Having been a car enthusiast since my teenage years I’ve always loved modified cars. Whilst at work the other day I enjoyed reminiscing about the cars that where dream cars when I was 17, the likes of Vauxhall Nova SR’s and Renault 5 GT’s. I remember flicking through the pages of Max Power and Redline looking at the lowered ride heights and polished engines, dreaming of what could be achieved. Well, the day came to buy my first car. After several conversations with insurance companies I soon realised that having anything with more power than a sit-on lawnmower was going to be difficult. It came to be then that my first car was a Mk 1 Seat Ibiza, with an engine that weighed in at under 1ltr and that sounded like an asthmatic weasel when trying to climb all but the flattest of hills. Oh dear. However all was not lost. It was my car, my ticket to the open road and my small income fuelled by stocking shelves enabled me to kit it out with a sub and good cassette player (showing my age here). It also let me sit in the drive way, mug of tea at my side and dream of what could be.
After several months of ownership, several near collisions, a complete break line failure and the thought of wheezing up another hill, I decided to move the car on. I then luckily managed to convince my mum to allow me to drive her green, stock Fiat Punto (which in comparison felt like a super car!).
Fast forward 10 years and I have become the proud owner of a Gen 7 Toyota Celica which I love and still own. With owning a good new car (in my opinion, I know haters are gonna hate) and finally having a steady income, suddenly the opportunity to do more than just add fluffy dice and hub caps presented it’s self.
Lowering the car was always a priority and after literally years of research on the Celica forum and other Google searches landed me at the door of purchasing a set of Apex lowering springs. The Apex springs promised to lower the car by 35mm and only cost around £100. This compared to the offerings from Eibach, which lower the car around 30mm and cost nearer £200 seemed a sensible choice. Others I considered where the TTE springs which where fitted as standard to the Celica GT model, but again meant spending more money.
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| Apex lowering Springs |
I ordered my springs from Camskill, which I was reliably informed where the most price competitive. After getting a call from a house mate that they had arrived, I had the fun of waiting till the end of the working day to get home and eagerly open the tear open the box (by which I mean carefully open the box, but that sounded less dramatic).
As you can see from the image, the Apex springs arrived well packaged in a branded box. There was an initial panic, as I could only see three springs inside. However, I then found the fourth rear spring neatly wrapped in foam and inside a front spring.
Yellow in colour they certainly looked the part and although some are put off by them not being black I was assured that once fitted you’d only see them if you buried your head under the arch. The yellow covering also looked reassuringly durable, being a coating of what I assume is a flexible plastic substance.
While many people are happy to fit there own lowering springs, I’m ashamed to admit that I’m incompetent with a spanner. After a few calls around the local garages, I found PR Motors where the best on price. I had also spoken to a friend who owns a Celica and they have carried out regular servicing etc…to what he believed was a high standard. I left my car there before work on the morning and received a call at 15:00 to say they where finished and ready. On arrival I found my car waiting for me outside and after settling the bill they gave me the box contacting my old springs, which look very long in the tooth (again see picture).
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| Original Toyota Celica Springs |
I have to admit that when I looked into lowering my car I was concerned that the springs would adversely effect the handling, by making the ride overly harsh. Speaking with friends on the Celica forum did put my mind at rest and at the end of the day I though I could always put the old springs back on.
So then, looking at the car my first impressions where fantastic. The car sat so much flatter across its wheels and looked more aggressive and sporty. After getting in the car and driving out of the business park my smile began to widen even further. This is what I’d read about for all those years, the cornering was brilliant. Even on rough and bouncy roads the Apex springs gave me confidence to drive in a lively manner. No excessive body roll and no detached feeling from the wheels.
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| Fitted Rear Apex Suspension Spring |
I’ve had the spring fitted now for around 6 months now and don’t regret the change what so ever. In fact I’d do it again in heart beat. The only other thing worth mentioning though is that I had to change insurance companies as I was previously with More Than and they don’t insure modified cars. Again on the advice of other Celica Club members, I switched Sky insurance. Not only was there customer service fantastic (I think the customer service chap was called Sam?) coupled with a competitive price made the deal all the sweeter. A further plus point was the club discount I received further lowered the price.
It has taken me around 12 years to buy a car and begin considered modifications, but the wait has been well worth it. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these springs to Celica drivers and if there as good as they are in my Toyota your certainly in for a treat.
