Bang for buck handling upgrades for 2007 Toyota Corolla?

So, mainly for the reason of wanting a "spare" car and also to upgrade the fuel economy of the fleet, we have acquired a 2007 Toyota Corolla base model with the slushbox. 150k miles on the clock.  Nice straight body, good interior.  Recent Hankooks or some such tires.  Having driven it, it seems impossibly light and small and tossable.  Feels undersprung and underdamped and undertired.  Honestly, it reminds me of a Plymouth K-car from the mid-1980's.

Surely these can be made to handle better.  What's the magic sauce?  I'm not looking to autocross it, but I don't need it squealing around every corner either.

Thanks in advance for sage advice and lunatic ravings.  Both are welcome.

Honestly, having spent some time goofing around in one of those years ago, the magic of the handling is that tossable silly under-everything'd flop it does and I wouldn't want to change that.  Find some loose gravel and enjoy.

Wait.  So sticky tires, new struts and a bigger rear sway bar won't have me hanging with Miatas? 

News flash:  Unless I missed it somehow, rear sway bar is not present.  Base model madness?

Edit:  Oops!  Nevermind.  Interesting packaging.  Stuck up inside the stamped steel beam axle.  Hmmm.  This is some sophisticated hardware! 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

Honestly, having spent some time goofing around in one of those years ago, the magic of the handling is that tossable silly under-everything'd flop it does and I wouldn't want to change that.  Find some loose gravel and enjoy.

I hear ya.  I'm not looking to do anything heroic, I just want it to be more controlled on pavement.

I did check and adjust tire pressures today.  Three of four were at a shocking 18 psi.  They're all at 35 psi now.  That's bound to improve the feel somewhat. 

Having spent some time hooning an 03, I'm not convinced there's any potential in the platform. That said, a bigger rear bar, fresh dampers, and reasonable tires will make a fairly large impact on most economy boxes. 

H&R race springs + Koni yellows, bigger rear bar, disconnect front bar, poly bushings all around, eccentric strut bolts, camber plates installed 'wrong' so you get negative camber and negative camber together when moved. Slide the adjusters for max caster/camber at the mount, then adjust camber back towards sane levels with the eccentric bolts. The added negative caster fixes the neutered steering feel.
It will handle far better than any FWD Corolla has the right to.  With this setup, I can three wheel it around corners and it all around drives like it's on rails.  Extra basics like poly engine mount inserts and braided brake lines really tune the 'Corolla' feel out of it completely.  I've owned 'the answer' and several e30's at various ranges of modifications, and the Corolla is honestly the best feeling car I've had at this point. 
I honestly feel a little crazy for liking this car so much. 

1988RedT2 said:

Wait.  So sticky tires, new struts and a bigger rear sway bar won't have me hanging with Miatas? 

Twist beam rear suspension.  Sticky tires and a bigger front stabilizer bar.  The rear won't need any more stiffness, once you add good rubber it will be a three-wheeler and as soon as you start lifting a tire, you increase grip by adding roll stiffness to the OTHER end.

This also allows you to really dive-bomb on the brakes into a corner.

I'm my experience with this chassis, it is difficult to keep the front planted well.  With the stock front and even a stiffer rear sway bar, the front has a tendency to plow, and the inside front will lift loose grip turning.  The aftermarket bars available aren't enough to balance the front bar effectively. Disconnecting the front paired with stiffer springs, the front will stay planted better, and allow for more aggressive corner attacks.

I suspect the aftermarket rear bars available don't offer that much in the way of increased stiffness, so the only way you can effectively change the balance and effect front end grip is to adjust the front end.  Basically, I found I had to make the best of a bad situation.

I'm sure someone with more resources and more smarts could develop a better way to make this chassis handle, but with off the shelf parts from a very limited aftermarket for a chassis with no performance basis,  this is the best result I've been and to get. 

On my '98 Camry (fairly similar platform, minus the rear suspension), I updated to Whiteline F&R swaybars, Eibach springs, new struts (KYB-GR2, but I should have gone with Tokicos), and it handled better than it had any right to.  The swaybars (F&R) probably make the biggest difference, so I'd start there first.

Just thought I'd share that this car is now known in our house as "the Can of Beans", as in "Are you driving the Can of Beans today?" Or "I thought I'd take the Can of Beans to the grocery store and fill it up while I'm out."  Named by my teenager, who drives the E39 530i Sport Package.

also to upgrade the fuel economy of the fleet, we have acquired a 2007 Toyota Corolla

Then spend 4x the fuel savings on upgrades. . .. .   Yup  I have been there.    

dean1484 said:

also to upgrade the fuel economy of the fleet, we have acquired a 2007 Toyota Corolla

Then spend 4x the fuel savings on upgrades. . .. .   Yup  I have been there.    

Well, the wifey unit has been adamant about this car not being the recipient of any parts that cost time or money.  She wants me to focus on getting her Chevy II on the road.

I'd start with the basics and get it back to stock/new or, as the cool kids now say, OE+: Good tires, good shocks, fresh bushings, good alignment. Basically, first erase that 150k.

Okay, so something of an update and a question too.  This car has settled into the fleet as an occasional commuter and grocery getter.  Observed fuel economy is low to mid 30's in mixed driving.  Thus far, it's doing the job it was intended to do.

Question:  The interior has held up pretty well for a 15-year old car--with the exception of the steering wheel.  The surface of the grippy foam has pretty much disappeared, and it's not pleasant.  I'm sure the local salvage yards are chock-full of these things at this time, but I'm not sure I'd A) Find one better than what I have, and B) Want to futz around with the airbag, etc.

What options are available? 

I'm pretty sure the wheels from any similar era Matrix or Celica will bolt on as they all use the same architecture, and both have more sporty looking options.  

I did a sew-on alcantara steering wheel cover on my car and love it.  

In reply to jfryjfry :

Link to product?  Skill level required?

I just watched a youtube vid that shows replacing the wheel is pretty straightforward, assuming I could find a better one, or better yet, a new one.  But a cover might be a suitable solution.

Somebody on this board turned me onto those inexpensive Amazon Aully Park leather steering wheel covers. They're fantastic. I've put them on my Civic, GMT400, Landcruiser, GMT800, and B2000 in the last couple of years. Such a good bang for the buck !

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=aully+park&i=automotive&crid=1PYC6HJDLTRNZ&sprefix=aully+park%2Cautomotive%2C204&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

I was reading this thread as I have a 96 Corolla that does daily driver duties like a champ. I do love a Toyota and good gas mileage.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

If you want a JY wheel and trying to figure cross compatibility, here is how I would do it...

The electrical connection behind your steering wheel is called the clockspring.  Looking up a clockspring for 2007 Corolla and you see that the part also fits Corolla 2003-2008 and Matrix 2005 -2008.  This should mean that the Matrix airbag should work on your Corolla too since they share the same electrical connections.  

Video of clockspring replacement but only follow the video as far a steering wheel removal (if your clockspring is working fine.)  Item to note...the torx bolts on the side of the wheel that hold on the airbag are captive.  Meaning, the torx bolts loosen but they don't actually come off.  They stay right there and make lining the bolts back up very easy.