I have a question. I am thinking about getting some lowering springs and I don't know what to get. The TRD ones look alright and they would be installed at the dealer cause they would know more about it than some Joe shop. Are there other springs that are just as good and have a smooth ride. I also have the 18" rims so how low should I go? Anything would help. Also how hard is it to install the springs at home?

Throw'n duece (peace out)

 

what a silly silly thing to say
The only thing the dealer knows how to do is rip you off with ridiculously high labor prices.

 

well said...well said

 

do not go with the TRD's you will not be happy with them. i have the h-techs and they are really smooth, dare i say smoother than stock? but i have gotten alot of compliments on the car, and its mainly due to the drop(so i believe) i have 18's right now... and they fit fine, and i know for a fact that s-techs will fit fine too, cuz my friend borrowed my rims for a day and he was cool wit it...



^^ thats me on TEIN H-TECHS^^

o and if you have the money, i would suggest gettin some coilovers instead, cuz you can get that perfect drop if you wanted it...and any JOE shop would know something, just go to a well known place.. cuz the dealer is gonna charge you like 500 bux for install, when a joe smoe would be like 70.

imma lower my car this summer with progress coils 3" in front, and 2.8" in back... so ill be slammed.. i love that look

 

do not install at the dealer...why don't you just do it yourself?? save yourself a ton of money and actually learn something about your car...

 

Are there any special tools i need to install the springs myself? And where is a good place to order the springs and how low should i go?

 

How much should i pay for install if i have someone else do it?

 

why say you "wont be happy" with the trds???? Especially since you dont even have them? They are as smooth as stock, handle well, look good and arent a$$ dragging low. I love mine and so far have never heard anyone say they were not happy with thiers. Once they settle they look great.



And I would trust my car 100% more at a "JOE" shop than a dealer. The shop I grew up around and in gets a large portion of its business from unhappy customers ripped off by various dealers that know NOTHING about what they are doing. I have heard more BS and more insane stories of incompetence from certified dealer techs than I ever have from private shops. Not saying all dealers are this way, but they tend to rely solely on someones being "certified" (which in NO way means they know what they doing in real life) instead of getting people that REALLY know thier $#it. So you really dont know what you are getting into there either, plus thier labor is typically much higher, as much as 20/hr more in some places I have seen. Just find a good shop with someone that knows their stuff.

 

20 bux an hour for labor is cheap...i think my dealer is like 80 bux an hour or more, and they say it takes like 5 hours to install springs... so the final cost for trd with install was like 587 or something, i went with the h-techs and paid 200 installed.

and your car looks really nice lowered on trd's, usually the cars look really high, and they dont even look lowered, but yours look like mine

 

I meant 20/hr MORE than a private shop.. I wouldnt trust a shop that only charged 20/hr total It is about the same as you say here in the twin cities, about 80/hr at a dealer. Back in my home town in OK (a small town) it was more like 60 at a dealer, my dad charges about 45 at his shop there. So it definitely varies place to place, but so does income

Thanks for the good words on mine. The TRDs look a little high when they first go on, but after a couple of days they look nice, and even nicer a few weeks later. That pic was about 2 weeks after getting them. I was given a SUPER good deal on labor at the dealer as a deal for some stuff one of their installers messed up while installing some options (required 6 trips back and forth cause he kept messing things up on my brand new car ) I had originally planned on just installing them myself ( I have never let anyone touch any of my cars before) but they basically did the install for almost free and the salesperson made sure a friend there (A scion nut as well) do the work, so I let them do it.

 

I suggest Tein S-Techs. The ride is nice and the drop looks awesome. My opinion personally.

 

If you want to talk about a company that knows about suspensions... Go with the H&R sport. They have more experience with suspensions than almost anyone else out there (Worldwide). The springs were great, I used the Sports for a year before upgrading to the H&R coilovers. Sports did a great job considering it's only a spring. Plus it rode smoother than stock (progressive rate spring).

You can buy H&Rs here, or most other springs for that matter... Enter in coupon code "joe1" for an additional $5 off any order.

1.4" F, 1.3" Rear, $250
http://www.dezod.com/cat_scion1.cfm

 

Sorry for being a noob, but isn't the point of getting new springs to increase the stiffness?

(point being, how would it be smoother if springs are stiffer?)

 

The TRDs are not quite as smooth as stock, I was generalizing. For lowering springs they are pretty close though. But stiffening is not all there is too it, nor is lowering. People that think slamming a car to the ground improves performance many times are dissapointed. Lowering lowers the center of gravity, which improves handling. You dont want spongy suspension, but you need it soft enough for the surface you are on. So for street you dont really want it overly stiff. Progressive rate springs are even better for allowing lower stance and keeping good road handling as well as ride.

 

As far as installation goes, I have already done lots and lots of research and I think it’s not that difficult to DIY the spring but I’ll probably have more personal insight on this next weekend after I put my h-tech on. Only thing that I am still uncertain of is how important air tool is going to act in the installation process... hopefully I can get by without one..

 

i used regular hand tools when i installed my coilovers

 

thanks z scion for posting this question it helps alot since i plan on running 18's and am not sure which springs to use.

will the h&r's work with 18's and not rub?
will the s-tech's work with 18's and not rub?

and what shocks should i look at installing afterwards?

i would like to make my own "cup kit" but if theres an h&r or bilstein one out there thatll fit 18's i'd like to know.

thanks guys =]

 

yeah.. this thread helped me alot too. I'm thinking of getting springs for a while then switching to coilovers. I'm pretty sure I will just buy the s-techs for now and when i get money, ill upgrade to coilovers.

 

if you can spend the money you might as well get the coilovers first. it'll be a pain to do the install again when you want to upgrade to coilovers. but it's your time and money...