Need some feedback on aftermarket lowering springs? - Toyota Yaris Forums

Syroyizhka · 08-14-2011, 12:25 AM

I went to the mechanic to figure out why my car was wobbling all over the road on bumpy roads...he took a look and told me that my aftermarket springs were really dead and giving no support to the front of the car...I had these aftermarket springs before i even bought the car so i can't tell you what they are...but anyways Its time to get new ones and I'm looking for ones that will handle "softer" on bumpy roads... I just got to Tokico front struts which work pretty good I think...but the springs are completely dead making me feel like i'm all over the road....I don't want to go with stock because I like the "lowered" look... so in combination in performance/comfort...which springs would you reccomend?

Kaotic Lazagna · 08-14-2011, 01:10 AM

Eibach, TRD, Progress, Tanabe NF springs.

Lil Abner · 08-14-2011, 09:03 AM

I like my DF210 springs. They are a very nice ride for my close to 3 hours of daily driving on terrible Michigan roads. However, with carrying heavy books in the rear, I had to add rubber spacers to avoid rubbing. So I wish the rears were a "little" stiffer. Also, if you want some performance, look at getting a MicroImage rear sway bar!!

Syroyizhka · 08-14-2011, 01:00 PM

So whats the difference between " Eibach, TRD, Progress, & Tanabe NF"? ... Aand Lil Abner, how long did you have your DF210 springs? I 'll post a picture of my current springs, and if you could eyeball the drop and compare it to yours that would be great

Syroyizhka · 08-14-2011, 01:04 PM

Which one of these would give me a some what softer ride?

Syroyizhka · 08-14-2011, 01:07 PM

I found some threads saying that "H&R Sports Springs" were very soft, is that true?

Lil Abner · 08-14-2011, 02:17 PM

I installed my DF210's earlier this year, with snow still on the ground. So I'd say I've got at least 10,000 miles on them so far. My previous car was a Celica GT-S, and I had TEIN S-Tech springs, and the ride wasn't "soft". Looking at the MicroImage store:

TEIN S-Tech: 3k front/3.5k rear (for a Yaris)
Tanabe DF210: 3.0k front/2.2k rear
Tanabe NF210: 2.2k front/2.6k rear

Honestly, I wish my rears were at least 2.6k or 3k, but the cheap rubber spacers I added helps a ton. The thing you need to remember, is when you go low, the spring rate (that 3.0k number) goes up, and your "soft ride" decreases. So it's up to you on how low you want to go. The roads in Michigan are amazingly terrible, and I'm very happy with my DF210's.

Post some pics of your current springs, and we can help you from there.

Syroyizhka · 08-14-2011, 07:58 PM

So those DF210's are are softer than Tein S-techs? I'll get a picture up tommorow as soon as it stops raining over heree in Cleveland

Lil Abner · 08-14-2011, 08:16 PM

The DF210's have softer rear springs, but the fronts are the same. But remember, the front has most of the weight. So the rears don't need to be as stiff (for daily driving). So yeah, overall, the DF210's are a softer ride compared to the S-techs.

Kaotic Lazagna · 08-15-2011, 12:19 AM

Your shocks/struts will play a role in the ride comfort as well. I'm on TRD shocks and Tein S.Tech springs. I personally wouldn't mind either a stiffer spring rate or more dampening in the shocks, but people who are not into cars do not like how my car rides.

Oh, and the Micro Image springs would also be a good choice. However, it's more close to the drop of the S.Tech and DF210 springs. If you want a minimal drop, I'd stay with either the NF210s, TRD, or Eibach.

http://shop.microimageonline.com/Springs_c19.htm

Best prices with awesome customer service.

britishbikes · 08-15-2011, 01:25 AM

I have all the TRD stuff on the car. I did the rear after work one day, incl swaybar and shocks and springs. It made a modest difference. Then I had a shop do the front because you have to realign the front when you change struts anyway. Also have Yokohama Sdrive summer tires. Only when all the things were done did the handling come into focus. But now the tires have higher rolling resistance and I lost 2mpg. Also the car rides much rougher and will not clear most parking lotwheel bumpers. Suspension travel is reduced and you have to slow down more for rough roads. But is more stable and sticks to curves respectably well. As the now higher cornering limit is approached, the car still exhibits the old Yaris tendency to hobbyhorse and hunt for a line, but at a more impressive speed. It is not a race bred car like an Impreza where you could pin the throttle on a 110mph downhill sweeper; it does not hold a line precisely enough for that type of thing. I am still very happy after 119K miles, 1/2 with TRD suspension; it is fun to drive in tighter turns.

