Looking for SC430 poly Control/Castor Arm + Steering Rack Bushing
07-09-13, 07:56 AM
#33
would you guys know which brand to get for studs which are 50mm ? I would also like to lower my car an inch, which springs would you guys recommend?
Thanks guys!
Last edited by 416tt; 07-09-13 at 08:12 AM.
07-23-13, 10:27 AM
#34
Hey guys,
just another update, since this thread was originally about where to get bushings and if ordering them from TM would work. Well as i mentioned before I recieved the steering and control arm bushings within a week. I realized after there is sway bar bushings on his website also so i decided to order them and he did not charge me shipping. came within 5 days!
thanks TM!
just another update, since this thread was originally about where to get bushings and if ordering them from TM would work. Well as i mentioned before I recieved the steering and control arm bushings within a week. I realized after there is sway bar bushings on his website also so i decided to order them and he did not charge me shipping. came within 5 days!
thanks TM!
08-16-13, 08:31 AM
#35
Good news !!
I've replaced most of the moving parts of front suspension of the car and played with the infinitely frustrating steering rack damper preload settings about 15 times to fine tune it to perfection. This fine tuning of the steering rack damper preload was time well spent as this car is VERY hard to adjust properly.
You can adjust it according to the manual and it still feels sloppy and dangerously out of touch with the road. You can go higher than the recommended settings and the steering is dangerously stiff, and has lost the ability to self centre, yet the road feel is perfect. Finding the sweet spot was the most frustrating aspect, as I would set it and it would be fine for 2 or 3 days but yet would drift out of adjustment again within days....
My Lexus is 100% wobble free up to its maximum speed, finally. There is no kick in and kick out speed for the wobble now. The wobble used to kick in at 56mph and kick out at 100 mph but now it's just perfect. The forum regulars who told me this couldn't be done and was a "characteristic" of the car were wrong. My car has 93,000 miles on it now.
She drives like a race prepared track car now, as she was already equipped with TTE Team Toyota Europe (now TMG) suspension as a modification for the Irish roads, and I've driven loads of cars from Lambos to the surprisingly fun to drive Trabant and without doubt this car handles, feels the road and inspires confidence at a level rarely seen on a road car below the levels of a Lamborghini Diablo or a single seater race car, the two other cars I've driven that have excellent steering. It is fun, tactile, precise and confidence inspiring experience behind the wheel now, finally.
Gentlemen, the wobble has been vanquished.
The road to fixing the wobble:
1. New wheels. Staggered fitments of Rota GTR's front, and Rota GTD rear.
2. New Tyres all round and balanced to zero. Toyo, 245/40-18's and 285/40-18's
3. New steering rack track rod ends.
4. ***New steering rack inner track control arms***
(These made the biggest difference of all the items fitted and were the final piece of the solution for me)
5. New lower ball joints.
6. *ACT537 upgrade bushings for the G300 for both the castor arms.*
(They are worth it on two levels, 1. They solve many known problems with the castor arms and 2. Really enhance road feel)
7. New steering rack mounting bushings, blue polyurethane harder ones.
8. New anti roll bar tie rods.
9. *New Megan engine mounts*
( A massive improvement in the cars handling on tight, twisty or bumpy roads now. No downside to this )
P.S. I also recently got the 2013 generation EBC yellow stuff pads direct from the manufacturer and she is yet to fade even when braking like a plonker to test the limits of the pads and can handle all the speed the car can produce on any road or autobahn. Astounding braking performance when even slightly warmed and still stops the car well when the pads are stone cold.
The feeling of having finally conquered this is fantastic, having felt that I bought a car that was cast off by someone else for having an unfixable wobble.
I've replaced most of the moving parts of front suspension of the car and played with the infinitely frustrating steering rack damper preload settings about 15 times to fine tune it to perfection. This fine tuning of the steering rack damper preload was time well spent as this car is VERY hard to adjust properly.
You can adjust it according to the manual and it still feels sloppy and dangerously out of touch with the road. You can go higher than the recommended settings and the steering is dangerously stiff, and has lost the ability to self centre, yet the road feel is perfect. Finding the sweet spot was the most frustrating aspect, as I would set it and it would be fine for 2 or 3 days but yet would drift out of adjustment again within days....
My Lexus is 100% wobble free up to its maximum speed, finally. There is no kick in and kick out speed for the wobble now. The wobble used to kick in at 56mph and kick out at 100 mph but now it's just perfect. The forum regulars who told me this couldn't be done and was a "characteristic" of the car were wrong. My car has 93,000 miles on it now.
She drives like a race prepared track car now, as she was already equipped with TTE Team Toyota Europe (now TMG) suspension as a modification for the Irish roads, and I've driven loads of cars from Lambos to the surprisingly fun to drive Trabant and without doubt this car handles, feels the road and inspires confidence at a level rarely seen on a road car below the levels of a Lamborghini Diablo or a single seater race car, the two other cars I've driven that have excellent steering. It is fun, tactile, precise and confidence inspiring experience behind the wheel now, finally.
