Suspension Stiffness Question
 

Hello, Everyone:

I have a '98 Camry LE. My suspension is pretty worn out, especially in the rear. In the front, the car hits on every parking space curb etc. and it's cupping the front tires. The back has almost no resistance when I press down on it and it'll bounce once.

My wife is now in a power wheelchair and we need to be able to transport it so I purchased a Drawtite hitch and installed it. In order to get the electric lift to attach to the hitch, I had to install a 1¼" to 2" adapter which brings the lift about another foot away from the car. So there's quite a bit of leverage happening there. The lift weighs about 80 lbs. and the chair weighs about 200 lbs. So nearly 300 lbs. a foot or so away from the car.

When I tried this, the car was nearly on the ground in the back and the lift and hitch were scraping anytime there was a level change, like a driveway or the like.

My question is, if I buy standard replacement springs and struts, should the car be able to hold this weight up higher (or at a usable height), or will this likely not make much difference?

Are there any other options out there for lifting or stiffening up the rear a bit?

Thanks in advance!

-Jonathan