Before you do all that- what's your swaybar situation? If the car has no rear bar, first add a rear swaybar, & maybe upgrade the front bar to a larger size. There's probably a sport susp Corolla model that has this, if yours doesn't those would be excellent. The difference this made on my Neon years ago(went from std front bar, no rear, to ACR/RT OEM full front & rear setup), was wonderful.
thinking about LOWERING my car... should I?
- Thread starter mareakin
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It is hard to get much better handling out of a corolla due to its chassis stiffness and suspension geometry. Lowering will help some as a trade off with ride comfort, but the effort will probably not be rewarded.
Spend the money on better tires and brakes instead will be a better choice. If you absolutely have to lower it, remember to get aftermarket spring of good quality (Eibach, etc) and new struts (or else they will be bad in a few months), camber kit (to get the alignment right), and keep your stock components, so when you want to sell the car, you can go back to stock and sell the modification parts separately.
Spend the money on better tires and brakes instead will be a better choice. If you absolutely have to lower it, remember to get aftermarket spring of good quality (Eibach, etc) and new struts (or else they will be bad in a few months), camber kit (to get the alignment right), and keep your stock components, so when you want to sell the car, you can go back to stock and sell the modification parts separately.
I'd like to thank EVERY single person for helping me understand this issue. You've been very informative and helpful.
What I've decided is that the POTENTIAL, MARGINAL, benefits of lowering with stiffer springs and possibly a new set of dampers DO NOT outweight the myriad unforeseen pitfalls: Legal issues, ground clearance issues, alignment issues, possible worse handling.
I've decided not to.
Thanks. I've learned a lot.
What I've decided is that the POTENTIAL, MARGINAL, benefits of lowering with stiffer springs and possibly a new set of dampers DO NOT outweight the myriad unforeseen pitfalls: Legal issues, ground clearance issues, alignment issues, possible worse handling.
I've decided not to.
Thanks. I've learned a lot.
Originally Posted By: mareakin
I've decided not to.
IMO, you made the right choice. Spend the money on better brakes & tires if you want better handling, 'better'
oil & filters or a thorough detailing every year.
I've decided not to.
IMO, you made the right choice. Spend the money on better brakes & tires if you want better handling, 'better'
Larger sway bars will transform how the car feels.
A flat car in turns feels wonderful.
This is not to say it is the best for actual handling and having all four tires making contact on the road.
If we use too large a bar at either end, it will let loose at high loads. Plow or spin.
But for highway cruising or normal driving, bigger bars are nice.
A flat car in turns feels wonderful.
This is not to say it is the best for actual handling and having all four tires making contact on the road.
If we use too large a bar at either end, it will let loose at high loads. Plow or spin.
But for highway cruising or normal driving, bigger bars are nice.
Originally Posted By: mareakin
I'd like to thank EVERY single person for helping me understand this issue. You've been very informative and helpful.
What I've decided is that the POTENTIAL, MARGINAL, benefits of lowering with stiffer springs and possibly a new set of dampers DO NOT outweight the myriad unforeseen pitfalls: Legal issues, ground clearance issues, alignment issues, possible worse handling.
I've decided not to.
Thanks. I've learned a lot.
Unless you are doing autocross or something I think you've made the right choice. I guess I enjoy my car a bit more on the road with more neutral handling but I'd never bother if I wasn't racing, that's where you really appreciate a car that does what you want instead of listing over and understeering...
If you found a fairly new set of complete loaded XRS struts for cheap, it would make your car feel "better" in the turns but is that worth $400 to you?
I'd like to thank EVERY single person for helping me understand this issue. You've been very informative and helpful.
What I've decided is that the POTENTIAL, MARGINAL, benefits of lowering with stiffer springs and possibly a new set of dampers DO NOT outweight the myriad unforeseen pitfalls: Legal issues, ground clearance issues, alignment issues, possible worse handling.
I've decided not to.
Thanks. I've learned a lot.
Unless you are doing autocross or something I think you've made the right choice. I guess I enjoy my car a bit more on the road with more neutral handling but I'd never bother if I wasn't racing, that's where you really appreciate a car that does what you want instead of listing over and understeering...
If you found a fairly new set of complete loaded XRS struts for cheap, it would make your car feel "better" in the turns but is that worth $400 to you?
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