In response to a locked thread about us not focusing on handling... what mods have ya'll done?

[NitroYellowMKV]

So as many of us know, a particular member of this forum started a threat about how all of tuners were morons and what not and something about porches and I got bored, but it did get me thinking... this car in my opinion is actually lacking in the handling department stock, and I live in a straight line florida, I think it had too much body roll and the grip at the front was lacking,

so that got me thinking out of curiosity, what mods have you guys done to improve the handling and maneuverability of your a9x? No silly stupid power mods here (sarcasm- I have a fbo e50 supra for those who don't know) Lets do a pretty simple run down of what mods you did and why you did them, your thoughts on them, etc etc, the basics.

I'll start

H&R Lowering Springs ( made car a lot stiffer, helped with body roll, too stiff in the rear, unsettles car easier than stock)

Cusco Front Sway bar ( basically got rid of all the body roll, favorite handling mod to date!)

Cusco Engine strut tower brace ( this actually made the car feel more nimble and tight up front when taking corners)

Verus master cylinder brace ( brakes feel a little tighter, probably in my head)

Cusco Rear power brace ( no difference I can tell, got a good deal.

Wider tires front and rear (275 up front and 295 in the rear) Helps a lot with front end grip and steering

Lighter wheels Volk Racing Te37 Ultra track edition II's, very noticeable difference, car feels quicker and lighter as a whole, steering is sharper and quicker to respond

Proper alignment after lowering ( this helps a lot and people forget this crucial step, once the suspension geometry is changed aligning to factory specs is not it!)

Thicker suede carbon wheel ( technically does not help change the handeling, but the wheel is much gripper, has thicker points for your hands, easier to hold)

On order- The Cusco harness bar, I heard mixed reviews, some say the stock bar is crap and does not do anything, and this actually stiffens the car, others say it just looks better and much less vibrations.

Want to start ordering some of the SPL catalog! ( any suggestions welcome)

Probably forgetting some stuff, but oh well! let's hear what you guys have done!

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[GreyMadder]

Very Nice.

I have waiting to install after the holidays probably around February:

HKS Hipermax Adj Springs
Volk TE37SL 19 265/295 more then likely , may try to stuff 275 up front
SPL front lower arms
SPL Adj caster bushings
AMS Catted downpipe
HKS Dry Carbon Cold Air Intake Box


Currently Installed:

HKS Dry Carbon Intake (noticeable sound difference, looks good in the bay)

 

[BadOne]

So far:

KW V3 Coilovers (took some time to dial these in to balance daily driving with handling, stiffer than stock, but very much tolerable in rough roads)
Litespeed Racing Wheels (less un-sprung weight, increased track width)
Streethunter Designs Rear Wing (I don't think this actually provides much downforce, but I feel like it does)
265/35 and 285/35 wider tires (front and rear respectively)
Carbon Fiber Door Garnishes (IDK if the TRD design provides better downforce, but I'll press the I believe button, either way, no more fake vent on the doors)

Planning to install the Verkline suspension set eventually, need more track time to decide if the price is worth it.

 

[puzzled]

I’ve driven all sorts of different cars from junk to 911’s and the Supra is actually quite balanced from the get go. I added a strut brace on mine and that’s it. While the car is quite heavy it doesn’t feel like it near the limits.

I’ve not taken the car beyond the limits because I’m too old to drive like a teen dating a tree.

 

[Thill444]

Eibach Z4 lowering springs, Whitleline adjustable front end links, Whitleline adjustable swaybar, SPL rear adjustable endlinks, and an alignment. I may add some more SPL parts here and there but I like how the car handles right now. I want a balance between comfort on bad roads and sports handling, etc.

 

[Rocksandblues]

brakes, fluid, brake lines
springs, front and rear sways
front and rear aero
struct brace oem, harness bar
lighter 18" sq set up

Car is honestly and perhaps a bit too stiff. Not even remotely comfortable to drive on normal streets but is really only a track toy.

adding camber plates between seasons- will be a big difference.

Can confirm 100% the stock alumn bar is junk and for looks. When you install the harness bar you will see how cheesy the one single paperclip thick tab is.
no wonder they rattle.

Again honestly, driver mod is the only thing holding my car back from running with anything and anyone.

I am an aggressive and above average driver. But NOT and never claim to be in the top elite (Ding) level.

We have very skilled driver members at my home track and i can out run everything- including cayman gt4's, c8s, 911's, 1LEs, even a couple GT3s, older Ferraris

I can NOT do anything with a couple skilled members that have: GT3 cup car, 458 ferrari, c7 ZR1 and a few exotics We actually have a member that owns a Sena 1 AND the yellow Gunther werks 911 that Probst drove for several videos and magazine articles.


