Do you think I can make my 2007 Corolla handle like a Mazda2/3 ??

[RogerDalien]

http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...alkaround.html

according to this article, the secret to the Mazda2 is some type of suspension tuning involving the spring rates and damper settings.

Here's the quote: "The way they do it is with suspension and tire tuning, through conscious choices made with regard to spring rates, damper settings, bushing hardness and the internal construction of the tires that support it all."


SO my car is a 2007 Corolla, and I've been thinking about lowering it about an inch with TRD Springs and maybe a TRD Swaybar and/or a TRD front-tower strut-brace.

Is suspension tuning quite intricate and best left to engineers, or do you think I can get Mazda results by lowering the car?

[RandomLetters]

To put it simply, no. At least not without spending so much that you could just buy a Mazda 3. Your Corolla uses a completely different type of rear suspension than a Mazda 2 or 3 - a fairly simple torsion beam setup, compared to the much more sophisticated multi-link suspension Mazda uses.

If you want Mazda like handling, you would be best off selling your Corolla, and buying a lightly used Mazda 3.

[Throatwarbler Mangrove]

The Mazda2 also uses a torsion beam rear. See the post he linked to.

There's nothing you can do to your car that will be cheaper and/or better than just selling it and buying a used WRX. Thanks to Subaru/Mazda's terrible anti-corrosion treatments, a Mazda3 of that age will be half rusted down to the frame already, further improving the power/weight ratio and handling!

[smithsb]

The TRD package of suspension parts is put together by engineers for your Toyota. Lowering the car will improve the handling on smooth roads. Bumpy, potholed pavement - not so much. Another improvement is lighter wheels and summer performance tires. Tire Rack has tire and wheel specifications. Don't go for larger diameter wheel/tire packages. While they may offer some small improvement in grip, the higher weight will sap your car's acceleration/braking more. Rotating weight and all that.

[obbn]

I have to agree with the above that it would be less expensive to sell your Corolla and buy a 3. Too many variables to deal with. My advice however would be to purchase a Mazda Protege. I had the hatchback version and it handled as well as my Porsche 944. I would autocross it and it performed as well as many of the two seaters. Although the best handling in autocross was by far the Miata. It was like it was on rails.

[SanDiegoTim]

Over the last few years I've lowered a few vehicles. The late model ones ('07 F-150 & '98 Firebird) were done with aftermarket lowering kits, neither kit being the more radical versions. While the handling of both was dramatically improved, I recommend assessing your tolerance for a stiffer ride. It's not so much an issue on freeways, in fact on a smooth road I loved the result. City/bumpy streets, however, can grow old. If you do go this route, and assuming there is a choice of "drop," don't go with the most radical, especially with a relatively short wheelbase car like a Corolla.

[andyleonard]

There is no "stock" car made that can't be made to handle better. Bob Bondurant has a 9 passenger van that will damn near keep up with a hot mustang on the track. Whoever the Toyota tuner of choice is will sell you a "system" of "tuned" components that will make your car tighter, flatter, lower, quicker, but not more comfortable on a bad road. He has tried out all the various combinations and wants to get paid for his time. Fair enough. But you can buy most of the stuff (springs, shocks, bars, tires) generically and save a ton. Figure out what you're going to do with the car, from offroad rallying, commuting, sport street, autocross, to track-only and think about what compromises you're prepared to put up with (rough ride, scraping driveway entrances, tire rub, funky tire wear, etc.) and buy the parts on your own, using a "tuned kit" as a guideline. Buy some generic springs 1" lower and 25-35% stiffer, or cut the ones you have. Buy some adjustable shocks. Try heavier bars from the junkyard off other models. Find out who likes their tires. The plastic bushings make the car bang over bumps. Much better on the track, but do you care for the last 5%? For a couple hundred bucks and a weekend in the driveway you can get 75% of the way to a fancy suspension. If the car still sucks after, sell it and upgrade. Then with your new knowledge you can start to tweak the Mazda.

[GiantRat]

If you park it in the driveway, it will stay parked exactly like the Mazdas....

I won't repeat what all others have said. You can tighten up the suspension and fiddle with that type of stuff, but no two models (especially from different manufacturers) are going to feel quite the same. Even cars in the same family feel differently. My Altima handles much differently than my cousin's Sentra, and (sigh) differently from the 350z I test drove before getting talked out of it. And they're fundamentally sister vehicles.

[Kuboydal]

Check out Top Gear's Faster than an Evo Challenge.

[obbn]

Originally Posted by obbn

I have to agree with the above that it would be less expensive to sell your Corolla and buy a 3. Too many variables to deal with. My advice however would be to purchase a Mazda Protege. I had the hatchback version and it handled as well as my Porsche 944. I would autocross it and it performed as well as many of the two seaters. Although the best handling in autocross was by far the Miata. It was like it was on rails.

Sorry, re-reading my post it seems as if I had a brain fart. The Protege 5 was replaced by the 3. My apologies for the mis-information. Buy the 3, ,my sister has one and it is one of the best under 25K cars ever made.