Lowering Springs, Bars, Throttle Controller, and Intake(or the Intake Mod)
All of which are reversible

The only true performance mod is the Turbo Kit which is expensive and affects the reliability.

 

I can personally vouch for Eibach springs and both TRD bars. Great upgrade on handling. Springs are a subtle drop but put it right where it should've been from the factory. I haven't gotten a throttle controller as I haven't seen a need. My Takeda intake is basically for looks and sound, doesn't do anything for performance really. Same with the Borla exhaust. I'd put money down in this order:

1) TRD rear sway bar
2) TRD or Eibach springs
3) TRD front strut tower bar
4) exhaust, if you want it
5) horns so you're not such a sissy :lol:

 

if all the above fails...

6) buy another car

 

Are there underdrive pulleys for the 10th gen? If so, would they make any difference?

 

You're not going to make much (if any) additional power out of that engine, it simply wasn't designed for it. Plus, that will just get you in trouble. The car is fast enough really!

So, I like to change the suspension instead. Put on coilovers and slam it. Looks good, plus makes the corners fun! Also, put on a muffler so you can hear what the engine is doing.

 

Could not of said it any better.

1) coilovers
2) wheels
3) muffler
4) your car is looking sexy

 

Post #4 has it right, so get out your handy-dandy maps app on your phone and find your closest

Take your Corolla there. Drive home with something else, you'll feel much better.

You can add bars and bling, but that's about it, you won't be going any faster. But be warned, when it looks cool the other small cars want to race you, and when you lose you look bad. I really don't know why Toyota puts an 'S' on a Corolla, it's no different than the others.

If you want to keep Corolla then upgrade the stereo to 75rms x 4 with maybe a 10" in the trunk, but clarity over volume is the key. Your car is meant to go from point A to B and back, so if you want a meaningful upgrade w/o wasting your $$ then buy another car. If you had 2AZFE you could have gone with some Crower cams (and a slight polish on the ports with 5angle valve job with the cams could yield +30hp). So maybe shop for a 2AZFE Matrix or XRS, or maybe get a Scion. A Sneaky-Pete NoS may be something to try.

 

+1 to this.

An econobox is an econobox no matter how you spin it. I have all the major mods, but while the handling is superb it still falls short when you ride in other cars. Hell my company vehicle is a new jeep grand Cherokee, by no means sporty, but it really showed me how boring my corolla is to drive when I take it back out.

It makes a great, reliable, cheap daily driver...for me, that's what I needed a few years back. If the new WRXs are anything remotely close to the newly released design, my rolla will be short lived lol.


Someone on here also mentioned grabbing a cheap coupe, be it a 240 or miata, etc....this is def another good idea if you want to have a "fun" car and a reliable car.

I think Toyota ditched the fun car many years ago. Now I don't wanna hear from you FRS supporters, we all know that's a nice ride, but no where near the level of their mid 90s lineups (GT-4 celica, supra, MR2 turbo)

Miss my old celica! The 3sgte was one of my favorite engines...RIP lol

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Upgraded brakes and sticky tires

 

the addition of the throttle controller with the Intake mod on my Corolla helped make it more fun to drive.

 

I went with Springs, TRD Front Strut and rear Sway, and Dunlop Z1 tires.. An absolute awesome combo. But if I had the chance to I would've went to Coils.

Just with that simple setup alone, I took first place in our novice AutoX and won a set of R-comp tires.

 

get one of these for it

 

My 09 S is a blast to drive. Improving the suspension is a must & results in fantastic results. This is what I have on my car for suspension & I wouldn't change a thing.

1. Eibach Springs
2. 17" wheels with 225/45R17 tires
3. TRD Rear Sway Bar
4. TRD Front Strut Brace
5. Ultra Racing (UR) Raer Upper Strut Brace
6. UR 19mm Rear Sway Bar
7. UR Front Lower 3-point Chassis Brace
8. UR Rear Lower 2-point Chassis Brace

I love the combination of my others mods too. I know that my exhaust, intake & throttle controller made a nice improvement on the driving fun side of things. If nothing else it feels a little quicker but sounds great which also is nice.

1. Borla Exhaust
2. Takeda SRI
3. Pivot Throttle Controller

Start modding & you will soon realize how much more fun your Corolla can be to drive!

 

^^^^^^^^Talk to this guy^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

if you want to make a 1.8L corolla fun to drive.

WWJD
what would Jim do?

