I have been trolling the forums silently for a while. I was really hoping I wouldn't be one of those individuals having to post one of these questions. I did search and there are similar threads but most of them seemed to be related or correlate directly with turning. and Most reported a few weeks after lowering.

I just got lowered on Eibach Sportlines. The drop is perfect and the ride is actually very smooth and not much rougher than stock. (i'll get the before and after pics up after i get this resolved). No vibration. Unfortunately I immediately noticed the smallest cracks in the road cause a popping sound in the driver front wheel area. I also noticed certain rutted/grooved areas of pavement cause the popping to be persistent sounding much like a grinding noise.

The grinding symptom does not happen over 45 MPH. But it does still pop if i hit medium bumps or cracks in the road. There is no popping or grinding when turning at a stop, low speed or high speed. It does not seem to be related to turning at all.

I may be paranoid but it seems the passenger front is popping a little on medium sizes cracks and bumps after about 400 miles.

The suspension shop has taken the entire strut assembly out several times and double checked everything. Unfortunately they wern't smart enough to mark the top and bottom perches with a sharpie to make sure they went back together the exact same way as the video on here had suggested or that eibach's own website suggested.

The new springs were seated into the rubber in the same groove left by the factory springs. Is this the assumed correct position? Yes the sportline label/logo is right side up on all 4 springs.

Myself and the tech observed the top strut mount/bearing and it appears symmetrical in every way except the inner hole that is "D" shaped to match the strut shaft. But per the conversation in this forum the top strut bearing is the number 1 cause of most of the failed installs? Is there any way of identifying how the top strut plate is supposed to go since the tech didn't mark it with a sharpie? As far as i can see it can only go 1 of 3 ways. There is the "D" shaped hole that is to match the "D" strut shaft. Can anyone tell me which direct the "D" shaped should face when installed? or does it matter?

We have removed and reinstalled this strut and spring 3 times and still have the issue.

We can see no signs of grease or oil from the bearing or shock. Everything has been checked and double checked for tightness.

When looking at the top mounts installed and turning the steering wheel the top mount flexes upward and level, with no sound of grinding or friction at all. Could it still be the top strut bearings?

Checked all other components and nothing is loose.

Checked for any loosness in the wheelbearing under load of the car and up on the lift with and without the wheel. All seems to be good there.

It seems the issue is directly related to the up and down motion/travel of the suspension.

They are going to contact eibach and their distributor to see if they have any know reported issues. I told the tech i personally don't believe it's the springs. But what do i know. :) (As you can see in the following post apparently it is the springs and i really don't know anything 8)) ...RESOLVED. see following posts.

I am experiencing the same sort of noise, mine is more of a rattling as though something is loose. Very infuriating!! I lowered mine with Teins so it's not the spring itself. I am thinking that it is the shock, or the bearing that has gone bad, but the passenger side doesn't seem to be making the noise. Not sure what it could be...

I had a follow up appointment to find out what the hell was going on. They pulled the springs and found out that the bottom two coils are rubbing each other. After 400 miles its rubbed the powdercoat off to the bare metal. They put some rubber hose on to the spring and its completely silent. Love it! The rear springs came with isolators. The front did not. With the amount of rubbing I doubt isolators or the rubber they put in there is going to last long. But it helps me keep my sanity.

Obviously this isnt the permanent fix. The shop is going to be in contact with eibach to determine if its a defect or bad design or lack of isolators. I have had eibachs on previous vehicles and never had issues so I don't want to make eibach look bad, but we will see how they respond to the issue.

The car rides great and looks great. Ill keep this thread updated when I find out more.

^now that it's resolved, time for pics :)

These measurements were 5 minutes after picking it up from the shop. I expect it to settle another 1/4".

