Need Advise On Suspension And Others, Thanks

[BlexusGS]

Hello,

I haven't been on here for a while. I need some advise. I was thinking of replacing some suspension components out of my 2000 GS 400 for performance springs and/or struts. The car has 73K miles on it (original suspension); there are no problems so far. Anyway, do you suggest either getting:

KYB or Koni struts

Eibach or H&R lowering springs

OR

A complete coil over system such as B&G or Tein?

I hear some people say that a complete coil over system is great because it allows you to adjust everything about your ride but could it be just as good to go the other route and buy separate components? I don't know if it will get too confusing for me with the possibilities of more adjustments with coil-overs. Do you think coil-overs are overkill and ONLY for people racing their cars? I just want something to lower the car and give it a firmer yet still comfortable ride. I don't mind the ride getting a little stiffer than stock. I just don't want it to be like I'm in a dropped civic feeling everything on the road. Oh, and is there a major difference in cost between buying suspension parts separately as compared to a coil-over package?

Thanks in advance,

Nick

[BlexusGS]

Okay,

I know I can use the "search function" on this site. However, this isn't something such as: How do I change my oil? or How do I strip the paint off my grille? The answer to these questions never change; even if you use the search function and pull up records from long ago - fine.

My question is simply opinion where people on this site might have done work on their suspension recently and come to different conclusions now from something they might have stated long ago (such as on the search function). Please help, need recent opinions!

[bartkat]

If you don't want to go all out, a good set of adjustable shocks and some springs with a one inch drop should give you all you need.

[BlexusGS]

Thank you very much for your advice. I will definitely think about KYB struts and perhaps Eibach springs. I think they have a 1" drop.

Thanks

All other advice would be appreciated as well!!!

[chuckb]

I have tein CS coil overs and they are nice and comfy but are about $1500. Bilstein PSS coilovers are good quality too and are about $900. the PSS are stiffer and prob handle a little better than CS.

[BlexusGS]

ChuckB,

Those Tein coil-overs are sweet!!. I know their adjustable (obviously) but what drop do you have it on your posted picture? (the black GS). Also, is it a pain in the !Removed! to adjust? Do you have to take them off the car or can you adjust them while they are on? Expected installation costs for this particular setup?

Thanks a lot!

Nick

Edited December 27, 2005 by BlexusGS

[chuckb]

ChuckB,

Those Tein coil-overs are sweet!!. I know their adjustable (obviously) but what drop do you have it on your posted picture? (the black GS). Also, is it a pain in the !Removed! to adjust? Do you have to take them off the car or can you adjust them while they are on? Expected installation costs for this particular setup?

Thanks a lot!

Nick

hey Nick,

I only have it lowered about an inch right now but it could go down another inch or so. to adjust the height you have to remove the wheel. there is also an adjustment for dampening on the top of shock. Tein CS are a little cheaper to get installed because they come completely assembled. some shocks(like the bilstein pss) require the stock shock assembly to be disassembled and the stock upper mounting parts have to be put on the aftermarket shocks. the Lexus dealer charged me about $400 plus you have to get an alignment.

good luck

chuck

btw- there are pics of my car here

[Neo]

What are your goals for the change? Better handling? Drop? Soft ride? Stiff ride? Adjustability? If a combo of the above, what is more important? What wheels do you have? OEM? If so, are you upgrading?

What works for one person may not work for others. For example, Chuck has OEM 06 GS 18s and Tein CS coilovers. I can't remember if he has a STB or not. (Sorry Chuck. I remember you were looking a bit. ;)) OTOH, I have Tein CS and 20s with more aggressive offsets, front and rear, upper and lower braces. I am sure my car drives and rides differently than Chuck's.

Handling and ride is very difficult to ascertain to more info on your intended setup will help us help you. :D

[BlexusGS]

Neo,

2000 GS400

19" ACE Trend

Suspension is stock

Buying a front Strut Bar soon

My goals are in this order:

Performance: Have the car perform better such as around turns and things of that nature; I don't race though.... I just want a tighter ride but NOT feeling every bump in the road.

Asthetics: Have it lowered to a noticable but not rediculous height (where I'm scraping the ground with my exhaust just to have better performance). Is a 1" drop all around good or is that NOT really noticable as compared to Stock.

Adjustment: I really don't mind if I can't adjust the springs or struts (coil-over setup); like I said I'm not going to race it but again I would like a setup that is definitely sportier than the stock setup or I will find myself wishing I could adjust them. Maybe something of a feel like a G35 or 350 Z.

Thanks for your advise. I really appreciate it. BTW I like your GS a lot; very classy and I like the staggered look on your wheels.

