Neo

Sorry to hear about your problems. I just want to encourage you to not give up on Lexus. My 98 still runs great. Somtimes, even new, you get a bad one. As for used, CPO or not, you are taking a risk on how the previous owner took care of the car. Even if the owner was good, things can still crop up if you ar ejust plain unlucky. If you go that route, I hope you can get them to buy it back and get into another GS. Chances are, with Lexus quality, you will get into a better vehicle. Good luck.

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. :)

If you can wait, I would. You are waiting for the GS300 while the GS350 will be coming at the end of the year. You could have 300hp and what I believe to be the GS3 that was supposed to come as the 3rd gen. I don't think there will be an additional engine update to the GS3 for this body style. Then again, I am not Lexus. ;)

Other than LOC, you can try my.is = is300.net and ClubLexus

It will be tight. Although doable, the center is not really meant for a passenger. If you are looking to have 2 carseats with your wife in the middle (especially for any amount of extended time), I would say the GS is not big enough. We have 2 kids and 2 seats too (down to one now :) ) and it worked for us within its space limitations. It is a sports sedan after all. ;) If you want a nice sports sedan that can pass for a limited family car, the GS is great. If you want a more family oriented car, I'd suggest looking at some SUVs and minivans (no joke). We have been looking at an 06 Sienna Limited for my wife to replace/supplement (not sure which yet) the MDX. Pretty nice vehicle with all the family necessities. :D

If you are planning on an 06+ GS, then I don't know since I do not have one. ;) If you are asking about a 98-05 GS, then car seats work fine. We've gone from rear facing baby seats to front facing child seats to boosters. They all work fine. We also have an MDX and there is more space in the leg area. This makes it easier to climb in and out with the kids in the seats. When we go anywhere casual as a family, we take the MDX since it does have more cabin space. I do run the kids to/from school or on errands and the GS works fine too.

The 350 and 460 will be released at the same time. :) There are even speculations that the HP willbe a bit higher for the GS than the LS. It was this way with the previous gen. Lexus tuned the sportier GS to have a little bit more hp. We'll see what they do this time around. :) I saw the LS. Probably the same pics. Very nice.

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 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. 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. ;)

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? 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. 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 the compliment.

The GS300 should be going away for the 07 model year to make way for the GS350, which is already available in Japan. The GS350 will have the same engine as the IS350. I am not sure if there will be differences in tuning and how it will affect the car BUT since the IS350 has 306hp, you can assume the GS350 will be right in that ballpark. :D Is that enough HP? ;)

The 16s do ride more quietly then the 17s. Tire brands also makes a difference. Lastly, though, the GS is not the quietest in the Lexus line. Noise is very dependent on the individual. What you deem loud may be normal to me or maybe not. It is hard to tell. Good luck in finding the root of the problem.

Yup. The highest in the GS300 form I've read about is a 300k+ one. That owner has a 98. He has now moved on to an 06 model. :)

Change brands? That is a little harsh. ;) It is actually a GS 450h. Yes, it uses the V6 but I don't see anything wrong with 300-350hp while getting high 20s gas mileage. If you want more, wait for the GS460 at the end of the year which should have 380hp-400hp in the V8.

Welcome to LOC. There are 2 designs. Quality is so so. As stated above, they are all sourced from China so just pick some up from eBay. They usually goes for $15-$20. Are you talking about the OEM wheel when you are talking about polished? Otherwise, design also affects the look so post up some styles you like and I am sure you will get some free opinions. Covered above. :)

Lots of info and speculations floating around and I am here to add to it. ;) The last set of dates I saw was a GS450h in spring 06 and the GS350 and GS460 in the fall 06 as an 07 model.

Thanks for your comments. I went to my dealer to have a look at the set up plans. For the upgrade you require the complete lamp housing, new wiring for each side and an orange 7440 turn light bulb. You simply have to change the bulb sockets and attach a connector for the Led. Seems rather easy... All together cost me USD 195.- per side. Wiring has to be ordered from Japan though...takes 2-4 weeks. That's a pretty good price. Did you get both the upper and lower lights? The new ones do sit differently and there will be a gap if you do not get the top housing too. I don't know about the cars in Europe, but the US cars will get the "lamp out" indicator when you do the swap. The load from the LEDs and the old bulbs are different so it confuses the car.

I think you will want to lower it. 20s on the GS without lowering will look like you are in an SUV. Remember that the typical tire size for 20s is 1" larger than the OEM spec. You will be even higher than the stock GS. Your wheel gap will decrease a little but the cumulative effect is not flattering (at least IMO). The L-Tuned shocks and springs are being cleared out right now so this might be a good time to jump on this: http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetail.asp?partid=129 http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetail.asp?PartID=128 And if you enter the code S481 (expires 3/31), you will get a nice surprise (price discount). ;) Enjoy. ← I decided to lower it... with coilovers.... and I think imma pick up the artisan kit...... Once I get the beater/daily driver clk and get in and out of police academy im planning to do some engine work... I LOVE MY TOYOTA! LOL Sweet. Which coilovers did you go with?

L-Tuned never made GS sway bars. Are you talking about the TRDs?

Thanks for the review. My next set will probably be the Michelin Pilot A/S too. :)

As far as I know, no one has cracked the engine ECU and and created an aftermarket solution. There are some piggyback solutions which seems to work well but after long term driving, it seems like the OEM ECU adjusted to the change. There is a constant dance you have to do to keep these things tuned. Some have used standalones but these have all been custom setups. I'm not trying to discourage you but just saying what you are up against. Don't get me wrong. There are a number of boosted NA 2JZ-GE cars out there. Just don't expect a plug and play solution. :)

It would be helpful if you can find out the exact specs of these rims, in particular width and offset. Like the previous poster wrote, the FWD and RWD labels are just dumbed down designations that are stereotypical setups for FWD and RWD cars. Any of these can work on FWD or RWD cars as long as the actual specs are good. If you can get the specs and post back, we can tell you if they will fit on the car. :) Edit: OOPS. I just realized how old this thread was initially started. My bad.

There were a couple of sets being sold on the CLubLexus classifieds.

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

There are a number of sideskirts out there. Most are part of other kits, though, but you might be able to get some by themselves. The Greddy lip is pretty aggressive so the skirts should match up. Look into the L-Sportline if you can still find some. The issue is that what are you going to do about the rear since that will now be too high. :) Look here to see part for the car: http://www.l-tunedparts.com

Things are on their way but nothing released just yet. I have seen cars with demo/pre-production exhausts and custom ones. You probably don't have too much longer to wait. It will be awhile, though, before you get a decent selection/choice.