Suspension/Spring Install
09-27-01, 05:17 AM
#1
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Suspension/Spring Install
I am going to have my new Bilstein Sport Shock and Eibach Pro Spring next week. Does any one know that if the wheel need to be re-align after this is done? Does the guy who did the installation always does it or this is something that you have to ask for?…
09-27-01, 06:22 AM
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If the guy is good/actually cares about your car, he will advise you to get an alignment. You should definately get an alignment even if the drop is minimal.
Its going to be around $50 and thats a small price to pay for having no uneven tire wear.
Its going to be around $50 and thats a small price to pay for having no uneven tire wear.
09-29-01, 01:46 PM
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Spr/shx install
out here in the Boonies of Ar. cost $175 for L-tuned install plus $37.00 for 4 wheel align. at the local Goodyear store. Vs $450 (down from $600) at the Lexus store
10-04-01, 10:07 AM
#5
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Finally got my Bilstein and Eibach Spring install... The the height was lower by 1" ... Wow.. Just made the clearance on the steep drive way of mine..
However, after test drive the car.. I can't tell the difference.. I have my sway bar change about a month ago.. that made the ride noticible different.. I guess I am expecting the same dramatic result with the Suspension upgrade.. Now.. I wish that I have got the coilover.. But my wife she could not tell the difference that the suspension was upgrade.. a big big big plus..haha.
Some how, I still feel my BMW330i (sports supsension) is stiffer than my ride..DOn't quite understand this..
I have not do any crazy corning yet... but will try something this weekend after the allignment..
However, after test drive the car.. I can't tell the difference.. I have my sway bar change about a month ago.. that made the ride noticible different.. I guess I am expecting the same dramatic result with the Suspension upgrade.. Now.. I wish that I have got the coilover.. But my wife she could not tell the difference that the suspension was upgrade.. a big big big plus..haha.
Some how, I still feel my BMW330i (sports supsension) is stiffer than my ride..DOn't quite understand this..
I have not do any crazy corning yet... but will try something this weekend after the allignment..
10-04-01, 11:35 AM
#6
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Shin,
you cannot tell the difference.:eek:
not long ago i had the chance to drive 3 GS w/stock, l-tuned and the eibach+bilsteins combo back to back and i can really tell the difference as i went from one car to another. i am guessing as you said, you replace the sways first which made quite an improvement over the stock.....but really, you do not feel the diff from the stock suspension set up? ron430 replaced just the bilsteins and kept the stock spring, and he could truly tell the difference....this is very interesting....
try some cornering and let us know.
william
you cannot tell the difference.:eek:
not long ago i had the chance to drive 3 GS w/stock, l-tuned and the eibach+bilsteins combo back to back and i can really tell the difference as i went from one car to another. i am guessing as you said, you replace the sways first which made quite an improvement over the stock.....but really, you do not feel the diff from the stock suspension set up? ron430 replaced just the bilsteins and kept the stock spring, and he could truly tell the difference....this is very interesting....try some cornering and let us know.
william
10-04-01, 12:32 PM
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Shin & Will - In normal around town driving, I am not sure I could feel much difference with the Bilsteins and stock springs. But, on one particularly large highway dip where the GS used to sickeningly bottom then float, I would say it has improved 75 to 80%. My other test was a high speed off ramp where the GS was really not very happy at 65 or 70 (or at least I wasn't very happy driving it at that speed) I can now take it very comfortably. Still may try springs or more likely the Bilstein coilovers but for now (only 2400 miles on the car) I can live with it. I did do some talking to folks about Eibachs and the conclusion I came to is that Eibachs are virtually a dead heat to the stock spring rates but they provide some lowering so if you like the stock spring rates but want to lower, they are for you. If I change springs I will probably want to increase spring rate, not just lower. The GS is no bimmer but then again there are some pretty rough stretches around here and I am carefully figuring out exactly how much firmer I want to go. The devil of it is I would like to fill up those big wheel wells with the tire better but I don't want to start scraping the body work so I am going very slowly on lowering (anybody figured out how to change speedo calibration if you get larger diameter tires?). My current thinking is to eventually go for the Bilstein coil overs, which I think are height adjustable on the car, and see what is the minimum drop they can be set for. My hope is that they can come close to stock so I can play around to find what works best for me. Anyone know what the diameter of the stock sway bars are on the GS430 and what the TRD units are? Still love a lot of what is right about the GS and hope to improve what isn't.
