Dialtone

Was thinkin about getting Coilovers but not sure about the best bang for my buck...

was lookin at these...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MEGAN-RACING...source=message


does anyone have any recomendations?

my ES300 is all stock and i do not want a bumpy ride ..i just want a clean stance and a nice smooth ride like my stock


also looking for some new front end and bumper options..any help would be appreciated...

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Coilovers will give you a harsh ride. You should look into struts/lowering springs.

DixonPai

iTrader: (3)

What kind of drop are you looking for? I dont know what a clean stance to you is and how smooth is a smooth ride haha

PlatES300

iTrader: (1)

those coilovers will not fit your car. what year is your car? if it's a 3rd gen es (97-01) then the only coilovers I can recommend are the tein ss or the BC racing coils with progressive springs and stock mounts. Do not get coilovers with pillow ball mounts as they make the ride rough. Both Tein and BC racing reuse the stock mounts, making the ride more comfortable.

Power6

Tein or BC make decent stuff, stick with those you don't want Megan.

See if they publish spring rates, you might want to get softer springs for either of those to get a more stock like ride, or as close as you can get with the shock damping of the coilovers.

Keep in mind, the lower you want to go, the stiffer your springs need to be to keep your suspension off the bump stops. So good ride is at odds with lowering, you need to pick which one you want more ;-)

Dialtone

the setup in your signature picture is what im looking for, nice and low with asa st2 rims,

my car is in perfect condition and my ride is so smooth you cant even tell the car is on, thats the kinda ride i wanna keep , thanks man

Dialtone

Thanks dood, i realized i posted the wrong link for a gs, anyways those are outta the picture

really appreciate the help, I have a 1998 es 300 and i think im gonna look into the Tein and bc racing struts ,

i know it wont be completly smooth but i wanna come to an agreement with the lowering and smoothness of the ride with no bumpin over everything, thanks again

Dialtone

thanks man thats great advice

smee

To have a stance as low as Dixon's, you'll have a hard time finding the smooth ride you seek.

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

low and smooth is possible with the right setup

smee

I stand corrected!
How would one go about finding the right setup? What do you mean when you say that?
the only reason I'm holding back on coilovers is the smooth ride which I currently have (but the struts are going, so I will need to make a decision soon).
I go on trips with friends often, driving up North or to SoCal from the Bay Area, so having a full vehicle and stuff in the trunk, I would like the low stance (not as low as Dixon's) but I don't want it to be an annoyance to my passengers if its bumpy...

Dialtone

thanks maybe i dont fully understand the grasp of coilovers vs struts??? can you elaborate on what a great setup is ike? should i mix and mattch parts to create the ultimate setup?

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

im on the 2gs forums myself. when talking about this topic though, words such as right set up, smooth, and other terms are completely objective.

my 2gs is currently running 14k/12k BC-R coilovers. The ride is smoother now than it was when I was running TEIN-CS coilovers which are 8k/6k. A lot of people would say thats super aggressive spring rates but I rarely get little bounces on the road. The pros to coilovers is I can adjust dampening from super soft to super hard all in a matter of seconds. When I first got the coilovers I played with dampening and noticed the huge difference from full soft to full hard. So it's definitely easy to get the right setting

If you want smooth, run recommended settings for spring rates and run on the lower side of dampening.


Its funny how people say if you want a better ride, get shocks/struts. Shocks and springs are one setting, and if you dont like it, your out of luck.

Theres a reason why so many people go shock/struts and end up upgrading to coilovers a few months later or sometime down the road.


All said and done, theres no way to get that pillow cushion cloud 9 ride on a Lexus if you are lowered, especially super lowered.
The plus is that though, I definitely feel I have more handling on my car.

Chocolate

You said you were all stock. Before you get into the suspension, the first thing you should do is get a pair of 18 or 19 inch wheels. You mention ride is important to you - it is to me also and my 04 ES rides as smooth with 225/45/R18s as it did with 215/60R16s. I paid close attention before and after to the amount of vibration in the car and through the steering wheel. Your car will basically be invisible with the stock wheels. Wheels are the first thing you or anyone sees on your car, and therefore they are the first modification you should do.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I agree with you on everything. The only problem is that you're comparing GS coilovers with what's out there for our cars. Not many modify their ES's, so the aftermarket support is pretty low.

There is a member on here who has BC Coilovers with factory mounts. According to what he told me, the damper adjustment **** makes no difference, unless it's all the way soft or all the way hard. He also said that the ride is pretty harsh, even on the softest setting. Although you have to keep in mind that the roads are crap where he lives.

It's all personal preference. After reading multiple opinions on different suspension setups for the 3ES, I have decided that struts/springs is the best compromise.