daleer

I recently bought a used (2001) gs430 and took it to the Lexus dealership for an inspection. One of the things they recommended doing was something to do with the struts and mounts and stab. bar bushings for $425. They said that it was some recommended fix having to do with "metal on metal" and that it would have been covered when the car was under warranty. I didn't really understand what the guy was saying but these are the same guys that said I needed a new $1100 windshield to fix a wind noise problem that was fixed for $30 by a local glass guy

Anyway, is anyone familiar with a strut/mount/bushing problem with 2001 gs430's and know what they were talking about? What I'm really wondering is - I'm planning to get some lowering (perhaps l=tuned) springs and shocks. When I get these, will it take care of the problem the lexus dealearship is referring to anyway, or do I need to get that work done as well?

Thanks for any advice.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i have no clue what is at all... you hear noise or so when you drive or turn?

daleer

No - there's a rattle over rough surfaces but it seems to be coming from the dash - not related.

TAMR_GUS98

Daleer,
Spend the $425 on a nice set of sway bars with bushings. I have seen some cases where the bolts on the sway bars would come loose and cause a rattle. But I don't think this applies to you. Don't fix it if its not broken. You'll be a lot happier after you've gotten your springs, struts and sway bars. Take pics after you've had that done. Good luck.
Will

DetMich1

I think your particular dealership has demonstrated already that they are trigger happy when it comes to recommending expensive (and out of warranty) fixes for minor or non-existant problems. I would be very careful about following their advice for things that don't make sense to you.

I recently swapped stock suspension on my GS400 for L-tuned shocks and springs purchased from Sewell Lexus. The improved ride and handling is everything I hoped for. Very little ,almost negligible, loss of ride quality so lots of gain with little sacrifice. Once you lower and stiffen the car with new shocks and springs (new shock mounts aren't a bad idea if your car's mileage is high) you can add additional stiffening item by item to get the feel that is right for your style of driving. Just adding the polyurethane sway bar bushings to replace the OEM rubber ones on my other car (SC400) improved the body roll with hard cornering. Rominl has a sticky somewhere around here that lays out the progression of building up the suspension and chassis stiffness item by item. Enjoy the journey (the modding journey)

daleer

OK - how do these two items look - l-tuned shocks and l-tuned springs? I like the idea of a mild drop and mild handling improvement - don't want anything too extreme.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

Is this enough for lowering and flatter cornering or should I get anything else as well (hope to keep the total cost of suspension mods under $1000) . Should I get sway bars as well (l-tuned)? what would they add that the shocks/springs wouldn't? Also where do I get new shock mounts and how much are they? OH - what's the difference between shocks and struts and do I need new struts as well as shocks?

Thanks again for all the help guys.

DetMich1

Those are the shocks (=struts) and springs that I got from Sewell also. Just bid the opening bid not buy it now, since there are several sets of each item you should have no trouble winning at the lower bid. As far as effect, read my previous post above. Shock mounts can be ordered from Tire Rack for about $100. Sway bars (really anti-sway bars) do not affect ride height or feel over bumps but resist body roll in hard turns keeping the car flatter in the corners. the thicker/heavier the bar the stiffer it is and the more resistant to roll. Theoretically, you could make springs and shocks so stiff there was no body roll but then the ride would be so hard over bumps etc. that you would hate it. Thats where sway bars come in. Resist roll but maintain a softer ride by keeping the springs and shocks somewhat softer.

daleer

Thankyou DetMich1 for the clarification - where did you get your l-tuned shocks/springs installed?

So adding sway bars to the gs430 will increase the car weight since you're adding something new rather than replacing something - is that correct?, or do the cars come with sway bars from the factory?

One other question: the dealership listed that I need new stabalizer bar bushings. Are those another item that I can upgrade for better handling - I've no idea what those are.

Guess I'll be learning a lot about cars with my new gs I've had plenty of cars before, but I've never been excited enough before to consider moding or do anything other than just get in the car and drive it.

DetMich1

daleer

Thanks again Detmich1.

HKS_GS430

so the ebay listing is legit? brand new or slighty damaged boxed good? was it delivered in a timely manner

DetMich1

If you are referring to the ebay listing in Daleer's previous post, yes it is legit. The seller is Sewell Lexus of Dallas, Texas who is actually a sponsor here on this website. The only bad thing about the ebay auction is that the price is even better than what he quotes to Club Lexus members with the member discount. It is new merchandise in original packaging and arrived via UPS in a timely fashion.

daleer

OK -here's what I"m planning to get:

1. l-tuned shocks
2. megan racing springs
3. daizen sway bar bushings
4. new shock mounts

Hopefully this will take care of the problems the dealership was referring to as well as improve the handling and reducing the wheel-well gap.

I've got one question on each of the above:
1. Will l-tuned shocks stand up to the eibach or megan springs? I saw romini say in another thread that the stock shocks would "blow fast" with lowering springs. Would the l-tuned shocks fare any better?
2. I was thinking about l-tuned springs becuase I don't want too harsh of a ride, but after looking at the gap between my tires and fender - I don't think a 1" drop will be enough to look good (I've got 245x40x18 all around which are the same diameter as stock 16s"). Anyway, now I'm considering megan springs because they're very cheap and drop the car about 1.9". I'm just wondering if I can still expect the car to ride reasonably comfortably with these springs.
3. The dealership said I need new stabilizer bushings. Are these the same as sway bar bushings?
4. I checked the tire-rack and they don't carry shock mounts for the gs430. Any other ideas on where I could find some of these?

Thanks

DetMich1

1. The L-tuned shocks are engineered to be used with the L-tuned springs so clearly that combination is compatible. I'm not familiar with the other brand of springs you mentioned so cant offer any insight there.
3. yes, sway bar or stabilizer bar also sometimes called ANTI-sway bar all the same thing. I think I will also add the Daizen bushings to my GS very small price for an increase in cornering performance. Obviously not as dramatic as changing the sway bars themselves but the cost is about 1/10 of buy new sway bars. I already added them to my SC with very nice improvement in reducing body roll in hard cornering.
4. Did you check with Brandon or one of the sales reps at TireRack? Many of the components on the 400 and 430 are the same. Obviously, this would be a cost effective time to change the shock mounts when the shocks/springs are out of the car, but if your GS is relativley low mileage their replacement may not be requuired, depends on wear.

What style of rims have you got? My next mod will probably be a set of 18 X 8.5 rims and 245/40-18 tires. Right now I am leaning very strongly toward the SSR GT3. Did your car come with these aftermarket rims or have you had the opportunity to compare the ride and handling with the stock setup?

daleer

Detmich1 - thanks for all you help - I appreciate it.

I have 18" chrome adr sterlings. I've read that the adr's aren't the highest quality rims in the world, but they look awesome on my black gs. I just put the new tires/wheels on last week and I think it rides better and quieter now (from the stock 16s that were on it until last week). With the lower profile tires I was expecting a noisier/harsher ride, but I think the new tires I got (pirelli pzero nero m&s) made up the difference. I'm very happy with my wheels/tires - now I just need to do the suspension. By the way, I got the chrome adr sterlings on ebay for like $540 + $125 shipping - so $665 for 4 chrome wheels - pretty good!