Toyota Solara

radracer · March 2001

Tokico has a performance struts for the Solara. The ride isn't that much worse than stock but handles better and rides smoother. Try cyberauto.com or you can buy the TRD struts

2k1trd · March 2001

Try wiping down the rubber moldings with some silicon spray...works great and keeps the rubbers soft also preventing leakage.

denniswade · March 2001

that will significantly improve the handling. By the way, you can order the car that way straight from the dealer -- TRD parts are considered factory parts, and are covered under warranty. A wheel and tire upgrade will make a tremendous difference as well.

bwiebe · March 2001

I have about 7,000 miles on my Solara and have the Ivory color interior with leather seats. I have noticed small black marks on the rear of the seat cushion on the drivers seat. At first I thought I had some grease or something on my pants when I sat in the car but more marks are showing up. Also have noticed small cracks in the perforated leather seating area. The side bolsters also have two rather large and pronounced creases. I'm a little concerned that this type of wear is showing up with such low mileage on the car. Bought it in Dec/00 as a Demo. Any ideas? Should I bring this back to the dealer and ask them to replace the drivers seat or is this what I can expect from leather (first car with leather seats).

ral2167 · March 2001

your black leather belt must be scraping the leather as you sit down in the seat--- i have ivory leather too and don't get these marks....start wearing a canvas belt...or suspenders.

bwiebe · March 2001

thanks, but not likely. I've worn a winter coat since buying the car and besides the black marks are on the seat cushion, not on the back of the seat where a belt might rub.

ajhedrick · April 2001

Has anyone else noticed that the Solara gets a horrible wind noise right around 95mph? My window starts seperating from the molding and literally fluttering right beside my head. This is something I would expect from a Ford not a Toyota. Also, does anyone know if the top-end is governed? She gets to around 126mph but cannot tell if she is just out of breath or being held back. I find myself frequently bombing down I-10 at speeds of 100+ so this is a relevant issue for my daily driving. I must say she handles quite well at 120mph despite the window noise. 2000 SE v6 auto.

cliffy1 · April 2001

Well, I haven't ever contemplated driving a car like this at 100+, but I would suspect it is governed. Most cars are governed to max out at the extreme of the tire rating.

With a frameless window, I'm sure that 95 mile and hour winds will cause some flutter. Maybe you could keep it at a more sedate 92 or so. You might live longer as well.

ral2167 · April 2001

i agree with cliffy.... keep it around 92mph and you'll have less window flutter. i was driving my solara around 95 mph once and noticed the the Toyota emblem that was on my grill was now fluttering up against my windshield, creating a rat-a-tat sound....i lowered my speed back down to the speed limit of 65 and the emblem returned to its original position. my mudguards also returned to the fender well position, as they had been trailing my solara by 50 feet (approx) at the 95 mph speed; i looked through my rear view mirror and wondered why a trailing Honda Accord coupe had Toyota mud guards. once i lowered my speed back to 65, my mudguards returned.

all this can probably be re-created in a road runner cartoon.

cliffy1 · April 2001

LOL!

2k1trd · April 2001

I'm pretty sure the computer shuts the fuel off at 130 mph.The limit is usuallly set by the speed rating of the tires wich is 130 (H rated)

dberti · April 2001

If you are interested in joining some fellow Carry and Solar owners check out this link.

We are trying to raise the number of participants in our group buy to get a better price.

Check out some links

https://www.toyotaparts4u.com/group_buy_form.htm

http://www.toyotaparts4u.com/

solar_&_carry_supercharger.htm

http://www.toyotaparts4u.com/try_price.htm

Please help us and join in the purchase. I have personally driven a friend's supercharged one.

Pretty fast. Will keep up with a lot of cars costing much more...

scsolara · April 2001

While racing a Chevy Impala, my car cut out at 132. Unfortunately, he did not have a governor and kept going. I was a good distance ahead of him, but due to my car cutting out at 132, he finally passed me. 2000 SE V-6 5spd (17 in rims and tires)

denniswade · April 2001

maybe he saved you from a massive speeding ticket!

kwyllie · April 2001

...and a night in jail and a suspended license for racing.

hydrozz · April 2001

i've only gone 110+ in my car but it doesn't exibit the window fluttering like u said. the thing im trying to watch out of is this horrible alignment thats pulls my car to the left! 2 alignments since i bought my 2001 se in november and no results...disappointing =(

hud116222 · April 2001

Just ordered a SE V-6 with 5 speed and all options available. Thanks to all who offered advice and especially to Edmunds. I got the car at just a little over TMV from a dealership that is traditionally extremely difficult to deal with.

Still have a couple questions- what has everyone else done concerning CD changer upgrade?

Is Zaino the way to go concerning exterior and interior leather care?

99solara · April 2001

Do you have the Bridgestones? I feel like these less than adequate tires have something to do with this.

denniswade · April 2001

Change em, and you should have no more problems.

