Whiteline rear sway bar and strut brace

[ZEEROLLA]

I ordered whiteline 22mm rear sway bar and front strut brace today for my Sportivo. I wanted to go the full lot with front 24mm sway bar and 40mm lowered springs. All up would cost me approx. $1100. I was advised to spend money on the rear swaybar and strut brace first as these two enhancements will reduce the Sportivo's bodyroll and improve turn-in quite significantly already. After some thoughts, i agreed as the Sportivo hasn't got a very soft suspension as standard, just needed less roll. I also wanted to keep the car comfortable over rough roads but still able to corner with less roll.

I was also reluctant to go with the springs due to warranty cover over the shock absorbers. So i guess for Sportivo owners who would like to improve the handling of the car but still retain the car's standard ride height , these 2 mods might be for you for under $500.

Zee

[GZE_Bandit]

Pedders wanted to charge me $211 to install two rear springs (just the rears mind you) and wheel alignment o_0 $1100 if I add new shocks to that :(

Lucky theres a place down the road who will do it for $120

[OneCamMan]

I'd be very, very inclined to ring them up in the morning and add the 24mm front sway bar to your order. I'm not sure of the size/quality of the Sportivo's standard front bar, but the whiteline front sway bars make a huge difference in handling to other model Rolla's, so i'm sure your model would be no exception. Go the front sway bar dude, you won't regret it :)

[<rollin>]

If anyone else is interested in purchasing the strut brace and sway bars, maybe we can organise a group buy thang. Surely whiteline can offer a reasonable discount if there are a few of us?

[E-Gene]

I may be interested in them if the price is right. Would prefer to get the strut bar first. Maybe sway bar later.

How much are they asking for each?

[GZE_Bandit]

I believe the strut braces go for about $150 odd each?

[peekay]

$150 is trade price. Do not use Pedders they are repainted Munro shocks. They don't make their own. Do not change the front sway bar leave it standard apart from being fairly major work to replace. I have been told others that changed the front sway bar regretted it.

[xTiGeRx]

my strut brace has arrived, and it's the TRD one. got it for $200.

have to fit it myself, unfortunately, i don't have the money to pick it up, thus...someone else might be able to buy it.

;)

-Chris

[ZEEROLLA]

If anyone else is interested in purchasing the strut brace and sway bars, maybe we can organise a group buy thang. Surely whiteline can offer a reasonable discount if there are a few of us?

For sure. I got mine from Revolution Racegear in Wollongong though :)

[NIKICH]

ZEE - Did they fit it for you?? I went in there a couple of months back and i thought it didnt look like much from the outside but when i went in i was blown away with some of the stuff they got in there

[ZEEROLLA]

$150 is trade price. Do not use Pedders they are repainted Munro shocks. They don't make their own. Do not change the front sway bar leave it standard apart from being fairly major work to replace. I have been told others that changed the front sway bar regretted it.

Yes, i have heard of people going for bigger front bars and have difficulty steering the car, and it can create problems such as knocking or squeaking noises. It is cheaper than the rear swaybar though costing the same as the strut brace @ $179.

The rear swaybar cost $215 and strut brace $179. All up less than $400. The Whiteline Springs that lower 40mm costs $320 and another $150 to fit. I also got a quote for the K & N panel filter that goes into the stock airbox. It costs $130, but if i wanted a pod style like the UNIFILTER Ram pod it will costs me approx. $300 which is in par. I was also told Revolution Racegear used to stock TRD parts. They still have bits and pieces left like radiator cap which costs $75 !!!! A standard one costs $7.50 I guess that cap is meant for racing purposes. Anyway, you guys can ask around because some places still store good TRD parts. Might get lucky with the CAI or something.

By the way Peekay, did your Toyota dealer void your warranty after you installed your TRD stuff? How do you find the TRD stuff working? I am expecting them to be of a very high quality and make a difference to the car. Thanks B)

ZEE :D

[ZEEROLLA]

ZEE - Did they fit it for you?? I went in there a couple of months back and i thought it didnt look like much from the outside but when i went in i was blown away with some of the stuff they got in there

Not yet NIKICH, still waiting for the parts to come in. Will let you have a look at my car when its done

Yeh, they do have a lot of racing gear. They are actually sponsors for a lot of the professional races out there and at their old store i actually saw "Skaife" once if i have not mistaken . That was like 4 years ago when they were located further up north. But they do charge a little more for labour <_<

[qkslvr]

Hi guys.

I used to post reqularly on a Toyota Celica forum (www.toyotacelicaonline.com)

They are located in USA and Canada and so as one of their Australian members, i contacted Whiteline on their behalf.

The guy at whiteline seemed to indicate they would be willing to offer up to 10% discount for bulk buys for car clubs and their affiliates as long as it doesn't undercut their distributors.

This was about a year ago so we will probably have to contact them again. The point it that they are willing to offer discounts for bulk purchases. I just thought i'd let you guys know.

