Installed new suspension **Pics added**, Megan Racing lowering springs with GR-2s Options

[flyinglizard]

Just installed this setup with the help of a buddy on friday. Here are my impressions:

The ride is now VERY harsh. Way firmer than stock. Normally I am tolerant of firm suspension, but just driving to the grocery store kills my back. Everyone who has ridden in the car thus far complains

The car is only about 0.5 inches lower all around as of today. I'm assuming there is a break in period for new springs to settle.

The car feels much tighter and more responsive, at the cost of ride quality of course.






This post has been edited by flyinglizard: Oct 20, 2009 - 9:04 PM

[samir0189]

i have the megan springs, it took a few days to settle into and the drop is about 2". I like the firm ride ...

[trdproven]

i dont think its .5 that would be a pointless drop needless to say almost didnt do anything. You just need to settle them in and also get used to it.

[flyinglizard]

It could be that my tires are too low of a profile. I'm running 215/40R17. But I have driven my friend's RX-7 with coilovers and another friend's e36 m3 with H&R race springs and both are less stiff than these megans. It's almost intolerable. I probably have about 10 new rattles in my interior panels since I installed them.

As of 5 minutes ago the front has settled to a 1" drop and the rear is still 0.5". It's been 3 days and they still haven't settled yet, which worries me.

[SwissFerdi]

Were these the $100 springs? Let me know how things go, I might be in the market for these in the future. Please post pics as well.

[flyinglizard]

Original post edited with pics.

[Euphoria]

did you change your struts?

[samir0189]

flyinglizard, if it helps you any, here is a pic from today of my drop.



your tires do seem to have a small sidewall, but i dont think that your springs have settled completely yet, give it a while..

This post has been edited by samir0189: Oct 20, 2009 - 9:33 PM

[flyinglizard]

Yes I did a complete overhaul: KYB GR-2 struts/shocks, strut mounts and lowering springs.

Thanks for the reference pic Samir, your car looks great.

My next tires are going to be 225/45R17, so maybe that will improve the look and ride quality.

[SwissFerdi]

I'm loving those rims though...they look flush as hell.

How hard were the springs and shocks to install, and did you use a compressor? I'm thinking about doing the install myself when the time comes, might as well learn something about my car and save some money.

[flyinglizard]

The flush-ness can be attributed to 20 mm wheel spacers otherwise they would be tucked as hell.

[SwissFerdi]

I'm surprised it looks good then, you're running 225 now? I thought the tires/rims would look too pushed-out from the center of the car.

[flyinglizard]

As far as installation goes, everything went smoothly except for when I had to remove the retaining nut for the front struts that holds the shock inside the strut assembly. It basically came down to using a vice and a pipe wrench.

I used a spring compressor for the left front spring, but after everything was taken apart I realized it wasn't necessary at all for stock springs since there is so little spring force. For the right-front I just unscrewed the top retaining nut, aiming it away from myself and it only shot about a foot. The spring compressor only came in handy when putting everything back together, although it could have been substituted with a 2nd person pressing down on the spring while screwing the top nut back on.

Basically if you follow the how-to article on this site everything should go smoothly. It probably took me about 2 hours with breaks here and there.

Yesterday I took it into Sears to get an alignment and the mechanic complemented me on the "professional looking" installation so apparently I did everything right.

[SwissFerdi]

You mean that the spring kind of flies out once the last retaining element is removed, and that's really the only thing to be cautious of? Honestly, I'm not mechanically inclined at all...but I'd love to do this myself. I can definitely find the 2nd person to help.

[808celica]

MOAR LOWER!!!!!!!!!

[flyinglizard]

No I'm running 215/40 right now, wanting to upgrade to 225/45 for a thicker sidewall and more grip.

The offset on the rims is +45 so they looked terrible without spacers. Almost as tucked in as steelies.

MOAR LOWER!!!!!!!!!

