Gen 2 guys with suspension. Do our cars suck at handling?

[Talisman]

Okay, this is for all the Gen 2 guys out there with at least struts and springs. If you have the sway bars and/or strut bar, that is even better. Good tires are a plus also.

What I want to know is how our cars handle to you guys. I want you to answer this as truthfully as possible. I have driven a lot of cars and I enjoy driving mine the best out of all the cars I have driven. I have Intrax with KYB's and the strut bar. I also have 17 with Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712's. I have found that my car handles excellent for a 15 year old family car. However, when I posted about suspension on my local board, I once again got basically called a liar for saying that my car out handles many cars. I am not claiming it to be a sports car by any means but it surprises me sometimes with how well it handles. What do you guys think? I would like yout o compare it to other cars you have driven and tell me what you feel. Am I talking out my @ss? Have I just not driven enough cars so I don't know how bad our cars really are?

I mean I know that Intrax springs are not the greatest in the world and that KYB GR2 are not adjustable and are lower end cheap struts and i know I have a car that was never meant to handle but for some reason, it seems to work. Plus the car is pretty light.

I would especailly like to hear from others who have driven other modified cars and really push their vehicles to the limit.

[atobe]

nope i like my handling just fine i could use more power out of turns though. i've rode in other people's car i find their setup either too bouncy or too stiff and i hate that.

[acecl22]

i push my 91 sedan past the limit, with everything factory, handles fine, gives on some of the harder corners, but thats just fun..

[1fastLE]

!

[Talisman]

Originally posted by 1fastLE
Gen 2's handle awesome with modification. My friend Matt's 89 has the intrax/tokico setup with Toyotex strut bar and whiteline rear sway bar running on Nitto NT450s and it sticks in corners like crazy. Don't listen to what they say, they've never driven one with your setup so how would they know?

Well apparently as the guy told me, he doesn't need to drive a garbage truck to know his car can outhandle it. So apparently, my car is on par with a garbage truck.

I personally think they handle extremely well(better than I thought they would) with modifications also but I wanted to hear what you guys think and your experience with them.

[1fastLE]

!

[da_horse]

as a stock car they suck...especially the ones that came out here with out the rear sway bar...

keep in mind that i have only done the rear sway bar and strut, i do like the feel of the camry more and feel that it can handle much better than some cars that come out these days. my parents have a 90 maxima, and before i did anything to the camry i loved driving it, but now its the one that feels like a boat.

a true comparision cant be made but for me, my camry as old as it is, handles very well. i feel that it out handles other cars in its class and if i had the full spring and struts package done, it would be almost on par with some of the sports cars of its day.

i have driven alot of cars while working at my mechanics so obviously the camry doesnt compare to the some of the imports (s13/14/15, 300z, wrx's, etc etc)

Talisman, just do what you want...one day they will eat their words

[Talisman]

Here is the thread if anybody wants to read it...

http://www.xceedspeed.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17425

[atobe]

-90 Camry

-Apparently not enough power to break the tires loose, handles like a garbage truck, and is shaped like a box.

[Talisman]

White90dx? 88le? Don't you guys have(or had in Charlies case ) suspension setups?

[88 LE]

^ I have Intrax springs, Tokico struts, and a strut tower brace.

16" wheels with Nitto NT-505.

IMO it handles pretty good.

I took a right turn at about 40mph with my buddy in the car. He didn't expect me to take the turn so fast and said damn your car handles pretty good.

I also let my uncle drive my Camry once. He liked it a lot better then his stock 91 Camry.

[FRITO]

im sure it not the best out there, but im damn impressed with my handeling on my camry.

i have the yokohoma avs es100's 17" and the meganracing strut tower bar. it is surprisingly rigid and sticks well on hard corning , ect.

i have stock springs and struts but with all the weight in my car it looks lowered

my next step is engine upgrade. im hoping hard its a 3sgte.

[87Camry5Speed]

Truthfully, unless I really pushed it, I thought my old gen2 (no mods) was a pretty decent handler. The fact that it was so light definitely helped. The difference b/w my old gen2 and my current gen 3.5 is huge- the gen2 felt a lot more tossable, the gen3.5 pretty much bludgeons its way through turns, its absolute limits are higher, but it was a bit more fun getting there in the gen2...

Steve

[white90dx]

Heh... its been a while since I have driving a gen2 with suspension mods (my current one has cheap tires and I just added the stock rear swaybar...). I'll let you know what its like compared to a WRX after I get my springs, struts, swaybars and bushings in. I have a feeling it will handle slightly better than a stock WRX. Tires have a whole lot to do with handling. As the saying goes, they are where the rubber meets the road.

-Charlie

[benEzra]

IMO, the Gen 2 Camry has a very good suspension, but fitted with "family car" tires their limits are pretty low. Get some decent tires on them and they handle well, even with the stock suspension. My '87 LE is very, very close to stock (the only difference is 195/65 Goodyear Eagle GPH's) and it handles very well; the balance is surprisingly neutral for a front-wheel-drive car.

Given its light weight and good balance (especially for the 4-cylinder version), I'm sure a modified suspension setup would give you pretty good handling indeed.