99solara · April 2001

Anyone have good or bad experiences with the Yokohama DB or Dunlop 5000? Bye bye Bridgestones (-:

ajhedrick · April 2001

That sucks about the alignment. Those Bridgestone tires blow chunks I wouldn't drive even 90 on anything Bridgestone/Firestone makes.

I got my car with the 16" Michelins and they have been GREAT. Smooth as glass at 125 with 26k miles on the car. No left pull or anything.

I think the window flutter may be based on which direction the wind is blowing (duh). I didn't have the flutter problem yesterday.. we get quite a bit of crosswinds here on the gulf coast.

I'm not sure the automatic would go more than 130 with no govoner anyway.

denniswade · April 2001

which is the sister brand of Dunlop, and is exactly the same tire at about 2/3 the price. I have 205/16x45s on mine, and they're quiet, smooth and stick like glue (I have the full TRD suspension as well). Tire Rack has a comparison test of the Sumis with some of its competitors -- worth a look.

westsolara · April 2001

just installed the wood dash kit from exotic wooddash.com
on my Solar and it looks great. I bit expensive (211.00 with shipping costs) but
it is only paper and it will be there for a few years.

radracer · April 2001

This is a way better tire if you're looking for performance.

decon · April 2001

Has anyone had the problem of going over bumpy roads and hearing a squeeking sound?

luthor1 · April 2001

Care to post the picts of the wood? I'm planning on getting the 8 piece kit toyota offers, could go for the 15 piece kit though be nice to see how exoticwood looks on the solara.

denniswade · April 2001

Are you running the Yokos now? What did they cost? I thought they were a bit on the pricey side. Sumitomos and Kumhos are about the best performance values out there right now, according to Tire Rack and the message boards I've been reading.

westsolara · April 2001

westsolara · April 2001

be glad to post them.. tell me how.... .

trd81 · April 2001

i wanted to get two 3' dual tip mufflers on my solara similar to a corvette look and have them rerouted to the center of the rear bumper and eventually i am going to get a trd kit, anyone agree that this would look nice and do you think i might lose any performance by doing this? anyone know the cheapest place to get a solara trd kit w/ wheels and lower kit? thanks

99solara · April 2001

While I do not know the performance impact of this modification I would think that the appearance is a personal thing. Try going to http://www.camryman.org Many people at this site modify their Camry / Solara.

jrays · April 2001

decon: My passenger seat squeaks too. It only does it when no one's riding in it and it only happens on bumpy roads. Otherwise my Solara is dead quiet, even over bumps. If I place my hand on the corner of the seat and apply a little pressure, it stops.

Solution: My squeak turned out to be the release handle that you pull on to make the seat slide up and back. Since the noise only happened when the seat was all the way back and empty, I slid the seat up just one notch and the noise went away. Now it doesn't make any squeaks at all.

I could take it too the dealer, but it's such a minor thing and I don't want them to end up making it worse.

Give it a try and let me know if this works for you.

hydrozz · April 2001

decon: i also had the squeaking problem but it was on the driver side. everytime u put pressure it would make a sound but i took it to the dealer and they said it was a foam piece rubbing on the fframe of the seat, give them an hour on it and it should be as good as new

ajhedrick: i have the michelins also but these tires blow! i've only had my car for 5k+ and it starts to squeel under hard turns to the left. my only guess is that the alignment screwed up my tires but even after 2 times at the dealer, they cant get it fixed so i guess im gonna have to live w/ it

all: has anyone tried putting on 18 inch wheels on their ride?? i'm really interested in getting 18's but i don't know if they'll fit or not. the only tire size i can see using are is 225 40/18. what are your guys thoughts???

dardson1 · April 2001

I won't bore you with the details, but I've had as many of the gotta-have cars over the last 16 years as the law and my budget allows (1 BMW, 2 Volvos, 3 Mercedes, 2 Cadillacs). I have never driven anything any better all-around as my wife's 2000 Solara XLE. It is very quick, amazingly quiet, and unbelievably smooth. The exterior styling is a little dull but how else is Toyota gonna get you over to the Lexus dealer if they make the thing too pretty? Also, Toyota is a little stingy with interior lights (come on Toyota, no glove box, window, or overhead button lights on a 29k car?} I guess they know what they're doing. I'll probably bump up to a Lexus next time, just so I can get the normal stuff I expect on an expensive automobile.

decon · April 2001

Jrays- You were right about the problem. Yesterday I put the seat up a tad and no sounds.

