There are alot of Ebay things I want to get for my Corolla. U may say Ebay things are not legit but I don't want to spend thousands of dollars and quality racing products for a 6,000 dollar Corolla, I want to improve what I can for a good price. I may buy a name brand for suspension and stuff but idk. Suggestions please. Oh and I have a 98 Corolla CE fivespeed.
Here's a list of things I want to get and questions I have, I would like opinions on people that have used them and if they include fabrication etc. please, thank you
-HID kit from ebay about $60 (does it involve fabrication?)
-Ebay header about $100 (should I wrap with thermal tape if I get it?)
-Ebay Cat back about $100 (anybody used one?)
-Black Racing Rims(Maybe Chrome lip) and tires(probably want them used, anyone know the exact dimensions for 16" to 18" rims that would fit on a Corolla? Or where to get some?)
-Suspension probly $100-400 budget, my car is sagging in the back and I want to change the suspension b4 it gets worse eventually, I would probably want a 1-2" drop so my muffler has clearance, what do you think is a good amount of drop? What brand is good with a good price, Dropzone, KYB, Tokico, Tein etc.
-Are underdrive pulleys ok? or will i screw up my timing, AC, and stuff? If they are good, should I get the $64 obx pulley or the generic $30 one?
-what are the size of the front door speakers?
-Is there a way to make interior muffler sound quieter? It drones through the cab
-Also has anyone turboed a corolla with success, I heard they aren't good to turbo or something.
-I also have this weird whirring/buzzing sound when accelerating, I think it's an exhaust leak but I had it looked at a shop and they said it wasn't, If you have any ideas please tell me, Thanx alot.
Thank You
Last edited by 98toyrolla; 07-16-2009 at 11:49 AM.
Tien Springs, KYB Struts+Shocks and your good on the suspension. If you want you can use the ebay strut or sway bar I cant remember which one but they do have one or the other. As far as the HID's go you dont have the cutoff becuase you dont have the projectors, Either do a projector retrofit or dont mess with HIDs becuase HIDs in a halogen housing are blinding and you can receive a ticket for it depending on where you live and how anal they are about it.
It's a CE I mean lol. My ma had a 91 dx that her bf rolled lol. It was a great little car tho, even at 180k miles. I got the front strut bar on my car but I wonder if they have ne rears or if thats possible. I got a ebay short ram intake that was for my moms 91 corolla with a AEM filter i bought from autozone also, it seems to make it have less low end cuz I need to give more gas to engage the clutch otherwise it stalls easier but it has more mid-high RPM power. Is it necessary to have a intake designed specifically for your car like a weapon R or does that not really matter? This intake doesn't have the little port for the little tube that goes to the emissions thing, I just put a mini filter on that metal tube that come up. Also, is it important to get a ecu reflash or nething like that after putting some of these things on? I will post some pics too, I got a couple in the gallery tho. Btw they are camera fone pics but not too bad.
Last edited by 98toyrolla; 07-16-2009 at 12:16 PM.
The Toyota ECM is not user flashable - you'll have to run either a piggyback or standalone setup to play with any settings.
Generally, intakes take into consideration what kind of airflow metering the car uses - MAP or MAF or AFM. Plus all the various vacuum hoses ad tubes that need to be hooked up to avoid CELs and whatnot.
Suspension mods would give the car the best bang for the buck. The OEM suspension was designed for a compliant ride - even with a modest upgrade of performance springs and struts - you can really transform the ride of the car. I'm running TRD springs and KYB struts - seems to be a good match of decent performance when needed and a soft ride for daily commutes, extended road trips. Keep in mind that as you drop the suspension, you will need to match the struts to the drop. Some struts warn you not to drop below a certain point, otherwise damage will occur to the strut and severely shorten its life. Usually that cut off is around the 1.6"-1.8" drop - also keep in mind that some springs tend to sag over time (Tein S.tech is a good example - can become more than a 2"-2.5" drop over a few years).
Upgrading the brake pads to better friction material (Hawk, EBC, Porterfield, Carbotech, etc.) and upgrading the tires/wheels are a no brainer. OEM tire size (depending on the trim level) is a 175/65-14 or 185/65-14 tire on a 14"x5.5" wheel. A 4x100 bolt pattern, offset ranges for an 8th gen are 38mm-45mm positive backspace, 54.1mm wheel centerbore. You can run up to an 18" wheel on an 8th gen Corolla - but IMO, a 16" or 17" would look best. TRD spec'd a 16" wheel - 16x7, 40mm? (can't remember) offset with a 205/45-16 tire. That size tire is pretty common and not too thin. Enough meat / sidewall to prevent too many bent wheels.
For a 1ZZ-FE - bolt ons like intake, exhaust, header - will get you some gains, but don't expect too much. Even in the best cases - maybe a 5-10whp gain. The OEM exhaust manifold is tubular design - if you have the time, patience, and equipment - you can try porting the OEM exhaust. I believe there are some dyno pulls that show that a DIY port on the OEM header yielded the same results as a typical header. Easy way to save a few hundred dollars right there. Stay away from OBX stuff - the amount of problems you will run into versus any potential gains is not worth it.
