ok question askin for $.02

only have $$ for one or the other what should i do first? change springs/shocks or change my wheels/tires? does a TRD or tein H-tech Drop look ok with stock wheels?

 

My .02 the tC looks nice on the TRD drop with stock wheels/tires. Plus it improves the handling better than wheels and tires.

 

springs and shocks first! A car at stock height with wheels look kinda weird to me.

 

Ding ding ding! We have a winning answer!

 

springs and shock dampeners

 

^above

 

i sound like a newbee but ive never heard of shock dampeners whats the difference between them and shock absorbers?

 

same thing. lower it first will make the car look and preform better. plus rim's and tire's with a big gap look's kinda dumb. but to each there own do what makes you happy and dont pay attention to what other people say.

 

thanks everyone i think i know what i should do.

 

I did what was more expensive first: Shoes & Soles. I didn't care how it looked because I knew I was going to lower it eventually. My tC is a daily driver, so I knew I wouldn't need a suspension upgrade right away. I wanted to make my tC mine, and I did by adding rims and tires. I knew all along I was going to use the TRD Springs for my drop so I knew they would work with the stock shocks without having to replace them. Now that everything is on my tc, I can now save for the TRD Shocks. That way I'll have them when my stock shocks go bye-bye.

 

thanks . so will the trd or some other spring wear out the stock shocks quicker ? i read it somewere but wasnt sure. will the trd shocks last longer with the trd springs? should the trd shocks w/trd springs last as long as the stock shocks with stock springs

 

Actually, dollar for dollar better tires and the right wheels will do more for handling than any other mod. Suspension (if done correctly) will help a little with cornering and to some degree accelerating and stopping, but tires help all of those areas much more.

But if looks are the key then do the suspension.

 

I agree for pure handling... traction... stopping... cornering... tires... contribute more than shocks and springs. According to the Handling and Suspension books at Borders anyway... that's my $0.02

 

^ The last two posts are dead on. . .

Ideally you do suspension and wheel/tire.

But IMO, doing wheel/tire first is like putting on an unpainted body kit. . .

Yes, the tires will be functional, but purely based on opinion, it looks kinda rediculous. . . unless you have a BMW with a minimal gap between the tires and fenders.

 

I see your point djct_watt. With suspension first it will look much better lowered, plus will have lower center of gravity and therefore handle better. I think I will do my springs first because I know I'll be doing the wheels/tires eventually. This is if I ever get it...

 

Well, technically tires will do more for your handling than springs alone. But I personally just don't like the look.