I asked my Toyota dealers parts guy a few weeks ago, and he said there are many different part numbers related to different VIN numbers.
I matched up a set of sedan springs with my GT-S springs, and they look identical, height, coil diameter and wire diameter.
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'88 Corolla, AE92 SR-5, 7A-FE swap/GT-S suspension
'87 Corolla, AE82 FX-16, 4A-GZE swap (autocrosser)
'03 Tundra 4X4 Access Cab, (FX tow vehicle/Home Depot runner)
Modification: Changing something to what you thought it should have been from the start!
Well, ok, I guess I'll be selling off the GTS set that I have then. No point in having that around.
They look the same, but I can't say that they are.
Somebody would have to do a load test, or find the spec's, to be sure if they are or aren't.
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'88 Corolla, AE92 SR-5, 7A-FE swap/GT-S suspension
'87 Corolla, AE82 FX-16, 4A-GZE swap (autocrosser)
'03 Tundra 4X4 Access Cab, (FX tow vehicle/Home Depot runner)
Modification: Changing something to what you thought it should have been from the start!
The springs are NOT the same. The GTS springs are stiffer, ride height is approximately the same (fairly tall, but I like that for real world driving). We have an 88 GTS and a 90 Corolla sedan with full GTS suspension, and the only remaining difference is the steering rack. GTS is, I believe, straight ratio and the sedan is vairable, although they also interchange and we will put the GTS rack on the sedan someday, already have one.
Sedan is much more fun with the springs, struts, sway bars and strut tower brace from a GTS. I use either Koni sport struts or factory GTS struts.
Rear discs aren't hard to do, but you need the master cylinder and proportioning valve, and it's easiest in my opinion to just get the entire rear upright assembly from a GTS to rebuild and install as opposed to adding all the pieces.
More important is the larger front rotors from a 90-91 GTS, I believe all the parts are still available new or rebuilt. Caliper is wider for the thicker rotor, caliper mount puts it further out for larger rotor, pads are the same. We have those on both cars.
Sedan was fairly soft and floppy stock, I don't know about actually picking up the inside wheels, but it neither encouraged nor rewarded enthusiastic driving in stock tune. The GTS parts truly transform the car.
I have no knowledge of lowering the car, I don't believe in it for a real daily driver.
They might be slightly different, however ALL aftermarket springs you find are made to fit all cars and not sedan or coupe specifically.
All my GTS's were lowered, daily driven even in the winter with lots of snow. The only times I had trouble is when snow gets really high but that barely ever happens, we only get a couple of feet of snow now whereas I remember being younger and having some huge snowstorms where the snow would reach past your knees.
More important is the larger front rotors from a 90-91 GTS, I believe all the parts are still available new or rebuilt. Caliper is wider for the thicker rotor, caliper mount puts it further out for larger rotor, pads are the same. We have those on both cars.
Actually the caliper carries the same part number for the smaller earlier/SR5/sedan brakes as the larger 90-91 GTS brakes. The caliper mount however is just as you said, further out. Yes, the rotor is thicker, but nothing that caliper can't handle.
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'88 Corolla, AE92 SR-5, 7A-FE swap/GT-S suspension
'87 Corolla, AE82 FX-16, 4A-GZE swap (autocrosser)
'03 Tundra 4X4 Access Cab, (FX tow vehicle/Home Depot runner)
Modification: Changing something to what you thought it should have been from the start!
The springs are NOT the same. The GTS springs are stiffer, ride height is approximately the same (fairly tall, but I like that for real world driving). We have an 88 GTS and a 90 Corolla sedan with full GTS suspension, and the only remaining difference is the steering rack. GTS is, I believe, straight ratio and the sedan is vairable, although they also interchange and we will put the GTS rack on the sedan someday, already have one.
Sedan is much more fun with the springs, struts, sway bars and strut tower brace from a GTS. I use either Koni sport struts or factory GTS struts.
Rear discs aren't hard to do, but you need the master cylinder and proportioning valve, and it's easiest in my opinion to just get the entire rear upright assembly from a GTS to rebuild and install as opposed to adding all the pieces.
More important is the larger front rotors from a 90-91 GTS, I believe all the parts are still available new or rebuilt. Caliper is wider for the thicker rotor, caliper mount puts it further out for larger rotor, pads are the same. We have those on both cars.
