S1w99

My '02 LS430 126K miles drives like a dream on the highway. No sag, no sway or drift. No play in the steering wheel at all.

My concern is that around town small bumps seem much more "abrasive" and or "percussive" than I would expect them to be in this luxury sedan. Slight man hole dips, pot holes etc seem to be harsh.

I'm assuming the struts should be replaced on all four tires but should the springs be replaced as well?

What brand is most recommended?
If I replace the struts only are there other "low hanging fruit" repairs I should do at the same time such as control arms bushings etc?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Lower control arm bushes go before your struts. As struts wear they become more soft and you can actually use your body weight to bounce the car at each fender. Or the front end will dip a lot during braking. Road conditions and other factors come into play but mostly likely it is your lower arm bushing that are toast and you are feeling it through the suspension.

KYB is the oem manufacturer on the struts and Rock Auto has them for only about $100 each. Pretty much the OEM part and KYB are the only good ones. Monroe is not bad but not that great either. All the rest are junk in my opinion. I would check the lower control arm bushings first as this is most likely the culprit. You can purchase the bushings without having the replace the whole arm and it's a lot less then replacing your struts.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ng-repair.html

Edit: Front and rear sway bar bushings are also good to replace after 10+ years. Their cheap and easy to do yourself if you are little handy. It does make a nice difference in how the car handles and sways when turning or with crosswinds at higher speeds.

S1w99

I got the bushings ordered for the lower control arms for the front suspension. Are there any comparable parts on the rear suspension that should be replaced?

Parts guy didn't think there were.

Thank you,

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Front and rear sway bar bushings are good to do after 100k miles. They help with less sway as well as better tracking. Those are pretty cheap and easy to do yourself.

Motor mounts are also common about 130k miles. The rears don't take as much abuse because the weight of the engine is not siting them the whole time.

ancdmd

I have air suspension on mine but if I'm not mistaken you have rubber coil spring mounts/cushions on your car, they might be soft by now and need replacing too. Another item that can cause harshness at low speeds is the steering linkage, check your inner and outer tie rods and ball joints. Steering rack bushings are another cheap item that can be swapped out to freshen up the feel of the car.

S1w99

Just got the front lower control arm bushings replaces. Must say I'm very surprised at how much of a difference it's made. Much softer over small bumps. Not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting it to make too much or a difference. It's a lovely ride now. I'm thinking of doing the rear bushings now as I think they may be a little hard/worn as well. But, could not be happier with the results.

Import mechanic friend replaced them and the push out compartment below the radio that did not spring out, all for $200 (minus parts). Not bad....

Thank you for all the help!

KawiLex

Good to hear! Where's a good place to buy the bushings? Thanks