I am debating trading my '98 Accord Coupe for an '07 Camry LE, and I am curious about how I could modify the Camry LE to improve its "family car" handling. There are 3 main questions:

1) Is it pointless to modify a Camry with stability control? (ie: Does the system include a speed sensor input, or does it control only on pitch and yaw?)

2) How long does it take TRD to release parts for a new generation Camry? So far, all that I have seen available are 18" wheels.

3) (Maybe redundant to 2) Is there a rear struct brace available to compensate for the one used in the SE, but lacking in the XLE and LE?


Please, no responses advising that I look at the SE instead. I will not buy a car with fake aero skirts and a fake spoiler. The bolt-on aero garbage is just dead weight on a street car.

 

First, I wouldn't start with the LE model. Get the SE it will handle much better with less body roll and stiffer suspension. I'm not sure about te 07's but on my 02' SE came with bilstein struts, stiffer springs, strut tower brace, thicker & stiffer anti-sway bars. Mine came from Japan with a 5sp. Plus on the 07's the SE makes 268 HP with the 3.5 v6.

 

Well, obviously you missed the last sentence in my message. I will not buy anthing as ugly as the SE with silly "aerodynamic" styling addendums.

The V6 LE and the the V6 SE have the same exact 268 HP 3.5L engine.

The SE includes 17" alloy wheels, but these are a waste of money to me, because I planned on replacing them with 18" wheels anyway.

 

Can you get a SE without the spoiler and ground effects? I only recomended it because it would be cheaper than buying the parts seperate and having them installed, these parts come from the factory so they're an exact fit and in the event of a loss, the insurance company would automatically replace them. On most standard auto policies, the customization limit is $1500. I encountered this when my 96' was totalled and the 18's,big brakes, intake, exhaust system, dvd monitors, amps speakers, and HID's weren't covered because I didn't have the policy endorsed for those additions. I was looking at it from an insurance agent's point of view. no offense.

 

Thanks for the advice concerning insurance.

I am starting to think that it may be better just to wait for the '08 Accord. Honda could probably match the '07 Camry's performance if they go with the 260-hp 3.2L V6 they used in the Acura CL a few years ago.

Aside: Of course, the old Acura engine may not produce a real "260 hp". Both Honda and Toyota got caught cheating on HP claims last year by the SAE. The Acura TL is down from 270 to 254. The new Accord engine was supposed to rate at 250, not 244. The Solara is now down to 210 from 225. The 268-hp engine in the Camry was advertised as 280-hp last year (The Avalon and V6 Camry use the same engine.)