Sedan was fairly soft and floppy stock, I don't know about actually picking up the inside wheels, but it neither encouraged nor rewarded enthusiastic driving in stock tune. The GTS parts truly transform the car.
I have no knowledge of lowering the car, I don't believe in it for a real daily driver.
David Merritt
the difference you see/feel could be either the difference in age of the springs or the struts -- the GTS have "serviceable" struts....
there was a long rumor (especially on this site) that the GT-S had beefed up springs to take the added weight of the 4age.... I disputed this YEARS ago (5 or so, I think) after I did my swap and nothing changed.... weight difference between the fe and ge is maybe 20lbs....
GT-S's suspension feels better because of the added swaybar and front strut brace.... wheel base and width are identical and I've thrown GTS & GTZ parts into my SR5 easily.
between a 1990 prizm gsi and a 1990 SR5, the calipers, hubs, and rotors are identical.... I know this because I have a 1990 SR5 caliper and rotor on a gsi hub -- all of which I compared one another before bolting stuff on (had a hub go bad).
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1) 2004 IS300 Manual/LSD/Sportdesign 2) 2010 Corolla S 5 speed 3) 1986 MR2 "MK1.22" 5sfe/s54 swap 3) 1995 Ford Explorer 4x4, TT/AAL/custom shackle lift, 31"s
Last edited by toyotaspeed90; 07-13-2009 at 05:07 PM.
The springs are NOT the same. The GTS springs are stiffer, ride height is approximately the same (fairly tall, but I like that for real world driving). We have an 88 GTS and a 90 Corolla sedan with full GTS suspension, and the only remaining difference is the steering rack. GTS is, I believe, straight ratio and the sedan is vairable, although they also interchange and we will put the GTS rack on the sedan someday, already have one.
Sedan is much more fun with the springs, struts, sway bars and strut tower brace from a GTS. I use either Koni sport struts or factory GTS struts.
Rear discs aren't hard to do, but you need the master cylinder and proportioning valve, and it's easiest in my opinion to just get the entire rear upright assembly from a GTS to rebuild and install as opposed to adding all the pieces.
More important is the larger front rotors from a 90-91 GTS, I believe all the parts are still available new or rebuilt. Caliper is wider for the thicker rotor, caliper mount puts it further out for larger rotor, pads are the same. We have those on both cars.
Sedan was fairly soft and floppy stock, I don't know about actually picking up the inside wheels, but it neither encouraged nor rewarded enthusiastic driving in stock tune. The GTS parts truly transform the car.
I have no knowledge of lowering the car, I don't believe in it for a real daily driver.
David Merritt
So you are saying the parts from a GTS will fit on a 4 door Corolla? If so I will have to do this, even with Eibach springs and aftermarket struts the car still is too soft. Also the stock breaks on this thing suck. So if the springs, sturts and breaks from a GTS will fit on a sedan... I may have to go find the parts and do it.
If you want something stiffer than the Eibachs, you won't be happy with the stock GTS springs, which are absolutely stiffer than stock sedan springs but not any shorter. The TRD springs were shorter and stiffer than the Stock GTS springs, probably comparable to the Eibachs, but good luck on finding some.
Yes, everything is interchangeable between sedan and coupes. Our 90 DX sedan had the mounting holes already in the chassis for the rear sway bar and for the front strut tower brace. The front control arms for the GTS are different because of the sway bar link attaching tab. I think all the new replacement control arms have that, but I'm not sure. We made a jig so we could take the tab from an old control arm and weld it on a new one that didn't have the tab, just in case.
Some GTS struts are insertable, some are sealed. The replacements now sold by the dealer seem to be sealed, but inserts are still available if you have housings, only about $80 each, a good deal in my opinion.
The GTS springs are different than the 90 DX springs for sure, can't say for sure about any other applications. Beleive what you want, I have the DX takeouts and an extra set of GTS springs on hand to compare.
In this part of the world you have to worry about railroad tracks and chuckholes and the like, and I've never had a car with too much suspension travel, if you want to drive it fast on the typlical mediocre pavement, without hammering down on the bumps stops, which is a very bad thing to do. Kills struts and strut mounts, great way to lose control. If you just want to cruise around looking cool, go ahead and lower it. If you want to drive fast on real streets and not have to slow down for bumps, not a good idea.
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