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10-04-01, 01:22 PM
#8
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Ron,
that was a very good feedback.
for larger tyres, so long as you stay ~2-3% of stock overall diameter, the speedo should be fine. what size tyre do you have in mind? in one of the old treads there was a link to a site that will figure the #s out for you.
for the TRD sways, the japan trd site indicates a 110% stiffer over the stock. though it does not reveal the actual diameter. from many feedbacks here, i know they are quite a bit stiffer than the stock.
william
ps, still think about the PC buffer...afraid of buring the paint...should i try the old fashioned hands-on-off method first to take care the scratches?
that was a very good feedback.
for larger tyres, so long as you stay ~2-3% of stock overall diameter, the speedo should be fine. what size tyre do you have in mind? in one of the old treads there was a link to a site that will figure the #s out for you.
for the TRD sways, the japan trd site indicates a 110% stiffer over the stock. though it does not reveal the actual diameter. from many feedbacks here, i know they are quite a bit stiffer than the stock.
william
ps, still think about the PC buffer...afraid of buring the paint...should i try the old fashioned hands-on-off method first to take care the scratches?
10-04-01, 04:26 PM
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william - Just fooling around right now. The stock Michelins have way too much tread for me to seriously think about ditching them. Last thought was looking at 235/50-16 to get a good compromise on increased handling without affecting ride too much but may go up to 17s or 18s, still thinking about it.
The PC really helps if you have a lot to do (like the whole car) or some serious flaw (like heavy oxidation). You could still probably do it all by hand but it takes a while and it is pretty rough on your joints (although hanging on to the PC is a thrill too). I keep a tube of something like Blue Magic around for small scratches and contaminant removal (those scratchy marks from womens fingernails around the door handles primarily) but if I am going to do a big area, I did the hood on the GS, the orange peel was pretty bad, I bring out the PC. With a large foam pad moving in a random orbital motion, no power tool is ideal if you need to get into tight spaces or near something like right up against the washer nozzles, so you end up doing those by hand anyway. I think both MG and I would concur with trying the hand polish first. The other thing I am a big fan of is practice. If you get the PC and have another car that is not quite so high on your priority list as the Lexus, practicing on it is a big help. As long as you always start with the least agressive compounds, you really shouldn't do any damage. You don't press down on the PC much, you just guide it around. The speed of the PC and the compound do the cutting. I figure the random orbital motion is the key to having an amateur do a good job without doing any damage. I am not sure too many of the really advanced pros use these, they can get better results fasterin tighter quarters with just an orbital motion and it is a little easier to hang on to. For the vast majority of polishing the Griot fine and medium polishes are fine. I used the coarse once on a Toyota that had really severe oxidation and just didn't want to wait around for the finer compounds to work (don't know about Lexus but Toyota proper puts a good deal of paint on, I took a lot off but never went through, results were very impressive for an older car). Most of the hand polishes are very fine and they are safe although they may not really do much either. Rubbing compound is more agressive but you need to be careful with it, even by hand. If you get the PC and start with the Lexus, I would try starting with something the top of the trunk. You don't have to lean over far and you can really see what you are doing. That may not be where your scratches are and I know it is a very visible spot but you need to see what you are doing and get a feel for guiding the polisher. Top of the trunk is a very convenient place for that. The further you reach or work on a vertical surface and things are a little tougher to control and see the results. Don't do it in the sun but if you are a fanatic, after you are done, move the car outside and look at it in the sun before you apply protectant. It is amazing, some defects show up better under artificial light and some under natural light, you really need to see the car under both, another thing I learned from a great detailer. The dark blue is really a huge pain in the butt and because of the change for 2K1 is actually darker than I prefer but I have to admit it does polish up dandy for that mile deep look. I am going to personally keep California Car Duster alive, I have bought three already and just got the floor duster too.
