Ok for those have read my previous posts, I mentioned my engine has an oil problem. I'm going to push that off to the side for now because I might be wanting to swap out my engine anyway. I'm trying to plan out how I should go about improving my car's performance. I'm talking suspension, steering and handling, acceleration, speed, etc... I want to work on the mechanics before I get to the exterior stuff. I want your guys' help. Where do I start? What should I consider? What's the best or most recommended parts? What can I do on my own versus going to a shop to do it? If you have price ranges for these parts, that would help too. As far as the engine swap goes, what engines can I fit into my car that could improve vehicle performance and without having to modify much to make it fit? Thanks guys in advance for any tips you got.
And in case this comes up: I'm not exactly looking to race with this car, but I'm also not ruling it out completely. I would prefer not to have anyone criticizing me and saying "If it's running, why do you want to do anything else to it" or things like that. I understand that to some people cars are just cars and as long as it can get them from point A to point B, that's all that matters. But to others, their car is special to them and just want to work on it and make it as best as it can be. That's my case. I love my corolla to death, and I just want the best for it.
Upgrades to the suspension and braking will have the biggest impact on the car - huge improvement in overall handing and arguably the best bang for the buck for this generation. You can go mild (performance spring and strut upgrade) or wild (coil overs, remote reservoirs, adjustable sways, adjustable camber plate, etc.). All depends on your budget and what you expect from the car.
Steering is already pretty decent - adding a strut tower brace, especially with wider tires, can help sharpen the steering. Reducing weight also helps here - light weight wheels and tires make for marked improvement in performance.
Engine work will require the most amount of money - either in building up the existing engine or swapping to a more appropriate engine. Depending on the role of the car - chassis modifications involving a roll cage, welding up body seams, adding braces in key areas - might also be something to look into.
This is some good info. Let's start with suspension and braking then...what brand parts do you recommend and will I be able to do the work myself? Where should I be looking for these parts? I'm not much of a mechanic. I know how to do the simple maintenance stuff on my car like fluid changes, spark plugs, and replacing O2 sensor. I have a Haynes manual for my car so that would probably help.
Most of the suspension work you can do yourself - some specialized tools will be needed, fortunately, many autoparts retailers have tool rental programs to help out.
What brand of suspension and brake parts - that is more of a personal preference. Lots of reviews on this board and others - might want to peruse those to get an idea of what people like/dislike and price ranges - then you can focus your research. Online would generally yield the best prices - I would recommend staying away from any used suspension / brake pieces, not worth the risk on such a safety critical part.
Myself - I needed to retain some ride height (dirt roads / snow), keep a relatively smooth ride, and maximize durability and reliability for a given performance mode. In that sense - I chose TRD springs (rebadged Eibach Pro springs), KYB GR-2 struts (good OEM like upgrade), Hawk HPS pads in front, Brembo plain vented rotors, OEM rear brakes, with lighter weight alloy wheels and better tires. Fresh brake fluid (ATE Super Blue) and didn't even need an alignment (mark exactly how the old struts come off and then you can put them back). Total cost - less than a $1000 for everything, including the cheapo spring compressor.
Car was totally transformed - little to no brake dive or acceleration squat, increased confidence in cornering and entry/exit speeds, handling limits were greatly elevated, felt like you were able to get more grip out of the tires. Utility was increased as well - I can carry more stuff in the car without bottoming out the suspension. Braking was superior to OEM pads, high initial bite shorted my stopping distances, greatly reduced fade from high speeds, only a little more noise and dust to deal with. Because the car is so soft to begin with, any change here is seemingly magnified, very forgiving to those changes as well. Do the same mods to something like a Miata or S2000 - and you could get mixed results. Best $1000 I spent on the car to date, worth every penny.
In my case I have the same struts but H&R sport springs with a TRD SB on top until recently. I too go through snow so I can't slam the piss out of the car but this setup for me was just as comfortable as stock and i could enter corners at much higher speeds as much as 15 mph over stock at some points. When it comes to brakes I do think the stockers are adequate. If you can find the limits of the stock brakes you can haul that car down from speed quickly without locking a wheel.
Lightened your vehicle, light weight rims, good oil change and tranny fluid change, with other bolt on parts such as a custom CAI, porting stock exhaust headers, straight pipe or a cat back with 2 1/4 inch pipe, intake manifold from a 7th gen celica gt/9th gen corolla with the throttle body and a good tune up/maintenance of the car.
And almost forgot, swapping to a 5 speed manual for better power along with a lightweight flywheel like Fidanza and nice clutch.
Last edited by ilovecorollale; 04-22-2011 at 03:06 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to ilovecorollale For This Useful Post:
EBC brakes have been great on my corolla, they are very affordable and just putting drilled and slotted rotors with racing pads on made a noticeable performance gain with out the use of aftermarket calipers and lines
^hmmm I want to do that too. Its just that Im a little unsure on pricing for brakes so I dont want to get ripped off or pay a low price for some crappy drilled/slotted rotors. guess I gotta do some research
__________________ RollaRoyce
'02 Corolla
Injen SRI, Magnaflow catback, lip kit, Tein S-Tech, Konig BriteLites, Prestige security, and Mila Kunis in the passenger seat !
26,6xx miles! http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3842039
i got mine from autoanything.com and for 160 bucks you can get a pair of EBC rotors and for 80 bucks you can get a pair of EBC's highest performance pads, note if you have never driven a car with high performance pads and rotors it is going to take a while to get used to all the brake noise. the rotors make almost a clicking sound as the air passes over the holes and slots in the rotor and the pads do screech depending on how hard you apply the brake
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.
RollaRoyce
!
Linear Mode
