projectsle

Nice thread Fausty. I'm going through the same with my 450h hitting 100k soon and one shock starting to leak. I purchased the car with 20k on it. I'm leaning towards replacing the AVS just because the handling on the car was pretty solid. I'm basing this off of some Tein Flex suspension I had on my 2nd gen GS, but not a fair comparison. My only complaint is the ride height which I'm limited to options if I want to keep the AVS and not too many aftermarket options for the hybrid. Interested to see what you decide on. Keep us posted!

wickedtaco

Yo Fausty, are u still on the fence? My Gs430 is riding on BC-br coils and 20's and I enjoy the ride. This car looks totally different when it's lowered. I purchased coils before I purchased the car However, if you are looking for a soft ride like my graandfathers Caddy then don't go that route and throw the golf clubs in the trunk.. Get the BC coils and don't look back. Please let us know the outcome.

Fausty

I'm definitely still on the fence. I was hoping for more replies like yours lol. Thanks

mr3gs300

Its all a matter of preference, if you like the stock height then go with the oem shocks. But if your looking to lower the stance then coil overs is the way to go. imho
I have the ksport coil overs for my awd gs300 and it feels the same. I lowered it to about a one finger gap and its fine.

pbxcomm

"I have the ksport coil overs for my awd gs300 and it feels the same. I lowered it to about a one finger gap and its fine. "
I'm curious, the ride feels the same as previous? That is,,, the same feel as at the time your replaced them? Its difficult to compare new coilovers to how the vehicle rode and felt when the vehicle was brand new. Struts wear in a matter of years and over 100,000 miles.. The change in ride from when the vehicle is new to 100,000 miles can seem subtle until you change them out. So, I read many threads and posts all over about how new installed coilovers the ride "feels" the same.. Same as? Current ride with worn factory struts,,, ride? For example, I go to my local Lexus dealer and test drive used Lexus, say a low milage 2013 (or above) GS 350, I drive it hard and take as many rough roads and turns as possible, then get back in to my GS. This gives me something to compare it to. I base these test drives on what I should expect from coilovers, if the manufacturer claims that thier coilover is as OEM.. If I was to purchase a set of Coilovers tomorrow, I would only have my current ride characteristics to comare them too..

Food for thought..

Fausty

i think that is what I am struggling the most to get out of this thread. There havnt been any replies with someone who had avs shocks when the vehicle was relatively new and then took them off and put on coil overs. Most of the replies are from cars with gs350 shocks to coil overs and I'm not sure how the ride compares to avs so maybe in that case it was a step up??

As as far as ride height is concerned. I'm not going to be slamming the car if I go coil overs. My goal with coil overs would be to improve performance compared to oem avs while also costing me less. I know there has to be gs430 owners who have made the switch that could chime in! 460 owners are harder to find but I have better odds getting input from a 430 owner who has done this.

JM Auto Racing

iTrader: (1)

The AVS softens and stiffens the ride to a certain degree. Coilovers will do the same things with a wider range only you have to manually adjust the dampening.
I am going to be upfront with you on this and your best bet is to get the coilovers and if you really don't like them...sell them.

I am fairly confident you would like the ride with coilovers much better as they would achieve exactly what your goals are. Ride feel is all a matter of an opinion. What's good for me may not be good for you. Are you going to loose money on the deal if you do what I said and don't like them? Yes maybe $200-$300 maybe less. But the experience and knowledge you gain from physically driving your car with coilovers vs listening to others opinions is worth alot.

I hope you understand what I am trying to say.

pbxcomm

Allow me to add to this..
HKS makes some fine coilovers and IF (and I maen if) I ever went the coilover route it would be a set of these.. Now as far as cost goes, for a good non-entry coilover your right around $1300.00 to $1500.00..That said, a set of OEM/Lexus from select dealers (they are reputable dealers and out there if you search) are around $1200.00 including OEM springs. The OEM struts and springs are tested, engineered and matched specifically for that vehicle per the specific VIN Number. Now, If you have the time (and money) to install a set of coilovers, then remove them if they don't meet your expectations, sell them on ????, then you need not consider OEM. For my preference, OEM is my choice as a personal one.
As I had mentioned prior, currently I have nothing to compare coilovers to with the exception of my current presumably worn out ride/struts @ 120,000 miles. I'm quite certain when I install the OEM struts and springs, my ride will return as factory intended or fairly close.

Just my 5 cents..