OutlawTita

iTrader: (1)

I have a 99 GS400 with 70K miles. I have 17" wheels and stock suspension. The only things I have changed that impact the ride/handling of the car is a change to Daizen front sway bar bushings and to add the Carson front tower strut bar. I will not ever be doing any canyon runs or any other racing......those days are past. I just want the best ride I can get mixed in with some handling and nice look if possible.

I plan to keep this car for hopefully another 100K miles. I am not very knowledgeable regarding suspensions but believe my stock suspension is still pretty good at this point. I am curious as to how long I should go before replacing anything? It may be past time for all I know.

Although I would like to drop the car and eliminate some of the wheel gap and I would also like to improve handling these are still secondary objectives to maintaining a quality Lexus ride. If I can do all of these things without compromising the durability of other components then I would be interested. I don't want to have to worry about wheel clearance on turns, bottoming out over speed bumps, rough roads, or curbs. Looks and handling are not worth sacrificing these problems to me.

I am hoping that the collective CL experience on this forum can help me determine what my course of action should be. I welcome any comments, suggestions, or advice. Thanks.

Kharizma

iTrader: (6)

lets see.. as far as lowering the car.. many CL members, including myself have the TEIN CS set up.. it gives the car a great look and the ride comfort is better than stock (in my opinion) but you can't SLAM the car with this set up.. there are other set up's like: TEIN FLEX, Bilstein PSS, etc. there are other cheaper options as well like Tanabe NF210 springs (good drop + very close to stock ride comfort) L-Tuned Springs (hard to come by) and more.. just gotta search.. my car is lowered about 1.5-2" and i have had no problems going over speed bumps and etc. i do now, because of my very low bodykit lol... for your suspension.. what do you mean? like ball joints, tie rods, etc.? if you're going to do that, i suggest doing it all at the same time.. i have new ball joints, outer tie rods and upper control arms and i love it! rides just like new... overall if you have stock suspension and stock wheels it should last you a very long time.. it's just when you lower the car and add aftermarket wheels that your suspension starts having additional stress put on.. so good luck! do a search and you'll find out a lot!

OutlawTita

iTrader: (1)

I guess what I am really trying to find out is when it is likely that my OEM suspension would need replacing. The stock 16" wheels were on the car for the first 59K miles and 17" aftermarket wheels have been used the last 10K miles. Is there any reason to think that any component would not be up to speed at 70K or before 100K. I don't really know since I have no experience to base the ride quality against ......it seems great to me but I am used to an Accord. When it gets to the point of needing replacing I am likely to upgrade but if I am good to go until 200K then I don't want to spend money just for looks or a sportier ride.