Anybody lowerd ther camry with the stock struts??

My '98 LE V6 has been lowered with Eibach Pro-Kit, about 1.2" all around. I still have the stock struts, but plan to change them once Tokico finally has them available.

How much did u pay for ur Eibach Pro Kit? Im thinking about lowering my '98 also but couldnt find any lowering springs for it. Isnt Eibach Pro kit as same as TRD ones? Thanks for any input.<br><br>Tom

Yes.<br><br>tan

I called Rod Millen motorsports for that question before. They told me that the TRD springs set has a little more aggressive spring rate than the regular Eibach. I will suggest you to change the struts at the same time, because the OEM struts are too soft to hold the springs. That's why you can see some cars are lowered but the performance do not improve. If you don't change, the car will bunces more.

I paid about $210 for the Pro Kit. I was under the impression that the ones TRD used were the same one from Eibach, since TRD claimed they were made by Eibach. As ming1024 points out, the stock struts should be replaced, though I haven't done so because the TRD/Bilstein strut set cost too much. Until Tokico, or some other manufacturers, comes out with theirs, the OEM struts will be used. Yes, it does bounce quite a bit when going over bad bumps.

Unfortunately Tokico makes only strut cartridges for Camry's (with serviceable struts). Too bad for us, we all got sealed struts. KYB makes sealed struts for us, usually about 15% stiffer than OE.<br><br>Now you do realize that you'll be paying a similar charge for strut installation to the spring installation. Too bad you didn't know about KYB before.<br><br>tan

Uiliak, I know Koni makes one for the Camry. I heard it is a little softer than the TRD struts. But it is much cheaper. You might have difficulty to locate the parts in US, but try a real good speedshop to help you find it. By the way, TRD springs are manufactured by Eibach, but it is different from the one Eibach.

KYB only makes struts for Gen. 2 Camry. Uiliak, did u get ur springs from the Internet? If u did, where?

My friend got them for me through CheckPoint (www.checkpoi.com) which he had ordered a bunch of stuff from them before for his car. I believe he talked to a guy named John.

Hmmm...interesting, I'll have to look into Koni then. I'll be happy with any struts that are stiffer than the factory. Do you know if there's any stiffness rating system available? Thanks again.

I don't really get it, what do you mean by stiffness rating system? I think you probably need to get the technical data from the manufactured. As far as I know, only TRD shows this in their homepage.

I just meant if there were a general accepted stiffness scale that manufacturers can post their specifications and compare which ones are stiffer/softer from each other. Probably not a big deal.

Usually, manufacturers don't show that on the box, because this is marketing strategy. Unless you purchase a competition kit, then it will include a sheet with the damping rate, stroke, etc....<br>Usually, you can ask the speedshop about the stiffness of each different shock. Because they have installed these products and get feedback from customers.

I've been told by such shops that Koni is the stiffest, then KYB, and Tokico is the softest of the three. I have KYBs with H&R springs in my Gen3 and like the ride a lot. It is firm but not harsh. KYBs make the most economic sense since Konis will cost an arm and a leg. <br><br>I think you mentioned that you have Eibach springs. I've been told that they are not as stiff as H&Rs.

Went to NOPI Nationals in Atlanta & found that the KYB struts are equivalent to the OEM. The reason they appear stiffer is because by the time you replace the struts, you are used to the old struts and hence the KYB appears to be stiffer.