hey TN, What can I do to improve my driving experience in my car (99 Camry) ?

[bootcamper]

Hi guys (its been a while),

I have a 99 camry, V6, 1MZFE jet black with kits and all the great looks a man wants, I bought it almost a year and half ago at 150k. I have leather seats, original factory ones.

My question is this, I am about 6 ft tall, and when I get into my car, I feel so lethargic, I have to climb and squat down, and would lose all heart, because camry's seats suck, i don't know about you. (I'm not that big sideways, Im sorta skinny) I tried all different positions of adjusting my seating. I wish I had some higher ground clearance (despite my height and adjusting the seat all the way up), but then the roof hits my head, and I still see more of the hood, and less road and wish I had some more pickup/power. This is such a good car in looks, mileage, engine, technology, ride,.. all except my actual driving experience. Its like a driving a grandma's car. (i feel so) I never take this car for a long ride, and hate climbing onto my seats (I'm sorry guys but its true). I drive always very fast, above 80. I cant afford to turbo my car or change all my seats. How can i improve my driving experience? Or have I grown old of it, and wants a faster car? Everything else is genuine toyota parts and components in my car.

p.s: I did a complete and major full service on all parts at the original toyota dealership ever since properly, its well tuned and in top condition and best maintained according to toyota. It has another 200k miles easily on it.

[bigbird]

not really sure where to start on this one. i never did like my gen4 seats...but it want as bad as your makin it sound for me...and im 6' too. reaserch suspension upgrades to make it feel more nimble, but theres not much you can do for accelerstion. some NA upgrades are avalible but dont free up much power. you can do things liek port and polish and exhaust work and that will free up a little. jsut search these topics and youll get a better picture of what your options are.

[PhatRoyale]

Time to get some aftermarket seats with lower seat rails.

[m52go]

i say bright red recaros to contrast the black body

like bigbird said, new springs and shocks will make it feel more nimble. id even venture to say they make it feel faster too, simply because you can actually go faster in turns. the car will be more planted, flatter, and stable. pair this up with a rear sway bar (if you can get hold of one) and some fatter tires and it will really change the feeling of the car.

best thing about these mods is, they dont necessarily require you to deviate much from an oem look. new suspension will only slightly lower your car, and you can get wheels from other toyota/camry models/years to keep your car looking as stock as possible

[bigbird]

^ to add to that, you can also use a taller tire/smaller rim(15" or 16"). this would keep the ride fairly confortable while still providing a controlled sporty ride. a member, charmcityes, had his stock 16s and stock tire size with KYB shocks, TRD springs, and the TRD swaybar and it was a great compromise. good handling and still comfortable enough to DD.

[bootcamper]

Thanks you guys., I'm going to do exactly this. Heck, I'd only be in my twenties for another 3 more years, and I don't want to waste the best days of my life sucking it up and driving a grandpa. By the time I buy a new car or SUV, I may have wife and a kid and enough worries to handle.
I'm going to scratch and cough up the money to do this mod.
Hmm.. ANybody here who wants to sell me a rear sway bar? and any suggestions for cool 16" available here in So Cal?

[felpz123]

if you really drive above 80 everywhere, i would recommend getting a radar detector before anything else

[bootcamper]

Yup. Beltronics GX65 Multi-band GPS Radar and Laser detector with 4 sensors. 11yrs of driving. 0 moving violations. 22 parking violations.

[the_professional]

Yeah like they said not much you can do to speed up your Camry, your V6 is as fast as a Camry can get. The TRD Supercharger is extremely hard to come by, a TRD or whiteline RSB is a little easier to come by. The only thing to make your Cam faster is suspension mods. I have the same habit, I have to go faster than everyone else, makes me feel safer, since instead of shotty drivers moving around me I go around them.
I'm too cheap for radar.
I just have a 6th sense to spot undercover police cars, and tend to know where to spot 'em, since I have a family full of cops.

[MIK1989]

Interesting, I am 6'4" and I feel alright inside my 97 Camry. Although I have to put seat all the way back, and all the way down
Mods that you could do:
1)Suspension: struts, springs, trd sway bar.
2)Cool rims, I'd say 17's are good.
3)Body kit or trd lip kit.
4)Headlights - retrofit projectors.
5)Audio system.
6)Exhaust system.
7)Turbocharger/Supercharger (if you have enough money).