Introducing....me!
04-02-12, 12:01 AM
#1
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Location: CA
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Introducing....me!
Hello everyone,
Been following this forum for a minute ever since I decided I was going to get back into a Lex. Thanks for everyone's detailed posts about their experiences and general thoughts about this wonderful car! It's definitely been a help at answering some of the initial questions I had about the LS, as well as a lot of great detailed information about various member's specific mods and setups.
A bit about myself and my history w/ the brand. I owned a 1992 Pearl White SC 400 that was in my family since the original model year and I drove it proudly for a long time. I wanted to restore it back to a cherry state in the future but ended up letting it go due to downsizing which really bummed me out. My wife and I also had a 2006 Obsidian GS 430 for a few years that we loved but ended up returning on a lease. And now I'm back, 2008 Obsidian LS 460, which I plan on keeping for quite some time!
So I picked this CPO up and had it delivered from SoCal (to NorCal) while I was still trying to sell my previous car. Timing worked out really well and I finalized a sale of my old car just days after buying my LS, so it was just a matter of time before it got here. In the meantime, I got everything together in terms of the wheels I wanted and started researching my lowering options. I was anxious to say the least!
Well, the car arrived on a Thursday, had it tinted the next day on Friday, took it to my local wheel shop the following Tuesday, and had it detailed today, Sunday....just so I could take some pics for you guys! haha, I jest.... Timing just happened to work out in my favor so the careful planning paid off for getting everything done in one full swoop (for the most part)!
I wish I could have taken the day off and documented the work of getting the car lowered and the wheels on. Would have been nice to add to other's build threads and experiences but what can you do, whats done is done. The guys at California Wheels are awesome and they really do a great job blending high quality work, customer service and industry expertise. They gave me a good deal on a package for my wheels/tires and Megan coilovers as well as installing +2mm OEM control arms (thanks CJITTY for the info!) before the alignment. I'm really happy w/ the results so I had to drop them a quick plug!
Had some spare time to do a quick shoot in the driveway and ended up going mainly w/ black & white shots since it really emphasized the clean lines of the car/wheels and the contrast between the wheels and the black paint (included one in color for reference). Well, without further ado, here's my new whip!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891779444/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891776228/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/7037868097/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891772250/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/7037864153/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891767680/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/7037862975/
Glad to be a part of this community and hopefully will have more interesting things to contribute in the future!
PS. - Big Ups to CJITTY for trailblazing w/ the CV1's and the Obsidian, the gallery on Vossen's site pretty much served as the catalyst for me to head back to Lexus towards an LS and all your guys' info on what a great overall car it is sealed the deal!!
Been following this forum for a minute ever since I decided I was going to get back into a Lex. Thanks for everyone's detailed posts about their experiences and general thoughts about this wonderful car! It's definitely been a help at answering some of the initial questions I had about the LS, as well as a lot of great detailed information about various member's specific mods and setups.
A bit about myself and my history w/ the brand. I owned a 1992 Pearl White SC 400 that was in my family since the original model year and I drove it proudly for a long time. I wanted to restore it back to a cherry state in the future but ended up letting it go due to downsizing which really bummed me out. My wife and I also had a 2006 Obsidian GS 430 for a few years that we loved but ended up returning on a lease. And now I'm back, 2008 Obsidian LS 460, which I plan on keeping for quite some time!
So I picked this CPO up and had it delivered from SoCal (to NorCal) while I was still trying to sell my previous car. Timing worked out really well and I finalized a sale of my old car just days after buying my LS, so it was just a matter of time before it got here. In the meantime, I got everything together in terms of the wheels I wanted and started researching my lowering options. I was anxious to say the least!
Well, the car arrived on a Thursday, had it tinted the next day on Friday, took it to my local wheel shop the following Tuesday, and had it detailed today, Sunday....just so I could take some pics for you guys! haha, I jest.... Timing just happened to work out in my favor so the careful planning paid off for getting everything done in one full swoop (for the most part)!
I wish I could have taken the day off and documented the work of getting the car lowered and the wheels on. Would have been nice to add to other's build threads and experiences but what can you do, whats done is done. The guys at California Wheels are awesome and they really do a great job blending high quality work, customer service and industry expertise. They gave me a good deal on a package for my wheels/tires and Megan coilovers as well as installing +2mm OEM control arms (thanks CJITTY for the info!) before the alignment. I'm really happy w/ the results so I had to drop them a quick plug!
Had some spare time to do a quick shoot in the driveway and ended up going mainly w/ black & white shots since it really emphasized the clean lines of the car/wheels and the contrast between the wheels and the black paint (included one in color for reference). Well, without further ado, here's my new whip!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891779444/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891776228/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/7037868097/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891772250/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/7037864153/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/6891767680/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtse/7037862975/
Glad to be a part of this community and hopefully will have more interesting things to contribute in the future!
