5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Questions regarding TRD Front strut bar / Rear sway bar on 02 Camry
Hello Toyota Nation.
I've been lurking for a while, but I thought now is a good time to ask for your help.
I have a 02 Camry XLE, and while I really like my car, and it's great for long long drives (I've done 11 hours straight freeway before) I was never a big fan of how soft it is when cornering.
I've recently purchased the TRD Front strut bar, and Rear sway bar on the recommendation of a friend of mine. He's going to install them tomorrow (tuesday) so while I still have time, I thought I'd ask the TN community for any tips/advice/comments that you may have. My friend will be helping me install these parts, and I dont think he's done similar work before. Is it simple to install, or are there any tips/hints that will be helpful, or something we should keep in mind?
Also, which setting should I use?
1) which hole = least aggressive, the hole near the tip, or the hole further away from the tip (closer to the center of the bar)
2) Will these parts increase tire wear, or ride harshness? Will the stiffening cause other parts of the car to become stressed/worn/damaged?
3) Can adjustments be made to the RSB settings without removing tires and the bar etc?
4) How durable is the Rear sway bar? I've read threads on the RSB snapping, and it IS hollow. Should I be concerned? I was confused as some said their bar was set to most aggressive without incident, and also it sounded as though the RSB were installed on incompatible cars (Gen 5.5 instead of Gen 5)
Any thoughts? anything I should know? Wanna make me feel less nervous and more comfortable with my decision etc?
Thank you in advance for your comments and patience with this long long post.
I actually like the subtle and discreet black bar with a small trd badge. as it turns out, it's a double bar in bright red.. wasn't really my taste but since i want it for it's stiffening properties and not for its aesthetic qualities, i'll be ok with it hiding under the hood.
I've been lurking for a while, but I thought now is a good time to ask for your help.
I have a 02 Camry XLE, and while I really like my car, and it's great for long long drives (I've done 11 hours straight freeway before) I was never a big fan of how soft it is when cornering.
I've recently purchased the TRD Front strut bar, and Rear sway bar on the recommendation of a friend of mine. He's going to install them tomorrow (tuesday) so while I still have time, I thought I'd ask the TN community for any tips/advice/comments that you may have. My friend will be helping me install these parts, and I dont think he's done similar work before. Is it simple to install, or are there any tips/hints that will be helpful, or something we should keep in mind?
Also, which setting should I use?
1) which hole = least aggressive, the hole near the tip, or the hole further away from the tip (closer to the center of the bar)
2) Will these parts increase tire wear, or ride harshness? Will the stiffening cause other parts of the car to become stressed/worn/damaged?
3) Can adjustments be made to the RSB settings without removing tires and the bar etc?
4) How durable is the Rear sway bar? I've read threads on the RSB snapping, and it IS hollow. Should I be concerned? I was confused as some said their bar was set to most aggressive without incident, and also it sounded as though the RSB were installed on incompatible cars (Gen 5.5 instead of Gen 5)
Any thoughts? anything I should know? Wanna make me feel less nervous and more comfortable with my decision etc?
Thank you in advance for your comments and patience with this long long post.
-Will
I have 06 solara with TRD sway bar, TRD spring and strut bar.
From my experience, the strut bar does not make any difference in the solara coupe (the car came with factory strut bar). I heard it makes a difference if you have convertible.
I put my RSB at the stiffest setting, so far no issue other thas it makes noise when it is cold outside (below 50F). I can adjust the RSB setting without removing my tires.
as far as tire wear, I don't see any change on tires consumption on mine.
And after 1 year, the sway bar still works fine (but I don't drive my car during winter months though), so cannot say if they will snap once they get rusty or not.
Oh, my sway bar link was loose only after 40K miles on mine, the replacement parts are expensive (cost me around $200 for 1ll 4). You might want to replace the link if they are loose.
__________________
'08 Toyota Camry Hybrid
'00 Grand Marquis LS (winter beater)
'04 Porsche Boxster
Gone: '06 Solara
Oh, my sway bar link was loose only after 40K miles on mine, the replacement parts are expensive (cost me around $200 for 1ll 4). You might want to replace the link if they are loose.
I dont plan to drive crazily after the installation, but I imagine i'll be taking turns at higher speeds than before. Do you think the loose links are caused by the RSB, or is it just a coincidence? Does the RSB stiffness have an affect on the links? Is there a noticeable difference between mid, and max aggressive?
Thanks!
Also, which is most aggressive, there's three holes, is it the hole closes to the "end" of the bar, or the hole closest to the "middle" of the entire piece.
