New Camry driver

[maverickmonk]

Well, I am the "proud" new driver (I say driver because I dont technicaly own the car) of a 97 camry LE, Its dark green, with that ugly tan interior w/ the blue and purple squigglies through it. Its got the 2.2L 4cyl and only 53k miles on it.

The first thing on my list is a headunit, because i need my tunes and no cd player is killing me.

What is a good headunit install kit? will the generic "toyota universal kit" from bestbuy work? I cant for the life of me find a kit specificly for a camry.

Is the crappy sound quality because of the headunit or the speakers?

Is there a cheap way, that I could talk my parents into, to get more roadfeel and less mush from the suspension?

Also, this thing has 145 pound feet of torque, where is it? Is there a cheap way to increase acceleration from like 35-60mph? Like when merging onto a freeway? (I thought i was going to get eaten by a bigrig merging onto 81 monday)

Are there gen4(?) camrys with plain tan seats i could scavenge from a junkyard?

edited for: messed up my numbers

[JCamry94]

You're talking about the 5s-fe motor than is rated @ 133 hp and 145 ft of torque.

It's their at the low ends, but once you get to about 60-80, there is no more power to give!

If you want help with adding extra acceleration look up searches under "Cold Air Intake", or the user "toysrme" has a series of free mods you can do to your car.

MOST IMPORTANTLY read the "CAMRY ----> FAQ------>" at the top of the page, this will further assist you in small modifications as well as sound issues.

And remember you have the 2.2L Inline 4 Cylinder, 5s-fe. Good luck

[bigbird]

ok im gonna number you questions cuz ya have alot.

1. welcome to TN

2. get jsut about any headunit then get the quick connect from crutchfield. makes wiering a headunit easy as pie. and its likely the speakers causing the crappy sound more then the headunit.

3. as fro suspension you have alot of options but it depends on how much ya can spend. first id get a TRD rear sway bar. that will help with cornering a little. other then that ull ahve to get springs and shicks which wont be real cheap.

4. you have far less then 200 tq. you must have been lookin at somthig different or the V6 specs, even then thats over 200. im assuming you have an auto which means asside form building a custom turbo or swaping in a V6, then full exhaust is the only thing that will teild any noticable power and i dont think its worth the money. BUT i would suggest gettin a short ram intake (SRI) for it since it sounds AWESOME.

5. i hate that tan too, i have the same car but V6. they do have other shades but the tan from at least 97 and 98 have that weird crap in the waive.

definatly check out the camry FAQs and use the search function to save yourself time waiting for an anwser.

[maverickmonk]

Sorry, Had a bit of number dyslexia reading the card i have with the ratings, read the wrong one for torque. Thanks for setting me strait.

Ive looked through these tutorials, but, I guess the biggest problem is that I dont know where to start. Will the CAI (or the stock box mod) realy give me a noticable difference?

Edit: will I need anysort of faceplate adaptor for the headunit?

[bigbird]

neither the CAI or SRI will yeild any noticable HP gains. most just do it for the sound it provides. teh head unit will come with a faceplate and instructions on how to wire it. but that little quick connect from crutchfield makes it 10 times easier. its jsut a wireing harness specific to your car and headunit. but check on their website first to make sure the headunit you choose they have a harness for if ya go that rout.

['_']

You won't notice much, if anything, from a CAI or SRI. Alpines are pretty good headunits. I have the Sony Xplod and I can control my iPod through the headunit. I just leave the iPod in the glove compartment and use it whenever I start driving. Very convenient.

[islandboy57]

I had a Panasonic HU installed in my mom's gen 3.5. Speakers sound pretty decent for being stock and for there being just four. As everyone has already mentioned you just need to buy the HU and a Toyota wiring harness so that you don't have to bother with splicing wires.

As far as getting more power out of the car, the best thing you can do is just keep it maintained and in tip top shape. Maybe consider switching to synthetic oil.

Lastly, the ride.. Your parents probably like that mushy ride but I'm sure if you search there are a lot of threads on suspension mods. One practical way to improve the ride and road feel is tires. I had Michelin Pilot Exaltos installed on my mom's gen 3.5 as well as my gen 5.5. Made a BIG difference.

[ECale3]

throttle response with a SRI is fantastic though

There really is no cheap way to increase the 5SFE's performance though (unless you swap in a manual, which will still set you back a grand or two)

[maverickmonk]

Thanks for all the help, I will look into a rear swaybar, as well as the kit for the headunit. The SRI is kinda low on the list for now.

Also, the previous owner of the car was old and apearently used the doors to get in and out, now the apholstry is seperated from the plastic molding that holds the power window buttons on both the driver door and front passenger side door, ill grab pics tomorow, but is there any way to fix this?

also, about how much would I be looking at to get the seats reapholstered? front and back? Would it be cheaper to try to scavenge non fugly seats from a junkyard?

[rty]

Originally Posted by maverickmonk

Also, the previous owner of the car was old and apearently used the doors to get in and out, now the apholstry is seperated from the plastic molding that holds the power window buttons on both the driver door and front passenger side door, ill grab pics tomorow, but is there any way to fix this?

Mine is the same way. I blame crappy interior design and quality.

[deezeejoey]

53K miles? Thats like nothing.

[Black95Cam]

Originally Posted by islandboy57

I had a Panasonic HU installed in my mom's gen 3.5. Speakers sound pretty decent for being stock and for there being just four. As everyone has already mentioned you just need to buy the HU and a Toyota wiring harness so that you don't have to bother with splicing wires.
.

harness is a must have.. dont cheap out cause there is a chance of something shorting out.. anyways just remember, the speakres are 11 years old and by putting in an after market HU the speakers might not be able to handle the power.. i've experinced this first hand on my car.. LoL

[maverickmonk]

Originally Posted by deezeejoey

53K miles? Thats like nothing.

I know, thats one of the nicest parts about it, the previous owner was a golden ager as well, and as such it was probobly never above 60mph in its life. Its in great condition aside from these few "problems". It just got back from the dealership last week from being detailed and getting tst, inside and out. Its been recently serviced, relatively new tires, its a good car overall.

how are the clear lens reflectors for the headlights? I see pairs on ebay for like 15 bucks, any experience with them?

I'm looking at the HID kit now, do the brighter lights have more problems in fog? (like lighting it up and turning it into a blinding white sheet)

Forgive my newbie questions, if I missed something when i searched, i'm sorry.

[lenjack]

"used the doors to get in and out"

Must have been a real weirdo, I always get in and out through the AC drain tube!

[maverickmonk]

Originally Posted by lenjack

"used the doors to get in and out"

Must have been a real weirdo, I always get in and out through the AC drain tube!

Im thin but im not THAT thin... I need to lay off the soda I guess.

Haha, im sorry, I meen they must have leaned on the armrest for to assist his getting in and out of the vehical. Most people get into their cars through the doors, save the lucky few skilled enough to jump through the window, dukes of hazard style.

Edit: due to needing a different reflector to properly utilize the HID, I think Im going to go with the 9005 lamp conversion. Will this give me the farther throw im looking for? Will I be blinding other drivers with my lowbeams with the higher output? It says the gen3 harness can carry the 65w safely, but how about the gen4?