Upgrades for a 96

[neophile_17]

Hey all,

I've got a 96 prizm and I'm looking to change/add a few things. I just bought 15" wheels off a saturn not perfect but for 50$ I can deal. My new tires from the old car are a huge improvement over the econorubber they replaced. Anyways my next projects...

Tach
I want to get a tach as part of a guage cluster from a corolla. This should improve the look of the guage cluster as well as make up for the lack of a tach. But will all the wiring plugs be there and if not is there a link on how to add them.

Strut Bar
Is there a difference in the performance between various strut bars or are price differences only determined by wieght, quality, label, and appearance?

Daytime Running Lights
I want to disable them. I saw this link posted earlier but it doesn't seem to cover my year. Has anyone used that or another procedure to disable DRL. Info is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

~neophile_17

[Ukrainian102]

Before you go riding around on those Saturn wheels, PLEASE read this thread: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t15167-1.html. You need proper hubcentric rings for them and make sure the offset is right, otherwise the weight of your car will rest on your lug nuts and they will bend. Wheels are a tricky subject.

Anyway, as far as the tach goes, you can probably get an instrument cluster with a tach from a Corolla at a junkyard. Use www.car-part.com to find junkyards near you that have the instrument cluster with the tach. Before going to a junkyard that has the part, however, call ahead and make sure that the cluster they have has a tach. I once drove 1.5 hours to find that they had an inventory error and had only clusters without tachs.

All the wires plug in as they should, it's essentially a plug-and-play deal. The only problem is that you will have different mileage on the odometer. Check my cardomain page if you want (link in my sig), as I did this swap.

Not sure about DRL, or why you would want to disable them, but my guess is you just need to remove a fuse somewhere or cut a wire, probably the latter.

[Jake25]

theres day time running lights on a 96?

[good_old_geo]

there is a difference in performance with the strut bar. My car (96 prizm) used to have so much body roll especially when I accelerate on exit ramps. Now the body is much stiffer. I bought mine in the Philippines for less than 20 bucks and it was worth it

[toyotaspeed90]

Originally Posted by Ukrainian102

Before you go riding around on those Saturn wheels, PLEASE read this thread: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t15167-1.html. You need proper hubcentric rings for them and make sure the offset is right, otherwise the weight of your car will rest on your lug nuts and they will bend. Wheels are a tricky subject.

ummm... not quite.....

hub centric rings are put only ONLY to help get the wheel onto the studs evenly and that the wheel is on straight.... otherwise the car can vibrate/shake at any speeds

you think that a 1/4" piece of plastic is holding your car up?

you can go bolt centric as well..... generally takes 2 people or well tapered lug nuts

[Ukrainian102]

I never said the hubcentric rings hold your car weight.

Sorry if thats how it came across .

[neophile_17]

Heya,

I'm gonna say that the info in that other forum is overcaution given out by the manufactorer to drive up costs. Lug studs/nuts hold the weight of the car period. Its what they're meant to do even with one missing (shudder everytime I see this). Think about a hard turn that ring isn't going to do anything and lateral acceleration can be up to .8g. As for bolting on the wheel slightly off center; this would definitely cuase horrible vibration. However lug nuts (mine were from the saturn) are tapered so that the wheel will always be centered when properly tightened.

That out of the way... thanks for the info on the guage cluster and I'll definitely call before I head out to any yard. Hadn't seen the tach cluster before now, it's gorgeous compared to the non-tach cluster.

DRL cause extra wear on the alternator and headlight bulbs in addition to looking stupid.

Also Ukrainian102 that's great putting the lawnmower in your cardomain profile. My nitrous sucking '85 craftsman coulda kicked its butt. 50 shot on a 12 horse motor ... what can I say it was free ...then it threw a rod . New 11 horse motor is strictly for grass cutting.

Thanks guys