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I want to drop my car either 1.5 or 2 inches, but not super slammed. After contacting a few spring manufacturers, nobody makes springs for previa.
So I wanted to know if anyone has the measurements of the spring and if there was similar sized springs for other vehicles that might fit.
I just want a bit of a lowering.
Go with coilovers if you intend to lower your Previa. Ebay's the place. :rol:
I've had coilovers on a few of my cars, but do you know what set would work? I dont mind spending money on a good brand, if I can avoid the ridiculous JDM prices.Quote:
Originally Posted by Estima
look in japan
many options
the ones that lowered the least were the TRD ones, but most people bought the ones for the TCR11W or TCR21W, meaning IRS... not compatible with ours
I was wondering the same thing,
I know Tein mad some super cool coilovers but they are super expensive
If I remember correctly, Sprint made lowering springs but I don't know of anyone buyng them or installing them on our Previas
Wonder if other lowering springs from Toyota might work
Like the first gen MR2 (AW11) are comparable with both the AE86 Corolla GTS and AE82 FX16
Any ideas?
Since the previa demand for parts has kinda disappeared compared to the early to mid 2000's, it appears the JDM companies are the only ones that have stuff available.
I've contacted H&R spring and a few stateside asking, but to no avail on anything.
Our first set of rear custom springs were expensive and came from ?Cobra? springs out of Australia...then we found the last generation mustang springs fit the rear, we just cut to suite the desired drop, the front springs are cut stock previa springs, aftermarket are generally too low. cutting was trial and error.Quote:
Originally Posted by cvtroger
cutting springs is a horrible idea!
When you cut the springs, the spring rates become unpredictable, and they can weaken due to the fact that the coils were heat treated to resist fatigue
the main issue itself are unpredictable spring rates... handling and SAFETY becomes a big problem
We immerse the spring in a cooling media, use a cut off wheelQuote:
Originally Posted by TheMAN
I challenge you to any driving contest ...our previa vs. yours! in CA.
Suspension mods involve compromise. Handling, comfort, and - as theMAN says - safety, usually suffer when the changes made favor fashion.
With all due respect to long time members....the interweb and forums can be challenging for communication... I joined this forum to learn, and hopefully share our Previa modifications- successes and challenges. I agree, adding intense heat to a spring component will compromise its integrity. We almost completely immerse the spring in a bucket of water, this controls the spring temperature very well. We also chose spring rates that are slightly higher than stock, and as you already know cutting the spring increase the effective spring rate. In the end, we have a nice handling van. Safety has improved, as you can pitch this thing into a corner, body roll is minimal. This is not our first rodeo!Quote:
Originally Posted by pdgizwiz
As the guy who still wants to turn a Previa into a pickup, I'm a big supporter of the freedom to do what one wants with their vehicle. The car hobby is a very big place, and I don't mean to suggest that everyone should maintain their car/truck/van in stock form. There's too much fun to be had experimenting with changes, and expressing one's own creativity by doing so.
I don't doubt that a lower stance and stiffer springs would help a car hug corners on dry smooth roads. (And I know that the roads in CA are very dry these days!) Add an unexpected rough patch with those stiffer springs and you could find yourself in a ditch.
Cars are designed for a broader variety of conditions. Compromises are made so that they perform acceptably in those that consumers are expected to demand. Previa suspension is not designed for a race track, nor is it designed for a rutted mountain trail. It will behave reasonably well on either a highway or a dirt road, though. Changes to improve performance at one end of the spectrum will degrade the other.
I see cars all the time now that have had their suspensions practically removed, so that the car is "slammed". They must handle like pallet jacks. But that's what their owners want, and it's a free country!
Well Put! Our plans include more hacking...
Honestly, It is why I asked a company like H&R because are reputable with springs. I just wanted a slight drop to look smoother... nothing like the bippu slams or stanced cars.
So I will search until I find something that is up there with safety standards with a 1" drop.
I looked into this years ago... the ones that will give you the least drop and best handling/comfort compromise are the TRD springs... but most people bought the 7 seater / IRS versions in Japan, not the 8 seater / solid axle ones... so not only are the springs now discontinued, finding used ones are even harder due to this
We found out a few years ago that aftermarket performance parts for a ~20 year old van were limited .... We have had to look for other ways... The custom springs we purchased from Australia were too much of a drop so we improvised. The van is so versital, it's worth the extra effort to make improvements.
Wow, great research as always done by you.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMAN
What about the estima emina or lucida?
not possible... they are all IRS
The American Previa did get the shaft...Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMAN
Would be nice to have the IRS....If it didn't cost a fortune, we would consider swapping one in.
