Stock Suspension

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stefando
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Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 9:14 pm
My tercel:: The Caribou: 1983 SR5
Location: Norcal

Stock Suspension

Post by stefando »

So there's heaps of great information about lifting the tercel but what do people objectively think of the stock suspension when everything is fresh? My rear's got a sag and I can tell it needs struts back there, tempted to upgrade .. Front has fresh cartridges and it's great so far as I'm concerned. What's a simple refresh suspension setup without dreaming of trails? My life takes me to mild gravel roads most days and a highway for miles. Our gnarly driveway is the most challenging drive I take the carib on. How do folks like their lifted daily drivers?
1983 SR5 Brown
Salmon River California
teranfirbt
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My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by teranfirbt »

I've been super happy with my 89 pathfinder springs in the rear and stock everything else. It lifts the rear a couple inches, which is perfect for those heavy Home Depot runs or when you need to move a house (well, all of the stuff in the house at least ;))
jimcrazy
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My tercel:: 1985 4wd 1986fwd 1983 4wd

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by jimcrazy »

i have 1"strut spacers in the front and monroe ma700 air shocks on the rear,wheels have 195-70-14 tires,rides great handles well,run 20 psi in the shocks,put on between 500-800 miles a week in the summer months
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stefando
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My tercel:: The Caribou: 1983 SR5
Location: Norcal

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by stefando »

I like both of these options quite a bit. jimcrazy : that lift looks perfectly practical and definitely an improvement over the 13 inch 175s I've got on my car. I like the pfinder route too though, both have pros and cons.. Did you cut the pathfinder springs teranfirbt ? without front spacers it seems like you'd have a jacked rear a little.
1983 SR5 Brown
Salmon River California
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stefando
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Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 9:14 pm
My tercel:: The Caribou: 1983 SR5
Location: Norcal

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by stefando »

You know if there are any 1 inch aluminum spacers that are the right size? I can grab some cutting board too but those aluminum ones are Nice..
1983 SR5 Brown
Salmon River California
teranfirbt
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Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:58 am
My tercel:: '86 SR5 4WD, 5AFE, lifted rear, 195/70/14 tires
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by teranfirbt »

It definitely has a little of that Mopar rake, the rear sits a few inches above the front when it's not loaded with much. I didn't cut the springs at all, just stuck em in. I imagine if you cut a coil or so out that it would ride more evenly but have the same advantage of a higher spring rate for allowing a little more load.
YakSr5
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My tercel:: 1985 lifted

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by YakSr5 »

I ran the Gambler 500 (500 mile off road rally) in a tercel with air shocks,1" coil spacers in the front and 215 70R15 tires.

The car (Blue one) handled great, and never bottomed out with around 200lbs of stuff in the rear

My friend ran the same gambler (Yellow) with Pathfinder Springs, and thunderbird shocks and Some longer springs up front.

His car handled better on Dirt, but mine handles way better on asphalt.

If you dont want a lift to clear bigger tires, i would just get some nice replacement shocks, and a 1" rubber coil spring spacer. to get rid of the sag.

air shocks are great for the lift to clear bigger tires. and keep the rear from rubbing with a lot of weight in the back.

Its nice to be able to adjust the ride height in the rear.

They are a bit stiff when aired up with no weight in the back.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: Stock Suspension

Post by Petros »

I would advise against the lift on a daily driver unless you have a specific reason for needing it. that would be to clear larger tires, because you regularly drive on deep rutted/rocky roads and need the extra inch or two of clearance. Unless your suspension is in good operating condition you really can not tell what it needs to improve the handling. rasing the ride height makes it top heavy and increases the risk of overturning on dry pavement in panick stops or emergency manouvers. the Tercel already has a high center of gravity compared to other imports.

A fully stock suspension with all good/new rubber, tie rod ends, bushings and ball joints, is not bad. Much more responsive than the heavier and larger toyotas (one reason I think the bigger toyotas are more popular in the USA than other imports is because they have a softer rides). I do not care much for soft mushy suspensions, but i find the stock Tercel suspension, when in good repair, not too soft and fairly responsive if you install alloy wheels and decent tires. going to 14" alloy wheels and a slightly lower profile tire makes a really noticeable difference on ride, handling and responsiveness (those stock steel wheels are apparently flexy flyers).

