Hey

Welcome to the board.

I wanted an AWD winter car but didn't want a tippy SUV.

I have a 2013 Limited I bought in October and added 40 hrs of mods to and a 2002 Supercharged 600 rwhp Corvette C5 M6 Vert I've had for 2 1/2 years and 300+ hours of mods :grin:

As to this

I was hoping to find a source for beefier/stiffer front and rear sway bars to help flatten out the body roll of the Venza.

No sway bars unless you want to make your own which is beyond the typical skill level especially the front bar with 10+ bends





Rear Bar not too hard to make





However

Lowering springs work great 0

http://www.ebay.com/itm/H-R-Toyota-...:Toyota|Model:Venza|Submodel:AWD&hash=item2ca86bf72a:g:eBYAAOSwezVWuCkg&vxp=mtr


I can hang it pretty good on ramps all the way to the limit with only some small rear squat.

Might bend up a slightly thicker rear bar and beef up the weenie rear bar mounts.













Here's my Venza Mods if you want some ideas.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/152-venza-forum/1250505-my-venza-mods.html

 

Welcome to the site, nice pickup. I also wish there was a thicker RSB but most people on here seem to go with lowering springs from H&R or similar from what I've read. I doubt changing bushings or endlinks would really help. I wish TRD gave the Venza a few more goodies like an RSB, lip kit, etc. Then again it's the wife's car so I wouldn't get to enjoy any mods very much haha. Though I had to swap to the 2013+ grills.


Here's a red car for you if interested :http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/152-venza-forum/1281801-hello-new-venza-owner.html

 

:welcome: to the Nation, that's a nice looking Venza you've got there. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of aftermarket parts out there, but there are a few options for the suspension. Aside from the springs already mentioned, there are a few bagged Venzas out there and a company working on a coil over kit, which should, I believe, be available soon. I went for the springs and have been very happy with their performance.

 

Red Ryder:

Nice Accord! I'm a sucker for red cars (my 'Vette, Baja, and Venza are all red). My mother handed down her '98 Acura 3.0 CL in 2010 for my daughter to drive while she was in college. Daughter has been our of school for almost three years and is still driving it. My deal with her is that when she is ready for a new car, I will give her the down payment but I get the Acura to mod/refurbish and play with (well, it is red). She is hot to buy a house right now so it will probably be a couple of years before I get the Acura back. It only had 68K miles when she got it from grandma (and they were easy miles) and is at, I think, only 108K now.

Really liking the refinement of the Venza and all the room but still taken aback every time I take a corner. Have to tell myself, "It's not the 'Vette. It's not even the Baja." The 'Vette is a '99 but I have upgraded it with Z06 shocks and sway bars so it is very stable in the twisties.

K9Leader

 

Nice Accord! I'm a sucker for red cars (my 'Vette, Baja, and Venza are all red). My mother handed down her '98 Acura 3.0 CL in 2010 for my daughter to drive while she was in college. Daughter has been our of school for almost three years and is still driving it. My deal with her is that when she is ready for a new car, I will give her the down payment but I get the Acura to mod/refurbish and play with (well, it is red). She is hot to buy a house right now so it will probably be a couple of years before I get the Acura back. It only had 68K miles when she got it from grandma (and they were easy miles) and is at, I think, only 108K now.

Really liking the refinement of the Venza and all the room but still taken aback every time I take a corner. Have to tell myself, "It's not the 'Vette. It's not even the Baja." The 'Vette is a '99 but I have upgraded it with Z06 shocks and sway bars so it is very stable in the twisties.

Thanks, been a long road with this car. That CL has the motor mine used to have before I swapped, it won't do you wrong. Hopefully the transmission won't either. When you do get it back, Acurazine.com, V6Performance.net, and even 6thgenaccord.com will be great resources for info/mods.


The C5 was the last true Vette in my opinion, but I can be somewhat of a purist when it comes to cars. Anyway that's a lot of car for the money, enjoy it. Very cool that Z06 bits can be added on. My next car will definitely be RWD.


I never see red Bajas...they're always black, white, or that crazy orange/yellow haha. An Outback is definitely a cool first car.

 

@K9Leader welcome to TN, nice ride she go be one sweet ride after some mods.

I did the springs also and they do make a hell of difference.

 

@ Venza Cruiser that is one sweet Vett, nice color.

 

Welcome to the site!

Nice choice on the red too haha

 

So, have had the Venza for a couple of weeks and have done some mods - Hidden Hitch trailer hitch (for a bike rack), mud/splash guards, bumper protector, 3D MAXpider floor mats/liners and cargo mat, a good lugnut wrench.

