skytechja

This greatly helps. I was really wondering if those from the Mercedes could be used. I'm Def gonna order one and see how it goes.. Can hurt right. Plus they are cheap on ebay

kene

iTrader: (2)

If you can wait, I will be able to get the exact length measurements and post here so everyone can be 100% positive.

skytechja

Oh OK. No problem..
Better to be sure

kene

iTrader: (2)

Ok, to sum it up, the lexus dealer I bought the steering damper from said they don't have this part in stock, and it is on an unknown backorder (discontinued?).

So I decided to get under the car and take measurements with a yard stick.
With the steering wheel turned fully to the left, the distance between the steering damper mounting points is approximately 23-7/8" to 24" full length(around 23.875 inches to 24 inches...plus or minus 1/8 inch).

With the steering wheel turned fully to the right, the distance between the steering damper mounting points is approximately 18-5/8" (around 18.625 inches plus or minus 1/8 inch) in full length.

So max extended length needed for the steering damper is at least ~24", and minimum compression length needed is ~ 18-5/8".



So the steering damper from the 1997 Mercedes S320 is right at the limit with regards to the maximum length of the damper, and is fine with the compression length.

And the LX450 steering damper seems to work perfectly. It will compress smaller than needed for the gs300, and will extend longer than needed for the gs300 jzs147.

Personally, for me I will be buying the LX450 suv steering damper because I believe the valving for a truck/SUV would be more firm than of a full sedan (EDIT: Now that I think about it the mercedes S class damper may be even more firm in its valving considering its an S-Class). And it also give me more than enough length for extension, and more than enough length for compression. So there is nothing to worry about in the length category.

The only thing that worries me is the supposed 4x's larger diameter. But I don't mind testing it out to see and posting the results here. Next step is I am going to buy the steering damper for the LX450.

skytechja

Wow.... that info is extremely helpful.... Very nice !!!!!

You know i went ahead and purchased the steering damper for the Mercedes....

however.. the diameter of the damper for the lx450 shouldnt be that much of a problem because where the steering damper is located, there is some room there...

if all else fails, whayou could do is get longer bolts and use washers to ease ot off somewhat n bolt it up.

as soon as i get the damper for the mercedes and install it i will update on the results ....

maybe even do a vid from under the car.

kene

iTrader: (2)

I was able to source a broken 1st gen GS300 steering damper, bolt, and mounting nut. Also the LX450 steering damper arrived and its huge in comparison to the stock gs damper. See pics below. keep in mind that just because the stock 1gs300 steering damper maxes out at 24.5 inches does not mean that your steering rack will extend that long. I measured the steering rack as less in the last post.



Steering damper<br/>1gs300 (small) vs LX450 (large)





The size for the original stock jzs147/ GS300 steering damper carrier bolt is 8mm x 1.25 (M8 x 1.25) and is 40mm long, and the nut is 10mm x 1.25 (M10 x 1.25).






To use the LX450 steering damper, You will need a longer M8x1.25 bolt. I measured this out to be around 48.25mm in length (50mm should work) and 2 washers for both sides of the dampers rubber bushing. Also since the M8x1.25 bolt is skinny in comparison to the LX450 damper dushing, a bushing insert would be needed to fill the extra space inside the rubber bushing. I will order this from McMaster-Carr and edit this post with the size needed.

The inside diameter of the LX450 steering damper bushings are 15.3mm with the calipers barely touching the rubber, and the height/thickness of the bushing is 36.10mm.

TRACKMKIII

Looking forward to the results!! Thank you very much for the research.

skytechja

OHmy gosh that damper is way bigger.... I will be picking up my damper tomorrow from my courier so in the night i can be able to do the comparisons !!

kene

iTrader: (2)

Man the thing is huge. I got it in, but it required some modification on one of the round damper ends. I literally had to cut it off with an air cut off tool, and weld an "L" bracket to the the end of the shaft (you could pay a muffler shop or auto mechanic shop $5 to $10 to cut and weld this for you). I've only had about 10 minutes of drive time and I like it so far, but this has only been on smooth streets. I will log some more miles at highway speed on somewhat rough freeways.

