Worth modifying?

Worth modifying?

I'll get this over with first since it's one of my main questions. I mean no offense at all to people who completly modify and love their corollas to death. But, is it worth it? I mean to be blunt there isn't much you can do with an '03 rolla. I mean yeah you can supercharge it and all, but the gains from it don't seem too apealling to me. On the other hand something along the lines of a celica or I dunno...supra have more options available. Then again I'm gonna be stuck with my corolla for a good while anyway. Negative equity, insurance, yadda yadda. I do have a Trd cai on it (did myself, go me) and I'm not into doing show before speed. But being I'm a full speed addict what options should I do first, what I should avoid, any nice input without critisizing my first statement would be lovely . But yeah thanks in advance for any positive input.

3sgte engine swap with a corolla and you will be the fastest member one the board. It can be done, has been done in many celicas. It will cost you alot though (15k ish) but you could smoke alot of cars. beyond that ungodly amount of money, you will just have to settle for turbo/SC.

mm true. An engine swap would be nice, but a 15k price tag isn't too motivating. I'm probably gonna stick to small stuff for the time being. Sturt bar, maybe a kit of sorts. Since my license is basically on the verge of being taken away (long story don't ask) I didn't plan on too much Fi or a swap. But yeah an engine swap would be a nice idea. And thanks for not criticizing me on my almost contraversal topic .

haha not at all man, I know how you feel. I guess if you want some NA power you can get the monkey wrench racing big bore kit for 900, with 11.0:1 compression ratio pistons, that would probably put you around 160 ish with the cai, if not more.

To be honost I had no idea what you meant with that engine ID or whatever. So I googled it. yeah yeah I'm a genius. Anyway, a third generation 3Sgte Generates up to 260 hp. Unless I read it wrong this is with the turbo system right? and being that they weren't really released in the US emissions could be a problem. That and they had a few problems putting one in a celica. Hoses don't line up, I/c useless, intake in different spots, etc. But then again I could see this being well worth the large cost and/or time. Having an '03 corolla pushing a good 260hp would be a nice sight to see. That and with the engine couldn't you upgrade the turbo system to something well...bigger? or maybe a smaller ball bearing so it can run at lower rpms. Now that I put more thought into it, I wouldn't mind keeping my rolla stock until I had 15k to blow and basically for lack of a better word...molest every rice rocket wannabe within a 50 mile radius of my house or more. But yeah nice idea, now I got something to think deeply about at work that won't bore me to tears.

the 3sgte is at 260 hp stock, yes, but ive seen them run 11's. Easily 500 hp or more. They are strong toyota engine blocks, and you dont have to get the 260 hp one if you dont want, but it is the fastest stock. If you look under the engine/transmission, or actually id suggest u search for 3sgte, its in the title, you'll find some useful information. Its a thread I started the first day i became a member, as i was feeling the same as you. My conclusion: If I had the money I would get a 3sgte and own anything on the road. Since im just now going into college I figure IM going to wait and get a better platform. I may supracharge a corolla gts but who knows (yes supra not super). aka 2jz swap if it will fit.

Yup starting college soon too. That and the actual car payment is whats keeping me from buying big things. But yeah a full engine tranny swap is a long term goal. But it'd be nice to have a basic supra range hp in a corolla. Seeing the looks on peoples faces would keep me laughing for years. So for now I might get one of those vuteq type a kits depending on clearance and keep the rest stock so I can make it through college without getting loans. And being that I might be working on toyotas in as little as 2 years, might be easier. Never know so I can only hope for the best.

By the way thanks for the forum link. Helped a lot with my question. And it made me realize I overlooked 1 thing...traction. Putting more than 2x the horsepower in a light corolla would prove amusing on anything but the MR2 Lsd tranny. from a dead stop your front end would just spin or skip really badly. But getting it all under control would be worth it being a bulk of my ride home from work is on long stretches of back roads with lots of broken yellow lines .

depends what you want. Engine work or parts are endless if you think about it. Suspention your kind of limited

engine to a certain degree. A supra engine probably wouldn't fit as well as an MR2. and being that the Mr2 third generation 3sgte is one of the best and/or most stable I4's toyota makes I would think it's one of the best options for power. Granted I could shove a big V8 tundra engine in a corolla. But then you run into big problems such as chasis strain, reinforcing everything, overall room in the engine bay, etc. So they are endless to a point, but the 3sgte is still the best option. As for suspension and such, that is where the big price tag comes into play. It would cost between 7-10k I believe for the tranny engine swap, labor, etc. Toss in suspension, bigger wheels, bigger brakes and everything and it rounds out near 15k or more. Either way I'll probably go 3sgte (third generation if I can pass emmissions) or I'll leave it stock and get a Celica Gts turbo kit custom fitted for my little rocket on wheels. :twisted:

It's worth modifying to some extent, but an engine swap I would not do. For that kind of price, I could easily afford another "pocket rocket".