My wife rode in it for the first time today (she's been away for the past week). She liked it but is not a car enthusiast so no big fuss. She will like it better when we start using it for road trips and she will enjoy the room and comfort features.

K9Leader

 

She looks great. Nice color. Welcome. Great room in these cars. Enjoy!

 

So, it has been a few weeks with the Venza and I still want to do something to flatten out the ride a bit and not have so much dipping in the corners. I would be doing this entirely and completely for handling reasons and not for appearance. My concerns with the H&R lowering springs include the increased possibility of hitting curbs with the doors - my daughter is buying a house in the city so visiting her will often include street parking and "being careful with the doors" would not be something that my wife would be . . . focused on.

I also am looking for a balance between handling and non-paved utility (mine is an AWD Limited). I won't be off-roading but sometimes will be on dirt/gravel roads, some of them a bit bumpy, and maybe into fields and such (camping with the Boy Scouts). Also, I got the AWD for dealing with winter weather so do not want to compromise that. I still have my Subara Baja, which has proven itself in these conditions (and more, but then I kept the Baja for when I might need a bit more offroad utility).

I do not plan to change out the wheels (the 20s that come with the Limited trim) and do not want to have to modify/roll the wheel wells or use any adapters or spacers. Basically, can I just have the H&R lowering springs installed and, without any other changes/mods, improve the cornering?

Thanks for insights, thoughts, advice.

K9Leader
Newark, Delaware

Oh, and a pic of my '99 Corvette - like I said, I'm a sucker for red cars:

[/URL][/IMG]

 

The ride is great and it handles really well with the progressive rate
lowered springs.
Stock ride going down the road but stiffer cornering.
You couldn't tell by looking at it unless you had another Venza
next to it.
Now that the snow is gone and the roads are dry I'm hanging
it to the limit on the exit and entrance ramps > and it's much better
than the stock springs.:wink:
Not bad compared to my 02 C5 M6 Vette.
No problems with curbs.
Maybe park next to the curbs you are concerned with and
check the clearance then subtract 1.5"

 

I have 8.5" of door clearance on a level surface with the lowering springs

 

I am new to the Venza world - picked up a 2013 Limited this week. I was looking for something with easier in and out, roomier back seat, and decent HP. I've driven Subarus for the last 13 years - a 2000 Outback and an '03 Baja. Love my Subies but, with middle age has come the desire for a bit more creature comfort and room. The Baja has been my DD for 6 years and the OB for the 7 before that. The Baja will go into semi-retirement, doing dog and messy stuff hauling and as a 2nd AWD vehicle in the family. The OB will be going to my wife's cousin's son - 16 years old and I bet he is THRILLED to be getting an old station wagon to tool around in (he's actually a good kid and will be appreciative of having any car).

I've also had some experience with performance cars - 1975 Datsun 280z, 1987 Acura Integra (2 of them), 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII, and (currently and forever) a 1999 C5 Corvette convertible. With experience in the Corvette world, where there are always aftermarket solutions, I was hoping to find a source for beefier/stiffer front and rear sway bars to help flatten out the body roll of the Venza. But, poking around this forum and the greater Interwebs, I haven't found anything. Hmm, and not much chance something will come to market now that the Venza is no longer sold in the U.S. Might be limited to trying some aftermarket end links to see if that helps at all. Any insights from those of you in the know would be appreciated.

Anyway, here is my new ride - I am a sucker for red cars (this is my 8th red car):


K9Leader
Newark DE

I leased a 2013 LE model back in 2013 and fell in love with the car I too have owned and driven many a car my Porsche 924 was my baby 😢 so in 2019 I needed to get another car and decided I wanted to BUY a 2013 Venza Limited (they are fully loaded and have nicer festers) and found one with amazingly less than 8,000 miles driven/year and nooo accidents a great maintenance record too. The guy traded it in for a new Porsche his kids all grown up and out of house the Venza was his second car not driven much. So now I am loving it. I’m replacing the brakes and calipers this month and possibly hubs/bearings too just to start off fresh & since wheels will be off thought a great time BUT I’m pondering wether to replace the struts/shocks all around I noticed the ride was getting a little bumpier not sure if it’s our crappy roads up here in NH
Going to be flushing/draining & replacing all fluids too. I like to work on the car with my mechanic friend he’s a great teacher and this car is awesome Good luck with yours i wish I could have gotten a Red one too I settled for the new grey mica color it’s nice