the car reducing body roll and braking lunge. Not adjustable. - £280 upwards. Gmax do a kit as do the above. I think TTE (toyotas own) also do a kit but it is pricey.

3) Lowering springs - Reduce body roll and brake lunge and firm ride slightly but not much. £109 upwards. Gmax, Eibach, Tein, TTE all very popular on here but whith variuos loweriing ratios. Standard shocks 'should' be fine.

I personally have the Gmax lowering springs fitted to my 5-door, pre-facelift. They lowered the front by 45mm and the rear by 30mm. The car looks great, with a real touring car type look being so low at the front. Also makes the standard wheels look bigger. The car handles great with hardly any body roll at the front, which is where it really matters anyway. I did have to repalce my rear shocks as they were faulty but they were poorly before I fitted the Gmax's. Went for KYB sports shocks and this again improved handling further. Will do the same to the front when they need replacing.

Other members also highly recommend a Front Strut Brace saying that these also improve handling but I have no experience of this. Uprated ant-roll bars also come highly recommended but again I don't know about this.

In my opinion (for what it's worth) go for the lowering springs. Then when you like the difference and want greater improvement then go for uprated shocks later on. Money was a factor for me though so I wasn't in a position to get it all done at the same time.

Hope this helps.

[Ed_Shek]

With regards sorting the T-Sport's suspension out you have three options, all of which will improve the cars handling which to be honest is a bit rubbish compared to the rest of the car especially the awesome engine! Three options are as follows, most expensive first:

1) Coilovers - As good as it gets. Adjustable so you can have the ride as low/firm as you like. £600 upwards? Tein or Eibachs seem to be very popular.

2) Suspension kits - These are new springs and new shocks designed to go together. Firms the ride up and loweres the car reducing body roll and braking lunge. Not adjustable. - £280 upwards. Gmax do a kit as do the above. I think TTE (toyotas own) also do a kit but it is pricey.

3) Lowering springs - Reduce body roll and brake lunge and firm ride slightly but not much. £109 upwards. Gmax, Eibach, Tein, TTE all very popular on here but whith variuos loweriing ratios. Standard shocks 'should' be fine.

I personally have the Gmax lowering springs fitted to my 5-door, pre-facelift. They lowered the front by 45mm and the rear by 30mm. The car looks great, with a real touring car type look being so low at the front. Also makes the standard wheels look bigger. The car handles great with hardly any body roll at the front, which is where it really matters anyway. I did have to repalce my rear shocks as they were faulty but they were poorly before I fitted the Gmax's. Went for KYB sports shocks and this again improved handling further. Will do the same to the front when they need replacing.

Other members also highly recommend a Front Strut Brace saying that these also improve handling but I have no experience of this. Uprated ant-roll bars also come highly recommended but again I don't know about this.

In my opinion (for what it's worth) go for the lowering springs. Then when you like the difference and want greater improvement then go for uprated shocks later on. Money was a factor for me though so I wasn't in a position to get it all done at the same time.

Hope this helps.

Does the lowered ride height mean you have to go really slow to go over speed humps?

[c88kie]

With regards sorting the T-Sport's suspension out you have three options, all of which will improve the cars handling which to be honest is a bit rubbish compared to the rest of the car especially the awesome engine! Three options are as follows, most expensive first:

1) Coilovers - As good as it gets. Adjustable so you can have the ride as low/firm as you like. £600 upwards? Tein or Eibachs seem to be very popular.

2) Suspension kits - These are new springs and new shocks designed to go together. Firms the ride up and loweres the car reducing body roll and braking lunge. Not adjustable. - £280 upwards. Gmax do a kit as do the above. I think TTE (toyotas own) also do a kit but it is pricey.

3) Lowering springs - Reduce body roll and brake lunge and firm ride slightly but not much. £109 upwards. Gmax, Eibach, Tein, TTE all very popular on here but whith variuos loweriing ratios. Standard shocks 'should' be fine.

I personally have the Gmax lowering springs fitted to my 5-door, pre-facelift. They lowered the front by 45mm and the rear by 30mm. The car looks great, with a real touring car type look being so low at the front. Also makes the standard wheels look bigger. The car handles great with hardly any body roll at the front, which is where it really matters anyway. I did have to repalce my rear shocks as they were faulty but they were poorly before I fitted the Gmax's. Went for KYB sports shocks and this again improved handling further. Will do the same to the front when they need replacing.

