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!!!

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!

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

I have those same rims (19"). Only, mine are ACE Trend with an all-new platinum finish. Kinda looks like the M3 (powder-coat platinum) wheel finish. They look sick on my Black on Black 2000 GS400. I suggest getting cross-drilled Brembos and powder coat your calipers red. The whole combo looks sweet; get a lot of compliments. :D

Nick

AZNCHICK what part of Long Island are you from? I live off of exit 61 on the LIE.

No I have no idea how much it could cost. I had them done once on my 1992 Acura Legend. Engine mounts and tranny mount. I think it was around $300. I think the engine/tranny mounts would be covered under warranty as I still have 1 year left on my extended.

Anyway, ironically I also have 70,000 miles on my GS. The vibration/shaking does NOT happen all the time. Only sometimes like after a ride on the highway.

Nick

I have decided the Borla is the way to go. Just one thing, do they come with different tips? I hear things on this forum about "old" style and "new style" what is this about and what am I going to get.

Other exhausts are waaaaaaaaayyyy too large.

Apexi; tip is 100mm; not too big but they discontinued the WS. New WS2 did not come out yet due to R & D problems.

Greddy; tip is 115; pretty large, also loud

HKS; the tip is 120mm; that's like 6" - ghetto imho

Tanabe; tip is 115mm; pretty large but also loud and raspy

This is just my opinion for a "stock" looking car. If I had a full body kit, lowered and forced induction under the hood then these large exhausts are perfect and the way to go. For moderate engine mods I heard the Borla is the best choice from many of the lexus owners here at the forum.

Btw, my car feels like it is real sluggish. I have a 2000 GS400. I have 19" wheels and a box w/2 12" subs. With just myself in the car I can't even burn the tires even an inch. That's with the "power" mode on and the VSC off; is this normal???

Oh yeah, and I did that throttle cable tightening and it didn't do anything, just now all of a sudden my car shakes in drive when I am stopped at a light (RPM's are NOT fluctuating either - no rough idle). If I put it in neutral the car idles fine and no vibration. Please give me some advise or direction.

Thanks again, :)

Nick

Here's the message.

Nick,

I really like the Carson Tuned exhaust.  I don't think it is too bad about the droning as some of the other exhausts.  I really don't notice it at highway speeds.  It sounds killer wide open throttle.  My mods as far as performance are the SRT intake, the exhaust and the PI TQ and it is set at 2800 RPM.  The TQ doesn't really effect drivability too much.  You will notice that your car won't want to roll forward when idling at stop lights like the stock TQ would have it.  It's held up fine, longevity-wise.  I think I paid about $350 to have the TQ installed.  In that video I was not brake torqueing, just stomped on it.  The tires were a little old and when I got new skins it wouldn't do quite the same length of burnout, but it still smokes 'em pretty good.  I recommend the TQ mod without reservation.  It's the best thing I did for the GS for sure.  Any other questions feel free to ask.  Good luck.

Gavin

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Hey,

Thanks a lot bro for the feedback. B) I really appreciate it. I am definitely getting that exhaust and TC. I think I will have the tranny cooler installed for extra precaution. By the way, is l-tuned.com the ONLY place to get the Carson Tuned exhaust? I can't seem to find it anywhere else. :(

Nick

Just out of curiosity, I purchased new 19" wheels and tires. Why are there more balancing weights on some of the wheels and less on others? The wheels are NOT cheap either!

Also, I got a tranny flush the other day from the dealer. The car seems to vibrate a good amount when in drive (stopped at a light). Why is this? Please help, thanks again guys!

Nick

Had new brakes and rotors on '98 GS 400 but ended up with clunking sound when brakes were applied. ,Posted this topic before and responses advised  be sure to have new shims added to the replacement pads. I followed advice, added shims by repalacing pads with Centric pads that came with the shims and the noise has disappeared.  Thanks for the great advice.

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I have the same problem right now!! I'm going out of my mind. I bought new slotted/cross drilled Brembo rotors and Axxis Metal master brake pads and the clunking noise is definitely noticable. Where can I get new "shims" for my brakes. Also, what are "Centric pads" is this just another name brand or is this a different type of pad? I really need help with my brakes.

Thanks,

Nick

Thanks for all the help guys. By the way, where could I purchase these hubcentric rings (the 12 set of 4)?

ball joints alone warrant a 4 wheel alignment.

Do you have or get hubcentric rings for your new rims?

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No, I don't have hubcentric rings for my wheels; before this they seemed to be all right, no vibration or shaking what so ever that's why I never bought them. What could have changed so that I need them now where I didn't need them before?

Thanks,

Nick (NY)

Last weekend I brought my car for service at the dealership for:

Replacement of ball-joints

Replacement of strut bushings

Replacement of Sway Bar bushings

I also noticed that the invoice mentions Camber, Caster, Toe-in & Toe-out.

The reason why I ask this is because when I got it back the car pulls to the right a good amount and the steering wheel shakes quite a bit. I just purchased 19" wheels about 2 months ago. The car has been riding fine for all this time; no shaking of wheel and no pull. Now i get it back from the dealership and all goes to hell. Could they have done something wrong or not done something that they should have done with the replacement of these parts? Oh, and it seems like my tires are a lot louder on the road at 30+ MPH. Please help!!!! :(

Nick

Thanks NEO for the reply!

I know you guys are NOT stupid and I know that most of the mods you guys do void out your warranty; what do you do? Just let the warranty void out. Or is this a big HUSHHH question that no one wants to answer? <_<

Smithtown Lexus

I will let you know, I am getting the service done this Saturday.

