Lowering Springs For The 9th Gen Corolla - Corolland: the Toyota Corolla Forums

Hi. I am new to the forum and just purchased a 2007 corolla -s. The engine is tuned to my needs from the factory, and with the manual transmission provides the thrills of accelaration. The suspension could use some improvement. I plan to add a stiffer rear sway bar( front wheel drive tends to push into a turn) probably the progress bar22mm. Tociko struts will reside all around. Does anyone know the spring rates(lb.in.) and lowering rates of the springs available. Names that I know of are hotchkis, progress, tanabee, tein h &s , H&R, skunk2, and trd. Eibachs pros are notortiously too soft. Please any information you can as to the rates, ride, and opinion. Am looking for performance rather than great ride.

Ultimately - you should ask yourself, how much are you willing to spend, and what do you plan to get out of this. As these would greatly influence what you can choose from. That said - you can expect the Corolla to respond very well to even mild suspension upgrades. How wild you want to get will depend on what kind of roads the car will see - is it a daily driver, show car, or track car. If you are unsure or want to do them all, then it sounds like you would be better served by going with a coilover setup than the usual lowering spring setup. Coilovers would give you much more tuning and adjustability vs any single aftermarket spring setup. Coilovers would also be one of the most expensive options out there - but well worth the cost of you are serious about the suspension.

TEIN would list the approximate ride difference and spring rates on their own site as well as many others that you just mentioned. I don't know if there is a master listing somewhere floating around - as that would be very useful, last time I saw something like that was for some 7th gen Corollas and most Celicas.

Thank you for your information. Research came up with a partial list n the 9th gen corolla forum. I do not have the money to play with coil overs, so lowering springs are the way to go. Brands I am considering are progress, h&r, and skunk2. Past experience with my 1997 saturn sl2 causes me choose the H&R srings with a progress rear sway bar(22mm), and polyurethane control arm & sway bar bushings. Progress sport springs were good, but h&r sport springs provided better handling characteristics. Skunk2 has received my inquiry of their lb./in. rates.

Bikeman982

Any alteration to your suspension system will not only affect the appearance, but also the handling characteristics.

The handling characteristics are the main reason that I want to modify my suspension. I have a soft spot for sleepers, so appearance does not matter much to me. A few lowering spring specifications that have been discovered from various sources are: in front/rear format

skunk2-199lb."/194lb.",2.5"-1.75"; progress-180lb."/230lb.",1.8"/1.7" setlles to roughly 2.2";hotchkis-164lb."/350lb.",1.75"/1.5"

The spring rates of hotchkis and progress cause a question as to if they are actually rates for the matrix/vibe. The wagon body style paces alot of weight in the rear of the vehicle. The lowering springs for the saturn had higher rate springs for the front versus the rear. The similarities of the saturn sl2 and corolla are front wheel drive and front engine vehicles which cause a similar weight balance of front to rear. What are others' thoughts and ideas on these odd lowering spring rates? default_huh

Wow - lots of variance there. But of the three - the Progress are actually close (ratio wise) to what the OEM setup has. The ones for the Hotchkis seems a little off - even for a Matrix (its weight is spread out pretty evenly).

Depends on the suspension design of the vehicles in question - drivetrain layout (FF or FR or MID) and vehicle static weight distribution both have a very strong influence on this decision as well as the suspension design (rear fully independant, twist beam, solid axle, etc.) and other vehicle dynamics (braking system, electronic traction control, etc.)

You are right to assume that "most" front wheel drive, front engine cars have a significant weight bias and tend to have heavier springs up front. But there are a few out there that have the opposite setup due to some unique characteristics from the factory (some not always better).

Example - my 2002 Corolla has a a heavier rated spring up front than on the rear (OEM was something like: 150lbs front, 125lbs rear) with a fully independent suspension on the rear. The Matrix has a slightly heavier rated spring on the rear (OEM was something like: 130lbs front, 150lbs rear) which is also very simlar to the 9th gen Corolla specs. 7th gen Celicas are even more than that - not ususal to see 150lbs on the front and 200lbs+ on the rears.

Personally - I like to dial in some extra understeer for the street, but take it out for the track use. A good compromise is to get some pregressively wound springs into the mix - usually, a good manufacturer will already use this idea in theor spring design. Another option is to go with a fully adjustable suspension where you can control the spring rates. There is much disparity in the spring rates listed - possibly due to one manufacturer assumes you will run the appropriate strut with them and the other making it as universal as possible. Also take the spring rates with a grain of salt - as they have different methods for testing them - should be the same, but until I get a set in my hands - I don't believe anything they advertise.

