4th Generation Suspension Question

[CaptHamster]

Hi all!

I have a 4th Gen (not sure of the year, it's not my car, it's my girlfriend's parents' car) and the suspension is a bit old and squeaky...you know, typical wearing of bushings and whatnot.

But the squeaks and noises aren't what I'm after. We live in an area that's pretty hilly and has some sharp inclines and declines, and what the Camry needs more than anything is a ride height that's just a tad higher than stock. Can you guys give me a rundown of what my options are? It's definitely not going to be a performance-oriented car, so comfort and ride height are going to be the main targets. Any ideas? Thanks in advance everyone!

[BamZipPow]

What kinda tires/rims are on there now? How much stuff do they carry in the car? How many passengers? Approximately how much does the driver/passengers weigh?

How good are the bushings on there now? Shocks? Any broken suspension parts? Guess yer gonna need to take a peek and git back to us.

[CaptHamster]

Well, took a look today, and here's what I came up with:

-Rims and tires are all stock sizes (did they vary? not familiar with Camrys)
-Stuff? Not much. Nothing significantly heavy anyway.
-People, it varies, but it's filled up with 4 people most of the time
-Total weight of passengers, with 4 people in it, maybe about 500 lbs.
-Bushings could last a little while longer, but it couldn't hurt to replace them
-Shocks are whatever the Toyota dealership put in there when the car was serviced, could be OEM, I honestly don't know
-No broken suspension parts

So...that's the basic assessment. And now...*drumroll*...options, anyone? Bigger wheels/tires would probably help, maybe different length springs? Not sure what I could do...again, thanks in advance!

[Chris Crash]

[93celicaconv]

Depending on the number of miles driven, the OEM springs could be sagging a bit by now. Perhaps just replacing the springs with fresh ones will raise it back to where it is supposed to be. The shop manual for this car would specify what the original ride height was supposed to be, and how to measure it. If you had that, you could measure the current ride height and determine if it has sagged or is on spec. That would tell you something of what to do next.

[Hajoca]

Dobinson - in Australia makes raised height springs.