altis back shock advice

simplegreen · Postby **simplegreen** » February 16th, 2013, 7:21 am

hey guys i was considering to change my back shocks in my altis but i was considering goin original but i know the back suspension is soft so if there are 3 ppl seated in the back the vehicle tends to drop what oem shocks would be recommended..keep in mind that ride quality is also factor with the new shocks

ztune · Postby **ztune** » February 20th, 2013, 8:55 pm

You can't get away form the softness of that rear suspension as the altis is a heavier vehicle than the nze and uses the nze's suspension. Regardless of brand of shocks, the vehicle will lower at the back, alot.

I used the kyb which rides nice but didn't solve the problem of preventing the 18" wheels from rubbing on the fender. Going original may only give you a lengthen life span of suspension over the kyb.

I always thought of raising the car a little with adjustable coil overs.

simplegreen · Postby **simplegreen** » February 21st, 2013, 6:20 pm

ok thanks i used kyb when i had my almera that shocks gave me a rough ride so i am still considering which way to go but thanks.

Postby **toyolink** » February 21st, 2013, 10:04 pm

You will need to upgrade your rear shocks and springs to achieve your objective and their is an upgrade original package which will do so.
The KYB excel shocks widely marketed locally for about $450 or so just dont make the 'grade'.
The KYB excel is another product which would work as a low cost substitute but they haven't really been able to deliver the service qualities Toyota owners expect from their suspension nor service life.

tte · Postby **tte** » February 22nd, 2013, 4:01 pm

I agree with toyolink, you will have to do a shock and spring upgrade. Shocks control spring movement without them you would just bounce down the road. In your case your spring rate is too soft so shocks will not help you. Ideally you should do a aftermarket spring and shock combo, but this will stiffen the ride a good bit and lower the car. There is also the coilover route which will allow you to adjust the height to suit you but this will stiffen the car alot and its a good bit more expensive. A cheaper route may be to try fielder wagon springs in the rear, im assuming toyota would add stiffer rear springs to take more weight in a wagon, but im not sure. Worth a try thow

simplegreen · Postby **simplegreen** » February 23rd, 2013, 6:59 am

thanks i know some ppl in d bamboo will check out the springs

ztune · Postby **ztune** » February 23rd, 2013, 8:15 pm

be sure to post a review when finished. was told by the mechanic today that the rear shocks need changing in the altis.

simplegreen · Postby **simplegreen** » February 24th, 2013, 8:18 am

ok no problem

Toyopet · Postby **Toyopet** » February 24th, 2013, 8:32 pm

ztune wrote:You can't get away form the softness of that rear suspension as the altis is a heavier vehicle than the nze and uses the nze's suspension. Regardless of brand of shocks, the vehicle will lower at the back, alot.

I used the kyb which rides nice but didn't solve the problem of preventing the 18" wheels from rubbing on the fender. Going original may only give you a lengthen life span of suspension over the kyb.

I always thought of raising the car a little with adjustable coil overs.

I changed the front shock to TOKICO but the rear shock stock in my car,I'm not getting any problems with them and they ride fine. Just yesterday i went from 205 50 17 to 225 40 18 and with one person in the back its touching when there's a bump in the road. I considering rolling in the lip inside the fender, I don't know if that will help.

Also, how would a set of Tein Htech work on an Altis to help with the rubbing? I mean would it still rub or is it stiffer or what? right now I have stock 14s available and I'd keep the stock springs so I could go back to original whenever, I just want the rubbing to stop and for the suspension to bang less across those WASA cuts. I found these two, one on amazon but its for the zze130l 03-08 corolla

http://www.amazon.com/H-TECH-Lowering-S ... sbs_auto_1

Would those work or would the ones from Tuner Imports be better?

http://tunerimportstt.com/index.php?pag ... t&Itemid=1

AZ quick google search seems to suggest they're one and the same

ztune · Postby **ztune** » February 25th, 2013, 12:15 am

The both springs are HTECH however different lowering heights but should work. TEIN springs are a tad bit lower that what is stated. Before purchasing, you should match the serial numbers on the springs against TEIN's database. The reason for me suggesting that is sometime ago, some imitation TEIN springs were being sold on the forum. A buyer found out from TEIN that the said springs weren't in their database and were therefore imitation. There are other TEIN dealers as well, locally:

http://www.tein.com/dealer_list/ShopSearch.cgi

As for the new set of wheels accommodation, you can roll the fender or do a slight negative camber. Lowering spings or coilovers will cause fender rubbing without camber or rolled fenders. Note that when these cars are lowered the rear wheel moves slightly towards the front of the car, so knowing where exactly to roll is important.

The 18" wheels alone will give you a rough ride and will shorten the life of your suspension. Lowering the car will make it even shorter, ask me how I know . However, the look you will get will be aggressive.