Eibach Springs - What To Expect

[CanadaCraig]

Hi Guys!! :)

The other night - I drove my '93 LS along a winding highway. Even while staying at or near the speed limit - my car handled very poorly. I'm seriously thinking of having the original [and quite likely worn out and tired] springs and struts replaced. BUT... should I buy Eibach springs intead of OEM springs?! [and new OEM struts] IF you have Eibach springs - could you please tell me what you think of them. Did you use stock struts? If not - what did you use? How did the Eibachs effect the handling AND the ride? If you could do it all over again - would you? I'd love my LS to be fun to drive - not just soft and floaty. 'It' is no fun on any road with a curve. BUT... I'm worried that by installing Eibachs [and lowering the ride height by 1" all around] that I'll regret it - because I completely ruined the nice ride. I'm willing to sacrifice some 'smoothness' - but not so much that my car drives like a go-cart. AND.. by lowering it all around - do speed bumps become a concern? What about rattles, etc. If new Eibachs are installed [along with new OEM struts] would I have to have a wheel alignment? What about the rest of the suspension? Can I leave everything else [including the fairly new Bridgestone Turanza LS-V's] alone? OR would I just be starting something I won't be able to stop? [like once you get new Eibachs - you really should get new sway bars and then new tires and then new whatever - if you know what I mean]

All of that said.... I really have a tough time giving myself permission to do what I want with MY car. It's odd. I've always been like that. For some reason it's the opinion of the guy who will own my car - NEXT - that matters most. [can any of you relate to that?]

Thanks,

Craig!! :)

ps anything and everything you can tell me regarding Eibachs would be greatly appreciated. [or of some other type of spring/strut set-up]

[CanadaCraig]

PS - in the LS photo gallery - do any of you who HAVE installed Eibachs [and therefore lowered your car 1" all around] have photo's of that lowered car in the gallery?!

Thanks,

Craig!! :)

[RCRFAN3]

Craig look at this,MercuryMarauder.net Forums - Bye Bye Eibachs

[ToddLS400]

Yes Craig, you will notice a huge difference with the Eibach Pro-Kit springs. It lowers your car 1" and gives you a little bit of a stiffer ride. It's worth it to me. I'm use to the stiffer ride now and the handling is 100% improved.

[CanadaCraig]

Craig look at this,MercuryMarauder.net Forums - Bye Bye Eibachs

Hi RCRFAN3!! :)

Thanks. I read a few Eibach topics at the Mercury Marauder site - but was there something specific you wanted me to read?!

Craig!! :)

[CanadaCraig]

Yes Craig, you will notice a huge difference with the Eibach Pro-Kit springs. It lowers your car 1" and gives you a little bit of a stiffer ride. It's worth it to me. I'm use to the stiffer ride now and the handling is 100% improved.

Hi ToddLS400!! :)

It's because of YOU [and what you did to your car] that I even started to think about Eibach springs. I think your car looks great.

Other than the bigger 18" tires - did you do ANYTHING else to upgrade the suspension?! What shocks do you have? Is it OK to use OEM shocks? Will lowering my car wear out other suspension parts? DO you have to avoid speed bumps? I will only want to do this IF I can leave everything else [other than putting in new shocks] as it is.

And finally... is your car noisier? Are there more squeeks and groans because of the less compliant suspension?

Thanks,

Craig!! :)

[ToddLS400]

It depends on how many miles you have on your car. I had my mechanic test my OEM shocks (or at least the ones that were on their when I bought the car last summer) and he said they were fine. Push down on each corner of your car and it should come back up and rest without any bouncing. If it bounces, then you need to replace the shocks as well. I kind of regret not putting new shocks on just because of the labor factor. But I have had no problems at all and everything rides great. Go slower over speed bumps. You're lower and you don't want to plant your nose and crack or chip something. It's not like it's a low rider though. You can still go over speed bumps at normal speeds. You just can't fly thru them thinking that you still have your ex-cloud ride suspension to absorb it. You shouldn't go over speed bumps fast anyway. Louder? Hmmmm, I don't think so? Stiffer ride? Yeah, of course, I lowered it 1" plus I put 40 series tires on it. Not a horrible ride at all. It still drives smooth and I don't feel much of difference on the freeway. Corners like a dream now. Not like your NSX though> http://nsx.homestead.com/files/1991NSXfrontPass.JPG This is a huge improvement from stock. I'm happy.