[peekay]

The dealer is a friend so I should not have any probs besides I don't thrash my engine. I give it a kick in the guts occasionaly but drive it normally most of the time.

[<rollin>]

Having read and heard varying reports and opinions on sway bars i may not opt for the rear sway now. It may very well improve body roll and such but inturn will highly stress the mounts or even rip from the OEM factory mounts. Our car was not designed for that kind of tauntness or at least i don't think so. It is more at the front that you want a tight setup. I have a kmac FSB and yes it did improve handling initially but i have gotten use to it so the fun has worn off. They are an absolute pain in the behind to install- it took two guys about 5 1/2 hours. But it was a prototype so they had to make it from scratch.

I have learnt a great deal about suspension just by asking questions and spending thousands of dollars :(

[qkslvr]

I've read that if your rear sway bars are too stiff that you will shift too much load to the outside rears which can cause you to lose the rear end during hard cornering.

plus i dont' mind rear body roll, it's the front roll that really annoys me.

[<rollin>]

Yes i agree. You do need some body roll and it is the front that i want to minimise too. The coilovers have improved this substantially though so prob just the strut brace to add and thats it.

[ZEEROLLA]

I don't think i would be too agressive with the cornering on public roads, don't want to hit the kerbs! Did it once in another car and it wasn't pretty, so i am not too worried about ripping mounts off the rear .

[CHA54]

Has anyone here had a look at their stock rear swaybar? I did the springs on my brother's levin on the weekend, and after looking at the rear setup, I can't see how replacing the "swaybar" in the rear beam would make any difference at all...

[qkslvr]

Hehehe.

if by "rear swaybar" you mean "no swaybar"

I just realised that it is a torsional beam rear suspension setup meaning there is no rear swaybar. The rear axle IS the rear swaybar. The rear cross-beam consist of a folded piece of sheet metal with a structural support rod flexed into the middle.

oh well. I would have preferred some form or independent rear suspension on the rolla. It would be more tunable. That's why i still love my old Celica :(

Cheers guys!

[ZEEROLLA]

Has anyone here had a look at their stock rear swaybar? I did the springs on my brother's levin on the weekend, and after looking at the rear setup, I can't see how replacing the "swaybar" in the rear beam would make any difference at all...

It has been mentioned in car magazines that the cheapest trick to getting a FF car to understeer less is by fitting a bigger rear sway bar. Why? Because weight transfer off the front wheels is dramatically reduced, which means more front-end grip. Also, because body roll is reduced, the outside front wheel has a greater contact patch and therefore more traction. Usually, the front sway bars are bigger than the rears hence tuners recommend to have the rear sway bar upgraded first. Then if you are planning to take the car to the track and would like the stiffest setup, then the front sway bar upgrade would come in.

I have also requested to have the rubber bushes at the front changed to urethane bushes so that the front and rear bar would have the same response speed.

Zee

[imek]

Zeerolla,

Where did you get polyurethane bushes? Have you got part no. for them?

[CHA54]

Has anyone here had a look at their stock rear swaybar?  I did the springs on my brother's levin on the weekend, and after looking at the rear setup, I can't see how replacing the "swaybar" in the rear beam would make any difference at all...

It has been mentioned in car magazines that the cheapest trick to getting a FF car to understeer less is by fitting a bigger rear sway bar. Why? Because weight transfer off the front wheels is dramatically reduced, which means more front-end grip. Also, because body roll is reduced, the outside front wheel has a greater contact patch and therefore more traction. Usually, the front sway bars are bigger than the rears hence tuners recommend to have the rear sway bar upgraded first. Then if you are planning to take the car to the track and would like the stiffest setup, then the front sway bar upgrade would come in.

I have also requested to have the rubber bushes at the front changed to urethane bushes so that the front and rear bar would have the same response speed.

Zee

have a look under the rear of your car... there is NO "swaybar" of sorts on the new corolla... just the beam across the back that the wheels are attached to, and the bar that runs along the middle of it...

Now, explain how replacing the bar in the middle of the torsional beam will reduce the roll in the rear?

Rear swaybars do serve a function on car's with a decent rear suspension setup. Unfortunatly Toyota took a shortcut with the rear suspension on the new rolla's.

I meant to take a photo of my brother's car this afternoon when we fixed the problem with his new TEIN springs, but forgot and only got a pic of the spring fix.

[<rollin>]

having little technical knowledge i'm guessing it will improve stiffness and minimise twist of the torsional beam.

[qkslvr]

That sprung rod in the middle is for structural support of the rear cross beam. It is there to stop the rear beam from collapsing in on itself. I don't thing replacing it will do any good. All the load from the body roll is transferred to the join between the trailing arm and the crossbeam. They are welded together to give a sway-bar-like effect. There is no sway bar. the rear suspension assembly IS the swaybar.

They have the same setup on the Pulsar.