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Hi guys, Michael here from miles away south in New Zealand.
I've had many Soarers over the years, RHD imports from Japan that got brought over by the dozen in the late 90s early 00s.
Finally got my hands on a UZZ32 V8 with the active suspension system in 2014 - Never thought I would get one given I've only been able to track down 7 cars in New Zealand, 3 of which have been scraped. A very rare car indeed!
I wish everyone with a coil sprung Lexus SC or Soarer could drive one just to get an idea of how good they are. Every time I drive it I'm amazed at what a nimble direct car it is, especially considering its the best part of 1850kg with me sitting inside road ready. The suspension is one thing, but the faster front steering rack and rear steering "4 wheel steering" really sharpen the whole drive up.
I've been really busy with this car over the last 18 months - Instead of doing generic build threads I decided to make my own Facebook page - feel free to have a look / join if you have any such interest in my relentless pursuit on improving / restoring the car to my satisfaction.
I'm aware of the trick active suspension that sets the UZZ32 apart from the rest but I was not aware that the steering rack was a faster ratio than the other Soarers and SC's.
Yeah the rack on normal cars is 16.5:1 but in the 32s they are a bit quicker at 14.5:1
Translates to 2.8 and 2.6 turns lock to lock.
Cheers for the subscription, always posting new random things, It's quite a handy way of doing it rather than a forum thread.Had it going since late 2014 so plenty of material there!
Yeah the rack on normal cars is 16.5:1 but in the 32s they are a bit quicker at 14.5:1
Translates to 2.8 and 2.6 turns lock to lock.
Cheers for the subscription, always posting new random things, It's quite a handy way of doing it rather than a forum thread.Had it going since late 2014 so plenty of material there!
I wish that UZZ32 rack were available in LHD form! It's undoubtedly unobtanium though
I wonder what spec Toyota Supra racks are though - they could be faster than normal SCs.. might have to look into that.
This is actually what I've looked into for a while - I had a MKIV Supra once upon a time and the steering rack is definitely quicker; I've always wondered if it could be swapped into the SC. It would change everything up if it was easy to do.
Just found these threads. Apparently the racks are interchangeable and of a different ratio between the MKIV and SC. Also, the SC rack's diameter is smaller vs the MKIV which makes it use more power assist. Ratios, however, appear to be not so significantly different at least for our US LHD models: 17.5:1 for all MKIV's vs 17.3:1 for all SC's.
So according to Michael's numbers above this would suggest that all RHD Soarers have a quicker steering ratio than USA SC's and the UZZ32 Active even more so. No idea how RHD MKIV steering ratios differ from those if at all.
Really interesting stuff. It sounds like a night and day difference in steering response for all the RHD Soarers compared to SC300/400's. And I would guess RHD MKIV's as well.
^^ I assume that's the rationale on the part of Toyota's (and other manufacturer's) engineers but in my experience a tighter steering ratio even on a car like this isn't a problem on American roads, straight as many of them tend to be. When you do get into turns and windy mountain sections it just means you have to work harder for the same steering input.
I rented a 2012 Mazda2 once while they were still in production and for all the lackluster horsepower it had the steering ratio was VERY quick. It was like driving an underpowered go-kart. It took some getting used to on the very long straight highway sections where minute inputs would be amplified beyond what I was used to... but I really liked that and I wished I could have taken it onto a windy road before it was returned. I'm sure it's not for everyone but it was a very welcome surprise even in a short wheelbase econobox.
Why the Supra MKIV never got a 16.5:1 or similar ratio in the US is beyond me. Same with 5-speed manual SC's. 14.5:1 might possibly have been too easy to induce tail happy behavior with in a 100% stock SC (let alone one with an LSD which was not a factory option here) for a luxury car brand without the UZZ32 suspension but that's probably subjective.
It's really amazing how much equipment Toyota didn't give the US models considering the exterior shape was supposedly designed to appeal to the US market in addition to Japan. Usually this applies to the drivetrain differences but I'd love to see how a stock UZZ32 does on a tight mountain road with a dash cam.
In fact, one of the most challenging windy roads I've been on with my SC300 is the Pacific Coast Highway up near Big Sur, California. Very fun but very technical for constant stretches. And there are many other challenging roads out this way. There are many famous windy technical roads throughout the US even though a lot of the highway system is often straight lines cutting through hundreds of miles of Earth.
I rented a 2012 Mazda2 once while they were still in production and for all the lackluster horsepower it had the steering ratio was VERY quick.
That's the Mazda corporate philosophy. Low on power but extremely agile. Every Mazda I've driven has been that way. It's easier to add power than agility, so I can't say I disagree with the approach.
It does take some retraining of the brain to anticipate the slower turn-in of the SC. I'd be curious to experience the more responsive rack on a car of its size and power.
Why the Supra MKIV never got a 16.5:1 or similar ratio in the US is beyond me. Same with 5-speed manual SC's. 14.5:1 might possibly have been too easy to induce tail happy behavior with in a 100% stock SC (let alone one with an LSD which was not a factory option here) for a luxury car brand without the UZZ32 suspension but that's probably subjective.