[K9crew]

Craig,

I know this isn't quite what you want to hear but I installed Eibach springs and Tokico shocks on my '95 SC and I LOVE the handling. The SC (in stock form) is harder riding than the LS (in stock form) so when I change my LS springs to Eibachs I'm expecting a ride somewhat like the stock SC. My SC is great in the turns and WAY more controlled than the LS. If the LS seats had more side bolstering I think these cars would feel more contolled since there's a definate tendancy to slide on the seat when cornering. I haven't decided which shocks to install since Tokico doesn't have shocks for the '99 LS. I may use the stock shocks until they wear out ... which might be sooner rather than later!

:)

[UCF3]

I'd recommend staying away from the Tokico shocks and H&R springs combination. My LS corners like a whale, and I miss driving my SC on hard corners. Eibachs and KYB shocks--lowered 1.2" would be the best.

[CanadaCraig]

Thanks Guys - I really appreciate the input.

Ideally - what I think I'd like is for stock SC springs to fit my LS. But I don't think that's possible. [is it?!] Does Lexus offer a stiffer spring for the LS?! [like a trailer-towing package spring or something like that] I'm really having a tough time deciding what to do. I guess I just hate the thought of ruining my LS by making it TOO hard riding. But it really handles horribly. No doubt - the fact that my other car is an NSX doesn't help much. The NSX makes my LS feel like a 1973 Lincoln Town Car [on a bad day] whenever I take a rather sharp corner at even the posted speed limit. Not only 'not fun' - but 'not safe'.

I also [like I said earlier] have to keep reminding myself that I can do what I want with MY CAR!!

Craig!! :(

[K9crew]

I'll probably get roasted for saying this but think about the consumer that Lexus was/is after with the LS400 and to a lesser extent the LS430. If someone is willing to pay $60,000 for a new car and they're a performance enthusiast vs. a luxury enthusiast they probably wouldn't buy a Lexus. Let's be honest, the LS400 is a great car with plenty of nice features but handling just isn't one of it's strong points (in stock form at least). I knew this before I bought my LS, I REALLY know it now!! I think the LS has the potential to be a great car if a manual transmission was installed in combination with bigger/better brakes, better suspension, more precise steering etc. Since the cost of those upgrades may be prohibitive the only solution (for a sedan) might be a German product ... or the new Cadillac CTS-V 5.7L!!!

:)

[99lsguy]

I agree K9,

I loved the body & interior style, wanted the legroom for me AND the rear passengers, silky smooth ride, powerful & silent engine, and.... a little prestige I suppose.

Edmunds.com says a great line about the LS:

"CONS: After one trip through the twisties, you won't mistake it for the Ultimate Driving Machine"

:D

[K9crew]

"CONS: After one trip through the twisties, you won't mistake it for the Ultimate Driving Machine"

99,

That's a great quote and since many members here are performance enthusiasts I'm sure that they'll agree with that statement. :)

Hey, maybe you should start a "why did you buy an LS?" survey. I bought mine for a number of reasons. The first reason and perhaps the biggest is that I'd never owned one before and I was curious. I will NEVER buy a front wheel drive car again but the choice for a four-door rear wheel drive V8 is fairly limited. I LOVE the interior space and comfort of the LS ... this is a BIG car on the inside. I wanted a car that would be reliable even after 60K miles and I wanted a 32 valve V8. I have to admit that I probably should have bought a 540i even though the interior is significantly smaller than the LS. Anyway, the LS is a great looking car with an excellent reputaion for reliability. The V8 is powerful and smooth and the interior is excellent but the one area that's lacking is the handling. If the handling were improved to anything even close to a BMW then this would be the PERFECT car. I have to admit that the new Cadillac CTS-V is very enticing since it's a big car with a 400 HP, 32 valve V8 (Z06 motor) that has the handling of a 540 (0 to 60 in around 5 seconds!). In addition, it's available with a 6 speed manual. Car and Driver absolutely loved the car.

:)