LEXUSA

Well I finally joined the elite and now own a '97 Coach edition LS400 with 119,000 miles. She is a beauty, dark green, chrome wheelz. New Firestone FR710 tires aren't supposed to be the greatest but will do for now. I think she needs an alignment but maybe new shocks too. I'd like to alleviate some of the floatyness even though this is part of what the car is all about. I'd like to replace the shocks before any alignment if I replace them at all. I've searched here some and found Bilstein mentioned some but no real review or comparison. Lowering the car a touch is something I'd like to accomplish but definitely not slammed or HerraFrush. So what say you those who have Bilstein on their 2nd gen LS400? Is there a thread that has covered this already somewhere? What about alignment specs? I also have a '96 Miata and spend quite a bit of time on Miata.net. The suspension section is actually too full of information, information overload and the myriad of combinations folks have tried. Most any other site I visit for just about any other car is really lacking the indepthness so it's feast or famine. Do you all just get aligned to factory spec and call it a day? Alignment on a Miata is crucial to turn in, stability, twitchyness and tire life. Factory spec is terrible.

How much heavier are the 20's vs. your stockers ? Heavier wheels have the greatest negative effect on performance than adding weight anywhere else, unsprung and rotational. Brakes are also unsprung but don't rotate.

It's OK to load a cold engine a little bit. Keep the rpm down as much as possible. If you live right next to the on-ramp you take to get to work I'd give it a minute or two if its cold out. Normally a leisurely drive from your neighborhood to the highway is enough to get it warm. Just take'er easy until some temp starts to show.

Wow, is $6k typical, I thought they brought more. Is there anything wrong with either? On a scale from 1 to 10 how would you conservatively rate the '98? 10 being that it looks new, very little wear.

At this juncture I will conceed my faulty reasoning. I assumed the compression would be around 10:1. With the compression at 10.5:1 the factory timing is probably rather mild and for it to !Removed! even further to compensate for 87 octane may put it into the loss of efficiency area. Retarding timing in crisis situations with turbo set-ups is only for moments at which power and efficiency are way down. This is ok since it saves the engine but if it runs for extended periods it is not good.

Is it that obvious I am smarter than the Lexus engineers? I'll have to tone it down a bit, I get crazy on public forums which encourage discussion and thoughts not mainstream. It has been my experience that most folks don't understand "American Pump Gas". I too used to think there was some benefit to running higher octane other than to preventing knock, but there isn't. But enough of that, seems like most that have tried it in an LS400 have not experienced any improvement. I believe the rear gear ratio is 4.09 or so. Does the rear ring and pinion in an LS400 also fit other Lexus or Toyota vehicles?

Taller gearing if its available. Something around a 3.90 rear gear would take about 200rpm off of top gear highway cruise.

Damn, thats up there. This is a motorcycle engine after all. The first generation Hayabusa only had 10.5:1 compression, ran best on 87 octane "pump" gas.

"Premium" is usually recommended by manufacturers as a safety cushion if the engine has any possibility of detonation in the worst of conditions. The only OEM car engines I've ever seen that were "designed" to run on premium are older American designs. Terrible combustion chamber/piston top, poor ignition control, they were designed to detonate. Please note: I now realize the 1UZFE isn't a motorcycle engine, thanks for pointing that out. I used to run premium in everthing I owned because I thought it was better fuel. What is the compression for this engine?

You are suggesting that higher octane with more ignition advance is better than using lower octane with less advance. There is a limit to how much advance/!Removed! can be used with good results but I doubt it would take much to run 87 octane. Does an LS400 for sure have a knock sensor? I'm not advocating the use of 87 octane as a means to saving money. 87 octane is better fuel than 93 and runs more cleanly because it has less additives in it to prevent knock/ping/detonation. I'd love to see what the LS400 combustion chamber looks like. I bet it is very "motorcycle" looking, shallow pentroof design that does not promote knock/ping/detonation with 10:1 compression or a bit more. If so, I can't for the life of me understand why this motor won't run better on 87 octane. I have a Suzuki sportbike with the same displacement per cylinder, 11something:1 compression and loves 87 unless it is really hot outside. It doesn't have a knock sensor, the ECU runs a set advance curve.

Was that thread about those not happy with the 25mpg highway or those getting in the mid teens? If the Temp Sensor is bad and reading low then the engine will stay in warm up mode and run richer. I have a motorcycle that had a problem like this from the factory. Using the correct thermostat and sensor is crucial for an engine to run correctly with fuel injection. FI relies on sensors to adjust it so if they are off, it will be off.

So it is still quiet at cruising speeds, mpg has improved as well as WOT topend power. Has the off idle accelleration gotten better or worse? Sometimes a free flowing exhaust can kill some bottom-end. Are you still running the catalytic converters? What does the stock exhaust look like?

I know you were just kiddin', I was just being the good cop. You can't tease us like this Blayd and not expect some harassment, this is just the beginning.

Give the man a chance. He may not have all the details of the car committed to memory yet or pics but I'm sure he will. Don't criticize him for being well funded. Cubic dollars always help accellerate any build.

Cool. A turbo LS400 with a tube chassis or at least the front half. Take some pics of the rearend too. Does it still use the LS400 automatic transmission? This is a street car with tags and a title? Do you remember what your trap speed was at the end of the 1/4mile?