I feel the same way. I'm pretty disappointed with the result. Back-breaking ride with barely any drop to speak of.

I'm wondering if my front isn't as low as samir's because he has a 5sfe which is quite a bit heavier than a 7afe, thus making the springs settle lower.

You mean that the spring kind of flies out once the last retaining element is removed, and that's really the only thing to be cautious of? Honestly, I'm not mechanically inclined at all...but I'd love to do this myself. I can definitely find the 2nd person to help.

The spring doesn't really budge at all. Just the retaining nut and mount gently shoot off about a foot.

[Euphoria]

Now that I recall my springs do feel less harsh than they first did, but im not sure if that's in my imagination or just getting used to it.

Just wait a bit, and the tyres will definitely make it a bit less harsh but don't expect miracles

[Mstoochn]

do figure 8's in a parking lot @ about 35mph as tight as u can and maintain speed
ull break em in pretty quick worked for my Tein's took me 2 hours and half a tank!

[95CelicaST]

do figure 8's in a parking lot @ about 35mph as tight as u can and maintain speed
ull break em in pretty quick worked for my Tein's took me 2 hours and half a tank!

This is probably one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

When is it legal or smart to drive in 35mph figure 8's in a parking lot? Why don't you step away from the computer and go play in traffic or something. Anything that is more constructive than what you're doing here on 6GC.

[terbear4god4life]

how do you know when there broke in doing that????

[flyinglizard]

As of this morning the car seems to have settled a bit lower. The fender/wheel gap is slightly smaller than shown in the pictures.

Next on the list is bigger tires. I hate the look of mine after seeing samir's pictures

[samir0189]

Yes I did a complete overhaul: KYB GR-2 struts/shocks, strut mounts and lowering springs.

Thanks for the reference pic Samir, your car looks great.

My next tires are going to be 225/45R17, so maybe that will improve the look and ride quality.

No problem, and thanks.

i would NOT suggest any parking lot stunts to settle the springs, mine settled just fine with just normal driving and the weight of the car being on them, they will continue to settle and give you a better drop, have no fear, just give it time..

I'm loving those rims though...they look flush as hell.

How hard were the springs and shocks to install, and did you use a compressor? I'm thinking about doing the install myself when the time comes, might as well learn something about my car and save some money.

It is always recommended to use a spring compressor to remove and install strut springs. It is extremely dangerous, trust me, those things are under an extreme amount of tension, you might be lucky if the springs are old and not as strong as they were, but they can cause you some serious bodily injury if they go flying.

There is no reason not to use one either, Autozone provides them free of charge as a rental, pay a deposit and bring it back to them when you are done, and you get every penny back.

[richee3]

The spring doesn't really budge at all. Just the retaining nut and mount gently shoot off about a foot.

That's because you're doing it wrong

You aren't really doing it wrong, but there is a better way. If you can, but your car completely up on jack stands, or get a couple of extra tires when you take your springs off. Lay the spring/strut assembly down flat, and put the tires on each side of the assembly, on all four sides. Obviously you have to leave enough room at the top of your assembly to get your impact or whatever in between the assembly and the tire, but that's a given. Stand on the two side tires so if anything kicks, the assembly doesn't go anywhere. Whenever you get the nut loose, instead of getting thrown, your impact and nut will kick into the tire you put in the way, and everything goes smoothly and harmlessly.

[SwissFerdi]

Oh, if Autozone rents them for free, I'll go that route.

[samir0189]

The spring doesn't really budge at all. Just the retaining nut and mount gently shoot off about a foot.

That's because you're doing it wrong

You aren't really doing it wrong, but there is a better way. If you can, but your car completely up on jack stands, or get a couple of extra tires when you take your springs off. Lay the spring/strut assembly down flat, and put the tires on each side of the assembly, on all four sides. Obviously you have to leave enough room at the top of your assembly to get your impact or whatever in between the assembly and the tire, but that's a given. Stand on the two side tires so if anything kicks, the assembly doesn't go anywhere. Whenever you get the nut loose, instead of getting thrown, your impact and nut will kick into the tire you put in the way, and everything goes smoothly and harmlessly.

