Squalled

It is possible to put lowering springs on the standard shocks but, I've heard some rumors that it can also wear the shocks out quicker (not sure if that's true though) If you do it yourself each time, the only thing you'd need to put money on is getting a wheel alignment. The job is roughly 2-3 hours at the most but I'd say it's definitely best to wait until all the parts are gathered.

A great combo I've seen is the Koni Yellow Adjustable shocks along with King Springs. Not too expensive from what I've seen but you can get a nice lower stance along with improved handling. Also having the ability to stiffen the shocks is a bonus. https://www.koni.com/en-US/Cars/Products/Sport-Tuning/Sport/

Any Toyota dealer will have the bolts in stock. Some of them may not refer to them as lift bolts so they'll get confused. If you give Toyota there part number (9010506293) they will be able to supply it to you. Both bolts are the same size and should be easily replaceable unless, one has broken.

UPDATES! Has been quite a bit of time since my last update and glad to say that more work has been done to the car in recent times. So not long after my last post, I placed an order for some new OEM parts from Toyota purely on the maintenance side of things. A massive shout out to forum member Blacksheep for his help in getting the parts for me! The parts ordered include new lift bolts, center console spring, new spark plugs (since given to a mate for his service), OCV filters, front and rear engine mounts. Leaving the lift bolts and OCV filters until my major service later this year or earlier next year. Once I had the parts, I firstly attempted to fix the center console as guided by another member on social media. The trick was to bend the 90 degree angle till it was almost straight and place it into the bigger hole on the center console flap to allow it to work. See below for what I mean for the spring. This is definitely a nice little fix to make the storage usable and works quite well. I finally got the chance to get in contact with my local mechanic, who also did my gearbox rebuild. They installed the new engine mounts with inserts, fixed the oil leak from the sump area and also did an oil change. I've been extremely happy with their work and prices since going to them mid this year. So happy to finally not leave oil drops where I park anymore. Here are the engine mounts with Energy Suspension inserts. I was able to just fit my arm from the top to measure the rear engine mount with insert to make sure it would fit within the bracket. Front, also note the extended pushord. Rear Now, after driving with them for almost a week, here is a nicer in depth review on them. The inserts are definitely a must have for anyone looking for less engine movement, reduced axle tramp/hop and also been able to put power down efficiently. When cold idling, the vibration is not noticeable other than when starting the engine initially. Once at warm idle, it is quite noticeable and you'll generally feel it through the steering wheel along with hearing the dash area vibrate. If you don't like vibrations, I wouldn't recommend them although they will ease down over time. The vibration is also more noticeable between 3000-4000 RPM and along with that there is a more noticeable growl from the intake compared to my previous mounts. While driving it's a lot more nicer to change up and down gears (also seems to feel more direct) and it also seems to be able to put down power a lot easier too. On some lower RPMs and the occasional shift, it can be a little rocky which doesn't really bother me. For the money, I'd definitely say it's worth while but, if you have a pre-facelift you will need custom made washers to keep the inserts from popping out. I may get these later if I have issues but none so far! I've still got an on-going list of things to do and fix on the car. I will soon need to get some new tyres and I'm leaning towards Michelin Pilot Sport 4's. The car still needs to be raised and a few other parts need to be installed or modified to reach my end goal. I've got some more updates which I will keep for another post as they're in progress and also have some goodies arriving soon from Japan. Here are some of the latest clean photo's I've taken. Due to all the dew in the cold mornings, it makes it hard to keep the car clean. My blue engine cover has broken so I now don't have one covering the valve cover for now. The most recent photo's are from a Toymods meet and cruise last week, was great to meet some new people and have a nice drive through the Old Pacific Highway. I've never had so much attention on my car from other people before which something new for me. I definitely think Toyota out did Honda with the moon landing vehicle styled FN2 Type R Also parked next to a nice AE92 SX before the cruise, complete with a turbo 4AGE 16V making well over 200KW ATW. That's all from me for now, stay tuned for new updates!

Thanks campbeam! Seems like I may be getting the PS4's.

Hey TOCA, Just wondering if anyone has any feedback about the Michelin Pilot Sport 4's? I'm currently on RE002's which will soon need to be replaced later this year and I'm currently looking into getting the PS4's as a replacement. I have a friend who has them on his 300KW Skyline which they work very well on, especially in the wet but I wanted to find anyone who's got them on a FWD just so I can get an idea. I'm able to get the PS4 in the size I need R16 205/50, which is one profile up from my current tyres as I believe the 45's look a little to small. I'm also considering the RE003 as my backup in case I can't get the PS4 but any feedback from the PS4 is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Oooooo what's the surprise? I'd be keen to see the double Halo Angel eyes in action, that sounds so mad! Loving all these new pics man.

