dwmtl1000s

Ok, I drive rather relaxed but enjoy flat cornering and good brakes from time to time. So here is the questions -

1. Do all aftermarket brake pads make more noise than stock?

2. Is the Hochkics (sp?) dual (F/R) sway bar the better option over just the TRD rear?

I do not want any more noise on the brakes than stock and already have TRD springs and love the look and go over speed bumps all the time with no problems ever. I do hit some driveways once in a while and am now careful about them.

PS - since this is one of my first post in a long time I will tell ya that I got 33.1 mpg with my 5-speed TC while JUST driving for mpg to and from work with a bit of in town stuff otherwise I usually get about 27-28mpg.

PS in the minn/st. paul area anyone got any good ideas as to a YEAR AROUND tire? I have been looking at getting some Yokohama AVID H4's.

Thanks to all that read this,
Dave :D

draxcaliber

yes, hotchkis sway bars are way better than the trd rear sway. i've had both, the hotchkis sways are much much better.

yes, most aftermarket brake pads make more noise than stock. the squeak. i've had mine for less than a year though now, and they have gotten nice and quiet, and stopped making so much brake dust.

and also, trd struts are really good to have too.

as for year round tire. kumho ecsta asx are about to pull duty on their second winter and they are great, especially for the price of only $81 per tire.

dwmtl1000s

Yup I am all for having the TRD struts to compliment the springs and will be getting some in spring since they will be rather tight in the winter and the car will have around 40 or so thousand miles on it and thats a reasonable about of miles to have on struts before replacing them.

The Kumbo tires look to have very similar traction but seam to get some complaints on tire wear and noise. The Yokohama's seam to get a longer tread wear and have a bit better traction according to the tire racks ratings.

Well I have been trying to decide which sway bar/bars to get and I think I am going to order the full set from hotckis like you suggest. I used to have a probe GT (ugly I know) that handled great and really didn't lean at all in corners and I sure do miss that. That same "feel" is what I am looking for and no real performace gain since I don't race or do track day but rather just enjoy a clover leaf once in a while.

I think I am going to look into the EBC green pads a bit. I had a TL1000s (rocket) that had EBC HH pads on it and it was the best hop-up I ever did. Also going to a smaller diameter braided line made the lever travel greatly reduced. Going fast is fun but stopping is often forgotten about.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions!

draxcaliber

no problem. as the the kumho tires, they are rates at 420 treadwear which is just about the highest you can get on a tire this size. and i have had mine for nearly 20,000 miles, and they are wearing just fine, get them rotated every oil change.

my pirelli pzero nero M+S where completely worn out after 20,000 miles and i was pretty annoyed by that, but these kumho's have matched them and also outlived them, and i never even took the pirelli's autocrossing like i have with these kumho's.