Gentlemen, the wobble has been vanquished.
The road to fixing the wobble:
1. New wheels. Staggered fitments of Rota GTR's front, and Rota GTD rear.
2. New Tyres all round and balanced to zero. Toyo, 245/40-18's and 285/40-18's
3. New steering rack track rod ends.
4. ***New steering rack inner track control arms***
(These made the biggest difference of all the items fitted and were the final piece of the solution for me)
5. New lower ball joints.
6. *ACT537 upgrade bushings for the G300 for both the castor arms.*
(They are worth it on two levels, 1. They solve many known problems with the castor arms and 2. Really enhance road feel)
7. New steering rack mounting bushings, blue polyurethane harder ones.
8. New anti roll bar tie rods.
9. *New Megan engine mounts*
( A massive improvement in the cars handling on tight, twisty or bumpy roads now. No downside to this )
P.S. I also recently got the 2013 generation EBC yellow stuff pads direct from the manufacturer and she is yet to fade even when braking like a plonker to test the limits of the pads and can handle all the speed the car can produce on any road or autobahn. Astounding braking performance when even slightly warmed and still stops the car well when the pads are stone cold.
The feeling of having finally conquered this is fantastic, having felt that I bought a car that was cast off by someone else for having an unfixable wobble.
Last edited by V300Graham; 08-16-13 at 09:41 AM.
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FOR30 (11-18-22)
08-16-13, 10:48 AM
#36
EDIT: I Ended up recieving the bushings from TM within a week. There is pics on second page along with some info that may be useful to somepeople for future Daizen installations.
Hi Guys,
Im new to the club lexus forum, im sure this topic may have been covered before but I need some help.. Im more into european cars but have bought myself a Japenese for the first time, an 04 sc430 and im extremely dissapointed in the wobbly and wandering ride. I had many shaking issues in the past, so I ended up replacing upper control arms, lower ball joints, inner/outer tie rod ends, alignment/balancing, which helped some what.. also added a front strut bar which made the front end a little tighter and lighter.
Now I have bigger wheels sitting with brand new tires which im not willing to ruin and I also need an alignment BADLY again but before I get it done I need all my front end bushings changed to polyurethane, specially the castor arm bushing.. The problem is that I need this work done asap but TM Engineering did not respond and many suggest not to buy from them. My last option is seems to be FIGS Engineering but he currently only has spherical ones for the castor arm and poly is still under developement as well as the steering rack bushings but not sure if he will be making any for the rest of the front control arms.. and how long it would take
so
1) I do not feel comfortable with metal ones for the castor arm, I would prefer all poly. unless someone knows itll be alright? Or Would you guys know anyone else who has front end polyurethane kit and where I can get them from? ......
2) if there is no one then should I forget the control arms, just take the Figs spherical for castor arm? and steering rack polys from ebay? or any suggested place?
If anyone has experience with Figs Spherical with the sc430 please let me know how they are?
Any help, advice would be really appreciated
Thankyou!
Hi Guys,
Im new to the club lexus forum, im sure this topic may have been covered before but I need some help.. Im more into european cars but have bought myself a Japenese for the first time, an 04 sc430 and im extremely dissapointed in the wobbly and wandering ride. I had many shaking issues in the past, so I ended up replacing upper control arms, lower ball joints, inner/outer tie rod ends, alignment/balancing, which helped some what.. also added a front strut bar which made the front end a little tighter and lighter.
Now I have bigger wheels sitting with brand new tires which im not willing to ruin and I also need an alignment BADLY again but before I get it done I need all my front end bushings changed to polyurethane, specially the castor arm bushing.. The problem is that I need this work done asap but TM Engineering did not respond and many suggest not to buy from them. My last option is seems to be FIGS Engineering but he currently only has spherical ones for the castor arm and poly is still under developement as well as the steering rack bushings but not sure if he will be making any for the rest of the front control arms.. and how long it would take
so
1) I do not feel comfortable with metal ones for the castor arm, I would prefer all poly. unless someone knows itll be alright? Or Would you guys know anyone else who has front end polyurethane kit and where I can get them from? ......
2) if there is no one then should I forget the control arms, just take the Figs spherical for castor arm? and steering rack polys from ebay? or any suggested place?
If anyone has experience with Figs Spherical with the sc430 please let me know how they are?
Any help, advice would be really appreciated
Thankyou!
I recommend them.
http://www.spcalignment.com/componen...AFrom&to=USATo
GRAHAM - You HAVE to provide a write up on how you altered steering rack damper preload settings.. Am i the only one who didn't get 80% of your mod list haha
Last edited by I-FORCE; 08-16-13 at 10:54 AM.