Nick

[Neo]

2000 GS400

19" ACE Trend

Suspension is stock

Buying a front Strut Bar soon

My goals are in this order:

Performance: Have the car perform better such as around turns and things of that nature; I don't race though.... I just want a tighter ride but NOT feeling every bump in the road.

The first thing to note is that going to 19s will get you into performance, low profile tires. These tires will have much less rubber sidewall than the OEM 16s or 17s. We have not tackled any other components. With just your planned addition of 19s, you WILL feel a lot of the road. I am not sure about every bump but you will feel quite a few. ;)

The other side of the coin is with the stiffer sidewalls, the handling should get better. If you are sensitive to how the ride is, put on your 19s first. See how the ride feels. This will determine how much farther to push the handling aspect of the springs and shocks combo.

The next step after the springs and shocks is to add a sway bar setup. This will really give you the flat cornering. If you get this far, I'd suggest a set of Daizen Sways. These have VERY minimal effect on the ride quality while significantly increase handling.

The STB is nice but I'd do the sways before doing an STB, although the STB will be cheaper than sways. Which STB are you planning to get?

Asthetics: Have it lowered to a noticable but not rediculous height (where I'm scraping the ground with my exhaust just to have better performance). Is a 1" drop all around good or is that NOT really noticable as compared to Stock.

1" is fine. You can go 2" without scraping your exhaust unless you mean with big bumps and steep driveways. ;) It will be noticeable vs stock. There are lowering springs from Daizen and Espelir which will drop about 1.7" - 1.9" while retaining a very compliant ride.

Adjustment: I really don't mind if I can't adjust the springs or struts (coil-over setup); like I said I'm not going to race it but again I would like a setup that is definitely sportier than the stock setup or I will find myself wishing I could adjust them. Maybe something of a feel like a G35 or 350 Z.

Coilovers like the Tein CS will allow you to adjust your height (manually) to a height that is optimal for you. With traditional lowering springs, you are stuck at the spec'ed height. The Tein CS will also allow you to adjust the damping with 16 levels. You can set how stiff the ride you'd like. This flexibility (which are also available in other quality coilover systems) is for you to setup your car's look and feel to your satisfaction. It is not necessarily meant for racing purposes.

Thanks for your advise. I really appreciate it. BTW I like your GS a lot; very classy and I like the staggered look on your wheels.

Nick

Thanks for the compliment.

Edited January 11, 2006 by Neo

[BlexusGS]

That was an excellent reply! Thanks a lot. BTW I bought the 19's already last July. I took them off for the winter. The ride was fine when I had them on; in fact I could not stop telling the performance shop how great it is that I don't feel any vibration or bumps at any speed! Very close to stock.

What would you suggest; I'm leaning towards the coil-overs but not sure what is a good brand (Tein is just one that I heard of around here). I really want to only spend around $1000 incl. labor, is this possible???

Oh... what suspension setup do you have (strut/spring brand, ride height) and do you have the sways mentioned above? How much, aprox.

Thanks again

[Neo]

That was an excellent reply! Thanks a lot. BTW I bought the 19's already last July. I took them off for the winter. The ride was fine when I had them on; in fact I could not stop telling the performance shop how great it is that I don't feel any vibration or bumps at any speed! Very close to stock.

HAHA. LOL. You are confusing me now. Most Lexus owners complain that 19s are too stiff. What tire specs are on there? If you have 19s and in NY and say that the ride is close to stock, you are not the typical owner. :D

What would you suggest; I'm leaning towards the coil-overs but not sure what is a good brand (Tein is just one that I heard of around here). I really want to only spend around $1000 incl. labor, is this possible???

For that price, you might be able to find the Bilstein PSS. I've seen this go for about $850. I have not had this coilover but I have read reviews from owners I know and they like it. These are a bit stiffer but the ride is liken to BMWs where the feel is tight but not necessarily harsh. It will not be Lexus stock-like though.

Otherwise, the Tein CS is one of the most comfortable coilover systems. Unless you can find them used, though, they go for about 1300 or so. One of the advantages, if you are into it, is that the Tein coilovers can be used with their Electronic Damping Force Controller (EDFC) (about $300). This is a controller and 4 motors that attach to the coilovers. You can then control damping (not height) from within the car.

Tein also makes other coilivers, but they will all be a bit stiffer.

A few other good brands are HKS Hipermax LS+ ($1500), Zeal ($2000), JIC ($1800), Tom's Racing Advox Comfort ($3300). This is just FYI since they are above your price range.

Oh... what suspension setup do you have (strut/spring brand, ride height) and do you have the sways mentioned above? How much, aprox.