Dropped aprox. 1-5/8" in the Rear
Dropped aprox. 1-1/2" in the Front


http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5858566361_4094a1e0c8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5858566361/)
Drivers Side Front Before

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2776/5858565817_e498ba2072_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5858565817/)
Drivers Side Rear Before

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5858567671_0a02dc9031_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5858567671/)
Driver Side Front After

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/5859121800_2afbeb2de3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5859121800/)
Driver Side Rear After

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/5859127892_25bf03de0c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5859127892/)
Alignment Specs (Based on 2010)
They didn't have 2011 in the system yet.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2788/5859123520_f0ca02dffd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5859123520/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5859124592_0203328829_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5859124592/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2684/5858569565_a9f534419c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5858569565/)

Looks like it's got a bit of reverse rake going on, or is there any weight in the hatch.

are those the sportline eibach springs because they say its suppose to 1.7 front and 2.3 rear ? im lookin for a nice drop off springs for now come towards winter when my car sits in the garage ima do full coilovers sway bars and etc

Looks like it's got a bit of reverse rake going on, or is there any weight in the hatch.

The factory springs were in the back, maybe 40lbs?
I don't see a rake, it looks level to me. I took the side shot and drew up some lines in Fireworks.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5860157756_9f46c1d5b5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5860157756/)

are those the sportline eibach springs because they say its suppose to 1.7 front and 2.3 rear ? im lookin for a nice drop off springs for now come towards winter when my car sits in the garage ima do full coilovers sway bars and etc

Eibach springs on the 2011 are 1.3 Front 1.7 Rear.

I think the lowest spring only setup I have seen is between H&R Race Springs and Tein S-tech.

looks good, more drop in the rear = less understeer, correct?

I just got mine in the mail, gonna get them on in a week or 2.

more drop in the rear = less understeer, correct?

No! Not related...why would you think that?

The factory springs were in the back, maybe 40lbs?
I don't see a rake, it looks level to me. I took the side shot and drew up some lines in Fireworks.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5860157756_9f46c1d5b5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalreaper/5860157756/)

Actually, your photos show that your front is just under 26” and your rear is just over 26” at the top of the fender well opening. That is a very good, consistent place to measure your relative ride height. That would give you just a little positive “rake”…that’s ideal! That is too low for my personal taste, but you got very good results.

They look great. Thanks for sharing. Please keep us updated on what the shop finds out from eibach.

if anyone is looking for just a small drop.. i think this is perfect!! not to low and not too high. looks smooth!

They did an alignment based on the 2010 specs? That doesn't make sense. The 2010 tC's were still the tC1's weren't they?

They did an alignment based on the 2010 specs? That doesn't make sense. The 2010 tC's were still the tC1's weren't they?

The system only went up to 2010, so the print out is auto-populated with that information. The tech stated that he kept everything as close to the stock readings as possible and simply ignored the recommended ranges since they were 2010. Although with the assembling and dis-assembling trying to figure out the issue i'll likely get another alignment after they give me a permanent solution. But for the time being there is no noticeable camber and drives straight as an arrow.

The system only went up to 2010, so the print out is auto-populated with that information. The tech stated that he kept everything as close to the stock readings as possible and simply ignored the recommended ranges since they were 2010. Although with the assembling and dis-assembling trying to figure out the issue i'll likely get another alignment after they give me a permanent solution. But for the time being there is no noticeable camber and drives straight as an arrow.

Hopefully they give you a free alignment when they get the 2011 specs.

Ride quality? The stiffness of my S-Techs is getting old.

Ride quality? The stiffness of my S-Techs is getting old.

This concerns me.

I can't speak of the tC2 spec S-Tech springs. I've had S-Techs on an 08' tC and an 04' Corolla and they were always some of the most comfortable springs. The S-Techs seemed soft to me. IMO I would say Sportline is a mid way point between TRD and S-Tech.

I can't speak of the tC2 spec S-Tech springs. I've had S-Techs on an 08' tC and an 04' Corolla and they were always some of the most comfortable springs. The S-Techs seemed soft to me. IMO I would say Sportline is a mid way point between TRD and S-Tech.

Appreciate the feedback Evil one.:bow: I actually am split between those 2 options.

I got my sportlines on this morning and drove around today, one word.... Quality!
The ride is firm without being back breaking. made some noise the 1st 40-50 miles and now seems set. very happy.

I got my sportlines on this morning and drove around today, one word.... Quality!
The ride is firm without being back breaking. made some noise the 1st 40-50 miles and now seems set. very happy.

Pics?

I'll add picks as soon as i get a photobucket

hope this works.http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv32/nec_rabbit/059.jpg

looks pretty sweet!