Orrr... just rent/buy the tool and do it the right way, which is 100% safe?

Just sayin...

[richee3]

That works too, and beats 100% free Autozone will rent you the spring compressor and return your money when you bring it back, which is free as well, but I live half an hour away from Autozone and most of the time, I am working on my car at night, and I got tired of renting the compressor after the 2nd time I worked on my suspension. Lol. More than likely a bad idea, but the tires work just as well.

This post has been edited by richee3: Oct 24, 2009 - 8:10 PM

[trdproven]

yea thats really a big gap. I would get lower springs or coilovers and drop it lower. your profile is too skinny, been there done that, you should have gone 225/40. or 215/45. big tires won't look good at that height, you need to drop it lower. imagine your car height is still high from the drop and then you put bigger tires and makes your car more higher, you need to compensate a bigger tire with a lower drop unless you dont mind your car higher. for your springs you should have gotten Intrax or TRD. I even tried them both on blown struts and they were pretty good even with 205/40

This post has been edited by trdproven: Oct 26, 2009 - 1:36 AM

[flyinglizard]

yea thats really a big gap. I would get lower springs or coilovers and drop it lower. your profile is too skinny, been there done that, you should have gone 225/40. or 215/45. big tires won't look good at that height, you need to drop it lower. imagine your car height is still high from the drop and then you put bigger tires and makes your car more higher, you need to compensate a bigger tire with a lower drop unless you dont mind your car higher. for your springs you should have gotten Intrax or TRD. I even tried them both on blown struts and they were pretty good even with 205/40

The megans are supposed to have a lower drop compared to the trd springs.
Megan Racing: 1.6" front and 1.4" rear
TRD: 1.5" front 1.0" rear
Intrax: 1.75" front and rear

I also paid about half for the megans than what I would have paid for any other brand.

I wouldn't want any lower than what I have now. I already trashed my left side skirt when slowly pulling into a parking lot at an angle, and I scrape every time I slowly go over a speed bump.

The springs have settled a bit lower than what is shown in the current pictures.

[trdproven]

ok, those specs are deceiving, they look no where near the 1.6 drop from your pic. but yea saving is not the goal unless saving doesnt have any sacrifices or downsides.

[terbear4god4life]

can you post pics of the car settled now??

[flyinglizard]

ok, those specs are deceiving, they look no where near the 1.6 drop from your pic. but yea saving is not the goal unless saving doesnt have any sacrifices or downsides.

The specs checked out right on samir's car. Look at his pictures.

Saving is definitely the goal if you are a poor college student earning minimum wage and paying $700 a month in rent like me

If saving isn't the goal then why are you driving around in an old celica? Go buy something newer and nicer.

The reason I bought the megans is because a couple people on the site bought them and had nothing but good things to say about them. I'm not trying to cut corners like you make it seem like I'm doing. I did the entire job correctly and didn't skip out on any parts.

@terbear: check out the official post a pic section under multimedia. I posted a couple pics there.

[trdproven]

ok, those specs are deceiving, they look no where near the 1.6 drop from your pic. but yea saving is not the goal unless saving doesnt have any sacrifices or downsides.

The specs checked out right on samir's car. Look at his pictures.

Saving is definitely the goal if you are a poor college student earning minimum wage and paying $700 a month in rent like me

If saving isn't the goal then why are you driving around in an old celica? Go buy something newer and nicer.

The reason I bought the megans is because a couple people on the site bought them and had nothing but good things to say about them. I'm not trying to cut corners like you make it seem like I'm doing. I did the entire job correctly and didn't skip out on any parts.

@terbear: check out the official post a pic section under multimedia. I posted a couple pics there.