Other members also highly recommend a Front Strut Brace saying that these also improve handling but I have no experience of this. Uprated ant-roll bars also come highly recommended but again I don't know about this.

In my opinion (for what it's worth) go for the lowering springs. Then when you like the difference and want greater improvement then go for uprated shocks later on. Money was a factor for me though so I wasn't in a position to get it all done at the same time.

Hope this helps.

Does the lowered ride height mean you have to go really slow to go over speed humps?

Where is the best place to purchase a kit i have spent hours dsearching the net and it appears the corolla is not a very well stocked product, Any ideas?

[dvw]

Caution over speed bumps is advised although I have not actually come across any speed bumps that have caused me any problems as there is still a good 12cm clearance from the bottom of front splitter (the bit under the front plastic bumper) to the road surface. What you do need to watch out for is when parking with a kerb in front of the vehicle. You need to stop the car before the front spliiter scrapes the kerb instead of just letting the front of the vehicle go over it as you would normally. Still not a problem as parking spaces are plenty long enough.

With regards where to get mods from there are plenty of places depending on what you want. Both www.Gmaxsuspension.co.uk & www.fensport.co.uk offer a wide variety of CTS mods. Then you have Toyota's own performance division TTE but you will pay through the nose. Another good source of air filters etc. is www.POTN.com

Hope this helps

[CTS-Beast]

Hi ppl iam confused dont know what to do ive got a t-sport 05 plate and i wanna lower it dont know what springs to buy and how lower shall i go i have heard if u go lower than 35mm i will need new shocks i was wondering to go 45mm - 30mm what are good shocks to buy

[jam1e]

Hi ppl iam confused dont know what to do ive got a t-sport 05 plate and i wanna lower it dont know what springs to buy and how lower shall i go i have heard if u go lower than 35mm i will need new shocks i was wondering to go 45mm - 30mm what are good shocks to buy

I went for the TTE lowering springs as i still wanted my vertibre intact.

Don't regret it for a second, the car looks awsome and the ride is still comfy but the handling has improved alot!! :D

It all depends on what you're after, just take into account britains roads :censor:

[Ed_Shek]

With regards sorting the T-Sport's suspension out you have three options, all of which will improve the cars handling which to be honest is a bit rubbish compared to the rest of the car especially the awesome engine! Three options are as follows, most expensive first:

1) Coilovers - As good as it gets. Adjustable so you can have the ride as low/firm as you like. £600 upwards? Tein or Eibachs seem to be very popular.

2) Suspension kits - These are new springs and new shocks designed to go together. Firms the ride up and loweres the car reducing body roll and braking lunge. Not adjustable. - £280 upwards. Gmax do a kit as do the above. I think TTE (toyotas own) also do a kit but it is pricey.

3) Lowering springs - Reduce body roll and brake lunge and firm ride slightly but not much. £109 upwards. Gmax, Eibach, Tein, TTE all very popular on here but whith variuos loweriing ratios. Standard shocks 'should' be fine.

I personally have the Gmax lowering springs fitted to my 5-door, pre-facelift. They lowered the front by 45mm and the rear by 30mm. The car looks great, with a real touring car type look being so low at the front. Also makes the standard wheels look bigger. The car handles great with hardly any body roll at the front, which is where it really matters anyway. I did have to repalce my rear shocks as they were faulty but they were poorly before I fitted the Gmax's. Went for KYB sports shocks and this again improved handling further. Will do the same to the front when they need replacing.

Other members also highly recommend a Front Strut Brace saying that these also improve handling but I have no experience of this. Uprated ant-roll bars also come highly recommended but again I don't know about this.

In my opinion (for what it's worth) go for the lowering springs. Then when you like the difference and want greater improvement then go for uprated shocks later on. Money was a factor for me though so I wasn't in a position to get it all done at the same time.

Hope this helps.

Does the lowered ride height mean you have to go really slow to go over speed humps?

