ryan78

iTrader: (2)

i would imagine it helps with steering response, as well as the majority of the weight is up front so it would need to be a little more firm. just a guess though; it's how i have always heard settings should be. lol. i just threw the damn things on and dropped it down. reasoning and i don't seem to get along too well.

V8_Fan

I have some questions. To remove the front air shock, the factory manual says to
(1) remove front wheel
(2) remove the 3 nuts and front shock absorber cap
(3) remove absorber control actuator (plugged into the top of the shock) by turning CCW 40 degrees
(4) separate lower suspension arm nut and washer
(5) remove shock cover and disconnect air tube w/ SST, remove lower nut
(6) remove 3 nuts attached to the top of the shock
(7) lower front and remove shock

But to remove the shock from a non UL car, it says after removing the lower suspensino arm nut and washer, you need to separate the steering arm knuckle, then loosen the center locknut on top of the shock, then proceed to (6) and (7). Did you find this extra step necessary on the UL?

Similarly, for the rear wheel, it says that after removing the interior components (seats, trim, stop light, etc.) and rear wheel, it says to separate the rear axle carrier sub-assembly, then remove the 3 nuts on top of the shock, etc. For the UL shock, it skips the rear axle carrier sub-assembly step. BTW, the instructions for the UL and non-UL spring/shock replacement don't say to remove the wheel well trim at all.

You are right about using two small screwdrivers to remove the air tube. The manual says to squeeze connector 1 and remove it, then install SST on the air tube and insert it into connector 2. The SST expands the inner collar that grabs and holds the air tube from the outside, so little screwdrivers should do the same thing (the connector grabs the outside of the tube just like how plastic connectors on reverse osmosis water filter systems connect to the plastic tubes). After that, it says to use a little screwdriver and remove connector 2 along with the two O-ring and plate behind the connector.

PS: the wheel alignment specs for the UL and non-UL are the same, but the vehicle height is different. Define

A=distance from the ground to the center of the front lower suspension arm No 1 bushing set bolt.

B=distance from the ground to the center of the front wheel (wheels on the ground, of course)

C=distance from ground to center of the rear suspension arm No2 set bolt

D=distance from the ground to the center of the rear wheel

Then for the spring suspension:
P225/55R17 tires: for the front, B-A=105mm and for the rear, D-C=91mm.
P245/45R18 tires: for the front, B-A=104mm and rear, D-C=89mm

for the air suspension:
front, B-A=115mm, rear D-C=109mm

So as you see, the UL sits 11mm higher in front and 20mm higher in back, which is probably why it lowers itself by an inch at highway speed.

V8_Fan

After examining the air suspension schematics, there are 3 power sources feeding the suspension ECU. One feeds the compressor (40A), which sends signals to the ECU. Another feeds the ECU (20A, IIRC), while yet another 7.5A one also feeds the ECU. If you pull the 40A fuse to the compressor, it just means the compressor doesn't work. The compressor turns on when you want to raise the car and exhausts air pressure when you want to lower the car. You can't pull the other fuses, or the ECU won't get power. The ECU is linked to the PCS and AFS ECU's, so not only will you get lots of error messages, the AFS won't aim correctly nor will the PCS. If you pull the compressor fuse, the suspension ECU is still running and sending signals to each shock, the AFS, and PCS. The only drawback I can think of is the ECU might be waiting for a signal from the sensors saying that the shock firmness/vehicle height is appropriate for the driving conditions, and if not, it'll continously work (send signals) to try to correct the situation. I suspect the ECU isn't that smart in the sense that it's waiting for feedback. I think it just takes the inputs from the sensor (speed, steering wheel angle, etc.) and looks up the ideal setting for each shock and desired vehicle height, then sends the signals to each shock and the compressor. One thing you could do is to unplug the vehicle height adjustment and sport suspension switches in the center cluster. Otherwise, if you try to raise the vehicle after pulling the compressor fuse, the susp. ECU will try to turn the compressor on. If the switch is disconnected, it won't even try.

nc356

iTrader: (1)

"But to remove the shock from a non UL car, it says after removing the lower suspensino arm nut and washer, you need to separate the steering arm knuckle, then loosen the center locknut on top of the shock, then proceed to (6) and (7). Did you find this extra step necessary on the UL?"

It was easy to pop the knuckle apart, so I did it. So I can't say if it was a waste of time. Now about the rears...........

"Similarly, for the rear wheel, it says that after removing the interior components (seats, trim, stop light, etc.) and rear wheel, it says to separate the rear axle carrier sub-assembly, then remove the 3 nuts on top of the shock, etc. For the UL shock, it skips the rear axle carrier sub-assembly step."

That's one thing I now remember, thanks for the question. Nope, didn't separate the carrier link. It looked quite difficult without the SST, but I found that, with a helper, we could lever the suspension down with a long bar and get the new strut in there.

Also, I now remember, getting the relative 30 degree angle between the top and bottom strut mounts was a bit of a bear; ended up loosening the top center nut and twisting the bottom bushing in place , aligning by eye. Lost some time learning that.

