Thinking of Modding the Sportivo - Read this Thread

[xoom]

I thought i might post this due to all the PM's i get asking the same question.

Mods for Sportivo to deliver results?

Ok so lets start under the bonnet. By far the best bang for ur buck mod on the sportivo is the CAI

Be it injen, trd, ces or aem this mod gives the car a nice kick up top and for less than $500 is well worth it

Next i would say has to be the exhaust by stepping it up to 2.5 inches and see what ur local exhaust place can do for a muffler probably lookin around 600 for something from mild steel or simply get urself a CES for around 1000-1200 depending on what u put on it and its stainless. On this note i have yet to hear a custom exhaust which is legal bcuz of the aftermarket mufflers where as CES has DB tested their exhaust. I guess u could try a twin loop muffler as im told they will reduce the noise of the car.

Next on the performance hunt would be the headers ..... a simple quick and easy win would be to get ur stock ones ported to match the head ports and all cleaned up at the collector. Again ur options here are CES for like $500 or something + ur old headers or get ur local shop to look into it for u.

Now that u have sorted out the cars breathing and from a bolt on mods perspective for increasing power/torque i think that will do it for u.

Now to handling.

I think a simple set of G4 coils for like $1200 and a front strut bar for like 200-300 will do it for u. Depending on how else u want to change the characterisitcs of how the car handles u might want to look into a rear strut bar (200ish) and front & rear sway to induce either understeer (dont think u want this - unless the coils induce soooo much oversteer u cant tolerate it) or some added oversteer.

Next u obviously have rims and tyres. I think light rims are the way to go but if ur on a budget that could be an issue since $$$'s and weight seem to be going hand in hand these days however i have noticed that the buddyclub rims have reduced a lot in price and come in nicely from a weight perspective. On to tyres .... this one can open a whole can of worms but for me the toyo t1-r's do it for me. Handle well in the dry and wet and perform well on different road surfaces & conditions. I leave this one upto u and wat ur convinced of.

What left .... well u have clutch, brakes and a short shifter (TRD .... not sure if anyone else makes one). For me the stock clutch was rubbish. I found the HD exedy far better than the stock clutch. For brakes their is a reasonable selection and for me it was the DBA4000 rotors with the ferodo DS2500 pads. Did the job over and over again really well.

At this point u have pretty much purchased what is out there off the shelf for the car. That will aid in the pursuit of getting ur car to perform quicker or get from a to b quicker.

I will now stress guys these are simply my opinions ..... and as always opinions being like a.5.5. holes everyone has one ..... u can choose to agree or disagree change the brands used etc but in all seriousness there isnt much else out there thats left for the bolt-on only modder. If u think differently please do post and express ur thoughts dont just write "i disagree" bring some facts to the table.

After the above u have to start customising or pulling stuff apart & $$$'s play a big factor. By this i mean

ECU - powerFC, motec, autronic etc

LSD - quaife, trd, cusco, kaaz etc

Cams - piper

engine work - valves, valve springs, pistons, rods etc.

[J e r e M y]

Bill.. u should publish books :P

Bill FTW

[TRDYUS]

I find that most poeple modding stivo's have atleast a

CAI,

Cat-back Exhaust

&

Headers

Which is a good base to work with and sometimes the furthest they go.

But yeah you would want to add some good handling bits to the Corolla also.

Nice write-up, agreed.

Edited March 13, 2008 by TRDYUS

[Kenneth]

learn something new everyday :D i like

[$ANGELO$]

Well said! we shouldnt see and more topics about "what can i do to make my car go faster" well at least for a while

[Suprathai]

My car has a twinloop in it if you were listening to it when I left lastnight after installing the PFC so that should give you an idea bill.

I think you should sticky this as it is, I really don't think people would read the sticky that says 'previously covered topics'.

Should change the thread to

'Mods for your Sportivo'

[Dead]

I wanted balance essentially. Which is why I opted for the following.

CAI

Coilovers

TRD Strut brace

17in rims

It's nice and pokey in a straight line, and lethal through corners.

I could be selling it next year, but I think it's managed to bite me again. This car is like a seductress.

In saying that, headers and a 2.5 inch system would be next on the list.

Great write up Bill. /bow

[kolourhero]

I could be selling it next year

dibs on your rims :)

[Dead]

I could be selling it next year

dibs on your rims :)

I was actually informed by BC Australia that they were/are being brought back in the 17x7 size. I've contacted them again to be sure however...