I would like to look for those TRD springs.
I recently in contact with my friend Takashi and we started to talk about the times I was in Japan and I told him I now have a Previa and the expansions of our family compared to 2006 when we had no kids. LOL.
I will ask him to find more information about the TRD springs, but also the IRS as there are many in the auto dismantlers there. But for now, I can't do much but just think about it as I dont have place to rip everything apart.
you can't easily swap in the IRS.... the underpinnings are completely different, it just doesn't bolt up!
You'll also get less payload capacity with IRS... that's why Toyota put it in the 8 seater version all over the world, but due to safety issues in the states, they left it as 7 seater but stuck us with the solid axle for the tow/cargo capacity... it's also cheaper to use a solid axle of course
prepare to drool
http://www.trdparts.jp/english/list_estima-le.html
specs
http://www.trdparts.jp/english/parts_spring.html
we need TCR10W springs, unless you have a 4WD/Alltrac, which needs TCR20W
TCR10G/CXR10G is the Emina/Lucida... looks like those will work according to the list, if you try to find a used set from those
hook me up with a set while you're at it too lol
Wow... and they are all discontinued. What I know is that Japan had tons of tuning shops, and eventually the disappear. of course the big one stay active. But from my experiences about the auto lifestyle is that it is huge there. Every car has a following and many companies (some come and go as mentioned) and owner/enthusiasts have parts.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMAN
An example is the f31 Nissan Leopard (Infiniti M30). This has a cult following. Even though it is an older car (86-91) Car Shop Friend focuses on them (http://www.carshopfriend.com/) I have side skirts from Piko Racing, which has be defunct years before I even got them, but were put on yahoo auctions.
I will try to find a source and see if what I can cop up. The Previa market, as well as many, used to have some decent items, now its all the expensive VIP and air bags. If I find a source, I'll let you know.
When we had f31club up (working on it again since it got hacked) my buddies in Japan got parts for my race crew back in they day, but a couple idiots didn't pay them after they got parts, so I paid for them be honorary. It wasn't too bad as these were parts that people get at "flea markets" where people sell their old car parts.
Quite a few things on my Mazda are bought off Yahoo Japan auctions lol
What Mazda do you have?
I had an RX7 - but I put in a v8 - https://instagram.com/p/r82-owR9wu/
Suspension
https://instagram.com/p/sMAAuEx9_b/
R Magic
https://instagram.com/p/sDW8J5R98x/
Where I got my FC parts, my buddy.
https://instagram.com/p/sAgUg0x9y3/
i just picked me up a 94 previa all-trac and I was looking around for some springs. I just kinda happened upon this thread. Has anybody tried these out? I'm thinking about ordering them next week.
https://thmotorsports.com/rsr/rsr-sp...i-2201931.aspx
I don't but we're pretty happy with the mustang springs good match for spring rate, our springs are cut for 1.5 " drop from factory all trac height. if interested, I will find out what year mustang and if we can remember the source...they were about 60-70bucks for the set.Quote:
Originally Posted by Leppah
do you have any pictures of your van?Quote:
Originally Posted by HotRodPrevia
I don't know if i want to buy some springs and cut them up. Are you saying that you got lowering springs for a specific mustang, or did you use OEM springs for the mustang, then cut them? Did you do that with the front ones too?
That's over 2" of lowering.Quote:
Originally Posted by Leppah
The suspension geometry (front at least) has got to compromised at that ride height. Mac strut suspensions are very sensitive to lowering, and not in a good way.
Your Previa might look good with those springs if you like that sort of thing, but it won't ride or handle very well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zak99b5
Handling isn't my biggest concern in a van. None of them really 'handle very well'.
I'm an old autocross guy, and I've lowered 10 vehicles now. Depending on how you do it, and what you use, they can all ride pretty well as long as you don't go too low. 2" is a very moderate drop that wouldn't really affect the ride quality other than making it slightly more stiff. If you cut the bumpstops like it's required in the directions, your ride quality changes minimally. Most of the time you can't find springs that go lower than 2.5" because you'd have to get shortened shocks/struts to keep from bottoming out on them constantly. That's why people get coilovers when they want to do a big static drop. Most quality coilovers are made with shorter shocks/struts. We're not talking about coilover sleeves, although, I've had 5 sets of Ground-Control strut sleeves, and they worked great if you didn't thread them down all the way.
Now, my last vehicle that was lowered was a 1974 VW bus. I lowered that 9" in the front, and 6" in the rear. THAT thing had a rough ride. I can't imagine a Previa with a modest lowering job of 2.36" would ride even nearly as harsh as that VW bus.