PS. - Big Ups to CJITTY for trailblazing w/ the CV1's and the Obsidian, the gallery on Vossen's site pretty much served as the catalyst for me to head back to Lexus towards an LS and all your guys' info on what a great overall car it is sealed the deal!!
04-02-12, 07:30 AM
#4
Lead Lap
Nevertheless, Superb looking auto ! Nice job and thanks for posting Quality pics. Welcome to Club Lexus.
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA
04-02-12, 08:38 AM
#5
Moderator
Glad my posts have helped you out and your car looks amazing! Keep us posted on the coilovers and how you like them. I thought about going the coilover route but hoping to go with an L with air in the next year or so..especially when the 4th gens come out.
Props on a great wheel choice for this car. I am of course biased but I don't care if others have the same wheel as I do. I have had these for nearly six months and have never seen them on another LS here in ATL in person and my consistently gets attention and people taking pictures at stoplights..literally. I like the fact the 1s are somewhat conservative and remind me of the stock 18 inch wheel on steroids lol. I am not sure I am the trailblazer because there are tons of lurkers here on CL. I believe 305Busa made the Cv1s famous way back in 2010...he inspired me to get the wheels before I even bought my LS haha!
Congrats once again!!!!
Props on a great wheel choice for this car. I am of course biased but I don't care if others have the same wheel as I do. I have had these for nearly six months and have never seen them on another LS here in ATL in person and my consistently gets attention and people taking pictures at stoplights..literally. I like the fact the 1s are somewhat conservative and remind me of the stock 18 inch wheel on steroids lol. I am not sure I am the trailblazer because there are tons of lurkers here on CL. I believe 305Busa made the Cv1s famous way back in 2010...he inspired me to get the wheels before I even bought my LS haha!
Congrats once again!!!!
04-02-12, 10:45 AM
#7
Driver School Candidate
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Join Date: Mar 2012
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Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!
Had to give props where props was due, so thank you 305Busa for starting the CV1 inspiration as it's trickled down to me in 2012!
As for the coilovers, they are the Megan Street LP series and they're feeling pretty darn good. Had them 90% Rear and 65% Front which was WAY too stiff for my liking at first. After the test drive w/ the back seats out, we dialed them down to 50% R and 50% F which felt pretty good too but still was pretty stiff for those smaller wavelength bumps, so now I've left the R at 50% and softened the F to about 35% which is a lot closer to a stock feel. The roll and floating feeling that this car had at stock is all pretty much gone now that I'm lowered w/ some added stiffness, but not too aggressive that I can't enjoy the smooth ride this car is meant to have.
Probably going to tint the fronts slightly soon so that the transition in the windows is a little more gradual. After that, gonna just enjoy the car as is for awhile until the mod itch creeps up again, and then who knows what else I'll look into...maybe LED's on the interior??
Had to give props where props was due, so thank you 305Busa for starting the CV1 inspiration as it's trickled down to me in 2012!
As for the coilovers, they are the Megan Street LP series and they're feeling pretty darn good. Had them 90% Rear and 65% Front which was WAY too stiff for my liking at first. After the test drive w/ the back seats out, we dialed them down to 50% R and 50% F which felt pretty good too but still was pretty stiff for those smaller wavelength bumps, so now I've left the R at 50% and softened the F to about 35% which is a lot closer to a stock feel. The roll and floating feeling that this car had at stock is all pretty much gone now that I'm lowered w/ some added stiffness, but not too aggressive that I can't enjoy the smooth ride this car is meant to have.
Probably going to tint the fronts slightly soon so that the transition in the windows is a little more gradual. After that, gonna just enjoy the car as is for awhile until the mod itch creeps up again, and then who knows what else I'll look into...maybe LED's on the interior??
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04-02-12, 11:47 AM
#8
Moderator
Are the rear extender sleeves available for the Megan's so you can adjust the dampening without taking that seat out all the time? I know the products exist, just not sure if Megan's does.
04-02-12, 12:16 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Great job !!! I love the way the car looks. I guess thats one advantage of the springs is that you dont need to fiddle with them. I remember with my GS it took a while to get the car feeling right. If I do coils I will probably do 25% front and rear.
04-02-12, 12:26 PM
#10
Driver School Candidate
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Join Date: Mar 2012
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Probably worth looking into for anyone going w/ Megan's but I'll likely live w/ out it since 50% in the rear isn't too stiff for my style of driving. If I get a lot of passenger complaints then I may consider using my get out of jail free card w/ the wheel guys to get it adjusted one more time. Just need to log more driving time to see what suits me the best.
