Seasoned Veteran help...

[DerFlosser]

Well...I have been going back and forth for some time now deciding whether or not to upgrade to coilovers. I am currently utilizing the stock struts with Tanabe DF210 springs. The ride is actually very good (better than I thought it would be) but I am itching to go a little bit lower. This car is a daily driver, driven year round in the Northeast. I have been looking at various different coilovers and for what I want...it appears as if Tein may be the best choice.

My question for those with Tein coilovers who were previously riding on sport springs is.....do the coilovers really stiffen up the ride over the spring shock combo? I assume that they do and that is one thing that I could live with. Currently...I'd say that the ride is a little soft for my taste. Also, I am at the the threshold of where the front bumper almost gets roasted on inclines or declines so, I really want to assure that, if I go a bit lower, the stiffness will allow me to gain some ride height due to less compression. I don't want an adjustable strut coilover....just too expensive for what I use the car for (strictly daily driver street car). Any inisight on this topic would be great, thanks!

[kngrsll]

if you are interested in actual handling, i think going any lower is a mistake. strut suspensions dont like being lowered. if you want better handling, id get a set of blues. i know you think the ride is fine now, but you dont really konw what its like until you have somethign better, ya know what i mean? and a rear sway bar really sets it all off right.

if you are only interested in looks, you can cut a small segment of spring off without affecting the rate to lower the car.

[DerFlosser]

I am interested in the best of all worlds if I can have it. Looks, handling, ride quality etc. I have owned multiple coil-overed car. I understand that going lower than I am now is probably not the best thing for the shafts but I am willing to sacrifice some handling geometry as I don't push the car...it's merely a daily driver. So, at the end of the day, it would be mostly for looks but I would also like a bit of a better ride (stiffer). I have contemplated the blues or red's as well. Maybe cutting a coil with a set of blues would be a better alternative?

[kngrsll]

Originally Posted by DerFlosser

I am interested in the best of all worlds if I can have it. Looks, handling, ride quality etc. I have owned multiple coil-overed car. I understand that going lower than I am now is probably not the best thing for the shafts but I am willing to sacrifice some handling geometry as I don't push the car...it's merely a daily driver. So, at the end of the day, it would be mostly for looks but I would also like a bit of a better ride (stiffer). I have contemplated the blues or red's as well. Maybe cutting a coil with a set of blues would be a better alternative?

that sounds like a pretty combination by what you want

[yarstar]

I had TRD lowering springs and stock strut/shocks at first. I ran them for about a year. Now I've had Coilovers for about a year, and I'll never go back. The difference is amazing. Truly worth the money.

My car is a daily driver too. I like to kill a curvy road every now and then, but mainly just spirited driving. Coilovers are really the best way, if you can afford them.

[DerFlosser]

Originally Posted by yarstar

I had TRD lowering springs and stock strut/shocks at first. I ran them for about a year. Now I've had Coilovers for about a year, and I'll never go back. The difference is amazing. Truly worth the money.

My car is a daily driver too. I like to kill a curvy road every now and then, but mainly just spirited driving. Coilovers are really the best way, if you can afford them.

Coilovers, to me, are really the way I am leaning. I am the same way...once in a while I'll get a little frisky in my Yaris but for the most part it serves as a daily driver. How do you like the Cusco's for the street and do you know how they compare to the TEIN?

[yarstar]

I Love my Cuscos, but I can't say how they compare to Teins, since I've never had Teins.

I'd say they are similiar. The Cuscos have a nice dampening adjustment on the top of the struts, that make it easy to dial them up for hard driving, or dial them down for regular street driving.

The height adjustment is really nice also. You can micro adjust them til you get the perfect height for whatever wheel/tire combo you are running. I've had my car super low, without rubbing, but brought the car back up a bit so I don't scrape on every slight bump in the road.

You will not regret coilovers. By far the best mod I've done.