I never said you cut corners, but how do you say it, there are better stuff out there for your money. There is nothing wrong with megan products, its just that there are better springs than that for almost the same money. but yea, you have no idea, how much I've spent in my car in the last few years, check my profile. I've changed almost every bolt, bracket, panel, to get it almost mintly restored. This year I spent almost 10,000 alone. 3 paint jobs, 3 suspensions, etc. Plus I live in the pacific islands so shipping most of the time is at least three times than the mainland. and I just to let you know i do have 2 other cars that are new. and I am planning on an SUV and I got my gf a 7th gen. You need to learn that cars are not about age, 6gcs are nicer than a lot of the newer cars thats why I stuck with it. In fact, if the 6gc came out right now, Id buy it all over again. Ive been around the block here for quite a while, I'm trying to tell you how to spend your money wisely. bang for your buck. Oh new doesn't mean better, trust me.

thats like saying youd rather get an rx8 over an FD rx7, haha.

This post has been edited by trdproven: Oct 27, 2009 - 6:36 PM

[flyinglizard]

Thanks for the advice

When I am done with school I have pretty big plans for my car, and will probably end up putting as much money into it as you have.

I disagree with you about the 6gc being nicer than alot of newer cars. There are dozens of cars I would rather have (if I had the money for a car over $5k) but I love my celica and it looks like a million bucks since it is in pretty much perfect condition, almost straight off the showroom floor (that's what happens when you buy a car from an old lady who kept it in her garage and had not driven it for 4 years. arthritis + stickshift = no go). I do respect your opinion though, seeing as you have one of the nicest cars on the site.

Right now though I am just trying to get by and survive, while still having a pretty good car. When it has a 3mz-fe under the hood hopefully it will be a great car. :]

[SwissFerdi]

To tproven, which other springs are in Megan's range? They're definitely the cheapest I've seen.

And Leonard, are the springs real harsh, and are you noticing more drop now?

[flyinglizard]

To tproven, which other springs are in Megan's range? They're definitely the cheapest I've seen.

And Leonard, are the springs real harsh, and are you noticing more drop now?

At first I was surprised at how firm the ride was and hated it, but now I don't really notice it anymore. I guess I have just gotten used to it.

And yeah they have settled a bit lower, although not as low as I would have liked.

This pretty much sums it up:

[SwissFerdi]

Okay...I'm a little put off by the harsh ride. Not that I would necessarily mind, it's just hard to gauge what is hard for some and bone-jarring for others...know what I mean?

[flyinglizard]

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I was worried about the same thing.

Here's a better reference for the drop.

before:


after:

[SwissFerdi]

I can't get over that stance though...wow. Especially the front. 20 MM spacers right?

[flyinglizard]

I can't get over that stance though...wow. Especially the front. 20 MM spacers right?

Right now I only have 20 mm spacers in the rear. I bought just rears because of the celi's big rear fender haunches, and I figured it would make it look more aggressive from behind.

The front is still mad tucked, but you can only really tell if the wheels are pointed perfectly straight since the car is lower now. At the moment I'm debating whether or not I should get front spacers too.

[trdproven]

Thanks for the advice

When I am done with school I have pretty big plans for my car, and will probably end up putting as much money into it as you have.

I disagree with you about the 6gc being nicer than alot of newer cars. There are dozens of cars I would rather have (if I had the money for a car over $5k) but I love my celica and it looks like a million bucks since it is in pretty much perfect condition, almost straight off the showroom floor (that's what happens when you buy a car from an old lady who kept it in her garage and had not driven it for 4 years. arthritis + stickshift = no go). I do respect your opinion though, seeing as you have one of the nicest cars on the site.