The lowering and tires also make the car look much better. It is a subtle effect. The wheel wells now look to have the correct profile around the tires, and the tall ungangly look is gone. People have told me they like this Yaris, but they don't really know why until I tell them about the slightly wider and lower profile tires and the modest drop. About 1.2-1.5 inches. The car does not look lowered until it is parked next to a stock Yaris.

If the car is lowered anymore, then you will have to compensate by changing the spindles. Otherwise the aframe will cause the front wheels to have negative camber when you compress the front end.

It does not wobble around, it does better than before, but since you lose wheel travel, the front end bottoms against the stops much easier on rough roads. It is a tradeoff. Lose a little compliance and practicality for better curve handling and looks.

One thing, I might ask, Syro, is are the struts and shocks stock? The lowering springs need shorter struts to go with them, otherwise you will have no suspension travel at all, resulting in a terrible ride and handling. Usually you can't just change one thing without changing a few other things to go with it. There isn't much chance of getting a real compliant ride on a lowered car. It needs stiffer suspension to compensate for the reduced suspension travel and ground clearance, but is can be made decent.

Syroyizhka · 08-27-2011, 12:57 AM

I just took pictures of the springs that I have on right now..i'm not sure how to upload them though from my computer... The front struts are Tokicos and the back ones are stock.. i noticed on the front the red springs started to peal the top layer coating off and the red is coming off exposing rusty metal underneath is this normal?

Syroyizhka · 08-27-2011, 01:01 AM

Ok i attached the srping pictures on the back, front ones are the same manufacturer , if someone could tell me what these are

Syroyizhka · 08-27-2011, 01:06 AM

ok so it looks like these are tenabe df210 ....so no problem with the rear ones...but why are the front ones giving me such a wobbly ride? I had my uncle change my tokico struts for me..did he put them back on wrong?

08-14-2011, 12:25 AM	#1
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	Need some feedback on aftermarket lowering springs? I went to the mechanic to figure out why my car was wobbling all over the road on bumpy roads...he took a look and told me that my aftermarket springs were really dead and giving no support to the front of the car...I had these aftermarket springs before i even bought the car so i can't tell you what they are...but anyways Its time to get new ones and I'm looking for ones that will handle "softer" on bumpy roads... I just got to Tokico front struts which work pretty good I think...but the springs are completely dead making me feel like i'm all over the road....I don't want to go with stock because I like the "lowered" look... so in combination in performance/comfort...which springs would you reccomend?

08-27-2011, 01:01 AM	#13
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	Ok i attached the srping pictures on the back, front ones are the same manufacturer , if someone could tell me what these are Attached Images

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08-14-2011, 01:10 AM	#2
Kaotic Lazagna View User's Garage Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Valley, CA Posts: 9,873	Eibach, TRD, Progress, Tanabe NF springs.

08-14-2011, 09:03 AM	#3
Lil Abner Drives: 2009 3dr LB Manual Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dublin, Ohio Posts: 412	I like my DF210 springs. They are a very nice ride for my close to 3 hours of daily driving on terrible Michigan roads. However, with carrying heavy books in the rear, I had to add rubber spacers to avoid rubbing. So I wish the rears were a "little" stiffer. Also, if you want some performance, look at getting a MicroImage rear sway bar!!

08-14-2011, 01:00 PM	#4
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	So whats the difference between " Eibach, TRD, Progress, & Tanabe NF"? ... Aand Lil Abner, how long did you have your DF210 springs? I 'll post a picture of my current springs, and if you could eyeball the drop and compare it to yours that would be great

08-14-2011, 01:04 PM	#5
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	Which one of these would give me a some what softer ride?

08-14-2011, 01:07 PM	#6
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	I found some threads saying that "H&R Sports Springs" were very soft, is that true?

