Shocks /suspension

[92ls forhundo]

my 92 ls has original shocks/struts at 240,000 miles,when driving on the freeway its a little squirrely and not super confidence inspiring, i know the shocks are tired but what,by my meager description doth the brain trust here think thats indicitive of? ball joints(most likely)? control arms(2nd most likely)? The motion i mean is that as speed increases the steering doesnt get tighter or more focused but rather kind of sloppy and barge-ish, if you know what i mean. Kinda reminds me of my grandpas old 92 caprice-classic,on the highway that thing reminded me of the s.s. minnow. Thanks in advance.

[Threadcutter]

my 92 ls has original shocks/struts at 240,000 miles,when driving on the freeway its a little squirrely and not super confidence inspiring, i know the shocks are tired but what,by my meager description doth the brain trust here think thats indicitive of? ball joints(most likely)? control arms(2nd most likely)? The motion i mean is that as speed increases the steering doesnt get tighter or more focused but rather kind of sloppy and barge-ish, if you know what i mean. Kinda reminds me of my grandpas old 92 caprice-classic,on the highway that thing reminded me of the s.s. minnow. Thanks in advance.

forhundo:

I just completed a new install of KYB GR-2's all the way around. I've purchased new rotors & pads along with lower ball joints. The lower joints take the most beating of all. I'd suggest that you take it a step at a time and replace all 4 shocks(struts) before you go putting a bunch of money into other suspension components without first knowing that another component is indeed "bad". On the other hand, it's probably a safe bet that your lower joints could use replacing, what with 240K on them. Maybe it surprises no one else, but replacing the struts is more work than just changing an air filter. It's not complicated, just a lot of grunt work (buy a torch for the lower strut bolts).

My '95 (recent purchase) has 150K on it and the struts were original. With the rear(s) off the car, you could compress them all the way and they would quite rapidly "expand" back to full length.....Now that's shot! Your's are probably worse, certainly not any better at 240K.

My '95 had that "barge like" effect going down the freeway, but not uncontrollable. I was not totally surprised at how stiff the GR-2's are, but it is a BIG difference. The ride with the GR-2's may not be to everbody's liking, but I think they may soften up a little bit once I put some miles on them

[92ls forhundo]

my 92 ls has original shocks/struts at 240,000 miles,when driving on the freeway its a little squirrely and not super confidence inspiring, i know the shocks are tired but what,by my meager description doth the brain trust here think thats indicitive of? ball joints(most likely)? control arms(2nd most likely)? The motion i mean is that as speed increases the steering doesnt get tighter or more focused but rather kind of sloppy and barge-ish, if you know what i mean. Kinda reminds me of my grandpas old 92 caprice-classic,on the highway that thing reminded me of the s.s. minnow. Thanks in advance.

forhundo:

I just completed a new install of KYB GR-2's all the way around. I've purchased new rotors & pads along with lower ball joints. The lower joints take the most beating of all. I'd suggest that you take it a step at a time and replace all 4 shocks(struts) before you go putting a bunch of money into other suspension components without first knowing that another component is indeed "bad". On the other hand, it's probably a safe bet that your lower joints could use replacing, what with 240K on them. Maybe it surprises no one else, but replacing the struts is more work than just changing an air filter. It's not complicated, just a lot of grunt work (buy a torch for the lower strut bolts).

My '95 (recent purchase) has 150K on it and the struts were original. With the rear(s) off the car, you could compress them all the way and they would quite rapidly "expand" back to full length.....Now that's shot! Your's are probably worse, certainly not any better at 240K.

My '95 had that "barge like" effect going down the freeway, but not uncontrollable. I was not totally surprised at how stiff the GR-2's are, but it is a BIG difference. The ride with the GR-2's may not be to everbody's liking, but I think they may soften up a little bit once I put some miles on them

threadcutter,first of all thank you thats exactly waht i was looking for. Mines is not uncontrollable but like you said, i am a little afraid of the gr-2's based on people saying that they are stiff(er) as opposed to oem. Let us know if they do soften up over time. Thanks a-gain.