"BTW, the instructions for the UL and non-UL spring/shock replacement don't say to remove the wheel well trim at all."

Well, my Factory Service Manual says "16-b: remove the rear tire house cover". I take that to mean the fender liner; and if it were out of the way, getting the air hose out would be easier for sure.

"PS: the wheel alignment specs for the UL and non-UL are the same"

Sorry, not according to all my documents: FSM lists different front camber, caster, and steering axis inclination. Also: different camber values for the rear. Toe-in listed same for frt and rear.
Same for UCF30 2 page service summary sheet (don't remember where I got this one; probably downloaded from TIS.)
Also, my work orders for alignment at Toyota dealer always mention "air suspension" in the description; that just suggests a difference, but who knows.

I think true to say: alignment spec's seem to be in a constant state of revision. My choice will be to trust the yota dealer to stay current, rather than trust my 6 year old FSM.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

how many hours of labor do you all think would be involved in doing the job. going from 05 UL to coilovers?? I want to make sure the shop doesn't try to over chage me. thanks,

sojah

iTrader: (1)

^ ^ ^ can anybody ball park it for me before the install in about 15 hours...? thanks,

Tdvlexo

iTrader: (1)

when i did mine and with hand tools only, no air tools, it took me about 3-4 hrs. that's with me and minyminh joking around, having fun while at it. i'll say with all the tools that the shop have including lift, it should take around 2 hrs maybe less.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

muchos arigatos ^ ^ ^

V8_Fan

Look at it this way...it's the same amount of work if they were to replace the shock absorbers alone, and shops do this on 4-wheel indep suspension sedans everyday. The only difference w/ ultra is removing the harness clip from the top of the shock and removing the air compressor's fuse.

nc356

iTrader: (1)

Attempting to interpret the crash book that body shops use: it appears they would bill at 1.5 hours each x 2 for the fronts, and 2 hours x 2 for the rears.
Very generous (to the shop, that is); if your shop likes to refer to the flat rate books, this might be what they come up with.

ryan78

iTrader: (2)

they may bill you for 7 hours, but it will take them no where near that. the shop that bronson is going to did my coils in 2/2.5hrs, including adjustment. granted, i have a 3gs awd, so it is not as involved as the UL, but i can't see them billing any more than 5hrs for this job. i also paid for the 'job', not the hours. i think it was a flat rate at 250 or 300. of course, now that i have seen it done, i would not pay for it - much easier to DIY. i'm sure that is not the case with the UL however. the shop does good work and comes reccomended from people in the area ( i have very few complaints in regards to my install, most of which are my fault for not being educated). i am curious to see how bronson's experience is however.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

i am curious too

ryan78

iTrader: (2)

pics?!?!?!

DDLexus

sojah, is the work complete? Like ryan78 said... we need some pics!

sojah

iTrader: (1)

yeah got it done and picked it up yesterday afternoon. i am super pleased with the fitment. i am very pleased with the ride for about 90% of my commute. there are a few sections where the roads are pretty bad and bumpy and over these spots the car definitely feels tight and a bit rough on the bumps and whoops. during these rough spots i wish the settings were a bit softer and floaty but the other 90% i love the more aggressive sporty feeling. so i guess you have to give and take. my dampening is set to 5 clicks from full soft.

with my current wheels 19x10" (rear) and 275x30x19 rear tires it sits with about 1" of tire showing in the rear and about 1.5 inch of tire showing in the front. it is about 3-3.5 inches off the ground at the lowest spots. i have to see if this allows me to still do the car wash thing with out issues and if not i will have to raise it up an inch. i already have to go around this big *** speed hump + speed bump right before my condo (they poured a speed hump which didn't slow down traffic enough so they put a speed bump on top of the speed hump,, i will have to get a picture to show you all the monstrosity that they created).

to me the car feels now like a 7 series or 5 series bmw than an ls430. i can't say i don't miss the soft cushy floaty feel but i think i would definitely take this new bmw feeling suspension over the stock air for about 90% of my driving.

there is a big supposedly 1000+ car meeting/ show this sunday so i will have to get it cleaned up sat or sunday early and then i will take some pics and showcase the new stance. my rear wheels are almost completely flush with the body and unless i add another 10mm to the spacer plus a shave of the rear fenders it won't be getting any flusher.. the font is a different story cuz my rims are of a almost convex design in front with about a .5 inch lip and they are not even close to flush so i may have to get some different rims and or spacers to make the front flush as well.

fist impressions of the new bc coilovers is that i would recommend them over the stock suspension,, but i haven't felt any of the others like tein cs, meagans, or jic magics. i do like these bc's and hope they last a very very long time. for $950 to my door from the CL vendors you can't beat it. beats the hell out of paying lex for some oem replacements.

BTW I am starting a for sale thread in the classifieds section for my Youzealand SS Kit, Datasystems Controller ASC680 + harness, and all oem air struts & components removed,, all for the 04-06 ls430.