It's really amazing how much equipment Toyota didn't give the US models considering the exterior shape was supposedly designed to appeal to the US market in addition to Japan. Usually this applies to the drivetrain differences but I'd love to see how a stock UZZ32 does on a tight mountain road with a dash cam.
In fact, one of the most challenging windy roads I've been on with my SC300 is the Pacific Coast Highway up near Big Sur, California. Very fun but very technical for constant stretches. And there are many other challenging roads out this way. There are many famous windy technical roads throughout the US even though a lot of the highway system is often straight lines cutting through hundreds of miles of Earth.
Very valid point. I think without the active suspension keeping the body in check the quicker rack would make it easier to induce the rear to kick out, Especially if you weren't used to a relatively quick track.
I know! I've often thought it was odd they cut out the 'fun' features - but I can only assume it was a cost thing, to keep US market prices competitive against Mercedes and BMW etc, as well as that all the systems would have had to be extensively developed for the American market, so English translations for the EMV touch screen for example.
As well as that, more dealer and service training investment for the air suspension system and other such parts.
I've always found the American market lost out on the special models of cars, like the E36 M3, they didnt get the 315hp 3.2, instead the 3.0, 240hp version, solid brake disks instead of alloy hub floating disks etc etc.
YES, I must do a dash cam video sometime, I often go for windy road drives, plenty outside Auckland city, really a good way to enjoy the UZZ32s handling characteristics.
A video should show how flat the car stays, I'd probably position the camera on the rear window looking forward so I can be seen in shot showing the steering work etc.
That's the Mazda corporate philosophy. Low on power but extremely agile. Every Mazda I've driven has been that way. It's easier to add power than agility, so I can't say I disagree with the approach.
It does take some retraining of the brain to anticipate the slower turn-in of the SC. I'd be curious to experience the more responsive rack on a car of its size and power.
I agree with that approach as well. I've always liked the more agile of Mazda cars and sportscars. I've yet to own one but they're almost always exceptional handlers.
I'm very used to how the SC steers and the heavily assisted feel and longer ratio were amusing and fun when I got the car 100% stock and with worn shocks and bushings but a few years on after fixing and upgrading everything I can say I'd have preferred the same ratio the standard Soarers came with. It was one of the appeals of the car to me: I like the big two door chassis sold by a usually sedate luxury brand but crammed with sports car hardware that is virtually undetectable from the outside.
Originally Posted by Michael3UZ
Very valid point. I think without the active suspension keeping the body in check the quicker rack would make it easier to induce the rear to kick out, Especially if you weren't used to a relatively quick track.
I know! I've often thought it was odd they cut out the 'fun' features - but I can only assume it was a cost thing, to keep US market prices competitive against Mercedes and BMW etc, as well as that all the systems would have had to be extensively developed for the American market, so English translations for the EMV touch screen for example.
As well as that, more dealer and service training investment for the air suspension system and other such parts.
I've always found the American market lost out on the special models of cars, like the E36 M3, they didnt get the 315hp 3.2, instead the 3.0, 240hp version, solid brake disks instead of alloy hub floating disks etc etc.
YES, I must do a dash cam video sometime, I often go for windy road drives, plenty outside Auckland city, really a good way to enjoy the UZZ32s handling characteristics.
A video should show how flat the car stays, I'd probably position the camera on the rear window looking forward so I can be seen in shot showing the steering work etc.
I think you're right. A lot of it had to do with overall cost with all the little options that were available (folding mirrors for one?) but I am sure some of it had to do with not wishing to even come close to upstaging the Supra Turbo or especially the Supra Non-Turbo in any way in the power and equipment department. Such was the conventional thinking at the time I guess. For the 90's the 1UZ's power was impressive in America but in Japan this car was compared to, among other cars, the BMW 8-Series which we did get here. The 1JZ-GTE would have certainly made the case in the US but it wasn't to be.
Yes, the E36 M3 is a great example of a watered down car. Still a pretty good car but not as good as it should have been for the original price. I briefly looked at a 1997 M3 Automatic around 2000 and it was an impressive car for the time. Later I learned about the equipment in the European versions.
There are many examples of that in the US market historically. The MKIV Supra was the exception to the rule of watering down vehicle trim levels or as in the case of Ford and GM, withholding some of their best hardware only for non-US markets until very recently. Add our 25-year import ban onto that and it doesn't create an environment for very much home market competition. Plenty of huge non-offroad city SUVs though.
Yes, it would be awesome if you ever decide to make a video to show what the super-rare UZZ32 was designed to do in the handling department. I like your approach with the camera mounting to showcase steering input. I think it's essential that the camera be mounted and not held in any case to get a sense of how the chassis moves. Totally up to you but I'm sure many would love to see it in action if you choose to film it sometime
I feel obliged to repost this video link showing the Soarer UZZ32 Active vs what seems to be a Soarer JZZ30 2.5GT 5-speed manual (R154). I'm going to assume the 2.5GT has the optional Torsen LSD.
Michael, do you know if your UZZ32 has a Torsen LSD? I know it was optional on some years and trim levels of the 1UZ-FE V8 Soarers but I never found out if the rare Active models had that option as well.
03-19-16, 05:18 AM
My UZZ32 Soarer No.32 of 873
