Disappointed

[silvermate]

hey gillette,

do you have some pics of your LS?

i'm interested to see what the car looks like after all those mods B)

[Gillette LS400]

Yeah, I have pictures. I don't have most recent ones, but I will clean my car up today and take a bunch. Reply with any specific pics you want to see. I also can give you names and numbers for people and businesses that do all of engine work and such if you need it. The car is a dream. I also had it repainted for $10,000 and the new paint is gorgeous. It is stock scheme, pearl on silver and has gold pinstriping and gold emblems that make a subtle ring of gold that just adds a whole lot of class to it.

Also if anyone needs their car worked on in and around Houston, I can drive out and work on it for you or refer you to some great mechanics that solve problems with these LS400s quicker than Lexus techs. My car has an exotic tone to it and doesn't really sound like any other with the exhaust. I honestly believe that anyone with an LS would enjoy the sound of it. Although it is louder than most trucks, it is a really clean and powerful sound. And on the highway or with the windows up, it is quiet inside. (Dynamat suggested for anyone putting an exhaust on one) Anyone who says these things are slow are just not letting its potential out. These engine have lots of room for small power adders. I am considering fabricating a supercharger kit for mine this summer. I was going to see about the one that someone is building online (I forgot the site), but it just isn't enough with not nearly the power I want. It also is going to cost too much for what it is.

RWHP ~270 HP w/o nitrous (14.0 quarter)

RWHP ~400 HP w/ nitrous (13.2 quarter)

RWHP I am hoping to achieve ~650

If I remember correctly, these cars have a 17.9 quarter stock.

I think the money and time was all worth it. And it sure as hell isn't over yet.

ONE QUESTION FOR ANYONE ON THE BOARD... Does anyone know how hard it is to remove the entire 91 front clip and replace it with a 98 front clip? I have seen it done in Japan but no indication of how hard nor what kind of price range it would be. I am excellent with welding, wiring, fabrication, and body work so how would this stack up? I am VERY interested in doing this and may just do it out of trial and error if no one knows anything about it. Also, does anyone know where I could find cheap parts from the front end of a 98. A few months ago I considered purchasing an insurance totaled vehicle that had everything from the front except the driver fender but decided against it because it was $8000 and I felt that it was too high especially since the entire rear end from driver to trunk was crushed in a rollover.

BTW, I was a member before the whole computer crash problem and my username was erased and so I had to re-register, thus the reason I have no post count. Anyone who needs technical or performance advice can ask me. If you PM me, I will give you my cell phone number to call too.

I am at work right now but I will be home in about 2-3 hours and I will check any replys to this then for specific pictures.

-Sean Gillette

-1991 Lexus LS400 (Yeah, it's stock... :whistles: )

[elvis1962]

Hi Guys!! :)

I have to admit - I'm not very impressed with my '93 LS. Sure - I still love how it LOOKS - but I'm not very impressed with how it drives. Just got it back after being at the dealer's for 2 whole weeks. They replaced the front wheel bearings - balanced the drive shaft [in an attempt to get rid of a vibration] and replaced some of the bushings. Why it took two weeks - who knows. At least I didn't have to pay for the RX300 I used as a courtesy car. After all of that [and everything else I've done to the car] it still drives exactly the same. Even more money down the old LS drain. I'm getting tired of this. Instead of feeling lucky to have such a car - I starting to feel as though I'm stuck with it. And I am - I suppose - because I wouldn't get nearly what I've already put into it - IF I traded it in. This is not what I expected to feel. I wanted to own an LS - especially a '93 [or '94] for quite some time. I thought that I was very fortunate to find one in such great shape with very low miles. [about 50,000 miles - last October - when I bought it]

Is it horrible? No. It just rates a 2 out of 10 on my 'enjoyable to drive' scale. [and I'm being kind] It's humilated by newer 6 and even 4 cylinder cars and it handles like an old Lincoln Town Car. [and I know - I've driven several Lincolns in my life] I also find it frustrating that I can't really DO anything to make it better. [or to at least attempt to make it better] Firmer springs and shocks? Forget it. Unless I want my LS to be 1" lower to the ground and ride like a truck - I'm stuck.

Do I keep trying to make it better? Do I buy new spring and shocks [or whatever] to see if THAT will help build my confidence in the car? And do I buy OEM 'stuff'? OR am I 'looking' at 'this' the wrong way? Maybe I had [and have] expectations [based on everything I've read over the years] that no LS can live up to. Maybe all LS's have wind noise and/or whistling driver's mirrors. Maybe every LS handles like boat and that's just how they're made. Perhaps every LS vibrates - and I'll just have to accept that. Or do I?!

If you think I'm looking at this all wrong - a few encouraging [and constructive] words would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Craig!! :)

Craig,

Vibrations can have a lot of sources, as you know. I had a vibration at about 60 on up. It felt exactly like two or more out of balance tires. It wasn't severe but enough to aggravate me every time I drove the car.

I changed tires and balanced for a year. There was some improvement but I kept getting the impression that even with a "perfect balance" I would still have some noticeable shake. This proved to be correct as I found out when I finally did fix this problem.

The solution was new lower ball joints. My 91 LS-400 had a design problem. The lower ball joints have an internal, nylon-type device made to keep grease in the right place to prolong ball-joint life. It was designed incorrectly and actually kept grease away from critical wearing surfaces. Newer ball joints have been improved to eliminate this flaw. Once replaced, the car now runs perfectly smooth. There was enough play in the old ball joints to allow the front wheels to not control the tire. The end-result was a vibration that felt the same as an out-of-balance tire. Just about any front-end component with excessive play can do this, but checking the ball joints is a good place to start. I don't believe the car is overly sensitive to tire balance now.