So make sure all of the suspension is in good condition and you have decent tires and wheels before you decide to make any changes. if it is daily driver, making it more stiff and raising it might result in a noisy and tiring car to drive on a regular commute. it is already kind of noisy, making it ride stiff will make it transmit even more road noise into the car.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
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stefando
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My tercel:: The Caribou: 1983 SR5
Location: Norcal

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by stefando »

Petros wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:10 pm I would advise against the lift on a daily driver unless you have a specific reason for needing it. that would be to clear larger tires, because you regularly drive on deep rutted/rocky roads and need the extra inch or two of clearance. Unless your suspension is in good operating condition you really can not tell what it needs to improve the handling. rasing the ride height makes it top heavy and increases the risk of overturning on dry pavement in panick stops or emergency manouvers. the Tercel already has a high center of gravity compared to other imports.

A fully stock suspension with all good/new rubber, tie rod ends, bushings and ball joints, is not bad. Much more responsive than the heavier and larger toyotas (one reason I think the bigger toyotas are more popular in the USA than other imports is because they have a softer rides). I do not care much for soft mushy suspensions, but i find the stock Tercel suspension, when in good repair, not too soft and fairly responsive if you install alloy wheels and decent tires. going to 14" alloy wheels and a slightly lower profile tire makes a really noticeable difference on ride, handling and responsiveness (those stock steel wheels are apparently flexy flyers).

So make sure all of the suspension is in good condition and you have decent tires and wheels before you decide to make any changes. if it is daily driver, making it more stiff and raising it might result in a noisy and tiring car to drive on a regular commute. it is already kind of noisy, making it ride stiff will make it transmit even more road noise into the car.
Thanks Petros, great advice. My rig is my daily but my daily drive is mostly on crappy one lane mountain roads and gravel Forest Service roads. We get a bunch of snow and with the stock suspension I'd drag a little at one point on my way up the driveway (just exhaust but I always worry with anyone in the car. I threw some Monroes on there the other day and at 20 psi, there's almost no noticeable lift but it doesn't hit the ground on that one water bar which makes me stoked. Definitely a bit stiffer ride but all in all my only concern is the mickey mouse plastic fittings... Keeping my eye out for some 14 inch wheels, I have no intentions of changing the car much but where I live definitely calls for a little bit of a lift over stock. To give you an idea, subarus and most AWD cars have a lot of trouble on my driveway... The perfect rig in my area is a practical 80s 4x4 toyota pickup. We have one of those too but the tercel is just so much nicer to drive around all the time:)
1983 SR5 Brown
Salmon River California
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Mattel
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My tercel:: 1988 Corolla 4wd Wagon (AKA Corolla All-trac) 5speed, AC, Power Sunroof, Windows, Mirrors, Steering, Locking, Diff Lock, 14" Corolla SX Alloys with Silica Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, 210,000kms
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by Mattel »

I put my Monroe air shocks on with the fitting facing away from the wheels. You can get replacement fittings if needed and I would imagine over time they will deteriorate. are you only running at 20psi? is that just the best compromise for height/firmness for you?
Previous: 83 Tercel SR5 4wd, 84 Tercel SR5 4wd
88 Corolla 4wd Wagon 5speed, All power options, Fact Sunroof, Diff Lock, 14" SX Alloys, Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, Tow Bar, 210,000kms
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SinusoidalTendencies
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My tercel:: 87 4wd wagon

Re: Stock Suspension

Post by SinusoidalTendencies »

YakSr5 wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 6:23 pm I ran the Gambler 500 (500 mile off road rally) in a tercel with air shocks,1" coil spacers in the front and 215 70R15 tires.

The car (Blue one) handled great, and never bottomed out with around 200lbs of stuff in the rear

My friend ran the same gambler (Yellow) with Pathfinder Springs, and thunderbird shocks and Some longer springs up front.

His car handled better on Dirt, but mine handles way better on asphalt.

If you dont want a lift to clear bigger tires, i would just get some nice replacement shocks, and a 1" rubber coil spring spacer. to get rid of the sag.

air shocks are great for the lift to clear bigger tires. and keep the rear from rubbing with a lot of weight in the back.

Its nice to be able to adjust the ride height in the rear.

They are a bit stiff when aired up with no weight in the back.
Curious about the tires on the pussy wagon.
I don't always learn my lesson.
But when i do, it's the hard way.
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