Where is the best place to purchase a kit i have spent hours dsearching the net and it appears the corolla is not a very well stocked product, Any ideas?

What amount getting up onto a kerb i.e. when moving out of the way of emergency vehicles?

[CTS-Beast]

I have bought some PI lowering springs that will low my car to 35mm all round will i need shocks

Hi ppl iam confused dont know what to do ive got a t-sport 05 plate and i wanna lower it dont know what springs to buy and how lower shall i go i have heard if u go lower than 35mm i will need new shocks i was wondering to go 45mm - 30mm what are good shocks to buy

I went for the TTE lowering springs as i still wanted my vertibre intact.

Don't regret it for a second, the car looks awsome and the ride is still comfy but the handling has improved alot!! :D

It all depends on what you're after, just take into account britains roads :censor:

[linty264]

If your after coilovers which i would highly recommend, try fensport or funkystyling for decent price on Tein basic coilovers I have them and they are well worth the money, £440 the last time i looked on fensport. They have transformed my t sport into a roundabout hugging machine lol

[CTS-Beast]

I have bought some PI lowering springs that will low my car to 35mm all round will i need shocks

[dvw]

I am no expert in these matters so I asked the people who are meant to know. First of all I asked Gmax, the springs manufacturer and they told me that the springs were designed to work with the car's standard shocks. Then I asked the guy at Toyota who sold me the car as he was the one that told me to lower it and he mentioned nothing about needing to change the shocks. I then went ahead and got my Gmax springs fitted.

200 miles later and my car was in the garage having its front 'anti-roll bar linkage' replaced. 500 miles after this and the car was back in the garage having its rear shocks replaced as they were completely knackered!

I asked the mechanic if the lowering springs were responsible for all the problems and he wasn't sure. I asked on the forum and no one else seemed to have had these problems so perhaps I was just unfortunate?

I suppose anytime we start making modifications to our cars than there is always the chance we disturb something that may have been slightly faulty on the car already due to wear and tear but in answer to your question, I was told that the whole point of lowering springs was that they were a way to lower your car and improve it's handling without having the expense of new shocks aswell.

Hope this helps.

[Ed_Shek]

I am no expert in these matters so I asked the people who are meant to know. First of all I asked Gmax, the springs manufacturer and they told me that the springs were designed to work with the car's standard shocks. Then I asked the guy at Toyota who sold me the car as he was the one that told me to lower it and he mentioned nothing about needing to change the shocks. I then went ahead and got my Gmax springs fitted.

200 miles later and my car was in the garage having its front 'anti-roll bar linkage' replaced. 500 miles after this and the car was back in the garage having its rear shocks replaced as they were completely knackered!

I asked the mechanic if the lowering springs were responsible for all the problems and he wasn't sure. I asked on the forum and no one else seemed to have had these problems so perhaps I was just unfortunate?

I suppose anytime we start making modifications to our cars than there is always the chance we disturb something that may have been slightly faulty on the car already due to wear and tear but in answer to your question, I was told that the whole point of lowering springs was that they were a way to lower your car and improve it's handling without having the expense of new shocks aswell.

Hope this helps.

Could it be that this only affects older cars. Newer cars should be ok???

[CTS-Beast]

I have bought some PI lowering springs that will low my car to 35mm all round that means i will need shocks then

I am no expert in these matters so I asked the people who are meant to know. First of all I asked Gmax, the springs manufacturer and they told me that the springs were designed to work with the car's standard shocks. Then I asked the guy at Toyota who sold me the car as he was the one that told me to lower it and he mentioned nothing about needing to change the shocks. I then went ahead and got my Gmax springs fitted.

200 miles later and my car was in the garage having its front 'anti-roll bar linkage' replaced. 500 miles after this and the car was back in the garage having its rear shocks replaced as they were completely knackered!

I asked the mechanic if the lowering springs were responsible for all the problems and he wasn't sure. I asked on the forum and no one else seemed to have had these problems so perhaps I was just unfortunate?

I suppose anytime we start making modifications to our cars than there is always the chance we disturb something that may have been slightly faulty on the car already due to wear and tear but in answer to your question, I was told that the whole point of lowering springs was that they were a way to lower your car and improve it's handling without having the expense of new shocks aswell.