Two school of thoughts for customizing your suspension - one is to use soft springs with a stiffer (thicker) anti-sway bar, the other uses the opposite - using stiff springs with a softer (thinner) anti-sway bar. Both are valid - but depend on application. But that can be a discussion for a later topic.

On the 9th gen Corollas - they generally are setup with a slighly heavier rear spring - since they use a beam style rear suspension and weight a bit more than the previous gen Corolla - they need more rear spring to minimize understeering. But be cautious - doesn't take too much more before the rear end gets tail happy (excessive oversteering) and you end up with a car that is a handful to drive fast. Some like that - but for a daily driver - not too good to have, as you can't predict what the road conditions you'll run into everytime.

TEIN S-tech: (front)2.32" (rear)2.4"

TEIN H-tech: (f)1.73" ®1.81"

TEIN SS adjustables: (f)1.14" - 3.03" ®1.54" - 3.8"

Sprint: (f&r)1.75"

Progress: (front)1.8" (rear)1.7" (settles at about 2.2")

Hotchkis: (front)1.75" (rear)1.5"

TRD: (front)1.25" (rear)1.25"

Eibach Pro :(front)1.1" (rear)1.1"

Eibach Sportlines: (front)2.1" (rear)1.75"

H&R sports: (front)1.25" (rear)1.25"

H&R race: (front)2.0" (rear)2.0"

Thanks for enlightening me. The saturn had a multilink rear suspension, and is my only suspension tuning experience. I do not want excessive oversteer (experienced that and it is beyond my level of control/comfort). Progress is rather popular though I am unsure of those spring rates. Skunk2 may be the set of springs to fulfill my needs.

Wow - lots of variance there. But of the three - the Progress are actually close (ratio wise) to what the OEM setup has. The ones for the Hotchkis seems a little off - even for a Matrix (its weight is spread out pretty evenly).
Depends on the suspension design of the vehicles in question - drivetrain layout (FF or FR or MID) and vehicle static weight distribution both have a very strong influence on this decision as well as the suspension design (rear fully independant, twist beam, solid axle, etc.) and other vehicle dynamics (braking system, electronic traction control, etc.)
You are right to assume that "most" front wheel drive, front engine cars have a significant weight bias and tend to have heavier springs up front. But there are a few out there that have the opposite setup due to some unique characteristics from the factory (some not always better).
Example - my 2002 Corolla has a a heavier rated spring up front than on the rear (OEM was something like: 150lbs front, 125lbs rear) with a fully independent suspension on the rear. The Matrix has a slightly heavier rated spring on the rear (OEM was something like: 130lbs front, 150lbs rear) which is also very simlar to the 9th gen Corolla specs. 7th gen Celicas are even more than that - not ususal to see 150lbs on the front and 200lbs+ on the rears.
Personally - I like to dial in some extra understeer for the street, but take it out for the track use. A good compromise is to get some pregressively wound springs into the mix - usually, a good manufacturer will already use this idea in theor spring design. Another option is to go with a fully adjustable suspension where you can control the spring rates. There is much disparity in the spring rates listed - possibly due to one manufacturer assumes you will run the appropriate strut with them and the other making it as universal as possible. Also take the spring rates with a grain of salt - as they have different methods for testing them - should be the same, but until I get a set in my hands - I don't believe anything they advertise.
Two school of thoughts for customizing your suspension - one is to use soft springs with a stiffer (thicker) anti-sway bar, the other uses the opposite - using stiff springs with a softer (thinner) anti-sway bar. Both are valid - but depend on application. But that can be a discussion for a later topic.
On the 9th gen Corollas - they generally are setup with a slighly heavier rear spring - since they use a beam style rear suspension and weight a bit more than the previous gen Corolla - they need more rear spring to minimize understeering. But be cautious - doesn't take too much more before the rear end gets tail happy (excessive oversteering) and you end up with a car that is a handful to drive fast. Some like that - but for a daily driver - not too good to have, as you can't predict what the road conditions you'll run into everytime.

The latest update on the lowering springs. Skunk2 lowers the car 2" front and rear, and may be used with stock struts. Gr2s will be the new addition with skunk2 springs. By the time one spends money on tocikos or kybs and lowering springs of choice, one should have just purchased the tein basic coilover system.