I'm constantly flooded with e-mails and IMs asking the same questions (mainly about my car and my mods as you can tell). To make things a little easier for myself, I've decided to make this FAQ page to hopefully answer some of those questions. I'll keep updating it as the questions keep coming in.

How do you know so much about modding? Why a Corolla instead of a Civic or a better car? Will disabling my DRL also kill my automatic headlights? If I pay you, can you make me a set of angel eyes? How did you replace the front grill with mesh? What's a Dremel? What type of paint did you use for your interior? Do you have to user primer when painting the interior? What type of paint did you use on your engine? Which is better? Duplicolor or Plasti-kote? Do you have any other painting tips? Do I need 4 gauge wire when regrounding my engine? Can I lower one end of my car to remove the fender gap? Can I cut my springs or use clamps to lower my car? Where did you buy your (insert car part here)? Where can I find parts to turbo my Corolla? I have an overdrive button. Can I use any shiftknob? Do you have any problems sucking up water with a CAI? How do I install an AEM bypass valve on my CAI. Do I need to replace my struts if I lower my car? What performance gains did you feel with X part?

How do you know so much about modding?

I do a lot of online research and talk to people on AIM. I also hop around to other car message boards and read other peoples posts. If I find something I like, I investigate it further online.


Why a Corolla instead of a Civic or a better car?

Actually, I originally wanted a Civic. After finding out my insurance company wanted over $3500 a year for me to drive one, I went with a Corolla instead. In the long run, I'm happy I chose what I did. Too many people own and mod Civics, so having a modded Corolla is a little more unique. Also, if not for my Corolla, I may not have met some of my friends I know today.


Will disabling my DRL also kill my automatic headlights?

Yes, if you disable one, you disable both. You'll simply switch your headlights over to manual mode by disabling your DRLs. If you install higher wattage bulbs, you'll want DRL disabled to prolong the life of your bulbs. If you install HIDs, you'll need to disable DRL or else you'll fry your ballasts.


If I pay you, can you make me a set of angel eyes?

Sorry, but I can't. I have to shape the rings to fit the curve of the hi-beam since it's an odd shape, which means I would need an extra set of headlights. It's also very time consuming. I haven't even bothered replacing my set after my car got backed into and my headlights with my angel eyes were destroyed.


How did you replace the front grill with mesh?

I used a Dremel to cut the grill out, then fit a piece of mesh grill behind the opening. The mesh is actually held in place on it's own without the aid of zipties, but you can ziptie it if you need to. You can either buy the mesh at an import shop or use the gutter mesh from Home Depot, which looks just as good if done right.


What's a Dremel?

It's a small rotary tool that has several different attachements. Amongst them is a cutting wheel which can be used to cut even metal and a sanding wheel. You can also use it as a drill or attach a router piece and cut out shapes from wood, fiberglass, and even carbon fiber. You can buy a Dremel with a decent amount of attachments for around $40 at Lowes or Home Depot.


What type of paint did you use for your interior?

I recommend Plasti-kote's vinyl paint for the soft vinyl surfaces and Krylon fusion for the plastic. You can use Krylon fusion on the vinyl as well, but you have to make sure you do very light coats and make sure it dries inbetween, otherwise the paint may remain tacky indefinitely. Keep in mind that the paint will easily scratch and possible peel off for the first couple of days until it's cured.


Do you have to user primer when painting the interior?

If you're painting vinyl, then no. If you're painting plastic pieces Krylon fusion, no as well. All you need to do is lightly sand the plastic to remove any gloss or shine, clean the surface well to remove any oil or silicone and then paint. If you're painting with something other than Krylon fusion, then you will need to prime it. Let the primer dry according to directions on the can before applying paint. Dupli-color makes a special adheasion promoting primer for plastic that works great.


What type of paint did you use on your engine?

Both Duplicolor and Plasti-kote make high temperature engine paints. Both work great, it's just a matter of which company has the color you want. Plasti-kote also carries and even higher temperature paint for use on headers.


