Suspension ?'s...ive searched and read faq already

[punkgen6driver]

Hi, I am new to the forum, and new to the camry, but not new to car forums, and I know all about searcing questions asked thousands of times before...BUT, I am looking for some quick answers to specific questions and there are a TON of pages to search through here.

These questions are all based on the fact that I am picking up an 09 Camry SE with the V6 and just over 40k miles this Friday. I know the SE has upgraded suspension parts so these questions I have lingering.

1. What is the diameter of the STOCK SE rear sway bar?

2. Are there major differences between the 19mm and 23mm UR rear sway bar?
2.a. Which would be more of a beneficial upgrade on an SE?
2.b. I heard of install "issues" with the 23mm bar...can anyone chime in?
2.c. Does UR provide new bushings with their bars?

3. Which KYB struts are the same as the OEM SE struts?

4. I am debating installing TRD springs on the car (which again has just over 40k miles)...should I change the struts at this time as well?
4.a. Which struts should I go with?

5. Is the UR front strut bar a worthy upgrade over the STOCK SE bar?

Thanks for your help in advance! I am trying to get all of the information I am seeking at once.

[Cking]

Originally Posted by punkgen6driver

Hi, I am new to the forum, and new to the camry, but not new to car forums, and I know all about searcing questions asked thousands of times before...BUT, I am looking for some quick answers to specific questions and there are a TON of pages to search through here.

These questions are all based on the fact that I am picking up an 09 Camry SE with the V6 and just over 40k miles this Friday. I know the SE has upgraded suspension parts so these questions I have lingering.

1. What is the diameter of the STOCK SE rear sway bar?

2. Are there major differences between the 19mm and 23mm UR rear sway bar?
2.a. Which would be more of a beneficial upgrade on an SE?
2.b. I heard of install "issues" with the 23mm bar...can anyone chime in?
2.c. Does UR provide new bushings with their bars?

3. Which KYB struts are the same as the OEM SE struts?

4. I am debating installing TRD springs on the car (which again has just over 40k miles)...should I change the struts at this time as well?
4.a. Which struts should I go with?

5. Is the UR front strut bar a worthy upgrade over the STOCK SE bar?

Thanks for your help in advance! I am trying to get all of the information I am seeking at once.

Looks like you didn't do the most simple search
1. Posted by one of the Moderators here on Toyotanation.
2. There's about 15% more stiffness from the 23mm vs the 19mm.
I heard people here say they can feel a difference, but it could all be in their mind.
2a. 23mm obviously, but it depends on how much you want to spend.
2b. Requires more elbow grease I remember reading.
2c. N/A, but you can go to Toyota dealer to get some.

3. KYB GR2.
However, Toyota's factory tunes the GR2 they put into SE's to be a 15% more softer.
If you went to buy a new set of GR2s from a shop, it'd be stiffer than the factory SE,
even though both are essentially the same.
^Although I read that from a member who just replaced his struts, I doubt the difference is worth much.

4. Do not get TRD/Eibach. The drop is uneven. The gap between the tire and fender is 4 fingers (front) and 2.5 (back), so your car will look higher in the front and lower in the back.
You can find suspension options here
4a. KYB GR2s.
Ever consider coilovers? If you're looking for adjustable lowering/stiffness , I'd say that's your best best.
Lowering springs + bars < coilovers. Instead of spending $600+, coilovers are only $800~ and you can keep your stock suspension and put them back on if needed.

5. The SE does not come with a FRONT strut bar. It only has the REAR sway bar.

These questions have been answered (or information has been provided) before but since it's your first time and you might not know what keywords to enter in the vast search premises, I'll just help you out with that.

Good luck with modding and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me or post on this thread.

Happy to help newcomers

Keep us posted on your progress!

[punkgen6driver]

cking,
Thanks for the help!
Ive been trying to use the search, and for some reason at home I come up with a system/site failure...and when I used the suspension link at the top of the page, there are pages upon pages that dont really have information.

