RIDES LIKE NEW !!!!!!!, finally had the suspension work done Options

[axelrduvirage]

What a day!!!

The car rides like new. What a difference. All the shaking, shimmying, thrumming, pulling, clunking and chattering is now gone from the suspension. No more 2x4 sound from the rear . Tein S.Tech springs, KYB GR2 struts, OEM rear sway bar bushing and end links, 17" x 7.5 Enkei EVO5 rims and Toyo 215/40R17 Proxes4 Tires were installed today at Halifax Autosport Racing Development by Martin Lapot. The installation and suspension parts as well as the alignment and MVI came to just over 1400$. The big ticket item was obviously the struts. The springs were next and then the bushings and end links. Add 4 hours labour and taxes and it adds up quickly. Was it worth it?...Every penny !!!

My only complaint was the fact that the car was pulling to the right when i took it on the highway on my way back to my house. My immediate reaction was "BAD ALIGNMENT ". I brought it back to Martin and he said it was so far out of alignment when he put it on the rig that he couldn't be sure. He was already working on an other car so he asked me to come back in a while and he would fix it. Since I had some time to kill, i rushed home and loaded my new wheels in the back. I figured i would know if my old, beat-up stock rims were the source of many of my problems. They were! After replacing the wheels he went for a quick run around the block. The first thing he said when he got back was:" I don't have to redo the alignment, I can feel the difference already." He was right. With the new wheels on, it immediately stopped pulling to the right. I guess that's why he runs a speed shop and i produce and tech a radio show.

Anyway, he didn't charge me anything to install the wheels and he threw in a fancy Halifax Autosport licence plate bracket as well as a couple of window decals. They will look great with the Tein decals. I was, however, disappointed that there were no KYB decals in the strut boxes, oh well...off to ebay. I need to shop for Enkei and Toyo decals too.

Enjoy the first pics of the "new" CeliPig. I will try to post some good comparison shots soon. sorry i couldn't find my tripod and i was loosing light fast, that explains the curb shots.

PS...how's the ride? Not much different than the old setup for stiffness. The tyres make a world of difference for traction and cornering. Much less body roll with the new struts and springs. I did notice the difference in ride hight when i smashed the side of my head on the roof getting in the first time :embarrassed:.

peace

[ZGear]

Clean....nice ride...that was how I was like when I installed my s techs and 18" rims.....although I still need to get an alignment.

[6_GEN]

Oh maaan thats a perfect drop!!!Drool....I'm definitly getting teins now.

[_mikeE]

Damnnnn she's a beauty fersure man!
One thing, is it normal for the rears to be higher than the front like that...I think you have your springs reversed.

[hongkongnerdboy]

think front should be lower than rear

[spolski07]

jdm tails would be perfect!

[goferris]

Damnnnn she's a beauty fersure man!
One thing, is it normal for the rears to be higher than the front like that...I think you have your springs reversed.

i swear that the front on our cars are higher in the front than the rear. the teins give a lower drop in the front for that reason. i think it looks hella good. after looking at that price tag i'm def gonna install mine myself once i get them and then just take it somewhere for an alignment job. right now i'm just looking for struts. as soon as i can find some for a decent price i'm going to order them and get the teins from procarparts for 180 shipped.

[celiracer]

Your car looks very nice. (gotta love Teins) I love how mine ride. The drop is Perfect.

[tomazws]

Damnnnn she's a beauty fersure man!
One thing, is it normal for the rears to be higher than the front like that...I think you have your springs reversed.

i swear that the front on our cars are higher in the front than the rear. the teins give a lower drop in the front for that reason. i think it looks hella good. after looking at that price tag i'm def gonna install mine myself once i get them and then just take it somewhere for an alignment job. right now i'm just looking for struts. as soon as i can find some for a decent price i'm going to order them and get the teins from procarparts for 180 shipped.

That's why I love the Teins! Good looking ride! Awesome color choice on the rims!

[_mikeE]

Yeah bro, I'm pretty sure your springs are put on backwards.
Just to clarify--the taller springs are for the front and shorter springs are for the rear.
But man, i can't wait to put on my susupension stuff, also why didnt you go for some Twosrus ST185 rear sway bar end links!? They're much better and i believe adjustable and chromium plated and only 75 for a pair. Unless that is what you got then nvm.
But you plannin' on getting some jdm tails now? CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR RIDE AT SHERBROOKE

[axelrduvirage]

Damnnnn she's a beauty fersure man!
One thing, is it normal for the rears to be higher than the front like that...I think you have your springs reversed.

spec sheet says -383mm (1.5") front and -254mm (1.0") back. love that jacked-up profile !!!!!

think front should be lower than rear

so does TEIN...and me

[axelrduvirage]

Yeah bro, I'm pretty sure your springs are put on backwards.
Just to clarify--the taller springs are for the front and shorter springs are for the rear.
But man, i can't wait to put on my susupension stuff, also why didnt you go for some Twosrus ST185 rear sway bar end links!? They're much better and i believe adjustable and chromium plated and only 75 for a pair. Unless that is what you got then nvm.
But you plannin' on getting some jdm tails now? CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR RIDE AT SHERBROOKE

no no no tall in the back, short in the front. just think '70s muscle car . as for the end links, they're just plain old OEM...booooooooooring !!! JDM tails and possibly SS III splitters are in my future. That would be the end of the exterior mods. I will need 2 doors and a paint job before that though. Maybe next year.

[99GT]

Can't wait to do mines either.

[Valo666]

Nice Ray. Thouse rims look soooo good. But definatly go for some JDM tails and clear out the amber.

[Culpable04]

congrats !

you know you have to re-do your aligment in a few weeks right ? after the springs settle down they'll drop a little more and most likely will throw the aligment off a bit.

[6_GEN]

Yeah definitly the front should be lower than the rear.I hate when rear is dragging,its soooo gay.Takes away from the stance, and looses the body style goodness.Thats why i love how this car sits.

[Rider]

Looks really nice!! I just lowered my car on Tanabe springs but I still have the stock wheels. You'll really notice the difference when you hit the first major pothole ... I thought I bent a wheel for sure a few days ago (thankfully nothing bad happened)... My shocks have a lot of miles on them though, so that was probably why it hit so hard.

I wonder if I need an alignment, my shocks and springs came assembled and were taken out from a Celica and shipped to me. The car runs just like it did before I changed the suspension setup... Anyone know if I need an alignment? (sorry bro, I don't mean to highjack your thread).

Good luck with your Celi!

[Culpable04]

you're saying that the springs are used, and you just install them on your car, if that's the case then Yes you need an alignment, unlike someone with new springs yours are already use to the weight of the car, so just get an alignment when possible, you'll notice a difference after that too, but if you plan on replacing the shocks / struts anytime soon, wait until you do that for the alignment.

[Celicav]

Them wheels is NIIIICE!!!!!!!! Great pics DUDE.

[axelrduvirage]

thank you so much for all the gracious comments. after the snow melts, yes we received another 16cm yesterday, i will continue with the spring cleaning. a few odds and ends to take care of. since the suggestion kept coming up, i ordered a set of JDM tails. they should be here in a few days. you're right it will look so much nicer without the amber turns on the back. my next move is to mount the underbody skirts on the nose. they are in sad shape and i will need to rebuild the edges and find the mounting hardware somewhere (stealership).

happy motoring everyone.

peace.