Which is better? Duplicolor or Plasti-kote?

I prefer Plasti-kote over Duplicolor any day. Their paint matches the stock car colors best and the quality seems better. If you have access to a compressor and paint gun (use a gravity feed type), then go to a paint shop and have them mix up a can for the best quality and color matching results.


Do you have any other painting tips?

First off, only paint when it's at least 60F out (I recommend 70F) and the weather is dry. Humidity will mess up the paint and will make glossy finishes look dull. Also, don't paint directly in the sun, especially on a dark surface. When painting, hold the can at least 6 to 12 inches away and spray smoothly and steadily accross your object. Spray back and forth, overlapping the previous coat each time. Be sure you start spraying before you move the can over the object and don't let go until after you finish your pass. This is to make sure the paint is coming out of the can at an even rate to avoid accidental runs. If the object you're painting is oddly shaped, paint the hard to reach areas first. It's important to wait the recommended time listed on the can between full coats (usually 20 minutes) before doing the next one. Last, make sure you put whatever you've painted in a well ventilated area so that it can dry and cure properly.


Do I need 4 gauge wire when regrounding my engine?

Yes, you need to use at least 4 gauge or bigger. If you reground using anything less, you've defeated the purpose. You can find some relatively inexpensive 4 gauge wire at any audio shop. Make sure you get copper wire and terminals.


Can I lower one end of my car to remove the fender gap?

It's normal for the front fender gap to be bigger than the rear. Toyota designed it that way so the tires wouldn't rub against the fender if the wheel was turned when going over a big bump. I wouldn't recommend just lowering the front to make the gaps equal. Lowering springs and coil overs where designed to be used all the way around the car, and not just on one end or the other. You're back end will be very loose, while the front is stiff. This may cause you to spin out if you're not too careful. If the gap really bothers you, you can try putting in a pair of coil spring spacers in the rear or spend the extra money and get coilovers. If you want to maintain decent ride quality, try ordering a pair of stiff TRD stock height springs from Japan for the back and use Eibach, Intrax, or another similar quality lowering spring for the front. You can check with ToySport about ordering the TRD springs.


Can I cut my springs or use clamps to lower my car?

Never cut your springs or use clamps as a means to lower your car. Springs were designed to have a certain stiffness matched up with the length of the spring and the amount of travel your car will move up and down. If you cut a spring, not only will your ride get worst, but the car will still want to travel the same distance up and down on a shorter spring. This means that your car will most likely bottom out, which may even lead to you having an accident. Also, heating up the spring when cutting it will alter it's stiffness and you could end up having a set of uneven springs. Just go out and buy a set of Eibachs or Teins for around $200. Try to stay away from the cheap eBay springs such as DropZones.


Where did you buy your (insert car part here)?

Clear Corners: If you're not down with buying parts on eBay, you can call Motortrendz in Washington at 509-466-2218 if you want a set. I'm not sure what the cost is right now, but it ranges anywhere from $39 to $49 and only cost me $5 shipping from one side of the Country to the other.

Carbon Fiber Hood: My current hood I got directly from VIS Racing. They can be a really slow with shipping out the hood, but it's worth it. Be sure you have the hood shipped to where you'll be during the day. I had mine shipped to my work so I could inspect it for any possible damages before accepting it.

Cold Air Intake: I got my intake on special for $180 from E.L. Prototypes. They are the only company that makes a CAI for the VVTi equiped '01 and '02 Corollas. Some companies claim their intake will work, but they lack the extra hole for the MAF sensor in their designs. Also, OBX claims to have a CAI available, but they don't.

AEM Underdrive Pulley I got the underdrive pulley from Options Auto Salon. You won't find a listing for the Corolla '98 - '02 Corolla. Get the one listed for the '00 - '02 Celica GT instead.

TRD Lip Kit and Wing: I got the last two kits from a Toyota dealership through one of their auctions on eBay. You're best bet on finding them anymore is on the Corolla message forums.