Catback exhaust - if you want quiet - this is not a good place to start modding. Almost anything you do, short of making the exhaust more restrictive, will make the exhaust louder.
Forced induction (supercharger, turbocharger, nitrous) are the only real ways to get tangible gains. As for being safe? Depends on your definition of safe/reliable. Much of the issues with turbocharging this engine or any other is in the tune. Can't expect to just slap on a turbo and have it work right out of the box. Even on cars with great aftermarket support - each engine is a little different - have to tune the car properly to ensure good performance and good reliability.
Pulleys - hit or miss. You can get underdriving pulleys or lightweight sets. If I had to pick one -I'd get a lightweight one - but you have to make sure it is balanced perfectly. Again - each engine is a little different. Some can run lightweight pulleys no problems - others might experience anything from odd vibrations to trashed crankshaft bearings/oil leaks.
The Toyota ECM is not user flashable - you'll have to run either a piggyback or standalone setup to play with any settings.
Generally, intakes take into consideration what kind of airflow metering the car uses - MAP or MAF or AFM. Plus all the various vacuum hoses ad tubes that need to be hooked up to avoid CELs and whatnot.
Suspension mods would give the car the best bang for the buck. The OEM suspension was designed for a compliant ride - even with a modest upgrade of performance springs and struts - you can really transform the ride of the car. I'm running TRD springs and KYB struts - seems to be a good match of decent performance when needed and a soft ride for daily commutes, extended road trips. Keep in mind that as you drop the suspension, you will need to match the struts to the drop. Some struts warn you not to drop below a certain point, otherwise damage will occur to the strut and severely shorten its life. Usually that cut off is around the 1.6"-1.8" drop - also keep in mind that some springs tend to sag over time (Tein S.tech is a good example - can become more than a 2"-2.5" drop over a few years).
Upgrading the brake pads to better friction material (Hawk, EBC, Porterfield, Carbotech, etc.) and upgrading the tires/wheels are a no brainer. OEM tire size (depending on the trim level) is a 175/65-14 or 185/65-14 tire on a 14"x5.5" wheel. A 4x100 bolt pattern, offset ranges for an 8th gen are 38mm-45mm positive backspace, 54.1mm wheel centerbore. You can run up to an 18" wheel on an 8th gen Corolla - but IMO, a 16" or 17" would look best. TRD spec'd a 16" wheel - 16x7, 40mm? (can't remember) offset with a 205/45-16 tire. That size tire is pretty common and not too thin. Enough meat / sidewall to prevent too many bent wheels.
For a 1ZZ-FE - bolt ons like intake, exhaust, header - will get you some gains, but don't expect too much. Even in the best cases - maybe a 5-10whp gain. The OEM exhaust manifold is tubular design - if you have the time, patience, and equipment - you can try porting the OEM exhaust. I believe there are some dyno pulls that show that a DIY port on the OEM header yielded the same results as a typical header. Easy way to save a few hundred dollars right there. Stay away from OBX stuff - the amount of problems you will run into versus any potential gains is not worth it.
Catback exhaust - if you want quiet - this is not a good place to start modding. Almost anything you do, short of making the exhaust more restrictive, will make the exhaust louder.
Forced induction (supercharger, turbocharger, nitrous) are the only real ways to get tangible gains. As for being safe? Depends on your definition of safe/reliable. Much of the issues with turbocharging this engine or any other is in the tune. Can't expect to just slap on a turbo and have it work right out of the box. Even on cars with great aftermarket support - each engine is a little different - have to tune the car properly to ensure good performance and good reliability.
Pulleys - hit or miss. You can get underdriving pulleys or lightweight sets. If I had to pick one -I'd get a lightweight one - but you have to make sure it is balanced perfectly. Again - each engine is a little different. Some can run lightweight pulleys no problems - others might experience anything from odd vibrations to trashed crankshaft bearings/oil leaks.
Thanx alot for the in depth explaination! I will have to take that all into account. So what have you done to you're cars then?
Thanx alot for the in depth explaination! I will have to take that all into account. So what have you done to you're cars then?
The easy stuff mostly.
Upgraded wheels and tires, name brand springs and struts that complement the spring rate. Brembo blanks for rotors (not drilled or slotted) and either Hawk HPS or Porterfield R4-S brake pads.
This yielded the best bang for the buck on this class of car. Car retains all the original reliability and great fuel economy - but stops, turns, and handles considerably better than stock. No chance for CELs in that setup to boot. Probably spent about $1000 on each one of my cars.
I didn't mess with the typical I/E/H bolt-ons, because these are my DD and I don't want to do anything, engine performance wise, half-a$$ed. Instead I put the money into better maintenance of the cars - synthetic fluids, K&N / aFe filters, etc.
There is good potential in the engines - but you have to spend a small fortune to find it. Custom intake, exhaust, header designed with the engine displacement and powerband in mind - new cams, upgraded valve springs, larger throttle body, port and polish, EMS system and tune - you could see a 50-70WHP bump in power realistically - all on a naturally aspirated engine. Also set you back about $5000-$7000 or so. At that point, you could have turbo'd the engine for the same amount and get even more gains. After you break some things in the process - you could have sold the car and put the money into something like lightly used 350Z, RX8, MX5, etc.
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