Ae71 Suspension!

[Flush-on-15s]

Hey Lads!
Just wanting to know a good low set up apart from cut springs and coilovers for a ae71 My mate just said get adjustable shocks and some king springs.. i dont want to be paying 2 grand for coilovers any ideas and set ups, what i might need to go with king springs? i have no clue.

[Jimmee1990]

I would look at buying a used set of coilovers, or talk to AJPS on here about some springs and shocks to suit standard struts. I would suggest upgrading to AE86 struts and brakes, as there's no decent shocks available for the ke70/ae71 struts also. King springs are too soft for any real driving.

[Flush-on-15s]

I would look at buying a used set of coilovers, or talk to AJPS on here about some springs and shocks to suit standard struts. I would suggest upgrading to AE86 struts and brakes, as there's no decent shocks available for the ke70/ae71 struts also. King springs are too soft for any real driving.

Is the upgrade to ae86 struts and brakes a bolt off bolt on Modification? What would I need apart from the obvious AE86 struts and breaks? & how much would i be looking for a set of used Coilovers?

[rthy]

what ur budget?

best to do front suspension/brakes at the same time.

[Flush-on-15s]

what ur budget?

best to do front suspension/brakes at the same time.

Well i dont even know how much any of this would cost but 1000 max really..

[johl]

to use front ae86 struts and brakes you will need ae86 steering arms. which is a good upgrade to get ae86 power steering arms for more lock.

heres what i would buy-
used coilovers up front with ae86 adm brakes. its not worth the money for the jdm brakes imo. the coilovers should have camber tops.
ae86 used power steering arms
suzuki sierra rear shocks or trd adjustable shocks if you can find some cheap enough
ajps rear springs and possible adjustable platforms if you have the spare coin.
xt130 control arms just to get a bit more track and camber.
and last but not least a lock spacer.
i have bought coilovers for around $300 so all up you should be able to do it for around $1000-1200

[rthy]

I wouldn't even bother with adjustable coilovers, just use some decent springs and shocks should do the job with ae86 struts.
inaddition to new superpro or similar bushings, swaybars, rca, panhardrod, etc..

Maybe even xt130 with coilover sleeve kit, has a bigger disk and twin piston, not sure whats involved to get them in tho...

[Flush-on-15s]

to use front ae86 struts and brakes you will need ae86 steering arms. which is a good upgrade to get ae86 power steering arms for more lock.

heres what i would buy-
used coilovers up front with ae86 adm brakes. its not worth the money for the jdm brakes imo. the coilovers should have camber tops.
ae86 used power steering arms
suzuki sierra rear shocks or trd adjustable shocks if you can find some cheap enough
ajps rear springs and possible adjustable platforms if you have the spare coin.
xt130 control arms just to get a bit more track and camber.
and last but not least a lock spacer.
i have bought coilovers for around $300 so all up you should be able to do it for around $1000-1200

Cheers mate really helpful!

[Matt]

+1 for ajps springs. Kyb aren't a bad cheap shock

[blinded]

Another plus one for AJPS springs and kyb shocks.

Great value for money. Unless you are chasing lap records, kyb shocks are going to do the job for a corolla driver. Most people won't notice the difference between them and expensive variants. Just try and match the spring rate to suit the shock and you'll have a good setup.

[Javal]

I wouldn't even bother with adjustable coilovers, just use some decent springs and shocks should do the job with ae86 struts.
inaddition to new superpro or similar bushings, swaybars, rca, panhardrod, etc..

Maybe even xt130 with coilover sleeve kit, has a bigger disk and twin piston, not sure whats involved to get them in tho...

XT130 struts are heavy yo. 22.2kg per side, complete from spring hat to stub axle, inclusive of rotor and caliper.

My recommendations for a good 'my first suspension setup'

Front-
AE86 struts with AE86 brakes
AJPS front end kit - gives you all the bushes and balljoints and rackends and bullshit to get the front end feeling taut again
KYB Excel-G shock insert
Lowered spring of your choice (kinda depends on your application, but for street you don't really want more than a 6kg/mm. This is my opinion, others may differ)
New swaybar bushes because why not.
XT130 LCA's if you can find some for a nice price.

Rear
Lowered spring of your choice (again, application specific. 4.5kg/mm for street IMO)
KYB Excel-G rear shocks
Adjustable panhard rod
Re-bush your trailing arms if you want to go all out.

This is probably pushing the budget a little but that's totally achievable in the $1k to $1.5k bracket and is a great all round no bullshit setup.

Insert shameless plug for AJPS here.

[Konakid]

As above. and a good wheel alignment. Car will feel great with a set of good tyres.

Down the track add a weld in rear brace and a strut brace for more chassis stifness.

[blinded]

I guess it depends on what you want to aim for in the future, but XT130 struts are still a good choice imo. Twin piston calipers and bigger rotors than AE86, plus you can always then do the hilux/Peugeot upgrade for big brakes.

Which ever way you look at it, both can be a good choice.

[blinded]

Agree with above though, wheel alignment can do wonders.

[Flush-on-15s]

Cheers guys im just looking to get the car sitting nice on some 14x7's i just got so is it worth going coilovers on front or not?

[rthy]

just cut ur springs already

[LittleRedSpirit]

Coilovers are worth it if you intend to use the car for different purposes, or if you intend to spend time chasing a good setup.

If you care more about looks than performance then some cheap short springs and shocks like the abominably short sierra ones that people insist fit (which I dont agree to) and cut springs will probably satisfy you.

If you want a car that's safe on the corners and handles as good as it can (cause lets face it, that's what any corolla has going for it over other chassis) then you should get good items, spend the money, and enjoy what you do.

The biggest transformations in the feel of my corolla came from just a handful of mods. The first big change was the extra track and stability that a wider set of wheels brings. The second was the addition of coilovers with very good dampers to the front, and some short stroke TRD dampers in the rear. The next big change was the addition of an lsd, which is like a night and day change in the feel of the car when you gas it on a corner. Even not breaking traction it feels a lot more confidence inspiring. The last big change I made was to quicken the steering with a quaife rack and pinion. You can achieve a similarly quick steering car with power steering (shorter) arms.

If you did all this you could probably get around corners better than most, but lets face it its a corolla and that's what we do. :DD