I have a Yaris sedan. I have TigerTec (MicroImage) springs on Tokico Blues along with larger sway bars. Car is around 1.75" lower then stock. Sad thing it looks european not slammed.
After 6 or so years with this combination I am at the point where I just dont like the ride quality anymore. When i demand the performance the dampers are excellent. But low speed bumps jar me around too much. I want to trade 'performance' for comfort now.
Shopping around I found Bilstien has b6 and b8 dampers available for the car. I have no experience with Bilstein. How good are they in small cars like mine?
I am almost to the point of switching back on my stock springs with like KYBs or Monroes. But these look like a awd outback at stock height.
Not really answering your question directly but I loved my .75” lowering springs and KYB GR2’s on my Mazda Protege5.
Bilstein has a reputation for being harsher than some other brands. I've used them on race cars, but not on the street aside from my Chevy Astro. My MINI CooperS rides very rough, so I dumped the run flat tires, and changed to Koni FSD shocks. The shocks control the suspension well and yet aren't harsh. See if there are Konis for your car.
...and, I wouldn't be too quick to give up and go back to stock springs. If you can match a performance shock to the rates of the lowering springs it will ride nicely. The other thing to watch is the bump stops, yours may be coming into play more often than needed if they're still stock length.
skierd
SuperDork
12/18/17 1:17 p.m.
How much suspension travel do you have left with a 1.75" drop? You might be running in to the bumpstops more so than having damper issues.
I am running stock length bumpstops. The springs suggested trimming them but I chose not to. Maybe that is the factor? At the time (and I believe still are) these were the highest spring rates I could get in aftermarket spring.
Its not just tires too. However I plan on changing that anyways. Stock is 185/60-15. For summer I run a 195/50-16. I just recently switched on my stock sized snows...and while comfort is helped a smidge its still a damper/spring issue. My new summer set up will be 205/55-15s on my old race Koseis.
Can you easily adjust the ride height? If so, try raising it up an inch and see what happens. If that helps the ride, it's likely getting into the bumptops a lot at the current height.
See thats the thing...it doesnt crash like its hitting bumpstops. It takes severe bumps very well...mid corner bump at high speed? The dampers blow off perfectly. Its the little bumps and whatnot (low piston speed?) that drive me crazy bobbing my head around and whatnot just driving down the street.
My tercel with a race seat and fortune 500s with swift springs rides better in these conditions
In reply to malibuguy :
Yeah, that sounds more like shocks that aren't matched well to the springs / car. Possibly too much low speed compression damping in the shocks.
Try a set of ebay sagg shicks. Ive been impressed do far with ride quality/performance in street oriented performance application
Dusterbd13 said:
Try a set of ebay sagg shicks. Ive been impressed do far with ride quality/performance in street oriented performance application
Ive ran the Staggs in my past tercel on Ground Controls and they ride EXCELLENT!!! My friend has that set up. If you rode in that car, youd swear it was stock it rides so well.
Everyonce in a while they pop up for a Yaris. Maybe I'll do that first before anything else. I completely forgot about those.
I went ahead and found a company selling the Staggs. Fired up the old credit card. $168 shipped. Gotta love it
Just curious.... but what are the spring rates?
If only I could get a set for an nb miata....
I ran the Billy's on the Forte (2700-ish lbs) on the stock springs with the Koni Sports in the rear. That was the ticket for ride and control in that car. Kia had gone silly stiff on the springs and super cheap on hte shocks and struts. Spring rates were perfect but the shocks couldn't control them. My biggest issues were mid-corner small bumps would berkeley up the chassis hard.
zip tie test the travel and see if you are riding the bumpstops. They often are not nearly as abrupt as you think. (most stock miatas pretty much ride on bumpstops in auto-x)
if you arent familiar with the zip tie test, put a tie around the shock shaft tightly and take a short run, is it shoved up to the bumpstop? if so, new stops or trimming are better issue solvers.
Spring rates aren't particularly high (225/170 in old guy units) so I'd be looking at shocks and bump stops. I'll bet the bump stops are already in play if the car is sitting 1.75 " lower and the shocks can't keep up to the effective spring rate of a coil combined with the bump stop.
They very well could be, which is probably why they said to trim them (perhaps to keep them out of play for mild stuff) I think I have dust boots that might prevent me doing the zip tie trick to see whats going on. I will try to take a look tomorrow. Either way the Staggs are ordered. If they ride 50% as good in the yaris as they did in my old tercel, I will be very happy.
Looking at this...I may actually be on bump stops up front. 225 Hoosiers should be making it lean pretty much all the way...thats not much difference then ride height...its more inside droop
