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SolaraGuy.com • View topic - What are "MUST DO'S" on a 2008 SLE CONVERTIBLE
Talk about aftermarket Toyota Solara Gen 2 and 2.5 upgrades.

What are "MUST DO'S" on a 2008 SLE CONVERTIBLE

What are "MUST DO'S" on a 2008 SLE CONVERTIBLE

Postby Joe Cat » Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:50 am

What are "MUST DO'S" on a 2008 SLE CONVERTIBLE.

I would say start with a body kit- But that factory "sport one is a fortune".

I bought a set of mmr h3's 18 with 225-55-18 pirellis (it had to work on my lexus also)

Now what?

The car is getting delivered friday Magnetic grey with black top and grey interior
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Postby GzNutz » Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:23 am

Full exhaust.
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Postby DriDed » Wed Nov 18, 2009 12:55 pm

There are no "must dos" on any car besides maintenance and proper care.

But in terms of modding, you can get a CPE or Injen SRI, after that you get some JP headers, and then you make a custom cat back exhaust.
2004 Toyota Solara SE (2az-fe) automatic
+TRD front strut brace
+TRD rear sway bar
+Injen Short ram intake
+Pioneer DEH 2200 UB headunit
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Postby PhreakdOut » Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:21 am

#1) Get rid of the 4" gap between the fender and the top of the tire.

#2) Get rid of the 4" gap between the fender and the top of the tire. (Commit this to memory. There will be a test later.)

#3) Wheels. Oh yea, and Get rid of the 4" gap between the fender and the top of the tire.
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Re: What are "MUST DO'S" on a 2008 SLE CONVERTIBLE

Postby Taido » Thu Nov 19, 2009 7:57 am

Joe Cat wrote:I bought a set of mmr h3's 18 with 225-55-18 pirellis


Joe Cat wrote:#3) Wheels. Oh yea, and Get rid of the 4" gap between the fender and the top of the tire.


I think he's already got that covered. LOL

Edit: "Must do" is subjective. It depends on what YOU want to do with the car. In my opinion, this car wasn't/isn''t really meant for performance. IT does make a nice show car though (see MikeT's Arctic Frost) as well as a good platform for audio. So in my opinion, replace the head unit and speakers, add in some subs and an amp or two, call it a work in progress. xP
'06 Black Cherry Pearl tC inherited the headunit and subs so far...
'04 2AZ-FE Lunar Mist Metallic Solara SE (Totaled)
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Postby PhreakdOut » Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:50 am

^^
Aftermarket wheels = Good.
Aftermarket wheels with no drop = bad :wink:

Definately do the TRD / Eibach springs. The drop is not excessive and the gap is properly closed up. However, after checking his tire size, maybe this is not an issue. LOL

My concern is his tire size. What Lexus did he have before?

His Lexus Tires: 225/55R18 (Tire diameter: 27.74")

Gen2 Solara OE Size: 215/55R17 (Tire diameter: 26.31")

This (if it fits) will throw off the speedo 5% slower. (At 60mph - speedo reads 56.9mph)

For my 18's, I was running 235/45R18 (Tire diameter 26.32")

I suspect this tire will rub the bottom of the front strut's spring seat.
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Postby Down2TheC » Sat Nov 21, 2009 6:38 pm

Only must do would be the RSB and FSTB. That'll tighten up your ride nicely. The RSB stopped the luxury car roll in the turns. Such a great performance improvement for so little cash.

I shuddered over every bump for 4 years watching the front rattle like an earthquake. Couldn't imagine that a stiffer FSTB would make much difference. But I finally broke down and put one in and was pissed that I didn't do it earlier. Whole different car with just those two mods both under $200. The ragtop benefits much more from the FSTB, so don't let the coupe dudes convince you it's a waste. It's huge for us.

Last, you may want to spend 5 minutes and cut the wire that stops the top when you go over 2 mph. That pissed me off day one so I dug into the electrical diagram and snipped it. Tutorial will show you where to find it.

After that, you just do cosmetics according to your tastes. (and wallet)
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Postby DriDed » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:09 pm

After installing the TRD front strut tower brace and TRD rear sway bar, my Solara's understeer were dramatically reduced, but I feel that the car is still soft in the corners so Tein coilovers are on my mod list this upcoming summer.
2004 Toyota Solara SE (2az-fe) automatic
+TRD front strut brace
+TRD rear sway bar
+Injen Short ram intake
+Pioneer DEH 2200 UB headunit
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Postby KSolara » Sun Nov 22, 2009 10:08 pm

I got
-RSB
-Tein S-tech springs (woulda gone with the coilovers as DriDed mentioned if I could afford it)
-KYB GR-2 Shocks
-Weapon R dragon SRI
-no muffler, strait pipe
-pioneer headunit
-2 infinity 12 inch kappa perfects with about 400 watts in custom box
-HID headlites and cleared corners
-Mike Ts grill
-other cosmetic things i cant remember

thinking of gettin crank pulleys next and i cant afford rims
o4 SE I4 Lunar mist
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Postby Sparky5e » Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:16 am

Down2TheC nailed it for ragtop owners. FSTB and RSB are a must have.

