stiffen without lowering?

wesscamrywagon said:

How can I significantly stiffen the suspension/improve handling without lowering my car? I know i could do struts, but i dont think it would make a significant difference or be worth the money. And I know about intrax springs its just that i dont wanna look like every other guy whos trying to make his family car look like a sports car. I can understand why some people like that. But the reality is, most people think its a joke. Anyhow, ideas anybody?

Click to expand...

Here's the order I'd do things if I wasn't going to lower the car and wanted better handling:

Good tires on 16" rims
New struts (KYB or Tokico)
Whiteline rear swaybar
New poly front bushings
Front strut tower brace
Whiteline front swaybar

You can do any of those in any order (I wouldn't do the front swaybar before the rear though) and any one will help your handling. I've done all those things plus the Intrax springs, and my Camry handles pretty decently...

-Charlie

Springs without proper damping will not give you the satisfactory results..

If you are trying to reduce body roll the first thing to try is thicker anti-sway bars.. I don't' know enough about availability of parts for the Camry, But when building suspension that is usually the most effective part to start with (other than tires).

The second thing I would change is the Dampers (shocks). A stiffer damper will aid in reducing body roll but paired with softer spring will still keep a relatively comfortable ride.. However, if you do get an adjustable damper be careful not to turn it too stiff or you will end up with a "jack down" condition where the spring is not hard enough to return the damper stroke back up to the top before the next compression.. eventually you will end up riding on your bumpstops..

The third thing you could try is and ERS type spring with a stiffer spring rate as stock on coilovers sleeves set a factory height (you need the sleeves because ERS springs are quite a bit shorter than stock) pair that with the upgraded dampers and thicker anti-swaybars and you will have a formidable unlowered suspension...

Interesting. I'm interested in suspension upgrades for my wife's '91 VZV21 wagon as well. While I am interested in lowering the car a little for looks, I do not want to buy springs that lower the car but are so stiff she won't drive it, or so soft or low that it bounces off the bumpstops all day.

I have heard people mention Intrax. I had their springs in my AE86. They weren't a bad spring for a street car, though they were far too low in the front for my taste. I jacked them up with rubber spacers to get it a little closer to level and keep it off the bumpstops, and it wasn't too bad.

Who has run Intrax springs in a V6 car? I suspect they'd be a bit soft compared to the same spring in a 4cyl car. Do they offer a different rate for V6s? Finally, will the fit in a wagon? Sometimes mfr's use a different rear suspension design in wagons to gain more load area or greater carrying capacity.

wesscamrywagon: I'm near Eugene. Nice to see someone else from the area on here - with the same car, even.

Upgrade your suspension - it's worth it

Like you, I didn't want to lower my car too much but wanted to improve the suspension. A year later, I can tell you it was well worth the money for my Gen 4 and it handles like a totally different car.

I used Tokico Blues struts with Eibach Pro Kit springs and KYB strut mounts. Since you have the struts out, it's a good time to replace the mounts since they will go bad and "clunk" over bumps up front if you don't change them eventually. It only lowered it less than an inch, but the handling is outstanding. I understand that they don't have Eibach's for Gen 2, but you should be able to find some other progressive rate springs.

I'm with the others who recommend that you replace struts and springs, not just one component. (... and don't forget the mounts.)

Good luck.