Zupras are VERY competent track cars right out of the box- the 21's have a little better handling- no bump steer All these mods $$ are fun and make us feel good but a skilled driver in stock form can run circles around a modded car with a soso driver. I have been humbled myself.

For us the solution is actually: seat time, seat time, seat time

.02 I track about 3-4 a month fwiw

 

[Thraxbert]

RS-R Superdown Springs
aFe front sway (stiffest position) + end links
275/35 front and 305/30 rear
Cusco strut brace

Totally changed the dynamics of the car. Very obvious improvement in handling. So glad I did this.

 

[VA90]

I have a 2021 3.0 Premium. I've installed H&R lowering springs and Whiteline adjustable sway bars both front and rear.

I intentionally took some time to leave the car stock for a while to get a feel for its baseline characteristics. This may be the minority view, but I think the 2021 is a very competent handling car right out of the box, both for back roads and track. Before this, I owned a Lancer Evo, an SS Camaro, and an S2000. The front end struck me as very nice for a stock car. I do think Toyota has erred toward minimizing NVH so there is room to improve though I think it would be unsafe to access these higher limits outside of a track environment.

H&R Spring - handling-wise, not much different from stock. the benefit is more that it eliminated wheel gap while maintaining similar ride comfort and handling to stock in both normal and sport modes.

Whiteline sway bars - I still have not pushed these to 8/9-10s on the track but I feel an overall increase in grip, even with the softer of the two settings up front and middle setting in the rear. I think installing both front and rear has preserved the same general neutral balance as stock--just with a higher ceiling. What felt like 6/7-10s before now feels like 4/5-10s. It seems to me steering is a bit more direct but I want to think on that a bit more.

As for next steps, I would like a new set of tires. I think Toyota left a big chunk of performance on the table by opting for Super Sport tires instead of something more performance-oriented like a Cup2 or I dunno, Potenza S007s or something along those lines. I don't know that I would opt for any SPL parts, not because they don't work (they do) but more because of cost versus marginal gain. I just need much more on-track time before I do much else.

 

[obito]

Are you guys replacing the stock struts/shocks when you’re installing lowering springs?

 

[razorlab]

Ohlins coilovers 10k/14k
RS-R EDC cancellers
Vorshlag camber plates
SPL rear toe bars
SPL traction bars
Enkei GTC02 18x10.5
Kumho V730 275/35/18
Endless brake fluid
PMU brake pads
Verus brake cylinder brace
Verus diff cooling plate

Really looking forward to spring track events!

 

[VA90]

Are you guys replacing the stock struts/shocks when you’re installing lowering springs?

I have not. This is still primarily a road car so I want to keep the ability to switch between normal and sport mode. It's rare to find any aftermarket system that does that.

 

[Msoupe]

• aFe Control Sway Bars (Front #3 Stiff & Rear #1 Soft)
• aFe Control Sway Bar End Links (F & R)
• Swift Lower Springs (Front stock bumpstop/Rear Eibach shorter bumpstop)
• SPL Lower Control Arms (-3° Camber)
• Titan7 T-S5 (19x9.5/19x11)
• Advan Neova AD08R (275/30, 295/30)

 

[romanLegion9574]

Installed:

• Cusco strut brace

Not installed (waiting for next driving season to do it all at once):

• aFe sway bars front & rear -> on rare occasion, I've felt bump steer and expect these to help sort that out
• lighter TS-5s. I went with 19s since I like the ratio between wheel and tire (I know 18s are lighter, but I also wanted the look to suit my taste)
• new tires (still undecided between PS4s and cup 2s, but definitely getting an order in soon). I'm looking at 265s up front and 295s in the rear
• KW DDCs (my car's not a daily given I work from home, but still does grocery runs and the likes, so I still want to have a comfort setting)
• alignment
• CSG brake pads

Considering:

• Verus diff cooling plate
• rear harness bar

 

[obito]

I have not. This is still primarily a road car so I want to keep the ability to switch between normal and sport mode. It's rare to find any aftermarket system that does that.

Thanks for the answer. Will you have to at some point? Or is the amount lowered tolerated by oem suspension components? I’m new to suspension modifications

 

[SupraMKV2.0]

- H&R Lowering Springs
- SPL Endlinks
- SPL Traction Bars,
- OEM Hood Strut Braces
- P2uned 6-Piston Brake Kits (Fronts only)
- Alignment

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