I would add the CP-E intake after that. Better throttle response, improved mpg and power. If that's not enough it sounds cool too. I wish I had done it sooner.

The other must have is a baseball cap that won't fly off your head and a good pair of shades. The more you have the top down, the more you want to keep it down.

I really want to put the windscreen in next year to help with air buffet at highway speed.
07 SLE Convertable
Blue Streak Metallic
TRD FSTB and RSB, OSB Pedals, OEM Nav, CPE Intake, Stainless sills, "color matching" floor mats
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Postby wkbrdr91 » Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:21 am

I have a coupe and convertible Gen 2 Solara, the convertible DEFINITELY needs a RSB and TRD front strut bar, it handles like a Jeep compared to my solara coupe
2006 Solara Sport
TRD RSB, lip kit, 2 12" Sony sub's, Injen SRI, 18" BBS rims, Tein springs, TRD struts, 5% tint, neons, 5 air horns, 55W low & fog HID's.
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Postby wkbrdr91 » Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:22 am

Down2TheC wrote:Only must do would be the RSB and FSTB. That'll tighten up your ride nicely. The RSB stopped the luxury car roll in the turns. Such a great performance improvement for so little cash.

I shuddered over every bump for 4 years watching the front rattle like an earthquake. Couldn't imagine that a stiffer FSTB would make much difference. But I finally broke down and put one in and was pissed that I didn't do it earlier. Whole different car with just those two mods both under $200. The ragtop benefits much more from the FSTB, so don't let the coupe dudes convince you it's a waste. It's huge for us.

Last, you may want to spend 5 minutes and cut the wire that stops the top when you go over 2 mph. That pissed me off day one so I dug into the electrical diagram and snipped it. Tutorial will show you where to find it.

After that, you just do cosmetics according to your tastes. (and wallet)


Do you have the link to the tutorial your referring to??

I want to snip mine, drives me crazy
2006 Solara Sport
TRD RSB, lip kit, 2 12" Sony sub's, Injen SRI, 18" BBS rims, Tein springs, TRD struts, 5% tint, neons, 5 air horns, 55W low & fog HID's.
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Postby DriDed » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:40 am

KSolara wrote:I got
-RSB
-Tein S-tech springs (woulda gone with the coilovers as DriDed mentioned if I could afford it)
-KYB GR-2 Shocks
-Weapon R dragon SRI
-no muffler, strait pipe
-pioneer headunit
-2 infinity 12 inch kappa perfects with about 400 watts in custom box
-HID headlites and cleared corners
-Mike Ts grill
-other cosmetic things i cant remember

thinking of gettin crank pulleys next and i cant afford rims



You have a straight pipe exhaust setup? The car must be so loud it sets off car alarms. The cops in my town would never give me an easy time if I drive around with that setup. :lol:

I have read reviews where some people don't like the Weapon R intakes because of the fitment and it throws CEL, was it true with yours?
2004 Toyota Solara SE (2az-fe) automatic
+TRD front strut brace
+TRD rear sway bar
+Injen Short ram intake
+Pioneer DEH 2200 UB headunit
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Postby wkbrdr91 » Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:14 pm

DriDed wrote:
KSolara wrote:I got
-RSB
-Tein S-tech springs (woulda gone with the coilovers as DriDed mentioned if I could afford it)
-KYB GR-2 Shocks
-Weapon R dragon SRI
-no muffler, strait pipe
-pioneer headunit
-2 infinity 12 inch kappa perfects with about 400 watts in custom box
-HID headlites and cleared corners
-Mike Ts grill
-other cosmetic things i cant remember

thinking of gettin crank pulleys next and i cant afford rims



You have a straight pipe exhaust setup? The car must be so loud it sets off car alarms. The cops in my town would never give me an easy time if I drive around with that setup. :lol:

I have read reviews where some people don't like the Weapon R intakes because of the fitment and it throws CEL, was it true with yours?


they judge you by money, not what youve done to your car
2006 Solara Sport
TRD RSB, lip kit, 2 12" Sony sub's, Injen SRI, 18" BBS rims, Tein springs, TRD struts, 5% tint, neons, 5 air horns, 55W low & fog HID's.
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Postby wkbrdr91 » Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:27 pm

KSolara wrote:I got
-RSB
-Tein S-tech springs (woulda gone with the coilovers as DriDed mentioned if I could afford it)
-KYB GR-2 Shocks
-Weapon R dragon SRI
-no muffler, strait pipe
-pioneer headunit
-2 infinity 12 inch kappa perfects with about 400 watts in custom box
-HID headlites and cleared corners
-Mike Ts grill
-other cosmetic things i cant remember

thinking of gettin crank pulleys next and i cant afford rims


Do you have a video of your exhaust??
2006 Solara Sport
TRD RSB, lip kit, 2 12" Sony sub's, Injen SRI, 18" BBS rims, Tein springs, TRD struts, 5% tint, neons, 5 air horns, 55W low & fog HID's.
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