 

Honestly I'm going to have to side with the guys that say buy a new car. I used to disagree with them, until I bought a roadster as a weekend/fun car to work on. Rear wheel drive + 5spd + convertible in a car that weighs about 60% as much as the Corolla really makes my daily commute in the Corolla pretty boring.

Yes, you could spend a bunch of money to make your Corolla a little more fun to drive. But in the long run, you could take all the money you spend on all of that, and buy another used car that will be light years more fun. You can buy a 240sx, rx7 fc, miata, and a few other cars for <$2,000, and I guarantee every one of them will put a larger smile on your face. Plus you'll have a lot more aftermarket support with cars that take bolt ons and modifications extremely well to push a lot of power.

 

I don't think it takes much money to really bring out the great chassis the Corolla has & increase the fun factor. While I agree with what you are saying the Corolla is a much better everyday car. This is why I've always said to keep the Corolla & get a 2nd car for fun so that you can have a car to get around in while improving the other one. One car should never be enough for someone that loves cars & driving. Modding a car is more then the sum of the parts, it's the journey that is the most fun.

I don't compare my MR2 to my Corolla, but both are a blast to drive. I think the biggest negative for most Corolla owners seems to be having an AT as owners with a MT seem to report that their Corollas are more fun to drive. Rowing your own gears is a true car drivers thing.

 

Yeah, that's the thing. You CAN make a Corolla fun to drive, but honestly, it wasn't designed to be fun. You can spend loads of money, and sure it will be more fun, but it will still be a Corolla. Might as well get a car that is meant to be fun in the first place. But of course, you've already got the Corolla, so might as well make the best of it.

 

What is your definition of fun to drive?

For me, fun to drive translates to comfortable. For me it meant upgrading my speakers and all that. It didn't make it drive any better, but it atleast made me enjoy the time I spent in my car driving to work everyday

 

The Corolla isn't a fun car (that's not what it's built for), my dad's 2009 911S is.

The Corolla is like family to me and deep down I love it like a human. It is the journey that you take putting upgrades in the car and mods. It's not going to be a fast car, but you make it unique for yourself.

I know I said I'd take an Imprezza over the Corolla, but that primarily for the awd. I love the looks of my car.

This was my first new car and I'm glad it is. It's a learning experience.

 

I agree with you all the way!

 

Well, I looked at each post and have come to the conclusion just to keep it as is. It works great as a daily driver and I'll get something a little different in the future to suit what I want in a car. Thank you all for your input.

 

That's a good decision. If you want to have more fun, just enjoy your ride as much as you can. Feel the way it accelerates, decelerates, and how it feels in corners. Do them at different speed and just feel your car. In my opinion, driving happy and content makes the ultimate difference in how to make a ride more fun to drive. :thumbsup:

 

That sounds like a responsible plan :thumbsup:

 

Here are the biggest two tings i did to add more pep to my 2009 corolla (MT) with 70K on it:
DIY intake with K&N filter
CHANGE THE PLUGS!!!! mine looked fine, but it made a huge power difference when i did ti as PM for a long trip to WY.

Other things are what supercharged MR2 said.
One thing that he forgot to point out in detail was that lightweight wheels are key. From firsthand experience on other cars anywhere you can decrease rotational un-sprung weight is money. switching to some RPF1s in as light of a size as possible will make a large seat of your pants difference on something with this little of torque.

 

Here are the biggest two tings i did to add more pep to my 2009 corolla (MT) with 70K on it:
DIY intake with K&N filter
CHANGE THE PLUGS!!!! mine looked fine, but it made a huge power difference when i did ti as PM for a long trip to WY.

some here say dont change the OEM plugs for 100k miles because they look fine at 100k miles. just like motor oil, what it looks like does not mean how good/bad it works! so dropping full synth at 5k = dumb, just like using plugs for 50k miles = dumb. for some reason some people here like to blab crap. reader beware.

 

edited. after review was too harsh and misguided I should not respond when tired and after wrenching on a BMW. (never own a BMW)

 

The only way to really make a corolla more fun to drive...or any car for that matter...is to have a hot chick in the passenger seat.

 

Then you would be busy driving something else :naughty:

 

RE: your post #31 Tenchuu
I was agreeing with you and you have good proof. I was just noting what others are saying on these forums. And yes, the post behind this one is me being quoted, so I gave OP a very good option.

 

Sorry man, i should have given it more time and a re-read before responding, also shouldn't have responded after spending hours trying the fix electrical issues on the Mrs. BMW. Nothing makes me see red faster.