I have recently purchased the Energy Suspension engine mount inserts from Monkey Wrench Racing. I've heard many success stories but also many complaints about the vibration caused from them. I've heard of people using Sikaflex in the past as campbeam has stated above but haven't seen any in person. I'll be adding a decent review of them once I have them installed. Parts numbers for engine mounts, courtesy of forum member Blacksheep. Front engine mount 1236122080Rear engine mount 1237122170 EDIT: Link for inserts - https://monkeywrenchracing.com/product/energy-susp-bushing-kit-celicacorolla-engine-mount-inserts/

If you have Facebook, there is a Melbourne Sportivo group and there are a few other Sportivo related groups where someone may have the front lip and also side skirts.

Best is to probably check Gumtree and eBay first, probably the easiest thing to do. If you have no luck, you may need to search for specific Toyota wreckers in Melbourne such Toyrolla Spares based in Epping.

Headers - Ported Stock (Best for performance gains, not much change to sound) There are also Hurricane and Wildcat headers which give the Sportivo a deeper tone but a prone to cracking. If you plan on going crazy, PPE headers. Cat - 100 or 200 cell high flow catalytic converter. Catback - 2.5" piping with mandrel bends is best, a decent resonator or even 2 smaller ones, a decent rear muffler (Magnaflow, x-Force Varex, Remus etc). The larger piping will mean it can be a bit more droney on highways, hence why most people including me went with the Varex. Has the ability to be loud when you want and as quiet as stock. See my signature for my exhaust setup which I've been running for the last on the stock ECU with no issues. I went with mild steel as it is doesn't sound as raspy as stainless. In saying that, stainless will always out last mild steel.

UPDATE TIME Thought I'd update the thread after a bit. I have done over 3000 kms on the new synchros and they honestly feel awesome. Feels great now after taking it very easy on the gears for the last few weeks. I've yet to give a bit to see how it goes. I've been fairly busy in recent weeks and with the unpredictable Sydney weather, the car hasn't had a good clean for a month or so now. Hoping I can get it cleaned up again this weekend. I've had a bit of assistance with getting information about installation of the new engine mount inserts and I'm hoping to get this done ASAP along with fixing my oil leak which is becoming more of an issue. Haven't taken any recent photos but nothing has really changed in recent time. Will keep this updated!

Also this. The Celica 6th sits the car at a lower RPM which is handy for highway driving. Have talked to Bil (Xoom) about if before when I saw him last.

The 2ZZ's are identical between the Celica and Corolla. Main differences are the gearbox linkages, the ECU's and other smaller things (intake, engine cover etc.) See the video above for the screen clean. My Corolla just ticked over 185 000 the other day and the oil generally only goes a dark golden colour, haven't seen many with black before. It may need an engine flush.

Could be a few things like lift bolts, the lift screen been clogged in the lift solenoid or even the engine just needing a good service (filters, flush, fluid change etc). I think Toyota should be able to diagnose the issue but, recently I've heard one them didn't even know what a lift bolt said he needed a new head as opposed to 2 $2 bolts. I think it depends what Toyota mechanic you go too.

What's the exact issue that's happening with your Sportivo? The high idling issue you mentioned before?

I'd more than likely try a wrecker of some sort to find one. Don't think they're any complete stock ones on eBay or Gumtree at the moment. Try King Wreck, they usually have a lot of Corolla Sportivo parts there.

http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=280296 Have a look through these threads mate, should be some guidance in them. I know that this issue isn't totally uncommon for the 2ZZ.

I'd definitely start of with the cheaper solutions before thinking about anything expensive. Can save a bit of time and most importantly money.

- Check Lift bolts. Very common on the preface lift 03/04 models for them to wear down quicker, although the design has since been corrected. - Check oil level, make sure your engine has enough oil. - Check the VVTLi solenoid as the filter/screen inside of it can get clogged and cause lift to not engage, see below: If these look all good, probably best to take it to a mechanic to check what could be wrong. Best of luck!

It will look this with no skirt. All the skirts between ZZE's will fit between each other with ease. The levin has slightly higher sitting side skirt and front lip compared to the sportivo one.

Oh nice! Also, how does the new sway bar feel?

Nice stuff mate! How does the CES catback sound? Ported headers are definitely one of the best

Spring and shock combos are always going to be the cheaper option. It's probably best not to use the standard worn shocks with lowered springs as they'll likely wear down, from what I've heard. King Springs are great, a lot of Corolla's I've seen from 2003-2006/7 run them. Koni shocks seem to have great feedback too. It may end up been close to the cost of 'cheaper' coilovers but, it won't have any of the discomfort of coilovers.

I got some Focal speakers in my car in all doors. Had to make spacers for the rears to fit but they're awesome quality and I got them for a good price at the time too. I got a Clarion 12" subwoofer (dual voice core) which I've had for years and it sounds great too. I have a Option Audio mono-amp only powering the subwoofer.