Who Makes the Best Lowering Springs?

[ScionLUVR]

I want to lower my tC, but don't know where to start. The looks of this particular car are really improved when lowered. Couple of questions:

1) How much should I lower it?
2) How much should I expect to spend on springs?
3) Who makes the best springs?
4) Is this a DIY project?
5) Do I need an alignment afterwards?
6) Can I use my stock wheels and tires with the lowered springs?

Thanks,

ScionLUVR

[rfzl]

I can't answer all of the questions and I don't know that much about the tC but here is what I found when doing my xB.

How much to lower: Depends on what you want. If this is going to be a daily driver, 1.5" will be about right. May not sound like much but the gains will be from the new springs, not how much you lower it.

How many $: Again, depends. I spent about $150 for a set of springs for the xB. Different brands/types will have different costs.

Who? There are several vendors out there. Again, some are more for race, others more towards street.

Is this a DIY?: Yes, if you have jack stands, a full set of metric sockets and wrenches, and a torque wrench. An inpact driver is almost a must but you can do without. It took me about 5 hours to do my xB. Also, you will need a set of spring compressors to remove the stock units. This costs about $20 so not a big deal. You might be able to rent one from a shop or parts store.

Alignment: Absolutely!! Anytime you change the suspension, an alignment is needed. As the front springs are over the struts, you have to remove the entire strut which means something will be out of alignment when it goes back to gether.

Stock Wheels/Tires: Of course. You don't really want to change the wheel diameter or it will mess up your speedometer. If you go real low on the drop, it might look a bit funny but normally a new spring kit is such that they provide new bump stops for the shocks so you will be fine.

Hope this helps.

Ron

[Fredy]

1) How much should I lower it? I went with the S-Techs, I like no wheel gap
2) How much should I expect to spend on springs? I spent around 120 shipped for the springs, did the work myself
3) Who makes the best springs?Tein
4) Is this a DIY project?depends on what tools you have and if you are willing to spend a few hours working on it.
5) Do I need an alignment afterwards?I have not aligned my car since I've lowered it.
6) Can I use my stock wheels and tires with the lowered springs?Yup! I did for a few weeks then went to 17's with stock tires and now i'm on 18's with 40 series tire.

[captainlaziness]

1) How much should I lower it?
-As stated before, that's up to you. I went with the TRD springs (~1.5") because I wanted a modest drop without fear of bottoming out and scraping. But more importantly, the suspension has a limit of where a drop goes from making the car handle better to just looking better. Anything much lower than about 1.75" will look cool, but will have a negative effect on handling as the suspension geometry is out of whack.

2) How much should I expect to spend on springs?
-$120 to $200. I got my TRDs from www.trdsparks.com for $160+shipping.

3) Who makes the best springs?
-TRD, Tein, and Hotchkis are all great choices. Fredy's biased. :p

4) Is this a DIY project?
-Yes. Again, if you have access to the proper tools.

5) Do I need an alignment afterwards?
-It's recommended. Lower drops (<1.5") will throw your camber off more than a modest drop. The main issue with not getting an alignment is increased/uneven tire wear. A car that is slammed is going to have a lot of negative camber and will therefore devour the insides of the tires. Also, if you do decide to get an alignment, you should wait a few weeks to allow the springs to settle.

6) Can I use my stock wheels and tires with the lowered springs?
-Yes.

A few more things to consider, you can use the stock struts with any aftermarket lowering springs but their life span will be reduced. More aggressive drops increase the wear on the OEM struts. TRD and Koni both have stiffer struts to go with lowering springs.

Depending on how low you go, some shops (even the dealership) will not have the proper equipment to do an alignment or they won't want to risk damage to your vehicle. Some places don't know better or care and will damage your vehicle.

[burstaneurysm]

I want to lower my tC, but don't know where to start. The looks of this particular car are really improved when lowered. Couple of questions:

1) How much should I lower it? Yes
2) How much should I expect to spend on springs? Anywhere from $150-250
3) Who makes the best springs? Tein, TRD, Tanabe, Goldline (avoid any of the ebay crap and avoid Zenn and I honestly think that the tC drop on Megans looks goofy as hell)
4) Is this a DIY project? If you're comfortable with hand tools and swearing, yes.
5) Do I need an alignment afterwards? you probably should do it.
6) Can I use my stock wheels and tires with the lowered springs? Yep.

Thanks,

ScionLUVR
Hope that answers your questions.

[captainlaziness]

Yes, avoid Megan springs like the plague. They drop the tC a lot more in the rear and look like crap.

[burstaneurysm]

Yea, there was a discussion about how the unevenness of the drop was an optical illusion.

I'm sorry but when the back wheel is tucked and you're off roading in the front, it's no illusion, it's crap springs.

[tofupowered]

i happen to like the Tanabe df210 springs. I helped install them on my friends tc. it's as simple as most spring installs go. Done in a weekend. Low stance, ride comfort. Not much more you can ask for out of a spring.

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