Hope this helps.

Could it be that this only affects older cars. Newer cars should be ok???

[dvw]

Hi CTS-Beast.

Just wondering how you got on with your lowering springs. Have you had to do anything else to your car?

[CTS-Beast]

i got my springs fitted and it seems to be ok no problem with them but the car looks nice now lol

Hi CTS-Beast.

Just wondering how you got on with your lowering springs. Have you had to do anything else to your car?

[Demo_202]

Coilovers = worth every penny :D

[pauljack]

questions:

1 -What are coilovers?

1a - where do you buy them?

1c - who fits them and how long / much?

2 - is the Compressor suspension diffferent to the T sport?

3 - so what is best way to improve handling

cheers paul

[Demo_202]

questions:

1 -What are coilovers?

1a - where do you buy them?

1c - who fits them and how long / much?

2 - is the Compressor suspension diffferent to the T sport?

3 - so what is best way to improve handling

cheers paul

1. Adjustable suspension, depending on how much you spend, height and dampening will be adjustable.

1b. Online, or the majority of car shops includding Halfords. FK is the cheaper end but still good... KW's are the s*x

1c. Can do it yourself or a garage can for about £120

2. Dont think so, but don't hold me to that

3. Strut brace and coilovers :D

[RUNXZ]

I am no expert in these matters so I asked the people who are meant to know. First of all I asked Gmax, the springs manufacturer and they told me that the springs were designed to work with the car's standard shocks. Then I asked the guy at Toyota who sold me the car as he was the one that told me to lower it and he mentioned nothing about needing to change the shocks. I then went ahead and got my Gmax springs fitted.

200 miles later and my car was in the garage having its front 'anti-roll bar linkage' replaced. 500 miles after this and the car was back in the garage having its rear shocks replaced as they were completely knackered!

I asked the mechanic if the lowering springs were responsible for all the problems and he wasn't sure. I asked on the forum and no one else seemed to have had these problems so perhaps I was just unfortunate?

I suppose anytime we start making modifications to our cars than there is always the chance we disturb something that may have been slightly faulty on the car already due to wear and tear but in answer to your question, I was told that the whole point of lowering springs was that they were a way to lower your car and improve it's handling without having the expense of new shocks aswell.

Hope this helps.

Hi guys i hail from Trinidad in the caribbean and i might be able to help explain why lowering the stock car may be causing problems. The problem with adding lowering springs and not changing from standard shocks is that standard shocks are designed to work within a specific range from fully extended to fully compressed. Shocks in general are designed to control spring movement, without shocks you would just bounce down the road. With this in mind when you ad lowering springs which are usually 30% stiffer than stock your stock shocks do not have enough compression and rebound to control the springs which causes the car to bounce arround. The other problem is you have now decreased your suspension travel by the amount u lowered the car. If your stock shocks have 5 inches of travel before they bottom out and you lower the car 2 in, you have just lost 2 in of travel out the shock. This combined with the stiffness problem causes your shocks to bottom out frequently and cause stock shocks to die. I had an ae111 and i went through the exact problems you guys are going through, but i bought books on suspension and did alot of research and the truth is if you wanna lower your car save your money and buy a matched set of springs and shocks or a good coilover. Tokico now sell a awsome shock out of the states called the Tokico D-Spec/HTS. It is a shortened shock so u can lower your car and maintain full travel as well as it is 40 way adjustable compression and rebound with the turn of a knob. This means u can run basically any spring. I personally ran Tein HR coilovers in my ae111 with 400lb/in springs front and 350lb/in rear which was quite a harsh ride but the car handled like a go cart and i had awsome control even on rougher road. If you are a weekend racer and dont mind a stiffer ride and be able to adjust yah ride height id say go with TEIN coilovers, if you would like to lower your car and have a good handling car and not compromise ride quality too much i would say a lowering spring and a shortened shock is for you. Hope this helped guys, i went through alot of different set ups before i got it right, i dont want that to happen to anyone else its a waste of money and time. Oh and im running a Toyota Corolla RUNX Z now its the same as your Corolla T-Sport, but a bit lighter and no traction control, it has the 2zzge in it. Right now its stock but i have some plans for her ***** :)