NEED HELP! Ever since I bought my 19's on my 2000 GS400 i have noticed loud creaking of the suspension, brakes or steering when moving slowly forward or reverse from park with the wheel turned, such as leaving a driveway; it was almost like a clanging sound. I went to the dealership, after looking it over they told me that my ball joints needed to be replaced, one of my strut bushings were cracked and the sway bushings were dry and needed to be replaced as well. Thank god the warranty covers ALL. The dealership told me that it would have been about $1000 to fix; $600 alone for replacing the ball joints (the labor is expensive). Could these items been the culprit to the above mentioned "clanging sound" or is it just coincidental that they found things that needed to be replaced?

Also, I need some advise. I bought the car about 2 years ago in 2003, it had 46,500 mi. on it. It now has 69,800 mi. I got a lexus certified extended warranty on it for 3 years or 100,000 mi. which ever comes first. Well, I only have 1 year left on this warranty. Would you suggest trying to

1. extend it further

2. let it run out and do all the mods I want

3. extend further and do mods anyway that will void warranty; I really want to do some things like a torque converter and 3.76 rear.

You see, I really want to extend the warranty... I just saved $1000 because of it (story above) but I want to do more mods. What should I do? Such a dillemma. Do you guys make "friends" with your dealership in hopes of them still warrantying your vehicle even with your mods... does it work???? I have heard of such stories.

Most likely the first one to do this mod over a year ago.  B)

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Is there chrome under the grille paint of the first gen LS400'S ?

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Well, I'm not sure about LS 400's but, check out your center emblem, if it has that grey textured coating that matches the rest of the grille then you can most likely take it off. You see, Lexus manufactures the entire grille chrome and then masks off the emblem and the outside ring, everything else is painted over with a black/gray coating (paint). I found out about my car when about a year and a half ago I wanted to make a mesh grille, I did, and it looked bananas - really hot. But after a few months the finish on the mesh that I was using became dull, so I took it off... I had it fastened over my existing grille. When I took it off I noticed a lot of scratches, but they looked chrome! So I said F&&k it, let me scrape it down and see if there is chrome under the whole thing. I figured if worst comes to worst ... if I screw it up, it will give me an excuse to buy an aftermarket grille. So there, that is the whole story. Hey .... I had to tell someone. :D

Most likely the first one to do this mod over a year ago. B)

Don't know if this matters but are all of your wheels "made" specifically for your vehicle or are they universal? I just recently purchased 19's on my 2000 GS400 and not a shake at all - AT ANY SPEED! Here's the kicker I bought my wheels from Wheelmax.com and it ONLY shows the wheels that is suggested for my year make and model vehicle. Just my 2 cents.

Nick

Just got new wheels for my Black 2000 GS400. 19X8.5 ACE Trend (Hiper Light/Platinum finish). I have 245 35R19 TOYO Proxes 4 on them. The wheels are sick; everyone says it looks 10X better than chrome and super easy to clean. They definitely bling though. Sort of like the BMW "M" series finish on their wheels. I will post pics soon. The ride isn't even bad either, there isn't that much rubber and I still don't even feel many bumps. So much better than the stock 16".

So lets see....  The stock specs for the GS400 0-60 times are around 5.9 seconds.  I've heard from people, read, and seen on websites that the Torque converter can drop 0-60 times by .5 seconds.  I also read on RMM's website that the 3.76 rear gears will also lower your 0-60 times by .5 seconds.  IF YOU DO BOTH, does this mean your car will be running 4.8 - 4.9 seconds 0-60MPH; N/A?????  If so I'm innnnnnn!!!!!! How much could all that possibly cost $3K with installation?  Worth it!

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Im pretty sure you wont get a full second off your time. Although, that would be awesome. Plus if your willing to spend $3K, why dont you just spend the little extra and get a super charger and really be doing numbers?!

Now, I could be wrong about all this and maybe it can reduce your time, but the way I see it, I dont believe it will take the full second off, maybe .7 with both. If anyone else has some experience here, let us know :)

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I appreciate the reply, I'm not too sure about the numbers either BUT, no offense, you would not be spending just a little extra for a supercharger. Superchargers (SRT) for the GS400's are roughly $6250 then your talking installation costs of about 5 - 6 hours labor AT LEAST; approx. another $600. So when it's all said and done you will be spending about $4000 MORE than the TC and rear-end mod. Better bang for the buck IMHO.

Nick

im a 20 year old real estate agent.  i sold my 2000 Ford Roush Stage 2 Mustang.  I put the 15,000 i made off the stang as down.  My payments are 633 a month. Its a lease.  I did the math, after the lease is over, im only going to owe 10 on the car.  with deprecciation, that should come down to like 5000.  basically all i gotta do is pay 5000 and the car is mine.  I actually am very happy with this deal.  What do you guys think?

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"basically all i gotta do is pay 5000 and the car is mine."

Yeah, but don't forget you put down $15K at lease signing.... that's a nice chunk of change. So really between your down payment, lease payments for 36 mos. and $7 - 5K owed at the end of the lease. Your total is roughly $45K; basically the same no matter how you slice it. I think you might wind up owing more than $7 - 5K at the end of the lease IMHO.:whistles:

So lets see.... The stock specs for the GS400 0-60 times are around 5.9 seconds. I've heard from people, read, and seen on websites that the Torque converter can drop 0-60 times by .5 seconds. I also read on RMM's website that the 3.76 rear gears will also lower your 0-60 times by .5 seconds. IF YOU DO BOTH, does this mean your car will be running 4.8 - 4.9 seconds 0-60MPH; N/A????? If so I'm innnnnnn!!!!!! How much could all that possibly cost $3K with installation? Worth it!