Based on both your information, and from what Ive already read, I will probably do the following mods to my new to me SE:
UR rear sway (still torn between which one)
H&R Springs (had them on a gen 7 Corolla and loved them but the wife thought the ride was harsh)
And swap in new KYB struts...however, this leads me to some more questions

If I am swapping all 4 struts and springs, what other hardware will I need? Boots, strut mounts, etc? Again, the quicker responses here are very useful to me.

Thanks in advance!!!

[Cking]

Originally Posted by punkgen6driver

cking,
Thanks for the help!
Ive been trying to use the search, and for some reason at home I come up with a system/site failure...and when I used the suspension link at the top of the page, there are pages upon pages that dont really have information.

Based on both your information, and from what Ive already read, I will probably do the following mods to my new to me SE:
UR rear sway (still torn between which one)
H&R Springs (had them on a gen 7 Corolla and loved them but the wife thought the ride was harsh)
And swap in new KYB struts...however, this leads me to some more questions

If I am swapping all 4 struts and springs, what other hardware will I need? Boots, strut mounts, etc? Again, the quicker responses here are very useful to me.

Thanks in advance!!!

No worries, the site was inconsistent last night as well when I was posting.
UR rear sway is your choice on how deep your wallet is.
^Btw I do believe the SE comes with it, albeit not a very thick one vs UR, but why not get something your car
doesn't have already i.e Strut bar for the front?
You probably can use the same ones, if not you can get some of the rubber top mounts from the dealer or search online for parts.
I believe they're pillowball but i'm not 100% on that one.

I have never swapped in this stuff so I'm hoping another member to chime in.

Most people here just put on coilovers instead of going through all that.

[punkgen6driver]

How do you like the Buddy Club Racing Spec CO's? Are they height/rebound/dampner adjustable? And with CO's, do you still run a sway bar?

[BlackCamSe]

The factory sway bar on the SE camry is a joke. I could probably bend the thing over my knee. I got the 23mm sway bar ages ago and id never turn back. Tightens the car up SO much. I had coils for a while. Got tired of the harsh ride so i sold em and threw the stockies back in. I also have the strut tower brace. Its more for looks though, doesnt do much preformance wise.

[punkgen6driver]

Originally Posted by BlackCamSe

The factory sway bar on the SE camry is a joke. I could probably bend the thing over my knee. I got the 23mm sway bar ages ago and id never turn back. Tightens the car up SO much. I had coils for a while. Got tired of the harsh ride so i sold em and threw the stockies back in. I also have the strut tower brace. Its more for looks though, doesnt do much preformance wise.

What coils were you running?

When you went back to the stock suspension did you keep the UR sway bar?

Any fitment/install issues with the 23mm bar?

[BlackCamSe]

Originally Posted by punkgen6driver

What coils were you running?

When you went back to the stock suspension did you keep the UR sway bar?

Any fitment/install issues with the 23mm bar?

I had the megans. I had the sway bar before i got the coils so naturally it stayed in. The only PITA that i had with the sway bar is snakeing it around the dual exhaust. But then again i had the car in the air with no weight on the suspension. With all 4 wheels on the ground it may be more difficult.

[Cking]

Originally Posted by punkgen6driver

How do you like the Buddy Club Racing Spec CO's? Are they height/rebound/dampner adjustable? And with CO's, do you still run a sway bar?

Man, when they put it on (and took off my Megans) the difference was night and day. Previously my spring rates were 6k/3k, but the buddy club is 9k/6k (requested) , so it was supposed to be considerably stiffer.

The BuddyClub's dampening system is second to none (maybe Teins), and they used the stock pillow upper mounts too, so that added comfort.

The ride was SO comfortable, not as comfortable as stock, but you will not regret buying BuddyClubs.

Funny how BuddyClub would provide their top of the line, track spec coilovers for our camrys though.

In my opinion, I think its close between the Teins and BuddyClub, but I have not yet heard of anyone with the Tein coilovers as the best on the market.

BC Racing and Ksport would be in the midrange

everything can be adjusted except for the rebound I believe.

I only have the stock sway bar, but i'm installing the Megan front strut bar this weekend.

It'd made more sense to me to install something I dont have than to upgrade something that I had.
Even though down the line I will probably install the rear sway bars as I track ready the car