Just bought Corolla S, huge car guy - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

acr_vp · 12-30-2011, 12:28 AM

Hello all, just thought I'd post to introduce myself. I just bought a certified used '10 Corolla S because I have a little girl on the way and I needed something safer for my daily driver. After test driving about 6 other cars (honda, vw, kia etc.) I decided to purchase the Corolla. This is actually my first Toyota, and I was happy to see such an engaged online forum of owners

I'm a slight track rat and love to work on my cars. I've already raided the DIY posts on this forum, but I think my Corolla will stay stock for as long as I have it. I say this now since I have another car for attacking the track

, but you never know since parts for the Corolla cost 1/10th compared to the fun car. The Corolla can be pretty fun on the bends, but I think the S badge stands for "slow"

That's expected though, since it gets fantastic mpg's!!!

All in all, I couldn't be happier with my purchase, and I'm excited to join the community.

xangelox15 · 12-30-2011, 12:35 AM

to TN!

***SuperchargedMR2*** · 12-30-2011, 01:15 AM

to TN! I love the color you bought. It was my 2nd choice after my CSM. I also said I was going to leave my Corolla S stock. Trust me.....it didn't happen even though I have my Supercharged MR2.

My S is so much more fun to drive now compared to when it was stock.

acr_vp · 12-30-2011, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperchargedMR2

to TN! I love the color you bought. It was my 2nd choice after my CSM. I also said I was going to leave my Corolla S stock. Trust me.....it didn't happen even though I have my Supercharged MR2.

My S is so much more fun to drive now compared to when it was stock.

Thanks for the compliment... So maybe I would consider adding some stiffness, but that's about it. Any recommendations? It would be nice for my wife to be able have some fun at auto crosses since she's scared of my viper lol. I see no point in wheels, but I'll definitely get better rubber eventually. I'm not even going to bother with the engine as I enjoy the fuel economy and the fact that my wife's kid mobile would still destroy this car in a drag seals it for me.

jbod · 12-30-2011, 01:42 AM

nice color!

so the viper was your daily driver? at least you'll save money on gas!

Xenos · 12-30-2011, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acr_vp

Thanks for the compliment... So maybe I would consider adding some stiffness, but that's about it. Any recommendations? It would be nice for my wife to be able have some fun at auto crosses since she's scared of my viper lol. I see no point in wheels, but I'll definitely get better rubber eventually. I'm not even going to bother with the engine as I enjoy the fuel economy and the fact that my wife's kid mobile would still destroy this car in a drag seals it for me.

You can get the front strut brace and rear sway bar from TRD. Not expensive at all and easy to install. That should noticeably improve the handling. If that's not enough you could go for the lowering kit from TRD as well. I believe Supercharged has that on his Corolla so he can tell you how it performs comparative to stock.

It's true the Corolla is not known for its quickness, but then again nothing in this class is known for its quickness unless you opt for a 30 thousand dollar WRX or Lancer Evo. This type of car is generally all about mpg and reliability. A few features make it nice to boot.

acr_vp · 12-30-2011, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbod

nice color!

so the viper was your daily driver? at least you'll save money on gas!

Hahaha no, my daily driver was an old saturn I bought when I was still in college for $500. I donated it to the salvation army 2 days ago... Still ran like new. It was a good car (couldn't kill it), but a death trap on wheels if someone hit me.

Jzen16 · 12-30-2011, 03:09 AM

you sir, bought the right car with the RIGHT color!

love it. I will never get tired of seeing another blue streak metallic corolla. Every time I see one on the road it catches my eye and i'm like there's my car!

***FlawedLegacy*** · 12-30-2011, 06:50 AM

Congrats on the kid and car!

"just leave it stock"...

yeah, I "just wanted wheels" $3k+ later, my wish list is still huge!
Viper : DROOLS : mmmmmmmm, childhood dream car! SO PURDY! What year/trim? pics?

Let's drop her, wheels, intake, bars, exhaust for starters. Like a new car at that point!

***rpw00mirage*** · 12-30-2011, 07:35 AM

Welcome!

Glad to see another track guy. I'm sure you will get that itch that I have after driving for a few weeks... Where you need to get the car where it has to be. But like you said, mods are cheap, and easy...

trlhiker · 12-30-2011, 06:08 PM

Welcome, Blue was my first choice but could not find a decent used one around, so i got my second choice which was gray. as mentioned before, get the TRD front and rear bars. Will help improve the driving significantly.

***SuperchargedMR2*** · 12-30-2011, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acr_vp

Thanks for the compliment... So maybe I would consider adding some stiffness, but that's about it. Any recommendations? It would be nice for my wife to be able have some fun at auto crosses since she's scared of my viper lol. I see no point in wheels, but I'll definitely get better rubber eventually. I'm not even going to bother with the engine as I enjoy the fuel economy and the fact that my wife's kid mobile would still destroy this car in a drag seals it for me.

For better handling get some lowering springs, TRD or Eibach if you don't want to slam it but want a lower stance that handles much better. After that add a TRD RSB & FSB.

I added a Borla exhaust, Takeda SRI & Pivot throttle controller which improved the car by 10x but didn't hurt mpg unless I really get on it since it sounds so sweet.

Winstar · 12-30-2011, 06:58 PM

TRD RSB & FSB and TRD lowering springs would be a perfect set for improvement handling and stance for a daily driver.

Tints are nice also to make appearance better and also keep the car cool in summer

***SuperchargedMR2*** · 12-30-2011, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winstar

TRD RSB & FSB and TRD lowering springs would be a perfect set for improvement handling and stance for a daily driver.

Tints are nice also to make appearance better and also keep the car cool in summer

Tint is a must in my book.

acr_vp · 12-30-2011, 08:14 PM

Thanks everyone for the tips.. I don't really plan to drop it at all since winters get pretty snowy here... I have my truck, but I've been caught out a few times in the daily driver. I'll eventually get bars for the added stiffness, probably never going to touch the exhaust, and still don't know about a new throttle controller.

For those that have asked, my viper is a '99 ACR (American Club Racer edition) which comes from the factory with a fully adjustable race suspension (height, compression, rebound etc.), k&n filters, and harnesses. I have recaro pole positions, a full exhaust (no cats, loud as can be), and dialed in the suspension just right. Special SSR wheels done one time only for viper owners (6 lug, and 13.5 inches wide for the rear lol). Also 3.55 gears in the rear end (vs. stock 3.07) Honestly it feels like a scary fast rip your face off miata

No abs or traction control to save you if your stupid.

I will probably be porting the heads and getting a good tune, and that's about it. It's got enough power, and I don't want to deal with the heat soak issues at the track if I were to get forced induction.

It was dyno'd over the summer with 426hp and 477 tq. at the wheels. The best part is at 1,000rpm it already had 405 tq

Here are some pics and the dyno run. The only thing different is the side lights are now tinted black.

Dyno run -> http://youtu.be/Kt7DA8LIDhI