TRD Exhaust: I got my TRD exhaust for $315 shipped from West Covina Toyota. I used a promotional code for the (now defunct) car club I was in at the time to get a discount. I recommend trying Toyota Territory if you want to order one.

Weapon R Ultra Strut Bar: The website where I bought my strut bar dissapeared from the online world a while back. I've haven't found anywhere else that sells it. I have since then replaced it with the TRD strut bar. That can be found at Toyota Territory as well.

Intax Springs: This online store is also gone. You might have to check around on the Intrax Suspension website for an online or local dealer.

KYB GR-2 Struts: Yet another website that's no longer around. They had the best prices on the GR-2 struts that I've seen to date. Discount Tires Direct has some pretty good prices for struts, as well as fast shipping and good customer service.

Rims and Tires: I only deal with Wheel Max or Discount Tires Direct when buying rims and tires online. The latter has the best customer service in my opinion, but they're both excellent places for buying rims and tires.

Triple Gauge Pod Pillar I got the second to last one from VTECH-KILLER on VVTi.net. The pillar holds 2-1/16" sized gauges.

Everything Else: About 90% of the things I have for my car I got on eBay or through eBay in one way or another. This includes my underbody kit, my GT wing, my TRD lip kit, my TOM'S sideskirts, my M3 mirrors, my Brembo rotors, my TRD floor mats, my reverse Indiglo gauges, my pillar pod gauges, my shift knob, my leather boot, my Dynamat, and a few other things. Just be careful because a lot of the stuff that people are selling are crap.


Where can I find parts to turbo my Corolla?

eManage: MOHD Parts

Widebands, ESC1 Signal Conditioner and O2 Simulators: Underdog Racing Developement

Gauges and Other Accessories: Summit Racing

Fuel Injectors: Fiveo-Motorsport

Fuel Pumps: Auto Performance Engineering

High Volume Oil Pumps, Valves: Import Performance Parts

Oil Line Kits and Block Fittings: Stealth Mode Performance

Dual Chamber Oil Catch Cans: Saikou Michi Co

Vacuum Manifolds and Other Accessories: Tuner Toyz

Turbos and Intercoolers: Precision Turbo

Turbo Manifolds: JGS Precision

Pistons, Rods, Sleeves, Valve Springs, ARP Studs, etc.: Monkey Wrench Racing

Clamps, Fittings, Flanges, Gaskets, Vacuum Hoses, etc.: ATP Turbo

K&N Air Filters: Martel Brothers

Silicone Couplers: Sport Hoses

Stainless Steel and Aluminum Piping: Burns Stainless

MAF Sensor Flange and Exhaust Flanges: PPE Engineering

Exhausts: Hott Exhaust

Transmission Coolers: TransPartsHouse

Torque Converters: Level 10

Ground Wire Kits: Ground Fusion

Anything Else (With Careful Research): eBay


I have an overdrive button. Can I use any shiftknob?

You can use almost any automatic transmission shift knob on your car if you simply relocate the overdrive button. Just check my DIY pages on how to do that.


Do you have any problems sucking up water with a CAI?

I did hydrolock the engine once, but that was in extremely torrential rain. I didn't realize how flooded the road was until it was too late. Just avoid driving through deep puddles. If you do, go slow and be easy on the gas and you should be okay. If you're still paranoid, buy an AEM bypass valve.


How do I install an AEM bypass valve on my CAI.

You'll need to cut a small portion out of the intake for this to fit. The best place is a few inches just before the throttle body. I recommend using a pipe cutter to do this. It looks like a chain with several cutting wheels on it.


Do I need to replace my struts if I lower my car?

If your struts are still very new, then you can get away with using them for a few months. If you've been driving on them for more than a year or you're the kind of person that doesn't slow down much when going over speed bumps, then save up your money and pick up a set of new struts before installing your springs. Unless you're doing the installation yourself, it will cost you at least $80 to install the springs, then another $80 when you go to replace your struts. The problem with stock struts is that they weren't designed to be continuously compressed, which is what happens when you lower your car. You're ride will suffer greatly once they blow and it's possible that you can loose traction on a turn and possibly spin out. I drove a car with 6 year old stock struts when I spun out going around a slight curve at only 40 MPH and slammed into a tree. Just take a look at the Geo Prizm picture on my Inicidents pictures page.


