Stock springs. Progressive or Linear

[BenG]

Oy...I should've asked this last nite when I went to the meet at Timmy's but I forgot....anyhow, like my subject line says, are the stock springs on a 1996 Gen3 Camry progressive or linear? I ask because all the aftermarket springs I see for my car are progressive, but I've read in this forum that some people are experiencing unstable handling characteristics with aftermarket progressive springs. Any comments?

[Ratko]

stock are linear (meaning constant spring rate throughout the entire coil). the stock gen3 spring rates are very soft though, which contributes to a soft ride, but degrates handling.

have you ever seen a gen3 on the roads that looks slammed, but ends up having a back seat full of people? thats how soft the stock springs are... i believe they are between 100-200 lbs/in, meaning that 3 grown people in the backseats will lower the car up to 3-4 inches!!

however if it were progressive, and the same weight was applied, they would obviously compress a bit, but the more they compress, the higher the spring rate would get and the more it would resist compression.

[BenG]

The softness probablly goes without saying since it's a family sedan. What about the 'crossover' that i've read about progressive springs when the softer wound portion of the spring runs out of compression and the harder wound portion begin to do their work. I'm a little worried about creating a snap oversteer situation when you go into a corner real hard and suddenly going from a softer spring rate to a harder spring rate could be a lot like hitting a bump that completely throws the car off balance. I don't drive real hard, but I'm used to being about to throttle steer a car since I grew up driving with rear drive monsters (940 and 740 volvo turbos) and I'm still learning how to control a front wheel drive. Am I making any sense about the spring rate change thing? I'm almost positive that I read on this forum somewhere about the progressive rate springs creating some strange handling characteristics, but if I'm on crack, someone please let me know!

[Ratko]

you are totally right about the feedback and predictability of progressive rate springs.

a member on the corolla forum, Jover, mentioned once that he would spin out a lot at the track in his RWD AE86 with progressive springs, and since he changed to linear aftermarket ones, he says he hasnt spun out once.

With a FWD car also, ive seen SBC's car spin out several times at the track with his progressive Intrax springs last fall. But it was rainy that day and it was his first time at the track so it could have been many things but those were my observations. Im sure he would tell you that each time he spun out, it was "quick" and not a controlled, gradual, spin out.

[BenG]

So the question now becomes "are there any aftermarket linear springs that will lower a 1996 camry i4 only an inch?"

I originally wanted to get the H&R OE sports, and I figured that they'd be pretty safe since it's only an inch drop so there would be much more compliance and travel over the 2+ inches of the intrax and other slammed look springs, but I like to keep my options open at least until I commit to something.

Any ideas?

And Ratko, I was looking at your tranny swap page...have you fixed the engine light problem (missing solenoid)?

[Ratko]

Originally posted by BenG
So the question now becomes "are there any aftermarket linear springs that will lower a 1996 camry i4 only an inch?"

I originally wanted to get the H&R OE sports, and I figured that they'd be pretty safe since it's only an inch drop so there would be much more compliance and travel over the 2+ inches of the intrax and other slammed look springs, but I like to keep my options open at least until I commit to something.

Any ideas?

And Ratko, I was looking at your tranny swap page...have you fixed the engine light problem (missing solenoid)?

Im very close to solving the CEL... im in contact with an ECU expert in California who knows how to trick the ECT ECU that the solenoids are there. Plus i got all the factory wiring diagrams and voltage charts so im very close.

But in your case you shouldnt have a problem with a 4-cyl.