Anti-sway/anti-roll Bars For 2003 Le - Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prizm (1998-2008)

Hello. I have an '03 LE with lotsa miles on it. I need struts and will be replacing them soon. However, while I'm under there, I was considering new anti-roll bars for the front and rear. TireRack wants $300 for the pair, which I think is a bit much. I'm not going to race the car - but I also don't want to be pushed against my door on tight highway on ramps. Does anyone have suggestions for a good/less expensive alternative?

Thanks for the help!

Mike

Actually - $300 is pretty reasonable for a pair of sways. OEM replacements - ie, no upgrade, just replace with OEM runs about $150-$200 each bar. Plus most of the aftermarket ones are adjustable - from 25% - 100% stiffer than OEM. Most don't seen any change in the behavior of the car until they hit about 50% stiffer - but it varys from build to build - also depends on which suspension setup you couple the sways with.

Those on Tirerack are probably Hotchkis - which are decent bars. There are better ones for about the same about of money. For close to $300-$400 for the pair - can get TRD or Whiteline sways.

I really don't plan to do much else to the suspension. I am going to replace the shocks, as I said, but nothing else. It'll be pretty much stock. Would you say the upgrade is worth it if I'm not getting new springs? Someone told me that something as simple as getting new bushings helps a lot, but I can't see that making a big difference. Again, it's a daily driver - nothing special.

Thanks for the help!

Mike

If you do not plan on upgrading the springs, then I would not mess with the sways at this point. It is true - replacing the OEM rubber bushings with new rubber bushings or even with a hard polyurethane bushing can greatly improve suspension performance.

New performance struts and springs are the easiest and least expensive ways to improve the suspension of the Corolla. Do not have to go extreme either - just a small drop in ride height and your car, even on OEM tires, will feel completely different. KYB GR-2s and TRD springs are what I run on mine - about ana 1"-1.5" drop all around, and the difference is astounding. Like stepping out of the Corolla and into a Celica.

Interesting! Thank you for your help in this post as well as my transmission fluid post! :-)

TireRack, my goto source for this stuff, is showing the KYB struts. They also have Eibach Pro, H&R Sport, & Hotchkins Sport springs. Is one company better than another, or do you suggest I keep looking for the TRDs?

Thanks!

Mike

I also wanted to ask, if I lower the car 1.5", will my mechanic still be able to do an alignment without special parts or having considerable trouble? He mentioned that on occasion it can become tricky to set the camber correctly if the car's been lowered.

Thanks!

Mike

I've run into no problems with lifts on TRD springs. TRD ones might be hard to find - but they are made by Eibach. I believe the Eibach Pros are identical to the TRD ones - minus the TRD labeling (at least this was the case for 8th gen Corollas - assume that they kept the same vendor for the 9th gen Corollas).

KYB and Eibach make a great match, H&R are a little more aggressive spring - they seem match up better with Tokico struts. Also for 9th gen Corollas - Tein springs are very popular. Tein H.techs are not much different than stock in overall ride comfort, just a very mild drop, but still provide a significant improvement in brake dive, acceleration squat, and handling. Tein also has S.tech springs - more agressive than the H&R springs, and more of a drop - but they still will fit over standard lifts. Only trouble they start to run into is if you have an extensive body kit installed on the car. The OEM S body kit is no problem - CE and LE Corollas are in even better shape, clearance wise.

Woo hoo! I think I found out what to spend my Christmas bonus on! Thanks Fishexpro again for everything!

:-)

I'll post pics once it's all done. By the time I get the funds, get the parts, and find the time to actually do it, it may be February or March.

Mike