I have Tein CS with EDFC on my car. Since they are height adjustable, I am not sure how low the drop is. I can fit about one finger between the fender and the tires. I also have 20s. I also have the Daizen Sways and love them. I used to have TRD Racing sways but they made the car too harsh for me. The Daixzen gives me 99% of the handling of the TRDs while retaining pretty much a lot of the stock ride. They go for $500.

The only disclaimer I have is that I also have front and rear upper strut tower bars. I also have front and rear lower control braces and rear rear suspension braces. Therefore, I have a little more suspension work than many. ;)

[BlexusGS]

Thanks NEO, I will look into the Bilstein PSS and the Daizen Sways. About how much can I expect to spend on labor for the install of the coil-overs only?

BTW I have TOYO Proxes 4; 245/35/19; W speed rating. They have excellent grip, have a relatively low tread wear rate and are quiet!

19X8.5 wheels all around

[Neo]

Thanks NEO, I will look into the Bilstein PSS and the Daizen Sways. About how much can I expect to spend on labor for the install of the coil-overs only?

BTW I have TOYO Proxes 4; 245/35/19; W speed rating. They have excellent grip, have a relatively low tread wear rate and are quiet!

19X8.5 wheels all around

Coilover installs should be around $200. A couple of things to keep in mind. Unless you get an experienced shop, it will take a few tries to get the height just right. Figure out what kind of a drop you want so that you don't experiment too much when you are there. The setup will also settle a little bit in the week following the install so account for that.

I have also heard of issues in installing s/s or coilovers where the shop messes up the abs sensor that is in the vicinity. Even if it is a nice and honest shop and they pay for the damage (not cheap), it is still a hassle to get the sensors fixed.

As for the tires, I was just wondering if you kept the OEM diameter or went fatter so thanks for the info. :)

[BlexusGS]

First off, thanks a lot for letting me pick your brain... sorry for all the questions ;-). This is the only place I feel where I can get top-notch advise.

As for the tires, I was just wondering if you kept the OEM diameter or went fatter so thanks for the info.

My tires are low profile and the diameter is excatly the same as stock, it just so happened to be that way. In fact the first thing I did when I got my wheels/tires was measure the diameter. Then I measured the stock wheels/tires as a whole as well; the results were the same.

Also, just a thought when people here say they have vibration problems after they get new wheels could it be that the wheels they purchased are universal (still fit the vehicle in everyway; but not made specifically for it)? I went to Tire Rack.com and entered the year make and model and the wheels I had purchased coincidentally are on there. Maybe this has something to do with it.

Oh yeah, also with the adjustable coil-overs. If you adjust the height (springs) do you have to get an alignment each time? If so you technically can't adjust it on your own because then you will have to eventually bring it to a shop anyway to have it re-aligned, right?

Edited January 13, 2006 by BlexusGS

[Neo]

First off, thanks a lot for letting me pick your brain... sorry for all the questions ;-). This is the only place I feel where I can get top-notch advise.

Glad I can help. Check your PM.

As for the tires, I was just wondering if you kept the OEM diameter or went fatter so thanks for the info.

I have 20s so I went with a larger diameter. Keeping the OEM diameter, I'd have to run 30 series in front and 25 series in the rear. That is just too little rubber for me. There is a bit of intermitten rubbing that I have to deal with but I am OK with it.

Some people who has 19s also choose to run the diameter larger by an inch (just like 20s). You get similar rubbing issues but you do get 40 front and 35 rear setups. This is the same as 18s so you get a couple of advantages:

1. More rubber = softer ride

2. Since the height is taller, you don't have to lower as much to reduce the fender gap. You also get a little more ground clearance to clear things like speed bumps better.

Also, just a thought when people here say they have vibration problems after they get new wheels could it be that the wheels they purchased are universal (still fit the vehicle in everyway; but not made specifically for it)? I went to Tire Rack.com and entered the year make and model and the wheels I had purchased coincidentally are on there. Maybe this has something to do with it.

Yup. Hub-centric rings are usually needed for most aftermarket wheels.

Oh yeah, also with the adjustable coil-overs. If you adjust the height (springs) do you have to get an alignment each time? If so you technically can't adjust it on your own because then you will have to eventually bring it to a shop anyway to have it re-aligned, right?

Optimally, yes. Once you are done with the shop, though, you generally only tweak thingsa few mms at a time so it is not that bad. If you go for the gusto and do corner balancing with your alignment, then you really want to figure out the height so that the shop will totally tune your car's suspension.

[BlexusGS]

Thanks a lot bro. I appreciate the advise, Let me know if you need any help or advise with anything.... eventhough you probably don't need it but you never know. LOL

[Neo]

No Prob. Good luck with everything. Post back when things are done. :)