What performance gains did you feel with X part?

Since I didn't Dyno my car (not availble at the time as well as costly), all I can give you are my general impressions of my very early mods.

Easy Custom RAI: I did this mod when it was still warm out, so I definitely felt a gain over the stock setup since I was pulling in air from outside the engine bay.

Better Custom RAI: The gains from this setup were better than the previous intake mod since there were less bends and a more consistant pipe diameter. Many people are still using this design, which works best on cars without stock foglights.

E.L. Prototypes CAI: I wasn't expecting to feel much gain with this over my Better Custom RAI, but I was wrong. I could feel the power above 3000 RPMS and my acceleration was a lot smoother.

Ported Intake Manifold: The gains from this were very minor. If I port matched the intake to the head and did the same with the exhaust manifold, I'm sure the gains would be better. The problem with port matching the intake is that the welds are on the inside and block the flow of air, so the diameter around the welds would be smaller than where it connects to the head. You would need to reweld the intake on the outside before porting out the welds on the inside to better match the diameter on the openings of the head. If you don't, you'll weaken the welds too much that the intake will split apart.

AEM Power Pulley Kit: This was a dissapointment in terms of expected gains. I was very small unless I had the AC pulley bypassed. A full pulley set including the crank pulley would be better. If you're running a system in the car, you'll need to reground the engine or you'll notice a decrease in your electrical systems performance.

Regrounded Engine: This raises your torque and HP a little and after getting my ground wire design redone and made by Ground Fusion, I can definitely feel tell the difference. I did use my voltmeter and could tell that my electrical system works more efficiently now. My wideband also shows the engine adjusting back to the proper AFR quicker when letting off the gas. Also, my headlights no longer dim when my bass hits, my idle is smoother, and I gained about 20+ miles to a tank due to increased fuel economy.

2.25" Custom Cat-back Piping: A little low end was lost, but I did notice a little more gain in the high end RPMs. My TRD exahust got a little louder, but deep tone was unaffected.

TRD Exhaust: As with the cat-back piping, I gained a little high end power at the expense of my low end. I had tried using a generic hi-flow exhaust before this, and it made me regret not going with the TRD in the first place.

Intrax Springs and KYB GR-2 struts: The ride quality was a little more harsh because I could feel the road more. I actually prefer it this way because along with a good set of tires, I feel more in control of the car and it's easier to feel the break away point of the tires when going around curves. Also, during sudden acceleration, the car doesn't dip backwards so no power is lost. Braking is also improved as the car doesn't dip forward since the momentum is better absorbed when stopping suddenly.

Brembo cross-drilled/gas slotted rotors: After going easy with them for the first few hundred miles (the break in period), I was able to put them to a test when I had to suddenly stop in the fast lane on the highway for a State Trooper who pulled someone over in the middle of my lane without having his lights on. The cars in front of me all had to swerve out of the lane, but I couldn't since there were cars in the lane next to me. The only option I had was to hit the brakes and pray the new rotors made a difference. I was shocked and relieved at the shortened stopping distance (I had done previous test with my stock rotors before installing the new ones).

Weapon-R Strut Bar: This was my first mod that I did. The cornering of my car was greatly improved with the strut bar installed, even though I was still running on stock springs and struts. After getting replacing my stock tires with new ones, I gave it the true test by burning rubber going around curves at 90 MPH. It was very scarry and exciting at the same time. My car handled all three curves without me feeling like I was going to loose control. It's definitely something I would never ever do again.

205/40/17 Pirelli P7000 Super Sport Tires: These are some of the best tires I've used. Traction with them is amazing in both wet and dry conditions. You can feel the breakaway point pretty well when going around curves. Also, when we had the blizzard roll through Maryland, I was able to drive through the 4" deep snow (before I got my body kit) without any problems.

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