I dont plan to drive crazily after the installation, but I imagine i'll be taking turns at higher speeds than before. Do you think the loose links are caused by the RSB, or is it just a coincidence? Does the RSB stiffness have an affect on the links? Is there a noticeable difference between mid, and max aggressive?
Thanks!
Also, which is most aggressive, there's three holes, is it the hole closes to the "end" of the bar, or the hole closest to the "middle" of the entire piece.
Thanks so much for responding!
My sway bar link were loose before I put the RSB. I removed the original sway bar and I found that I can play with the link ends with my finger (really loose). Since the RSB is out and it is only 1 bolt holding the sway bar link, I decided to replace it. The new link is very stiff (tight and very hard to move the joint with finger). The stiffest setting is the inner one. The one closest to the end of the bar will give you softest setting (still way stiffer than original RSB).
Here is what I found on loose sway bar link:
The rear lateral stabilization link on the other hand is very critical to the handling and maintaining control in turns. It is the reason you are noticing a fishtailing feeling when turning and hitting bumps and under an urgent or emergency maneuvering situation can cause loss of control and an accident is likely to result.
It makes sense because if the link is loose, you have some play between RSB to lower parts of the strut where the other end of the link is connected.
__________________
'08 Toyota Camry Hybrid
'00 Grand Marquis LS (winter beater)
'04 Porsche Boxster
Gone: '06 Solara
Last edited by laphan; 07-13-2010 at 09:57 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to laphan For This Useful Post:
Got the stuff put in! Contrary to what people have said regarding the front strut bar, it does feel a lot better with it on. obviously it was more enjoyable with the rsb put in. my friend who helped install it said the endlinks were firm (maybe not super firm, but not very loose either) so hopefully I'm ok for a while longer. he doesnt feel it is worn, saying the joint was moveable but zero play.
when i turn hard, it corners pretty flat. the best way i can put it is it now turns without drama when i make the turn faster than i probably should. i have it on the middle setting, and might try the stiffest in a week or two, just to see what it's like.
when i turn hard and gas it, i can hear the rear wheels chirp chirping. i love how it feels though.
does the chirping tell you anything about whether the end links are ok or not? also, when i chirp the rear, is it damaging or wearing the rear tires down by a significant ammount? I'm pretty clueless abot a lot of this stuff, but the car seems totally different from the boat that i had yesterday!
I actually like the subtle and discreet black bar with a small trd badge. as it turns out, it's a double bar in bright red.. wasn't really my taste but since i want it for it's stiffening properties and not for its aesthetic qualities, i'll be ok with it hiding under the hood.
I think the RSB added more than the FSB to be honest, but the FSB did improve the feel as well. My car didnt have a fsb. Some on these forums have said that if your car already came with a FSB like a SE version camry, the TRD FSB might not be that much of an improvement. Whatever the case, mine didnt have a fsb, and i think the improvement is worth the cost. The rsb should be a no brainer if cost is not an issue. if you are handy, or have someone who is handy, it wont take too long, and you'll have a lot more fun driving around in your car. i must have spent the first 2 days driving just for the sake of driving. turning harder and faster than i normally would, just to see if i could make it lean significantly (i havent yet, but maybe i'll eventually work up to it)
i wonder how the stiffest setting would feel, but i can give it another week or two to get used to the middle setting.
if you want, install the fsb onto your car, and drive it around for a while to see how you like it. without the rear sway bar, you'll get to see what the fsb alone adds to your car. then spring for a rear sway bar =)
This stuff is kinda like HID's. people who have experienced 3 times the output wont want to go back to halogens. =)
hope you like the front strut bar!
Set the torque wrench to 59 for the bolts on the front strut bar, and drive it a bit more enthusiastically. see what you get =)
Got the stuff put in! Contrary to what people have said regarding the front strut bar, it does feel a lot better with it on. obviously it was more enjoyable with the rsb put in. my friend who helped install it said the endlinks were firm (maybe not super firm, but not very loose either) so hopefully I'm ok for a while longer. he doesnt feel it is worn, saying the joint was moveable but zero play.
when i turn hard, it corners pretty flat. the best way i can put it is it now turns without drama when i make the turn faster than i probably should. i have it on the middle setting, and might try the stiffest in a week or two, just to see what it's like.
when i turn hard and gas it, i can hear the rear wheels chirp chirping. i love how it feels though.
does the chirping tell you anything about whether the end links are ok or not? also, when i chirp the rear, is it damaging or wearing the rear tires down by a significant ammount? I'm pretty clueless abot a lot of this stuff, but the car seems totally different from the boat that i had yesterday!