TRD made intakes, exhuast, supercharger, and suspension upgrades available for our Corollas so I went ahead and got all those. It was all warrantied so I have nothing to lose but paying for it. It's a lot of fun driving around no matter what you add onto your car. I'm sure people will take notice when you pull up with your exhaust or intake. Each performance parts add some kind of noise to it, especially the supercharger. That thing is loud under full boost, whew I love mine!!

I was thinking about that bypass valve for the supercharger TRDGregg was talking about. I think it's sort of like a BOV for turbo, I think. Anyone back me up on this? That particular piece is on a Tacoma supercharger, but I wonder if I can use that piece to mate it with our supercharger. That would give off a nice sound too.

i think it would be worth it to mod a corolla, course im a diehard car guy... but im thinkin about goin for a celica gt just cuz i like the body more and has better handling but same engine and tranny

celica? really? :shock:

I know i like it too would be better with a corolla motor though

well... moding a corolla is more fun then moding a civic... it's even more fun if you beat the shit out of other cars....

hahah good one david(hooolala). Yeah...corolla's are the underdogs. It's nice to see rolla's keep up or even beat other modified cars.

essp. when stock

corolla has always seemed to be the underdog and surprise everyone

No, it isn't worth it. Get a nice used 87-93 mustang $3-5K. Get a good suspension kit $3-5K. Get a turbo kit $. Now you have spent around $15K and you will have a nice 11 second car.

snores at the boredom

yeah I agree with w1ngzer. I mean yeah I can always get an old crx, motor swap, turbo yadda yadda, bang 10 second car or whatever. My basic opinion is people "pimp" out the big mustinks (mustangs) hondas and all that. The supposed fast cars. But taking a corolla, an '03 underdog corolla and making it a 11 second car would be more worth it to me. I mean yeah it's more expensive but in the end I'd like driving a swapped out corolla over a mustang or whatever. either way it's major long term, with school and everything else I'll just set a certain amount aside and if I got enough when I'm still interested in it I'll do it. If not I'll probably have another idea. I guess the best way to explain my reasoning would be like seeing a Geo Metro, typical slow car, smoke a mustang like a cheap cigar.

mm honostly I have no love for mustinks. err I mean mustangs. I live in "farm land" so there is the big Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge war going on among the "country folk". That and I see too many mustangs as it is. And the bulk of them are V6. If you want a mustang get the 8. I'm sorry but I see the concept of buying a car known for it's power with a smaller engine in it. That and if I move towards the city I'm in Ricer Land. Hondas everywhere with bling bling rims, body kits, and 4 inch fart tubes. I mean, I beat these losers in my old acura legend So as long as I don't turn it into rice or put american cars suck on the back of my car, I should stay in the backround of this massive social "war" for a lack of better words.

haha i like ur signature, you seriously going to do it?

Of course I do. Not in the immediate future, but yeah I want to. In high school I wanted to put a big block V8 in a geo metro and cruise the strip But this seems more reasonable. But yeah I want to. And putting in a new tranny and engine is almost like buying a new car, minus everything else is still used. But yeah I definately will. Then proceed to race it on the weekends to make honda boys worship me like a messiah.

Well isn't MR setup just like FWD? why does it cost so much to do?

lol~~~ i should learn from you.....

"PLEASE DONATE ME SOME MONEY!! I NEED TO FIX MY POOR CAR, I ACCEPT CREDIT CARD, PAYPAL, CHECK, CASH, OR A BRAND NEW 1ZZ-FE ENGINE".....

I can't tell if thats sarcasm or you're being serious. So I won't respond to that. As for the swap, finding compatable parts such as hoses and everything, placement, and just making it stable, etc. That and I gotta toss in suspension, wheels, brakes, clutch, etc. So yeah it adds up. But I would not suggest just doing the engine and tranny without doing the rest. Having a 500+ whp car on stock 15 hubbies and stock brakes might not be a good idea. Braking would be a game of chance, kinda like craps or poker, except in a car trying to stop sooner than whats physically possible. Sounds like fun

what are you talking about. that would be fun!!!

first you would loose tred then your breaks would burn and melt off then the melted metal would turn into a t1000 and run like a weirdo :shock:

my point exactly, having no control of a turbo charged car would be like a large game of pinball on the highway. Except all the bumpers and buttons are people in their cars, bikers, pedestrians, and those annoying people on scooters. First the brakes weld to the rotors, so stopping isn't gonna work. Then the tires could either pop, fall off, or wobble uncontrollably. Then the fun begins, you could slide in any direction, hit almost anything, and then attempt to run from any law enforcement or angry car driver And yes by all means I'm kidding, and if Fox steals my idea like they stole Dave Chapelles Spouse Swapping idea, someones gonna die. :twisted:

i saw a cool idea for people with space in there engine like the 1zz in the corolla or the RB26 in a 350z . I don't know if spruce was talking about this design or not.


just need a hood for the heat to get out and its all good

BTW is there any analog(becuase digital sux)thermonitor that you can buy from home depot or ace?

sorry just wondering

quite an interesting setup. I believe that big things an intercooler, which is set at an odd angle. Nah I'd rather get a big intercooler and get the Letters TRD etched in red so people can see it through my front bumper. Even if it wasen't built by TRD, gotta represent the toyota's