The PC really helps if you have a lot to do (like the whole car) or some serious flaw (like heavy oxidation). You could still probably do it all by hand but it takes a while and it is pretty rough on your joints (although hanging on to the PC is a thrill too). I keep a tube of something like Blue Magic around for small scratches and contaminant removal (those scratchy marks from womens fingernails around the door handles primarily) but if I am going to do a big area, I did the hood on the GS, the orange peel was pretty bad, I bring out the PC. With a large foam pad moving in a random orbital motion, no power tool is ideal if you need to get into tight spaces or near something like right up against the washer nozzles, so you end up doing those by hand anyway. I think both MG and I would concur with trying the hand polish first. The other thing I am a big fan of is practice. If you get the PC and have another car that is not quite so high on your priority list as the Lexus, practicing on it is a big help. As long as you always start with the least agressive compounds, you really shouldn't do any damage. You don't press down on the PC much, you just guide it around. The speed of the PC and the compound do the cutting. I figure the random orbital motion is the key to having an amateur do a good job without doing any damage. I am not sure too many of the really advanced pros use these, they can get better results fasterin tighter quarters with just an orbital motion and it is a little easier to hang on to. For the vast majority of polishing the Griot fine and medium polishes are fine. I used the coarse once on a Toyota that had really severe oxidation and just didn't want to wait around for the finer compounds to work (don't know about Lexus but Toyota proper puts a good deal of paint on, I took a lot off but never went through, results were very impressive for an older car). Most of the hand polishes are very fine and they are safe although they may not really do much either. Rubbing compound is more agressive but you need to be careful with it, even by hand. If you get the PC and start with the Lexus, I would try starting with something the top of the trunk. You don't have to lean over far and you can really see what you are doing. That may not be where your scratches are and I know it is a very visible spot but you need to see what you are doing and get a feel for guiding the polisher. Top of the trunk is a very convenient place for that. The further you reach or work on a vertical surface and things are a little tougher to control and see the results. Don't do it in the sun but if you are a fanatic, after you are done, move the car outside and look at it in the sun before you apply protectant. It is amazing, some defects show up better under artificial light and some under natural light, you really need to see the car under both, another thing I learned from a great detailer. The dark blue is really a huge pain in the butt and because of the change for 2K1 is actually darker than I prefer but I have to admit it does polish up dandy for that mile deep look. I am going to personally keep California Car Duster alive, I have bought three already and just got the floor duster too.
10-04-01, 05:12 PM
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Originally posted by RON430
Anyone know what the diameter of the stock sway bars are on the GS430 and what the TRD units are?
Anyone know what the diameter of the stock sway bars are on the GS430 and what the TRD units are?
10-04-01, 05:50 PM
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bitkahuna - Thanks for the response. I had bought this 2001 New Car Features book for the GS and it mentioned that the front bar had its shape changed and "sheet thickness" (Japanese for wall thickness?) increased. Just wondering how the 2k1 bars compared to the TRD bars. Funny thing is, and without trying to add anything to the steering ECU issue, in 83 pages of changes to the 2k1 GS, it does not say anything about a new steering ECU for the 430. I have a feeling after reading the posts and comparisons that the l tuned ECU is different but why the same part number? Wierd.
10-04-01, 06:31 PM
#12
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not quite while back couple of the member has post that the LT-Spring is the Eibach.. Is that true? I will definite try to high speed corning.. this weekend..
10-04-01, 06:33 PM
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Originally posted by Shinchan
not quite while back couple of the member has post that the LT-Spring is the Eibach.. Is that true? I will definite try to high speed corning.. this weekend..
not quite while back couple of the member has post that the LT-Spring is the Eibach.. Is that true? I will definite try to high speed corning.. this weekend..
10-04-01, 06:36 PM
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Originally posted by RON430
bitkahuna - Thanks for the response. I had bought this 2001 New Car Features book for the GS and it mentioned that the front bar had its shape changed and "sheet thickness" (Japanese for wall thickness?) increased. Just wondering how the 2k1 bars compared to the TRD bars. Funny thing is, and without trying to add anything to the steering ECU issue, in 83 pages of changes to the 2k1 GS, it does not say anything about a new steering ECU for the 430. I have a feeling after reading the posts and comparisons that the l tuned ECU is different but why the same part number? Wierd.
bitkahuna - Thanks for the response. I had bought this 2001 New Car Features book for the GS and it mentioned that the front bar had its shape changed and "sheet thickness" (Japanese for wall thickness?) increased. Just wondering how the 2k1 bars compared to the TRD bars. Funny thing is, and without trying to add anything to the steering ECU issue, in 83 pages of changes to the 2k1 GS, it does not say anything about a new steering ECU for the 430. I have a feeling after reading the posts and comparisons that the l tuned ECU is different but why the same part number? Wierd.
As far as steering ECU part #'s - I put forth a guess on another thread that since L-Tuned probably only sells a few hundred ECUs a year, they just take the stock ones, reprogram them, and ship them. While they may have the same part # molded into the plastic, the L-Tuned ones do come shipped in an 'L-Tuned' baggy, so L-Tuned can at least keep the inventories separate that way.