Thanks for the re-assurance

denniswade · April 2001

I understand your feelings about the stock exterior -- try the TRD body kit and lowering springs. That oughta rock your socks!

automophile · April 2001

hud116222 -
For the outside, Zaino is in ONLY way to go if you care about your car and it's appearance. Formerly very skeptical, I can never go back to wax. Now it has been about 6 months, and I feel it's time to re-Z the cars. With wax it was every 30-60 days! Here's a shot of my Solara, reflected in the side of a 4-year old Accord, only Z'd recently for the first time.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1016688&a=9788935&p=32461561

For the interior, I have not tried the Z products, but I have been very happy for many years with Lexol on the leather twice a year, and Lemon Pledge in between for everything - plastic, vinyl, wood, chrome and leather. Try it!

phatnastycat · April 2001

I have heard of the Zaino products, but I don't know anything about them. What makes it different from wax/polish and how easy is it to apply?
Thanks-
PNC

denniswade · April 2001

I used that stuff every Saturday on my cars when I lived in Michigan. Not only does it clean film off your interior surfaces, it leaves a nice sheen that smells like lemon -- the perfrect cure for car-atosis!

ral2167 · April 2001

zaino is easy to apply--
if interested, email me (address in profile) and i can email pics of my solara with zaino-- tell you what you need to do.

automophile · April 2001

Zaino is not a wax, it is a polymer. If you clay your car before polishing (you should anyway) to make it glass smooth, the Zaino just wipes on and off - takes me about 20 minutes to do the Solara. Because it's not a wax, it lasts longer and gives better protection as well as shine. The more you put on, the shinier it gets, unlike waxes. I was VERY skeptical and followed the Zaino forum here for a year before trying it, now will never use wax again. There are several Z products to be used in different combinations, so it may seem expensive to buy all the items you need, but you use VERY little - I still have about 20% left after doing 2 cars for a year - so the actual cost per application is less than most waxes. Check out the Zaino forum here, and also go to www.zainobros.com.

gpolt · April 2001

I feel certain that the V6 will be upgraded to the ES300/Avalon vvti engine (more up, torque, and further miles before tune-ups), and am guessing that the 4 Cyl will be replaced with the standard 2.4l 4 Cyl found in the Highlander. Toyota has admitted that all of its vehicles for 2002 will have vvti technology standard. I believe I also read that the Solara will get some updating in the front and rear fascia.

nori10 · April 2001

My solara's brakes are very weak in the morning right after I start my engine (cause the power brakes are pressured by the engine runnuing I guess) but it takes my solara around 4-5 minutes for the brakes to actually kick in. When stopping in red lights I have to firmly press my brake pedals or it will go forward, or is it just the the engine is still on HIGH idle and wanting to go forward? or I'm I just paranoid? any comment would be appreciated.
I also want to know if anyone in this forum has changed their brake pads to trd ones or any other,and if it actually makes a difference in stopping performance?
Thanks!
SEV6

glenglo · April 2001

Is there a Lexus engine in the 2001 SLE V6 ? I think the salesman told me it has. Thanks

nrl76 · April 2001

The 2001 Solara SLE Engine is a 3.0 L 24 Valve DOHC V6 engine that is found in the Camry. Though it has a different exhaust system so it has more Horse Power and Torque.
200 HP and 214 lb-ft of torque
198 HP and 212 lb-ft of torque in CA.

The Lexus 3L V6 engine is a VVTi engine (Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence) This engine has 210 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque.

I have read that this is the engine that might grace the Solara and Camry in '02.

Neil
'99 SLE
Red\Gray
29K miles

radracer · April 2001

Word is that the Camry will receive the 2.4L 155hp engine and the SE will get the 180hp 4cyl from the Celica. As for the V6, it will be the VVTi version found in the Lexus ES300. This engine is said to make 215hp.

solara11 · April 2001

He Hydrozz, try asking a tire place to flip, or invert the tire, so the outside will now be on the inside. It helped very much in my car. The Michilen can go on any which way, unlike some tires, like the Aqua reds. The tire guy explained it to me that, imagine your tire is shaped like a Dixie cup, that will roll to one side, as the sides are not even. Noisy Passenger Seat... Mine was noisy too, but the Toyota guys just did a minor ajustmadjustmentably bent something, now no noise. I find that with Toyota, it takes 3-4 times complaining about the same thing b4 they resolve it!Good Luck!

phatnastycat · April 2001

What is necessary to have serviced at 30K miles? I have received quotes for about $300 from Toyota service depts for the full 30K mile service. This seems high to me.
Thanks-PNC

gpolt · April 2001

The Celica engine does not have the torque to support a Solara. Camry and Solara 4 cyls engines will be the same, whether or not they adopt the Highlander's base 4.

westsolara · April 2001

Of course that is ridiculous!! The book calls for:
Replace engine filter.... you can do that
Re[lace engine coolant.... you can do that
Replace oil and filter... you can do this
Rotate tires... go to a local NJ's/Mart and have then do it.
$300.00 is way out of line... It reminds me of the expression
"At least Jesse James had a gun!" when confronted with
an unreasonable cost

Toyota Solara

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