Without this mod the damper will make contact with the rack and pinion's passenger side front bolt that mounts to the chassis frame.

Its is possible to mount the LX450 damper with out this mod but you will need a much longer M8x1.25 bolt (guessing around 70mm?), and some sort of "press fit round standoff" to screw into the M10x1.25 Mounting bolt for the steering damper. And if pursuing this route you will also need washers on both sides of each damper bushing. This is to elevate the dampers body away from that steering rack frame mounting bolt. Keep in mind if you do go this route the body of the steering damper will darn near be the lowest point of the vehicle ( maybe slightly lower than the bottom of the subframe). I didnt mount this up 100%, but I eye-balled it while trying and was a little worried. So if you bottom out and scrape while driving you may land on the damper.


I chose the "L" bracket option.




Only one side bolted down in this picture above









This "L" bracket is rated for 650lbs before collapse. Waay more than it will ever see considering you can expand and compress the damper by hand(with a good amount of elbow grease).
Also keep in mind i hacked up the bushing end of my damper trying to figure out different options to get the damper on the car. I still used some washers with this L-bracket option to clear the rack and pinion mounting bolt, but not as many if I went with the original non-L bracket route. If doing the L-bracket method you will not need to cut your bushing. In the picture this bushing end is also untightened.

Also skytechja, have you checked your inner tie rods for any slack? This can gove a bot of freeplay in the steering, so any road irregularities can cause weird road steer issues without driver input.

I will post which parts and item numbers you will need from Mcmaster-Carr.com tomorrow. It is kinda late right now.

kene

iTrader: (2)

Ok so I've been driving with the damper on rough roads and i simply love it! No more do I feel the rough road terrain in the steering wheel. the uneven surfaces that would cause a jolt in steering are reduced by at least 65% for me (if I had to guess). And on long sweeping freeway connections the steering wheel feels much more firm and smooth while turning. Although this mod took a little more work, for $27 this is a nice upgrade. I am curious to see what the mercedes steering damper will be like. After second thought it may be even better than the LX450 considering it comes from their S-class lineup.

The "L-bracket" part number on mcmaster carr is:
3053T15 -Threaded Rod Wall Offset Mount, Zinc-Plated Steel, for 1/2" Rod Diameter - $2.92

The M8x1.25 bolt length part is:
93635A344 - 316 Stainless Steel Hex Head Cap Screw, M8 Thread, 1.25MM Pitch, 60MM Long, Fully Threaded, Pack of 5 - $5.74

The washers used as spacers from the rack and pinion are:
91100A170 - Zinc-Plated Steel Oversized Flat Washer, M10 Screw Size, 10.5MM ID, 30.0MM OD, Packs of 50 - $7.97

I also used a polymer spacer and cut it, then wrapped it with a little electrical tape to fill the excess space inside the 1 damper bushing so the bolt would not be loose inside. Here is that part #.
92377A300 - Unthreaded Spacer Stock, Gray Polypropylene, 0.565" OD 1 - $4.91

I have extras of all of these parts except the bracket. PM me if you need them.

All the best.

skytechja

that thing is HUGGEEEE


ok just a lil update on the damper for the Mercedes

i got the damper but i didnt install it as yet.. just wanted to see how it would fit up etc...

here is a pic of the OEM strut with the strut from the Mercedes.... i must say it is also significantly thicker and you will need washers as well to ensure that it clears the rack and pinion...






It is als definitely recommended to either get a longer M8x1.25 bolt or cut off a piece of the white protrusion u see in the pic...






As stated in the forum below...... You have to cut of one of the protruded edges... completely but still utlize washers to keep off the rach and pinion...

ClubLexus LS400 1st & 2nd gen forum post I got this info from.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...read-this.html




i couldnt locate my cutting tool hence i have not installed this strut as yet