kutscher

I am confused. I was originally going to purchase the L-tuned spring/strut setup and the TRD sways from Steve Ganz and have them installed all for about $1400. My local tire store is trying to convince me the better way is to go is with the billstein PSS coilover system for about the same price. But this does not include sways.

i want to improve the body roll around corners will the PSS coilovers do this as much as the TRD sways.

Also I noticed that eibach now has complete suspension kits (springs/struts/sways) but I can not find the price.

Which option is my best bet. I plan on placing the 19" fat tire setup with one of these? I am attempting to get the best handling all while not causing the ride to be harsh. I do not want the honda bounce I have seen and felt. I like the lexus smoothness but it needs cornerability.
Thanks

RON430

There is a whole lot of information on this in the Suspension and Handling section. Might want to spend a few hours looking at the past threads. The l tuned with the TRD sways is going to be a very big improvement over stock, especially worn out stock. Bilstein PSS is also going to be a big change but the bilsteins are also going to be firmer than the l tuned setup. Bilsein PSS will have an impact on cornering "flatness" but the sways do different things than shocks and may or may not be needed, depending on your personal preference. That's because the ultimate decider is your personal "buttometer" and how much ride stiffness you are willing to take to get better handling. The three mods you mention, shocks, sways, and tires, all have significant impact on cornering capability and ride.

Once you digest all the info already posted, in the final analysis, you are still left with just starting the mods and seeing what you think of the ride/handling you have obtained and whether you are happy or whether you keep tweaking. Probably the biggest reason why bimmer still sells all those cars. Their combination of ride/handling is about the best out there. At least with the current GS, you have to do the R&D on your own because Lexus pretty much decided it wasn't going to bias for ride, not handling.

kutscher

Ron,
Thanks. I have (as you probably know) have been thinking this over for about 1.5 years. I can not come up with my own opinion for some reason. here is what I want.

Tigher cornering
Less highway float
No loss though in the highway smoothness. I do not want to be jolted in the butt by every crack.
Less rear bounce/shift around the city with normal traffic driving.

I suspect the 19" fat setup will cause some harshness. Which of the two suspension options I mentioned would provide the closest ride to what I mentioned.

Thanks again!!
Eric

RON430

Sooner or later a mod is going to move this to the Suspension and Handling section where you are likely to get a lot more opinions. For the no loss in highway smoothness but reduction of that nasty float, I would do the l tuned first with the 19s. Then see how you like it. At that point if you want more roll stiffness in the turns you can think about the sway bars. Installing sways is a very easy job whether you do it yourself or pay someone to do it so you don't have to get too concerned with saving a few bucks having it done when you change the shocks/springs. I am a huge fan of bilsteins but they are quite a bit firmer than stock and the GS is very susceptible to getting harsh in ride. I would guess this will hold for PSS, and I know it does for either the Sports or HDs. I have sports on my GS4 and HDs on my wifes GS3 and they are both quite a bit firmer than stock. I think you are going to want to really increase handling capability at the expense of ride to put up with the bilsteins with 19s.

Someone is going to mention Tein CS for pure comfort or the adjustable Teins for "have it your way" ability and I can't help there. Normally I would recommend trying to tie up with someone who has what you want and see what it is like but I really have to live with a suspension for several months to see if I am where I want to be or what needs improving. Just very difficult to do in a test drive.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

You might want to PM or get a hold of PearlPower. He has had the L-Tuned and the PSS. He wanted to push the handling aspect and went to the PSS where he went to the Tein Flex first. He may have a better perspective. DaveGS4 is also running the PSS. I remember them really liking the handling but mentioned that the PSS is on the stiff side. It really depends how far you want to compromise ride quality for handling. Even the Tein CS that Ron430 mentions compromises the ride quality a bit.

If I had to extrapolate, PearlPower went from L-Tuned to Flex back to L-tuned (temporarily) and then went to the PSS. Stiffness also increased through his setup but he did like how the PSS behaved better than the Flex. I've had both L-Tuned and Flex. If tuned right, the Flex can actually be slightly softer than L-Tuned but it also runs up stiffer than L-Tuned. If the PSS is truly stiffer than the Flex, then you will be giving up a good bit of ride quality running PSS and 19s. Handling should be really nice though.

The only sticky point is that you are trying to compare L-Tuned/TRD vs PSS standalone. I had L-Tuned/TRD and Flex/TRD. I believe PearlPower also had the TRD sways with all the set up.

I know that Ron430 kept his 16s, changed out s/s, and added the TRD sways and he was pretty happy with the results. If you are set on the TRDs, then I'd suggest trying the 19s with the TRDs to see how you like the ride. The smaller sidewall of the tires on 19s will already reduce comfort but also reduce sidewall flex to give a bit better handling. If you are OK with the ride, you can look into a setup that is even softer than L-Tuned to lower the car. I believe springs like the Espelir has stock compression rates (or really close to it). Another option is to go with the Daizen or TRD Sportivos sways since these don't decrease ride quality like the TRD Racing sways.

Getting the suspension system "right" is really a personal thing. Only you will really know what that "right" is. BUT, all the pieces (wheel, tires, s/s or coilovers, braces) work together. Each addition will change the characteristics in some way or another. All this can be fun but frustrating at the same time. I've gone through 1 s/s, and am on my 2nd set of coilovers. I'm also on my second set of sways. All this tweaking is not light on the wallet. Still, you can read a lot on the forum and try to make informed choices but at the end of the day, only you will know when you've gotten it right (or close enough )

Good luck.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

the bilestein is a lot cheaper, about 900 bucks i think? 1400 is too much i think. for that price i would get tein coz' it's also stiffness adjustable.

and personally i would only get coilovers on my car

dseag2

I have the L-tuned setup w/ 18" rims and no sways and I'm very happy with the handling. The ride is still comfortable without a lot of body roll. You may want to check out the L-tuned steering ECU as well because it really tightens up the steering. That is one aspect people tend to overlook and it makes a huge difference.

FutureGS400

It's great to have a lot of choices, but it really makes the decision making process more difficult too! After reading about some people going through lots of changes to get it just right, I feel fortunate to have the suspension set up just like I want. After about 6k miles or so, I have no regrets at all with the Tein CS and Daizen sways. Certainly not the cheapest way to go, but for a good balance of ride vs. handling I think it is a good choice. With the 18s I have on my car, the ride is actually still very "Lexus-like" . I'm sure some of the other CL members would prefer a bit more aggresive handling ability, but for me the balance is just right! Now the added chassis stiffness of the Tom's braces will sharpen the reflexes a bit...

kutscher

I am thinking. ....HMMM

I am leaning towards this.
L-tuned springs/shocks: $532 shipped then install with new 19" rims and the fat tire setup.

Then maybe add sways if the body roll is still bothersome.

Trial and error I guess. I wish there was one answer.
Thanks for the help!!

E

johnee78

iTrader: (4)

You may consider the billstein shocks and L-tuned springs and the daizen sways as an alternative..You will have a firm and comfortable ride and excellent handling.The drop will be perfect for a 19" fat tire setup.
This package would be a better way to go and is probably a little less, unless you want adjustability from coilovers.

kutscher

Johnee,

What type of price are you talking about.

L-Tuned $532,

Thanks
E

johnee78

iTrader: (4)

Billstein coilovers...or tein coilovers..Call steve at carson or tm engineering for pricing.