Thanks again for your help.
Now you need the TRD springs.. It will significantly reduce the nose dive when you brake, stiffer/tighter suspension feel and lower center of gravity . I also noticed that TRD springs lower the back more than the front, may be it is for weight distribution. Got slightly better highway mpg too with TRD springs.
Chirping tires is fun, but it will wear the tires faster. Its is a good thing because when you need a new set of tires, it would be a good time to put 18" or 19" wheels and low profile high performance tires.
I have TRD springs, sway bar, FSB, KYB GR-2 struts and 18" wheels + bridgestone RE960AS, the solara does not even feel like a boat anymore (stiff and firm but still comfortable for highway drive). I think Toyota should have built the all SE trim with all TRD parts so the auto magazine cannot to slam them on the handling issue anymore.
I even did a close parking lot race against my friends stock 335i and surprisingly the solara went through corners faster than his 335i (no body roll and nose dive) but he was faster on straight line (more power). It feels firmer and more planted to the ground than 335i without sport package.
__________________
'08 Toyota Camry Hybrid
'00 Grand Marquis LS (winter beater)
'04 Porsche Boxster
Gone: '06 Solara
Honestly, the camry is just a beater car that my parents handed down to me. I am currently a junior turning senior in college and expecting to get a different/new car after i graduate.
I really didn't want to spend any money on aftermarket modifications. I already have HID's lowbeam/fogs on my car and was going to stop there, but I decided to purchase the FSB for the heck of it as a birthday present to myself and because its something minor where I can quickly swap out without any hassle.
bad news on the chirping tires wearing out faster, but it's not like I am driving hard all the time, so I dont worry about it too much.
As for lowering springs, I live in the city. I worry about all the damn speed bumps and pot holes, but maybe in the future.
As I drive the car more and more, I find little things about the suspension that I didn't notice on the first two days.
For example, how many of you have made 90 deg. right turns from the far right lane into the far right lane? Basically the tightest right turn possible. Whenever I did it at decent (or even sometimes slow speed) I always got the feeling that the turn would feel best if I allowed the car to swing one more lane to the left. Basically the car would lean and keeping the tight turn would feel difficult. To make the ride smoother and more comfortable on me, I would check to see if the lane to the left was clear, and then slide the car into it. By doing this, I felt less lean, and the turn felt more natural. The car wasn't "fighting" me.
Now, with the new suspension parts, and at higher speed, the car just sticks to it's lane. It doesn't fight me and make me feel like the turn would be better if i allowed the car to go one lane over. Does that make sense? I'm not sure how to word it, but yeah. In a nutshell, that's what made me smile today. The idea that it's perfectly comfortable making tighter turns at a faster speed. I'm sure the stock XLE would be able to make the same tight turn at a fast speed as well, but it will do so grudgingly. The car would let me know when it's not happy. It doesn't complain anymore =)
You guys make me really want to buy the sway bar now... lol. I've been looking at them for a while now but I'm coming close to the tipping point xD. If you guys don't mind me asking, how much did you guys pay for your RSB and where did you get it from?
You guys make me really want to buy the sway bar now... lol. I've been looking at them for a while now but I'm coming close to the tipping point xD. If you guys don't mind me asking, how much did you guys pay for your RSB and where did you get it from?
Don't worry that the tuorial is for solara, solara has very similar underbody with camry sedan.
If you want to get cheaper RSB, you can go to that forum and check for sale area. They have few used and new RSB/FSB/TRD springs for sale (same RSB part numbers for camry and solara)
__________________
'08 Toyota Camry Hybrid
'00 Grand Marquis LS (winter beater)
'04 Porsche Boxster
Gone: '06 Solara
I just called my local toyota dealer (SF Toyota) and asked if they would price match to a website (toyotapartsstore.com)
They did, and, since there's no tax from the online site, sf toyota added an additional 11 bucks off. instead of just matching the price + shipping, the dealer actually came in a bit under! (That, and the parts were ready for pickup in less than a day)
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
ToyotaNation.com is an independent Toyota/Lexus enthusiast website. ToyotaNation.com is not sponsored by or in any way affiliated with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion names and logos are trademarks owned by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
Questions regarding TRD Front strut bar / Rear sway bar on 02 Camry
. I also noticed that TRD springs lower the back more than the front, may be it is for weight distribution. Got slightly better highway mpg too with TRD springs.
Linear Mode