Right now though I am just trying to get by and survive, while still having a pretty good car. When it has a 3mz-fe under the hood hopefully it will be a great car. :]

in that pic, my trd drop looked lower than that which was only a 1" drop supposedly. I had the same tires and rim size.
although some cars do look better which are prolly only the EVO, STI, Z which is not that many but even a gt4 front end can match up to those real easy, A fixed up celica gets more respect than many of the newer cars because of its rarity and uniqueness. More people go up to me at meets than all the other cars that you may be referring to. It actually gets them interested in celicas because no one thought they had so much JDM parts for it. I'm actually looking for another celica to turbo. and make that straight performance with maybe a gt4 front haha.

This post has been edited by trdproven: Oct 27, 2009 - 10:22 PM

[richee3]

Maybe it's your wheels and tires, but when I lowered my car 1.5" on Eibach Sportlines, it looked lower than that. But I was on stock wheels and 225/55 tires. I have no idea what size yours are, and I'm too lazy to read the first page to find out, but mine definitely looked lower at the time.

[sunwukongg]

how's the ride of the car now? still harsh? too stiff? speed bumps, dips, etc? i just wanna get an idea of whether or not i should go this path. it seems like the most affordable way for me to go..im currently running on stock 205/55/15"s maybe gonna go for the 7th gen wheels and rims later on too. any recommendations on what springs, shocks i should get?

[SwissFerdi]

^ Per shocks, go for KYB GR-2. For springs...well, I'm also contemplating these. Depends on how harsh you want your ride, from what I'm reading here. I might go Tein S-Techs, still.

[flyinglizard]

how's the ride of the car now? still harsh? too stiff? speed bumps, dips, etc? i just wanna get an idea of whether or not i should go this path. it seems like the most affordable way for me to go..im currently running on stock 205/55/15"s maybe gonna go for the 7th gen wheels and rims later on too. any recommendations on what springs, shocks i should get?

I've gotten used to the ride, but when other people ride in my car they complain. I would describe it more as harsh than firm. For example, my friend's M3 with H&R race springs and bilstein shocks has a firm but smooth ride that soaks of all the bumps, but you feel every part of the road and it handles amazingly. With the megans and KYBs in my car, I feel every single imperfection in the road being directed into my seat, which gets really annoying on long drives. Although I'm sure it has to do with the fact that our suspension geometry is completely different and he paid $1000 for his suspension upgrade

Call me a pansy, but my car with this set up installed definitely has the harshest ride I have ever experienced.

But for the price you really can't go wrong with the megan/kyb set up. Yeah the ride is harsh but the car looks so much better sitting lower to the ground, and it handles significantly better than with the stock suspension. Body roll has reduced slightly and the car is a lot more stable under sudden transitions.

[SwissFerdi]

Well, I think I'll go with Teins then, from your description. The roads here aren't all perfect and I don't want my car to ride like crap. I drive to my mom's place 45 minutes away at least once a week, and that's mostly highway...so no go then.

[flyinglizard]

Well, I think I'll go with Teins then, from your description. The roads here aren't all perfect and I don't want my car to ride like crap. I drive to my mom's place 45 minutes away at least once a week, and that's mostly highway...so no go then.

There's a thread somewhere here in the suspension section comparing the spring rates and stiffness of all the springs available for our cars, and the megan's are by far the stiffest of the group. It's not in the stickys, so I don't feel like searching for it right now.

[Promasta]

teins are not very stiff, actually softer than stock in the rear
here are some spring rates:
stock: 2.9 kg/mm front, 2.3 rear
tein: 3.9f, 2.2r
df210: 3.1f, 2.8r
nf210: 2.9f, 2.3r
gh210: 3.5f, 3.0r
TRD: 4.1f, 2.9r
megan: 5.4f, 4.5r

[trdproven]

Well, I think I'll go with Teins then, from your description. The roads here aren't all perfect and I don't want my car to ride like crap. I drive to my mom's place 45 minutes away at least once a week, and that's mostly highway...so no go then.

There's a thread somewhere here in the suspension section comparing the spring rates and stiffness of all the springs available for our cars, and the megan's are by far the stiffest of the group. It's not in the stickys, so I don't feel like searching for it right now.

yupp so just get their coilovers hehe

[flyinglizard]

Just stumbled across an old photo to give a definitive look at before and after installing the megan springs.
monster-truckin'

day after install

today


I need thicker rubber.