[MT]

I'm pretty sure they dont make the DBA4000's for the corolla or celica anymore.

I agree with most of what Bill said, but you dont need coilovers. Coilovers that cost less than $2/3000 are no better or worse than a well matched spring/shock combo.

[SuperDave]

Top of the list I would have performance driving lessons. But I guess that is more of a driver mod....

[Dead]

I'm pretty sure they dont make the DBA4000's for the corolla or celica anymore.

I agree with most of what Bill said, but you dont need coilovers. Coilovers that cost less than $2/3000 are no better or worse than a well matched spring/shock combo.

I actually like it ridiculously stiff :S

(Feel free to make a joke about that dude lol)

[CORZZA]

Bill.. u should publish books :P

Bill FTW

Yeah he should!

How to turn a $20 000 car into a $40 000 car hehe

[SuperDave]

How to turn a $20 000 car into a $40 000 car

that beats $80 000 cars

[kolourhero]

I could be selling it next year

dibs on your rims :)

I was actually informed by BC Australia that they were/are being brought back in the 17x7 size. I've contacted them again to be sure however...

I hope this is true!

[Sport1vo]

Have a cry and put on a Dress...

Edited March 16, 2008 by Northy

[MR22ZZ]

don't need numbers? WTF...

how does 14.3 @ 98mph rock your boat? <_<

Dyno figures mean jack anyway so who really gives a rats about that, you can make a dyno read whatever you want if you try, but the numbers quoted are undeniable.

[nate11six]

Excellent work Bill. I think many newbies will find it helpful, like myself.

Top effort!

[xoom]

Have a cry and put on a Dress...

ok Bill not sure wats provoked this rant or why this rant was made in this thread but it has ...... u really seem to have a problem with CES be it their service or their products etc etc i dunno what it is but by all means ur allowed to have wat ever opinion u want ..... this thread is about painting the picture of what options people have out there ..... it is not a pro or anti CES thread .....and in fact if u read above i offered people all options that are out there..... So people ask me all the time what is on the market and what can they do to their cars ..... all ive done above is point out my thoughts and opinions after several years of researching and being around the ZZE corolla community ...... u seem to be very angry and rather annoyed ..... before u reply and post just think .... is it really worth it ..... this is an internet car forum ...... whats the point in getting so worked up for .......

[Dead]

Have a cry and put on a Dress...

[T.J]

Have a cry and put on a Dress...

ok Bill not sure wats provoked this rant or why this rant was made in this thread but it has ...... u really seem to have a problem with CES be it their service or their products etc etc i dunno what it is but by all means ur allowed to have wat ever opinion u want ..... this thread is about painting the picture of what options people have out there ..... it is not a pro or anti CES thread .....and in fact if u read above i offered people all options that are out there..... So people ask me all the time what is on the market and what can they do to their cars ..... all ive done above is point out my thoughts and opinions after several years of researching and being around the ZZE corolla community ...... u seem to be very angry and rather annoyed ..... before u reply and post just think .... is it really worth it ..... this is an internet car forum ...... whats the point in getting so worked up for .......

theres one in every crowd.

btw got another few options for you bill eibach valve springs 20% stiffer and race cams supertech stainless steel valves

cant find the site i found the cams on it was ragnorack racing something like that but the valves and springs i found through a lotus site

http://www.nolimitmotorsport.com/ if anyone is interested i think its american

[Northy]

Have a cry and put on a Dress...

Anymore of this crap and ill delete your account

[Guest fujiwara_tofu]

don't need numbers? WTF...

how does 14.3 @ 98mph rock your boat? <_<

Dyno figures mean jack anyway so who really gives a rats about that, you can make a dyno read whatever you want if you try, but the numbers quoted are undeniable.

agreed.

dyno results are nothing compared to a real world simulation.

[Leroy]

Excellent work Bill. I think many newbies will find it helpful, like myself.

Top effort!

Well said! we shouldnt see and more topics about "what can i do to make my car go faster" well at least for a while rolleyes.gif

Yes, great summary of bread and butter performance modding... whether or not it stops people posting the usual "make my car go faster plz help"; I remain sceptical.

Either way, someone please make this sticky...

I actually like it ridiculously stiff :S

(Feel free to make a joke about that dude lol)

Done ... without actually, erm, making a joke per se :P

[Dead]

I second the motion that this should be a sticky. It outlines everything perfectly.

Have a cry and put on a Dress...

Anymore of this crap and ill delete your account

Sreenshots of it happening pls