So, just out of curiosity, I was wondering what the specs are when it comes to converting a CE or LE 6th gen camry to the SE version? I know some of the cosmetic stuff: grill, wheels, lip kit, fog lights, etc. I am really wondering about the handling and suspension aspect. Are the sway bars what give the SE it's handling characteristics? Are the springs and struts a part of it too?
Appreciate any help/knowledge.

 

A cars handling characteristics depends on many things.

This stated before spending big money the Camry is not a sports car. The SE had different struts and springs, sway bars, stiffer rear suspension bushings, chassis reinforcement to make it stiffer, cosmetic and non-cosmetic trim parts, plus thought a different steering ratio. The result was a car still deemed unimpressive by professional car evaluators. Unless massive changes and money is spent it will never be a sports car.

Suggest if wanting to improve car handling to go another route. There should be after market suspension parts equal or better then what was used on the SE and at lower prices. Toyota Racing Division (TRD) may offer performance parts.

The idea behind a sway bar is to link both sides of the front or rear suspension together with what is really a torsion bar. When the chassis tilts (one side of suspension moves) the bar tries to keep the other at the same level. The bar has each side of the suspension tied in and working against each other in order to stay at about the same height. The larger diameter the bar, in theory the less sway the chassis would have.

Springs and struts are part of handling also. The spring absorbs the reaction of the suspension arm to bumps, the strut dampens what would be a spring oscillation. One can imagine a suspension with only springs and no struts, it would be oscillating all the time. By designing the spring and strut one can change how the suspension reacts.

There is trade off with springs and struts is typically between a firm ride and better handling and a smooth ride and more chassis movement.

Not a suspension expert to any degree but doubt for most street commuter cars one would want a true performance suspension as might feel every bump in the road.

For street cars, tires can be the most important and easiest change. Performance tires grip the road better, have less flex but tend to wear out faster and cost more money (no free lunch here).

A car chassis can be stiffened by adding cross members in the engine compartment, behind rear seat, under car, etc. In stock car racing using a factory chassis the spot welding of chassis parts is supplemented with normal welding to tie all sheet metal parts together better and prevent flexing between parts.

Thus a stiff chassis, stiff suspension, a chassis lower to road also helps as it lowers the center of gravity and the chassis sways less. Building performance cars is a science and art, and costs a lot of money, the result being for street cars even if spending the money the ride may be so firm as to be harsh but the car would handle well.

But back to your car. Suggest you can improve it performance but not turn it into a handling machine. You can change the struts and springs, perhaps larger diameter sway bars, there may be a cross member for the engine compartment, perhaps polyurethane bushings which are stiffer (and may make noise) and of course tires.

Do some research on cars suspension systems. Toyota has a TRD website. Read all you can before spending money keeping in mind the car is not a sports car. Toyota and other performance parts makers are in business to sell parts and make money. Normal street driving is not like on a race track (especially when talking about brake systems and spending $$) as such come up with a plan within a budget that is reasonable. And expect reasonable results not miracles.

 

Thanks for the awesome write up, Joey! I always appreciate your input and knowledge. Not a suspension expert?! Ha, you sure sound like you know what you are talking about!
I agree that my Camry will never be a super car in any sense but if I can squeeze a little more fun into it... Of course not at the cost of huge dollars. I have seen a Megan front upper strut tower bar on ebay for $100 so I might start there. Performance struts and springs might be the next step but nothing crazy. I had a VW Corrado G60 that I put performance struts and springs in and that thing would hug the corners! I would also know it if I ran over a mouse turd! I have also seen TRD lowering springs but I always wonder about using lowering springs with stock struts, just doesn't seem right to me.
Speaking of tires and wheels, I recently got a set of factory aluminum wheels for my car to replace the steel ones. Is there a weight savings there? I know lighter wheels turn easier than heavy ones. Any idea?
I know that you have heard this before, but I appreciate your answers and advice.
Thanks!

 

So, I just weighed my factory aluminum 16x7 wheels and they weigh in at 21.2 lbs. Any ideas about what the stock steel ones weighed? I know not to expect some miracle from lighter wheels, especially when they are probably only about 4-5 pounds lighter but I am curious.

 

Rim with tire?

Amazon states shipping weight of a 16 x 6.5 Camry steel rim is 12 lbs.

 

Nope, just rim. No tire. I doubt a steel wheel only weighs 12 lbs. Does that seem right to you? Maybe my scale is off too, it's for weighing people and is electronic.
I weighed just the rim again and got the same figure of 21.2 lbs. I did weigh a factory steel wheel with tire mounted on it and it came to 46.6 lbs. I think Amazon's shipping weight figures are off. A tire/wheel weights/valve stem/TPM sensor cannot add up to 34.6 lbs.!