What is the best suspension mod to improve performance without using lowering springs (I don't want to lower the car). From what I read maybe Hotchkiss sways? New struts/shocks with stock springs? Need serious opinions only please.

 

Good stuff:

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=67670

 

Why would you not want to lower your car? Just asking, I personally think the car sits waaay to high on stock springs and looks weird. I have the hotchkis sways and they make a huge difference.

 

IMO the tC looks great w/o lowering, and I'm not sure if I like the lowered look, but thanks for the feedback.

 

My thoughts would be rear sway bar would be a good start. Then front sway/springs/shocks, then maybe a strut tower bar.

 

One reason for me not lowering my car is all the flooding that happens in the houston area from time to time. If my car had been any lower than stock i would have already suffered flood damage.

 

get the hotchkis sway bars. honestly, there isn't anything better anywhere. i had the trd setup. it's seriously going to another level with the hotchkis set. talk to anyone who has them. they'll tell u the same thing. i don't know how many people have had both the hotchkis and the trd, but i did. best decision i ever made-getting rid of the trd to go to hotchkis.

 

If you want the best for now. Get the teins SS or Basics and use the sways Hotchkis provides and the struts from Trust or whereevers.

 

2" makes THAT much of a difference????

 

Don't mean to get into another topic but, who has better sway bars? Hotchkis or TRD? Or are they the same because they're just sway bars?

 

hotchkis are stiffer

 

Progress also makes Rear sway bar for us

 

Bars are meant to aid the performance of the springs and struts. They shouldn't be used as the primary defense against body roll.

I'd recommend buying Progress C1 coilovers (from what's available right now) and leaving them at a close to stock height. You may lose half an inch in height, but the performance will still be much better. You have stock sways meant for stock springs. If you upgrade the sway bars and leave the springs stock, it the physics will be off and the bars will act as a spring in it's own, but without damper. Kinda weird to get into, but I hope that helps.

 

Without using springs or coilovers? You won't get the max out of anything you do to the suspension without a lower center of gravity.

front + rear strut bars; front + rear sway bars; shorter performance shocks will help a lot but you won't get the full improvement without lowering the car..Coilovers if you want straight up performance, springs if you want a little more performance handling but don't feel like spending $1,000K right away..Or if your like me, and just dont have the money for coilovers right now.

Tanabe DF210 springs are by far the best IMO.

For Coilovers, HKS or JIC but both companies don't have Tc stuff out yet.
So Progressive or Tein.

Good luck!!

 

For better handling, start with stickier tires. After that, in order of most improvement to least: TRD rear sway bar (or Hotchkis set), then springs, then struts.

 

The best thing you can do is get grippier tires. Then the Hotchkis sways. Much better then TRD cause it's alot stiffer and it's front and back. They made alot more differnce then the TRD springs did, but you may consider those as well because they only drop about 1.2 inches and add some stability. Then shocks.