Here is another tid bit of information in my searches:

Hi Jason,

I contacted our F-Sport hot line and they told me there was no application for the AWD and didn’t recommend using RWD springs. As far as an application in the future they don’t show to have any irons in the fire.

F-Sport 1-800-423-1680

Michael Anderson
Parts Assistant Manager
Lexus of Tacoma
Phone 253-922-7100
Fax 253-922-9070
Toll Free 888-71-LEXUS
www.lexusoftacoma.com
manderson@lexusoftacoma.com

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From: riles200 [mailto: riles200@yahoo.com ]
Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 1:45 PM
To: Michael Anderson
Subject: Re: LOWERING SPRINGS

Michael,

Thanks for your help. I went on some Lexus forums and noticed some people are using the RWD GS 350 F-Sport springs on their AWDs with no problems. Is there anyway to contact F-Sport to verify this is an ok application?

If not, when will F-Sport be producing these springs for AWD?

I appreciate your efforts on this matter.

Thanks,
Jason

After hearing this, I may call F-Sport and see what their plan is for our rides.

 

Seems to me that the F-Sport offers a little bigger drop. Looking at you "before" and "after" pictures, looks like you dropped the front by 1.5 and the rear by 1.25, which falls right in between the NF210 (1.1 - 0.8) and the DF210 (2.0 - 1.8).

So if the theory about "the lower you drop it, the more vibration issues you could have" is correct, then NF210 should be less problematic.

Also, it will be interesting to see how much your alignment is off now, especially in the rear, since the camber there is not adjustable.

 

clunking noise is pretty common.. which side is it coming from? take a look and make sure everything is tight.. or try to get silencer for springs if you can't stand the noise.. the typical drivetrain wobble is when you step on the gas, especially under wot.. i have the same issue, also between 5 to 20mph..

 

I think you are correct in saying that DF drop > F-Sport drop > NF drop.

So how noticeable/annoying is this wobble? Does it affect the acceleration/performance in any way?

 

That looks soooooooooooooooooooooo much better. No offense but the AWD stance look horrible. I have never seen one that look as high as yours did. Jesus it looks off road ready. I think you made a great choice. I am impressed that you did the work yourself. Nice

 

It was off-road ready haha. Thanks!

 

noticeable enough for my passengers to feel the shake and ask me if there's something wrong with my tires. i guess it affects ME in a way that i'm less likely to gun my car now..

 

Is it possible that something other then the springs is at fault? Assuming you have the same springs, F-sport, right?

 

i'm on coilovers now, but i had the tein s-tech springs before.. vibration is about the same. like it was mentioned before, it's the car itself, not the springs..

 

yup its something with the car. I had the same issue with my Tanabe DF210s and the BC Coils. The only way I was able to make it go away was putting it back to stock.

 

I don't have an AWD but I'm curious if anyone knows what the vibration is from? I'm wondering if it's from the added pressure on the front differential that's causing this? Very odd that lowering can cause vibration like this.

 

Yeah no kidding. Lots of AWD/4WD vehicles are lowered without problems. i.e. Subaru, Audi, pick-up/SUV, etc.

Was the vibration there stock too?

 

i don't think so, but honestly can't remember.. didn't pay much attention..

 

I just have F-Sport springs installed into my '08 GS350 AWD. It took me a while to decide between the Tanabe NF210 and the F-Sport. I decided to go with F-Sport because it lowers a car just a bit more than the Tanabe. I still have OEM 17" rims and so far keeping them.

Here is breif report.

Cost: Springs shipped from Sewell $248; installation, including alignment $150 (my friend is a mechanic at a local dealership).

Vibrations: I paid a really close attention to this one. As we all know, every car vibrates slightly when in D or R, with engine idling and brakes applied. The vibration goes away as soon as you release the brakes, or put car in Park or Neutral. So, THIS vibration became slightly more pronounced with the new springs, but not enough to become annoying.

Ride: Much stiffer. Now I feel every little bump and road imperfection.

Handling: The car drives like on rails. No body roll whatsoever. I love it.

Rattling, clanking and other noises: None. I know some members complained about them, I got lucky, or my buddy did a good job installing it.

Alignment: Everything was brought up to specs.

Looks: While the car does not really look "lowered", it looks normal. I was not after the "slammed" look to begin with, I just wanted my Lexus not to look like a Jeep. I am completely satisfied with it now.

Whould I do it again? Absolutely!

 

The car looks soooo much better. I cant believe how high the front of the car was at stock height. Jesus. Now it looks like it sits at stock RWD height. Bottom line, the car looks great.