[Threadcutter]

my 92 ls has original shocks/struts at 240,000 miles,when driving on the freeway its a little squirrely and not super confidence inspiring, i know the shocks are tired but what,by my meager description doth the brain trust here think thats indicitive of? ball joints(most likely)? control arms(2nd most likely)? The motion i mean is that as speed increases the steering doesnt get tighter or more focused but rather kind of sloppy and barge-ish, if you know what i mean. Kinda reminds me of my grandpas old 92 caprice-classic,on the highway that thing reminded me of the s.s. minnow. Thanks in advance.

forhundo:

I just completed a new install of KYB GR-2's all the way around. I've purchased new rotors & pads along with lower ball joints. The lower joints take the most beating of all. I'd suggest that you take it a step at a time and replace all 4 shocks(struts) before you go putting a bunch of money into other suspension components without first knowing that another component is indeed "bad". On the other hand, it's probably a safe bet that your lower joints could use replacing, what with 240K on them. Maybe it surprises no one else, but replacing the struts is more work than just changing an air filter. It's not complicated, just a lot of grunt work (buy a torch for the lower strut bolts).

My '95 (recent purchase) has 150K on it and the struts were original. With the rear(s) off the car, you could compress them all the way and they would quite rapidly "expand" back to full length.....Now that's shot! Your's are probably worse, certainly not any better at 240K.

My '95 had that "barge like" effect going down the freeway, but not uncontrollable. I was not totally surprised at how stiff the GR-2's are, but it is a BIG difference. The ride with the GR-2's may not be to everbody's liking, but I think they may soften up a little bit once I put some miles on them

threadcutter,first of all thank you thats exactly waht i was looking for. Mines is not uncontrollable but like you said, i am a little afraid of the gr-2's based on people saying that they are stiff(er) as opposed to oem. Let us know if they do soften up over time. Thanks a-gain.

forhundo:

You might want to consider just purchasing OEM struts from an online source such as;

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...m?siteid=213808

http://www.lexuspartsonline.com/

They will cost you less than GR-2's & the ride will be just like when it was driven off the lot originally. I wanted something a little firmer than stock & perhaps I "overcompensated" because I was making my decision based on the originals that were "sacked". A set of 4 GR-2's were about $280.00 delivered, so they weren't too much more than going with OEMs.

Anyway, we'll see how they work out over time. I've got new tires on the way and I think that new treads will pretty much complete getting the ride to where I want it.

[nc211]

By my signature, you'll see that I've replaced everything suspension related with oem parts. My 95' is a barge as well. I would replace your shocks and ball joints as well as your outer tie rods. Threadcutter is right...changing out your shocks is a pain in the ! You'll need a spring compressor tool to hold the springs together. Also...don't forget to replace your shock bumpers at the top of the shock. Look at the diagrams on the website Thread sent you to...you'll see the bumper. It's like $13 or something. Also....how are your tires? With all of my new oem parts, my car still wanders around a bit......my tires are shot! Getting new ones soon, which should complete the project. The new OEM shocks firm up the car quite a bit, but not harshly. I have very little body roll now, yet very smooth over bumps and rough roads. I recommend you buy the OEM stuff since they're the same, if not a little cheaper than aftermarket stuff if you know where to shop. Follow thread's advice, he knows what he's talking about

[ko90ls]

soon i am going to rebuilt my suspension too; when i go over the smallest bumbs everything creeks and moans. it sounds horrible! also when i'm on the freeway at high speed turning the suspension will vibrate sometimes pretty extremely. when summer rolls around i'm going to rebuild the whole suspension, maybe tokico struts, tanabe springs, daizen bushings, kyb or oem strut mounts, upper tower bar, and the brakes. should i also do the ball joints? not too sure what they do but it looks pretty easy, just wondering if they need to be replaced or can simply be polished and reused. P.S. my car has about 250,000 miles

[92ls forhundo]

hello all thanks for the advice. NC211 ive been enjoying reading your posts for a long time. I have the goodyear assusrance comforttreads which are super soft and kinda cushy tires, which i believe somewhat mask how shot the suspension is. Great tire ,good match, i think for an ls 80,000 mile tire about 10k on mine.

Ive been jocking them for a while check out reviews on tirerack.com there a few ls 's up there