Suspension upgrades

[Sol_MTL]

I recently bought a 1999 Solara (I4 5S-FE)
Am looking to do a few things:

Lower ride height
New mags / tires (17")

I have a couple questions...

1. Should I lower the car before deciding on what size rims / tires to fit on?

2. What are some reccomended setups for a daily driver car (2 inch drop MAX, relative comfort)

Thanx for input

[MisterTedster]

1) yes, there is a thread with all the drops that people have with different rims. Rule of thumb, stick with 17x8 or less with less than +40mm offset.

2) Eibach + tokicos are well-regarded. Tein springs will give more of a drop. I believe eibach is 1.4 in drop in front and teins are 1.7 in. They are both comfortable and ride quality is not much worse than stock, but handling is considerably improved.

[99BlackSandv6]

1. ^Ted's got it

2. Eibach + Tokico is the way to go. I don't think the Teins are
lower at all. My E+T setup gave me about 1.75 drop front, and
about that much in the rear. The teins look to me to be higher
in the rear. I don't dig that look. Definitely check out the
Galleries here:

http://www.solaraguy.com/viewtopic.php?t=34508

[Sol_MTL]

The Tokico's ur referring to are the HP series correct??

Also, I will not have money to do the suspension / wheels at the same time, so which should i do first?

I am concerned that the current tires i have (stock: 205/65/15) would not fit if i lowered the ride ~1.5.

So perhaps I should just buy my tires / rims first as they will be a lower profile and will fit for sure... And then once i have the cash to do the springs, do them... Does this make sense? (yes im a noob)

[99BlackSandv6]

Yep, referring to the Tokico HP (Tokico blues as they are commonly called).

I would still lower it first. Your stock size 15s will fit fine.
You'll actually have slightly less room when you change rollers.
They'll be slightly wider.

Make sure when you get new tires that they are proper size.

With a 17 you should run a 215/50/17. They are very close
to the same diameter of the stockies. They are lower profile
than stock, but the overall height should be similar.

[Sol_MTL]

Cool thanks alot for the advice
About the tire size though, what is the purpose of changing the diameter from 205 to 215? For example why would i not just get 205/50/17?

Is it because 17/7's are not only taller but wider and would not fit in a 205 tire? Or do 205/50/17 measured tires not exist or what?

[99BlackSandv6]

205 or 215 (the first number) refers to the tread width only.
The second number is the aspect RATIO. This describes the
sidewall height, as a percentage of the tread width.
By that I mean, 215/50 is 215mm wide at the tread,
and the sidewall is 50% of 215mm (in overall height).
So a 205/50/17 is shorter and narrower than a 215/50/17.
Go with 215/50/17.


tread width / aspect ratio / wheel diameter

If you have anymore questions I'd love to help however I can.

[Sol_MTL]

Thanks for the explanation, makes much more sense now!
Still havent decided whether im gonna do the rims and tires or springs first but either way I think i'll take your advice and go with a 215/50/17

[MisterTedster]

Definitely drop first, then rims. It's easier to choose a different set of rims than a different set of springs since you don't have many choices for springs.

[02slera]

i bought wheels first and am still not yet dropped; will be hopefully very soon. i had to jump on the wheels first tho cuz another forum member owned them before me, i had seen pics of his car and thought they were the best rims for the car, when he put them up for sale i could not let them pass. makes the car look so much better while im saving money for new springs, struts, and maybe strut mounts.?.? have to do more research on that one.

[Sol_MTL]

i bought wheels first and am still not yet dropped; will be hopefully very soon. i had to jump on the wheels first tho cuz another forum member owned them before me, i had seen pics of his car and thought they were the best rims for the car, when he put them up for sale i could not let them pass. makes the car look so much better while im saving money for new springs, struts, and maybe strut mounts.?.? have to do more research on that one.

Yeah i wanna get the wheels now because I have the money, and I may not later on, and the springs will be cheaper and easier to save for later...
Neway you got any pics of your rims / ride?