I have had my car for 17 months now BUT I have driven 40k.

The ride is beginning to get a little rough and I can sense that they are getting week.


Does anyone have a life expectacy for the the stock suspension?

 

i think i saw that you replace your shocks every 50,000 miles. that could be your problem.

i had mine for like 35 thousand miles over like 2 1/2 years nearly, before putting on the trd suspension.

 

so you did the trd springs and struts?

How would you explain the difference?

is the gap front and back the same?

WHat is your overall opinion?

Thank you very much for your help

 

i am on hotchkis spring now, i put them on at around 5k and now i have just over 18k. the stock shocks still feel the same. when they blow i'll probably get trd's. my buddy has over 40k on his 06 and has been on s-techs almost the whole time and still on stock shocks.

 

the trd set up is nice and tight. people always ask me which drop i have and find it hard to believe that it is the trd drop because it is "only" 1.25 inches lower, but it looks good, there isn't alot of wheel gap and car handles very well.

it is harsher than the stock suspension of course, and while it is just about the smallest drop you can get, you still have to look out for botteming out once in a while.

but i love them, and after driving with these for over half a year now, i'm glad i choose these because any lower and i wouldn't have a front bumper and scraped up my gravel sheild to nothing.

 

sounds like the struts are fine with moderate drop in ride hight.

Now it comes down to wheel gaps and ride quality.......

EVerything seems to point to the TRD struts for improvement in performance but maintaining resonable comfort?

How much of a difference in ride quality is caused by the springs?

 

well, i couldn't tell you for 100% sure how much the springs decrease the ride quality, i think most of the harshness in my ride comes from the hotchkis sway bars because they reduce the independance of the suspension, making it more apparent when you hit a bump.

but if you just do springs and struts, it won't be as harsh as my set up, which is usually fine unless your on some really crappy roads.

 

yea the rear of my car feels a little harsh over uneven bumps and i have the trd rear sway, not even the hotchkis sways. but i love it. it feels sporty.

 

Would it make sense to add just a front or rear sway bar to get a bit more out of the TRD struts?

If so which would be better and how much comfort will I be giving up?

 

depends on how much you like to improve the cornering of your car. i had the trd rear sway bar for a month, because i didn't want to pay to have somebody install the front sway bar (requires dropping the sub-frame), but my front sway bar bushing went bad anyway, so i decided that while i'm paying to replace the bushing, might as well put on the hotchis set, and man, they are alot better.

you loose some comfort, not alot, but that is an extremely personal qualitative measure that i don't mind, but then again, you might.

but the car corners and swerves so well now, the decrease in ride quality on rough roads is totally worth it.

so in summery, hotchkis front and rear sways are much better than the trd rear sway bar. rear sway bar was okay, but the hotchkis made it clear to me that they were the better choice the moment i pulled my car out of the garage.

trust me, if you put on the trd springs and shocks, and the hotchkis sway bars, you will swear your are driving a completely different car. world of difference, much better handling. ride not compromised so bad.

also, if you want, tein h-tech springs are also really good.

 

Same year and mileage here... And i'm noticing the same. *watching*

 

What does "watching" mean?

 

It means i'm *watching* for replies

 

Right on man... just learning the lingo

where are you with you current suspension situation?

and

What are you thinking about doing when you are going to replace/upgrade?

 

I had my car a month before I put the Progress rear bar on.

Also, I've had my car 13 months now, and I've put on 38k... so it's good to see someone who drives as much as I do! Now I don't feel so bad! I might be putting on the Tein BASIC's when it comes time for that.

 

I have never heard of this product ... what is your opinion about comfort and performance?

and what is driving your decision to go with the Tein BASIC's ?

 

07 and I've had it for about 11 months... 44K mi, and a completely stock suspension setup, except for a TRD rear sway. The ride is getting noticeably worse, almost as if I were slightly lowred, but unlike sport suspension, it's still floaty. I've checked all the shocks, and they're all still working great... I'm thinking that maybe it's all just in my head.

 

You can ask anyone about the Progress rear sway bar, and they'll tell you the difference is like night and day. It dramatically reduces body roll.

And I'd like to go with coilovers, if I'm going to be replacing the shocks and springs. Also, Tein makes a quality product, and I've heard good things about the BASIC's.

 

I have the Hotchkis TVS stage 1 or hotchkis lowering springs and sway bars... did it all myself but I had a lift so it wasn't bad... overall the handling difference is like night and day, it is amazing to me how different it is compared to before... downside is that you feel every bump you go over and when you hit railroad tracks you want to hit them slow because your car will shake real bad... I think the improved handling and looks makes it definately worth it, the ride to me is perfect!

Next suspension upgrade for me is to get either TRD shocks or koni's... but we will see... I definately recommend all hotchkis products though, and TRDsparks.com has a good price for the setup I just stated check it out!

 

Thank god for forums you guys have actually made me think more about me car.