Murph

I know this is old news to all who have already done L-Tuned shocks and springs and beyond but I want to share my first impressions with all the "Rookies" like me who are/were contemplating suspension mods. Besides I'm excited and want to tell someone. My wife just nods and walks away. Since my GS400 was completely stock with 225/55 16's I have a baseline for this and upcoming mods which will come in time. I got shocks , springs and a 4 wheel alignment.

The first sensation I noticed was how much more "planted" the car feels even in straight line driving. The comfort is actually better than the stock suspension which surprised me. The second thing is my 65MPH shimmy is gone. The best part however was the exit ramp off Route 95 near my home. In stock form at 40MPH the car had bigtime oversteer and flex. I just made my 1st run at 48MPH and went right around it. Tommorow will be 50MPH!!! I haven't taken that at 50+ since I hade my 'Vette.

Now I want sways and braces. I may do that before the L-Tuned mufflers. Oh God, I've become addicted!!!!!!

Murph

fasthuh

iTrader: (1)

Murph,

Congratulations to your new upgrade, I understand your excitement. I had put an order for my Apex WS, I am hoping for it to come in on tomorrow and I will install it over the weekend .

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Murph, congrats! And welcome to the L-Tuned Club

I know exactly how you feel, and yes, it's addictive. The L-Tuned springs/shocks are a great upgrade. I recommend the steering ECU (you can install that yourself), and if you don't mind trading a bit of ride comfort for a HUGE decrease in body roll, get the TRD sway bars.

The TRD front strut tower brace is a nice upgrade too.

And then...

Oh and watch those cops in Taxachusetts!

Mr GS400

Murph,

Congratulations on 'Step 1'.

You won't really feel the improvement (IMO) until you upgrade your wheel/tire combination. That's when the suspension improvement really kicks in. Of course your 'cushy' ride will also dissappear and you'll have a more 'harsher' feel of road surfaces.

OEM 16" wheels/tires have too much side wall flex and minimal surface area to really appreciate the suspension modifications. Wait till you get, lets say, 18" or 19" wheels with a good performance tire.

Try not to share too much of this with your wife as she won't understand the reasoning behind the modifications and certainly won't endorse the "investments" you'll be making.

Good Luck!

TexastyleGS4

Murph, you've really got me excited as I am planning on doing the L-tuned strut/spring combo soon. Now let me get you excited.

My GS was a stock 98 with stock 225-16s, and I upgraded to factory 17s with stock 235 rubber. My 35mph off ramp turned into a 42mph off ramp with JUST a wheel swap. Also the ride harshness was SO overrated. I barely notice it stiffer. Of course, I only stepped up one size, but it did wonders for performance. I'd do rims and tires if I were you.

JAC JZS

Yeah I agree, going from the stock 16's to the stock 17's and lower pro tires definately improves the handling. And I could not even notice any change in ride quality whatsoever. My ride is not "noisy" or "harsh". So many publications use these adjectives to describe the ride of the 17's.

Shinchan

Now you got the L-Tuned Suspension, you will need to find a doc quickly. You will soon develop a mental illness called: “ClubLexus”. Oh..Oh.. I forgot to take my pill today.. to resist to log on to CL. Oh.. Well.. Here is my TIP:

L-Tuned ECU – A must.. A DIY job that by following instruction. Use the search function.

L-Tuned Muffler – quite if cruising at 70+ above 2400RPM. City driving.. nice deep tone.. = louder if seat in the back..

TRD Sway – DIY. I had my TRD sway installed before my Bilstein Sport/Eibach Suspension upgrade. IT WILL SUFFER RIDE QUALITY.. After the SWAY upgrade, I can’t really tell the difference in my suspension upgrade.

TRD Front Lower Connection Brass – DIY. Can’t really tell what it did, but I installed it anyway.

TRD Front Tower Strut Bar – DIY. Reduce front flex under hard cornering.

Toms Rear Tower Strut Bar – DIY. Reduce rear flex under hard cornering. (Also reduce some trunk space)

SRT Cold Air Intake: Another DIY. Loose some low end power, but gain some high end ..

My next mod this summer: DIY on Toms 6 piece rear suspension upgrade. My goal was to out handle M5.

I could show you my car if you are interested. You will have a chance to hear the L-Tuned Muffler, intake. Before purchasing… I had to do a lot of explanation to my wife to live with L-Tuned Muffler and the SRT Intake sound.

Murph

Thanks Guys for your Input!!

My steering is already pretty tight. I had IRA Lexus tighten the steering pre-tension and it stiffened up the steering response significantly so I'm not sure if the steering ECU is needed.

I'll be upgrading Wheels/Tires to either 17(maybe) or 18(probably) when these 16's wear out. Then I'll use the 16" wheels with Blizzaks for Boston winters. Should be later this year.

L-Tuned Mufflers are definitely the next mod, they'll be on within April. I already did the K&N Filter element replacement.

For May/June, I'll be doing the Sways for sure.

For July/Aug, I'll do the LCB's.

For Sept on, I'm broke...

Murph

Shinchan

Murphy,

How much did IRA charge you for the: tighten the steering pre-tension ? How tight is it? I want my even tighter.. like my Bimmer.

Will they know if I told them to: tighten the steering pre-tension?

Thx

JAC JZS

Shinchan, I think with the mods you have and the mods you are planning to get outhandling the M-5 should be no problem.

Murph

Shinchan,

Ira Lexus did it when we were trying to solve my 65MPH shimmy gremlins. It's a 45 minute to 1 hour job and Watertown Lexus will know what you mean if you ask for it. When they tightened the pretension the shimmy was significantly reduced. This was after Hunter balancing etc..did not solve it. The immediate effect was a much tighter steering sensation with less shimmy. I did not get rid of the shimmy entirely until the L-Tuned and 4 wheel alignment. So either the alignment was slightly out or one of the struts was worn. I have 55K mile now. The only down side to tightening the steering pretension which I hardly notice is the return to center after slow turns is not as quick. No biggie.

I hope this helps

Murph

Shinchan

Thx Murph.

Since I am not experiencing any shimming right now, I am not going to fix it if it isn't broke. I just want a tighter steering feel like my BMW.. but, I am going to stay away from a perfect no problem right now. P.S, where did you find a place with Hunter allignment machine? Do they know how to adjust lower car?

whitels

JAC JZS and TexastyleGS-

Just to be sure, when you referred to 17" tires as not having that much difference than the 16s in terms of ride harsness, did you also have the 17" Bridgestone OEMs?

TexastyleGS4

I do. Last week I put some 255/40s on the rear and it handles even better.