08-14-2011, 02:17 PM	#7
Lil Abner Drives: 2009 3dr LB Manual Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dublin, Ohio Posts: 412	I installed my DF210's earlier this year, with snow still on the ground. So I'd say I've got at least 10,000 miles on them so far. My previous car was a Celica GT-S, and I had TEIN S-Tech springs, and the ride wasn't "soft". Looking at the MicroImage store: TEIN S-Tech: 3k front/3.5k rear (for a Yaris) Tanabe DF210: 3.0k front/2.2k rear Tanabe NF210: 2.2k front/2.6k rear Honestly, I wish my rears were at least 2.6k or 3k, but the cheap rubber spacers I added helps a ton. The thing you need to remember, is when you go low, the spring rate (that 3.0k number) goes up, and your "soft ride" decreases. So it's up to you on how low you want to go. The roads in Michigan are amazingly terrible, and I'm very happy with my DF210's. Post some pics of your current springs, and we can help you from there.

08-14-2011, 07:58 PM	#8
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	So those DF210's are are softer than Tein S-techs? I'll get a picture up tommorow as soon as it stops raining over heree in Cleveland

08-14-2011, 08:16 PM	#9
Lil Abner Drives: 2009 3dr LB Manual Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dublin, Ohio Posts: 412	The DF210's have softer rear springs, but the fronts are the same. But remember, the front has most of the weight. So the rears don't need to be as stiff (for daily driving). So yeah, overall, the DF210's are a softer ride compared to the S-techs.

08-15-2011, 12:19 AM	#10
Kaotic Lazagna View User's Garage Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Valley, CA Posts: 9,873	Your shocks/struts will play a role in the ride comfort as well. I'm on TRD shocks and Tein S.Tech springs. I personally wouldn't mind either a stiffer spring rate or more dampening in the shocks, but people who are not into cars do not like how my car rides. Oh, and the Micro Image springs would also be a good choice. However, it's more close to the drop of the S.Tech and DF210 springs. If you want a minimal drop, I'd stay with either the NF210s, TRD, or Eibach. http://shop.microimageonline.com/Springs_c19.htm Best prices with awesome customer service.

08-15-2011, 01:25 AM	#11
britishbikes Drives: 2008 Yaris Sedan Join Date: May 2010 Location: Pensacola, FL Posts: 12	I have all the TRD stuff on the car. I did the rear after work one day, incl swaybar and shocks and springs. It made a modest difference. Then I had a shop do the front because you have to realign the front when you change struts anyway. Also have Yokohama Sdrive summer tires. Only when all the things were done did the handling come into focus. But now the tires have higher rolling resistance and I lost 2mpg. Also the car rides much rougher and will not clear most parking lotwheel bumpers. Suspension travel is reduced and you have to slow down more for rough roads. But is more stable and sticks to curves respectably well. As the now higher cornering limit is approached, the car still exhibits the old Yaris tendency to hobbyhorse and hunt for a line, but at a more impressive speed. It is not a race bred car like an Impreza where you could pin the throttle on a 110mph downhill sweeper; it does not hold a line precisely enough for that type of thing. I am still very happy after 119K miles, 1/2 with TRD suspension; it is fun to drive in tighter turns. The lowering and tires also make the car look much better. It is a subtle effect. The wheel wells now look to have the correct profile around the tires, and the tall ungangly look is gone. People have told me they like this Yaris, but they don't really know why until I tell them about the slightly wider and lower profile tires and the modest drop. About 1.2-1.5 inches. The car does not look lowered until it is parked next to a stock Yaris. If the car is lowered anymore, then you will have to compensate by changing the spindles. Otherwise the aframe will cause the front wheels to have negative camber when you compress the front end. It does not wobble around, it does better than before, but since you lose wheel travel, the front end bottoms against the stops much easier on rough roads. It is a tradeoff. Lose a little compliance and practicality for better curve handling and looks. One thing, I might ask, Syro, is are the struts and shocks stock? The lowering springs need shorter struts to go with them, otherwise you will have no suspension travel at all, resulting in a terrible ride and handling. Usually you can't just change one thing without changing a few other things to go with it. There isn't much chance of getting a real compliant ride on a lowered car. It needs stiffer suspension to compensate for the reduced suspension travel and ground clearance, but is can be made decent.

08-27-2011, 12:57 AM	#12
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	I just took pictures of the springs that I have on right now..i'm not sure how to upload them though from my computer... The front struts are Tokicos and the back ones are stock.. i noticed on the front the red springs started to peal the top layer coating off and the red is coming off exposing rusty metal underneath is this normal?

08-27-2011, 01:06 AM	#14
Syroyizhka Drives: 2007 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 137	ok so it looks like these are tenabe df210 ....so no problem with the rear ones...but why are the front ones giving me such a wobbly ride? I had my uncle change my tokico struts for me..did he put them back on wrong?