It does look great. Very similar drop as the S-Techs. Have you just driven around town or have you got out on the interstate and let it roll? Around 80mph the S-Tech's do not inspire confidence.

hey i just bought some s-tech for my car. just wondering how long should i wait to get the wheel alignment?

It does look great. Very similar drop as the S-Techs. Have you just driven around town or have you got out on the interstate and let it roll? Around 80mph the S-Tech's do not inspire confidence.

I've been to 80MPH with mine. It wasn't bad at all. Sportlines run a bit stiffer than the S-Techs. The S-Techs on the 08' weren't bad either. But S-Techs on the 04' Corolla were very floaty. :)

Have to agree, the Eibachs are quite a bit stiffer, and it's a linear spring, not progressive, so it helps. I took mine on the highway tonight for some late night fun, onramp/offramps at 65 when the best i could do was 40 with the stock springs.

Aren't the TRD's made by Eibach? Or are you saying the Eibach springs (not TRD) are stiffer than the Sportlines?

tooo many springs, mah poor head... need maor coffee

hey monkeys, did you get a slight rattle in the front of your car after the springs were on?

hey monkeys, did you get a slight rattle in the front of your car after the springs were on?

I described my issue as a cross between what was sort of a rattle/grinding noise. We discovered that the bottom two coils of the front springs are rubbing and tapping each other over minor bumps and cracks in the road.

Once you have a couple hundred miles jack it up and see if you can see it or feel it. Mine had rubbed through the red powedercoat to the bare metal. I have a temp fix as described in my very first post. But if you are having the same issue Eibach seriously needs to respond and acknowledge the issue.

I found out today, what was wrong, I had my head unit replaced and my door speakers replaced( lower/woofers) and somehow they came loose.

It does look great. Very similar drop as the S-Techs. Have you just driven around town or have you got out on the interstate and let it roll? Around 80mph the S-Tech's do not inspire confidence.

So what makes you say that at 80 mph the s-tecs do not inspire confidence? ride quality? noise? please be more specific.

Bumpy roads at 80mph makes for a pretty unpleasant ride. Kind of a bumpy 'seesaw" effect...Good roads no problem. I was just hoping for better rough handling performance. Guess it is going to require more money later on.

Nice. I had s techs on a 05 tc and it was just a tad too low for me. The sportlines looks perfect

Aren't the TRD's made by Eibach? Or are you saying the Eibach springs (not TRD) are stiffer than the Sportlines?

tooo many springs, mah poor head... need maor coffee

Produced by Eibach, engineered and developed by Toyota engineers to Toyota specific standards. While the looks might be similar, the TRD's have a lot more behind them. But no, Sportlines and Prokit are completely different than that of the TRD spring set.

Ha hah. After reading all of this, I am still as torn as before between S-techs and Sportlines. I had S-techs on my 09 and loved them especially paired with the TRD rear sway bar. But I also wouldn't mind a slightly stiffer ride. I just wish that the Sportlines would close the gap a little more in the rear. I'm so confused.

I upgraded my wheels and tires since the above posts. Ride quality drastically improved. I am very happy with the S-techs now. Hope that helps.

I much preferred the stock wheels over the ones you got, but this is your car so all power to ya.

BTW when you had the stock wheels, were you still using the factory tire size or was it different size than factory?

Okay so I ended up going the Tein S-Techs since I was happy with it on the Tc1. I've been driving on it for about 3 weeks now and am happy with it. I can't wait for it to settle. It looks good already.

I much preferred the stock wheels over the ones you got, but this is your car so all power to ya.

BTW when you had the stock wheels, were you still using the factory tire size or was it different size than factory?
I ran the stock tires on the stock wheels. The new tires was a last minute decision when I went to install the wheels.

hey guys, Ive been reading through the thread and Im still a little confused. Is there a final solution to this other than the padding eibach sent? Im considering going with sportlines but I want to be sure that the rubbing issue has been properly addressed at this point.

Thanks!

I don't think it has been addressed. Just got mine installed and they creak over little bumps in the road. Or cobblestones. Love the ride and height. Just a but noisy.

I also called them about ordering the isolators and they said my distributor
Has to order them and I can buy them.

That's whack, considering that was an error on their part. I'm glad I went with Tein S-Techs. Any concerns I had were addressed by an actual Tein tech by phone.