I have a 2007 Scion TC RS3.0 and am looking for suggestions on some suspension upgrades.

What I am looking for:
1. Increased performance but still comfortable as a daily driver. (Don't want to feel like a bobble-head like I have experienced in some other cars)
2. A lower stance for looks but not low enough to give me problems over speed bumps or dips.

I measured the ground clearance in the front of TC with the RS front lip and its about 8" I am not sure how that compares to stock.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

h&r coilovers + hotchkis sway bars / camber plates = winnn

 

whats your budget?

 

HOTCHKIS ALL THE WAY ! SPRINGS ARE MORE IDEAL FOR THE SERIOUS BUT NOT TOOOO SERIOUS DRIVER IMO, COILS TO ME ARE A WASTE UN LESS YOUR AUTO XING AT YOUR LOCAL TRACK AGAIN IMO!
HERES A LINK TO HOTCHKIS SPRING DROPS WITH PICS SO YOU CAN GET THE IDEA... https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...s+springs+pics

 

Yes, and are you looking for just springs, or spring and shocks (highly recommended)?

 

Budget is pretty much anything but preferably under 1500? Just want a setup to fit what I want. If i get springs I will get shocks for sure, but I have been reading that if im going to get shocks and springs I might as well save up a few more hundred and get coils? Not sure yet as I've never done any suspension modding before.

My first car was a Civic SI that already had coilovers on it and I LOVED the ride just didn't like the scraping =(.

 

well i always say, if i had the money to do it all over again, i would go with coilovers. 2fast4you has H&R coilovers and says their great, rides better than his moms Acura TL which is a big compliment if you ask me.

*$975 for H&R coilovers*

then i would go with Hotchkis sways..
http://trdsparks.com/displayparts.ph...1&parts_id=589

that should be well under $1500 right there. that would be my setup.

 

I say get tein coilovers ss-p with the edfc... that way you can control the ride comfort to what you like. And with the coilovers you set the height to what you like.

 

I got mine from Cardomain.com with there 105% price match, with linking it with allsprings.com. I paid $1004 shipped, and they are already on the way..!!! Awesome!

Hope that helps.

 

coilovers are excessive.

just get trd springs and struts for all the criteria you have listed. sporty handling, good ride, minimal risk of scraping your underside. also get the trd anti sway bar on the race setting.

 

^^That'd be my suggestion too.

 

A. TRD Route
1. TrdSparks has a sale that includes TRD Struts, Rear Sway Bar & Lowering Springs for 749$ (How good of a deal is this? Anyone know of a better deal?)
2. Also if i go with the TRD Lowering springs do I still need to get shocks? (I heard that the stock shocks will blow out quicker if you don't)
3. Lastly being that my RS3.0 has the kenstyle bodykit (I am assuming it makes the front and rear already lower than stock?) will I have problems with the 1.25" drop the TRD kit offers?
(Edit) 4. Are increased spring rates a good thing? As the TRD Springs have a 18% and 26% increase in spring rate (What does this actually mean in terms of ride quality)

B. Hotchkis Route
1. TRDSparks has a set of Hotchkis sways and springs for 349 (Are struts and shocks recommended? if so why?)
2. I am considering Hotchkis sways because I have heard nothing but AWESOME reviews on them. Just don't want to get Trd sway and regret not getting the added performance from the hotchkis set. (Anyone with a more in depth insight on this?)

C. Coilovers
1. I have heard H&R coils made the TC ride better then an acura TL? (Makes me more interested in these) Sale price of 950
2. HKS coils: I have heard these are the end all be all balance between performance and maintaining that comfortable ride (Which is exactly what I am looking for) Also I believe there is a sale on these for around 1300.
3. I have also heard if I am going to get springs and struts that if you include install (since they are harder to install) coilovers will cost me about the same.

Basically I am just looking for more insight on the things I have posted or any possible corrections to any misconeptions I might have.

I appreciate everyones input thus far thanks again! =)

 

spring rate is the change in the force the spring exerts. so they are stiffer. i have trd shocks and struts and under normal driving, it almost feels like stock.

hotchkis springs are nearly a 2 inch drop, which is alot more than the trd drop, so you risk botteming out more

yes, get struts! they improve dampening force.without them, you will have an extremely sloppy ride. also the stock struts won't last long and will blow out in a couple thousand miles.

yes, everybody raves about how great the hotckis set it, but installing the front anti-sway bar is more expensive and more complicated because they have to drop the subframe of the front of the car to get it in.

i got all my suspension from trdsparks for 749, for spring, struts and anti-sway bar. and it cost 360 to for installation which also included a strut tower brace.

coilovers are a excessive and will require more complicated installation. coilovers are more for something like autocross, or track use.

as for riding as well as an acura? i i don't own one or really anybody who does. but if you want a car that rides like an acura, go buy one. but coilovers are not for comfort cruising.

 

I've been reading around on other car forums and I've heard alot of good things from the Tanabe camp. People say that it still keeps the stock comfort but it'll stiffen it up. as far as the coilover vs. shock n spring setup it depends if you wanna be able to adjust it or just leave it how it is. IE how lazy you are LOL

 

Ok guys I know it has been a while. Here is an update, after all the great advice on this thread and spending countless hours reading other threads I have a few more questions.

First of all I am pretty sure I am going to just go full TRD Suspension. My Birthday is coming up at the end of May. My girlfriend is going to buy me the TRD Sway bar and my sister is going to buy me the TRD Springs. This leads to my questions

1. I have heard that since the TRD drop is so mild that my stock struts will last a long time. Now my questions for people who have rode TRD Springs with stock struts and then later upgraded to TRD Struts was there a huge difference in feel? (Reason is I want to just keep my stock struts as long as I can and wear them out until I need to replace them then replace with TRD if the ride quality is not that much different)

2. I have read struts usually last around 30k miles but I have never heard of how long springs last, any info?

3. Are there any negatives to buying used Springs? I have heard you really don't need to worry about springs breaking down on you, any truth to this?

Also I will be installing all the mods myself with the help of a friend so cost of installation isn't a factor.

 

bump

 

get the trd shocks, or your ride will be sloppy when you hit bumps and such, it is mild enough that you won't have an immediate blow out, but they will drastically reduce your shocks lifespan, so you might as well do it now and get it out of the way.

just buying lowering springs is something you would do if your tc was more for show, since yours is a daily driver, i say get the spring AND struts. you won't regret it.

also, tires are a major part of handling so replacing the crappy oem tires will yield a huge improvment in handling performance.

 

Drax I just wanna say I really appreciate all the help you have given me. You have been giving me advice since day one which was about 1.5 months ago, and I am pretty close to making a decision finally WOOOO!!!