This post has been edited by flyinglizard: Dec 9, 2009 - 1:46 PM

[delusionz]

Wow that was really high. Here are pics of my wheel arch gap, is this normal for an st205?? As far as I know it hasn't been lowered

[flyinglizard]

I've never seen an ST205 in person before I wouldn't know.
But yeah it was unusually high when it was stock.

[808celica]

I need thicker rubber.

None sense stupid you need MOAR LOWAAAARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

[808celica]

**edit double post dont know what happened?

This post has been edited by 808celica: Dec 20, 2009 - 4:25 AM

[trdproven]

looks like you didn't lower it at all.

[SwissFerdi]

I'm wondering if the springs are too stiff...I see a lowering, but not 2". With S-Techs, the rear looks significantly lower because the rear spring rate is low, so I think it actually drops more than .9". So what I'm saying is...the stiffness of your springs might preserve some height due to the weight of the car not pushing the springs down as much?

I'm hoping something like this won't happen with my Sportlines.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Dec 20, 2009 - 11:39 AM

[flyinglizard]

looks like you didn't lower it at all.

I think you are looking at the wrong pictures
The first one is before, the second two are after. There's a drastic difference. If you look at the wheel gap, it's clear that the car is about 1.5" lower.

This post has been edited by flyinglizard: Dec 20, 2009 - 5:53 PM

[trdproven]

there is a difference but I would not say drastic. slight maybe. Why don't you adjust it lower and also toggle your damper at the same time. Honestly if you are going to keep it at that height it was pointless getting coilovers. you might as well get TRDs or Teins.

I have negative finger gap meaning my finger can't go inside the fender, I am touching the tire. You dont have to go that low but if you imagine where mine is at and your after difference, I can still put a whole lot of fingers in there.

This post has been edited by trdproven: Dec 20, 2009 - 6:45 PM

[flyinglizard]

there is a difference but I would not say drastic. slight maybe. Why don't you adjust it lower and also toggle your damper at the same time. Honestly if you are going to keep it at that height it was pointless getting coilovers. you might as well get TRDs or Teins.

I have negative finger gap meaning my finger can't go inside the fender, I am touching the tire. You dont have to go that low but if you imagine where mine is at and your after difference, I can still put a whole lot of fingers in there.

I didn't get coilovers, I got megan lowering springs for $120 shipped. The negative finger gap that you talk about is completely impractical for a daily driver. Even if I did get adjustable coilovers I would never make a car sit that low. It's terrible for performance driving and terrible for the underside of your car. I already have to enter my driveway at a 45º angle just so I don't scrape. I'm not going to compare my car, which I have to use every day, to yours which just sits low for good looks.

You also have to keep in mind that my tires' sidewalls are undersized for 17" wheels, so the finger gap between tire and fender is exaggerated. If I had properly sized tires we probably wouldn't even be having this discussion

This post has been edited by flyinglizard: Dec 20, 2009 - 7:05 PM

[flyinglizard]

I'm also not going to spend >800 dollars just so I can have my a** dragging on the ground trying to look cool

[trdproven]

i see they are springs. but even at the low setting. there is not much to worry about, we have potholes on the regular. unless you plan to fly over a big speed bump, there are no worries, our cars underside does not hang low like a camry's exhaust. Also coilovers are meant to be fully adjustable to be whatever you like, there is no downside to it. But honestly, if you are happy thats all that matters, I just didn't see much of a difference.

[Celicagt1995]

flyinglizard, if it helps you any, here is a pic from today of my drop.



your tires do seem to have a small sidewall, but i dont think that your springs have settled completely yet, give it a while..

nice.. just today I started to put my KYB struts and my Megan racing spring and I'm glad to see that they drop nicely. I be posting pics later.