08-16-13, 11:16 AM
#37
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...djustment.html
As for not getting the list, sorry, can't help there mate, but if you get the wobbles, start replacing the parts listed
08-20-13, 08:20 PM
#38
Thanks for the info Graham, definately need to try some of that stuff.
not sure exactly what type of shake you had butmy wheels dont have a shake instead they have this funny wobble randomly like the ball joints are rocking the right wheel in and out and sometimes on a very smooth road my wheel feels like its moving up and down.. I think my extended studs are bent slightly since I remember driving without hub rings for 2 weeks when i first got my wheels.. dumb mistake but unfortunately I didnt know this stuff as everything was already set on my bimmer and i had to do nothing on that. Maybe that even messed up the hub assembly a little. Other then that i changed the sway bar bushings to, the car feels sooooooo much better, im definately happier!
not sure exactly what type of shake you had butmy wheels dont have a shake instead they have this funny wobble randomly like the ball joints are rocking the right wheel in and out and sometimes on a very smooth road my wheel feels like its moving up and down.. I think my extended studs are bent slightly since I remember driving without hub rings for 2 weeks when i first got my wheels.. dumb mistake but unfortunately I didnt know this stuff as everything was already set on my bimmer and i had to do nothing on that. Maybe that even messed up the hub assembly a little. Other then that i changed the sway bar bushings to, the car feels sooooooo much better, im definately happier!
08-23-13, 07:14 AM
#39
How to adjust the steering rack damper preload.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...djustment.html
As for not getting the list, sorry, can't help there mate, but if you get the wobbles, start replacing the parts listed
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...djustment.html
As for not getting the list, sorry, can't help there mate, but if you get the wobbles, start replacing the parts listed
Good job
01-21-14, 12:07 AM
#40
hey guys,
dealer told me my lower control arms need to be replaced to take care the alignment problem after replacing the lower ball joints.. But the OEM control arms are pretty expensive. I just wonder other brands like Dorman, Raybestos, Mevotech, Beck/Arnley, and MOOG selling by Rockauto any good? Anybody tried any of these brands? Thank you for any comments.
dealer told me my lower control arms need to be replaced to take care the alignment problem after replacing the lower ball joints.. But the OEM control arms are pretty expensive. I just wonder other brands like Dorman, Raybestos, Mevotech, Beck/Arnley, and MOOG selling by Rockauto any good? Anybody tried any of these brands? Thank you for any comments.
01-21-14, 01:37 PM
#41
hey guys,
dealer told me my lower control arms need to be replaced to take care the alignment problem after replacing the lower ball joints.. But the OEM control arms are pretty expensive. I just wonder other brands like Dorman, Raybestos, Mevotech, Beck/Arnley, and MOOG selling by Rockauto any good? Anybody tried any of these brands? Thank you for any comments.
dealer told me my lower control arms need to be replaced to take care the alignment problem after replacing the lower ball joints.. But the OEM control arms are pretty expensive. I just wonder other brands like Dorman, Raybestos, Mevotech, Beck/Arnley, and MOOG selling by Rockauto any good? Anybody tried any of these brands? Thank you for any comments.
01-21-14, 09:54 PM
#42
hey guys,
dealer told me my lower control arms need to be replaced to take care the alignment problem after replacing the lower ball joints.. But the OEM control arms are pretty expensive. I just wonder other brands like Dorman, Raybestos, Mevotech, Beck/Arnley, and MOOG selling by Rockauto any good? Anybody tried any of these brands? Thank you for any comments.
dealer told me my lower control arms need to be replaced to take care the alignment problem after replacing the lower ball joints.. But the OEM control arms are pretty expensive. I just wonder other brands like Dorman, Raybestos, Mevotech, Beck/Arnley, and MOOG selling by Rockauto any good? Anybody tried any of these brands? Thank you for any comments.
06-05-14, 09:13 AM
#43
10-24-15, 06:43 AM
#45
Lexus Test Driver
After doing the upper control arms, lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends, plus new tires, Lexus wheels and a good four wheel alignment, the car still wanders a little left or right depending on the road surface. Overall, it is good and a vast improvement compared to before but sometimes if I look down at the radio and back up, the car is not straight anymore.
I compare this to my civic, which stays much straighter than the SC.
What should I be looking at next?
Inner tie rod ends
Rack n pinion bushings
Lower control arm bushings
So Shawn, you purchased your car new, did it wander when it was new?
I compare this to my civic, which stays much straighter than the SC.
What should I be looking at next?
Inner tie rod ends
Rack n pinion bushings
Lower control arm bushings
So Shawn, you purchased your car new, did it wander when it was new?
Last edited by Bgw70; 11-24-15 at 05:12 AM.