No-Drop Suspension Options

[someguy519]

Hey all, thanks in advance for the tips. I know there've been tons of topics on suspension mods, but from my searching it seems like they all involve lowering the vehicle, which I'm looking to avoid.

I've got a '99 Solara, V6 auto, w/ ~ 118k miles. It's starting to sound like it's time for a new suspension, and I'm wondering what my options are that don't involve lowering the car. I'm sure most folks on this board will cringe when reading this, but I've got a hitch receiver with a hitch-mounted bike rack on the car. I do a lot of mountain biking, so I'm pretty utilitarian about the car. So, with the hitch/rack carrying my bike (which is worth almost as much as my car), I'm not thrilled at the idea of placing it a precious few inches closer to the pavement . . . Plus, it'll be more likely to hit/drag the bottom of the drawbar at the bottom of steep hills, etc. Thus, the no-drop suspension options.

So any good options I should check out? Obviously I could just replace w/ OEM, but wanted to check if there's something better out there.

Also, how tough is it to install myself? I'm handy, do a lot of wrenching on my bikes, and have a pretty good set of tools put together. I understand there are some special tools required, too, which I could just buy/rent. So are we talking like a half-day project to install, or like a full weekend?

Thanks again!
- Some Guy

[unbalancedwood]

theres a decent amount of parts you can directly bolt onto the solara, check here

http://www.solaraguy.com/viewtopic.php?t=37723

Location?

[someguy519]

Cool, I missed the "sticky" . . . I'll check it out.

I'm in Virginia just outside DC . . .

[Midias]

I am happy with my Tokico HP blues, stock springs and trd rear swaybar.

[1st Gen Sol]

If you don't want to lower the car, just get a set of OEM struts and springs off the forum, I'm sure there are a few guys here that still have them.....I gave my set to a co-worker b/c he needed to replace his suspension and didn't wanna pay dealer prices, even with employee discounts its still expensive.

If you wanted to do it yourself, you don't need any special tools I don't think. You will need a spring compressor to remove the strut mounts. The rest can be done with ratchets and socket wrenches.

Your entire rear interior (rear seats, rear interior panals, and speaker deck will have to come out in order to get to the rear strut bolts and ABS sensors. ** Make sure you unplug the ABS sensors before dropping the rear struts out **, or you will stretch the wires and ruin the sensors. The rest is just bolts which need to be loosened, three bolts up top and five or six on the bottom. After the install, you will also need to get an alignment so everything lines up.

Good Luck with what you end up doing.

[unbalancedwood]

Check PM...also living in Virginia....

[bronzemaxell]

my 99 lara is a v6 stickshift, i also have a towing hitch installed that i use about once a year for my 4x8 trailer, i recently replaced my oem struts with $320 tokico HP from egay, kept my oem spring, i love da ride, no drop, but a little stiffer than OEM, less bounce through the highway gaps.

[---CAMRAZY---]

I am happy with my Tokico HP blues, stock springs and trd rear swaybar.

That is a very good choice.

[someguy519]

my 99 lara is a v6 stickshift, i also have a towing hitch installed that i use about once a year for my 4x8 trailer, i recently replaced my oem struts with $320 tokico HP from egay, kept my oem spring, i love da ride, no drop, but a little stiffer than OEM, less bounce through the highway gaps.

Thanks for all the info, folks!

That doesn't sound like a bad option - even the OEM struts will be at least $320 . . . But is it ok to leave the stock springs on the car (esp ones w/ almost 120k miles)? I don't want to go through the effort of replacing the struts just to find out in 6 months that the springs are shot and I need to do it all over . . . And where do you find replacement springs? None of the websites I'm looking at seem to carry them (rockauto, etc).

Lastly, should I also replace all of the accessories (bearing plates [$33 ea], upper/lower spring isolators [$20 ea], upper spring seat, strut mounts [55], boot kit, etc)? That stuff seems like it'll really add up to be as much as the struts themselves (if not more). I don't wanna spend more than I've got to, but I also don't want to replace the struts/springs and have it all still squeaking/rattling because the hardware is worn out . . .

Thanks again!

[bronzemaxell]

my lara has 150k miles on it, and my oem springs were still fine when i replaced struts around 140k, i am not sure how to determine if spring is bad, but struts always are the parts that go bad first. i would also replace lower spring seater, front boot, (rear boot is together with the rear strut mount.)
suspension sequeak/rattle are caused by worn strut mount, dried sway bar end link, or worn sway bar bushing.