NVMYGS3

HI-

I'm trying to decide between which front STB to buy for my 99GS300. Has anybody had any experience between the UGO Carbon Fiber STB verses the TOMS front STB?

Looks don't really matter cuz well, the hood is always down and I'm more for performance. Is CF really as strong as metal? Currently I'm straying towards the UGO because it's lighter but.... which one is better performance wise?

Thanks

Ryan

PS: BTW, I had the TRD front STB for about 10 minutes before I was forced to exchange it. IT doesn't fit

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Sorry, nothing to add. Just wanted to say I'd be interested in any feedback to this also.

LEXter

i have the ugo strut bar.......however personally i think that most strut bar are about the same. The strut bar only act as a secondary support to the coilovers or springs u have in the car. So its better to have a better spring system than a strut bar. However, i must admit i did get a lot of attention on the strut bar because its carbon fiber and looks "cooool".........

Ag02M5

I have the UGO.

It seems that though it is strong, it has some flex.

If I were strictly thinking performance, I would do something that was all aluminum.

On the other hand, it looks really trick and I'm not racing so it works just fine.

I seriously doubt you'd be able to tell the difference.

Ryan

Hey LEX, I think I sent you a pm about your rims. Do you have any pics? I am seriously considering them for my ride.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

I have already upgraded my suspension to LTuned so that's why I am looking elsewhere. A lot of the float is gone but there is still body roll when cornering. I am looking to reduce this body roll. I will probably get TRD sways when they come off backorder from Steve but wanted to see if an STB would help in the interim.

Thanks for the info so far guys.

NVMYGS3

Thanks GS400,

That's what I thought (regarding flex on the UGO STB). I mean, isn't the whole point of having an STB is so that you can have the sturdiest peice of connection between the Right and Left shocks/springs? I figure no matter what, Carbon Fiber will never be as sturdy as metal which goes back to the flex and usefullness of the UGO.

I'm not really into looks (not like I"m going to pop open my hood all the time) but I'm straying towards the UGO because I've heard many good things about it.

But, I really need to know if there is a noticeable performance difference between the UGO and the say, Toms which is all aluminum

Ryan

Manaray

I used to run the TRD STB and then I switched over the the UGO and I have not noticed any difference in performance...

If you're putting this on a GS300 though, your choices are more limited than GS400/430 owners...

As for flex, I have never noticed flexing with the UGO...also, CF can be stiffer than metal...there are a lot of variables besides the raw material...

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Hi Manaray,

What do you mean by "choices are limited"? The ones being discussed here are Ugo, Tom's, and (you added in a sense) TRD. From what I can tell, Ugo fits, Tom's may need spacers, and TRDs will definitely need spacers. This is also assuming without engine covers (which the 98 and 99 GS300s don't have anyway). Is this what you mean? Also, if you don't mind me asking, why did you switch from TRD to UGO?

With these choices, Ugo is probably the best choice because they don't need spacers. With the price difference, with TRDs being cheaper (even adding spacer cost), does the spacers degrade performance of the STB a lot?

Thanks.

Manaray

Neo, I just ment in GENERAL that there is less choices for the GS300 when it comes to STB's...

As for the reason for my switch, I only switched because I wanted to matching front and rear STB's...

I'm not big on putting on spacers (at least a lot of them) because there is less threading for the nut to be secured on to...personally, I'd rather have as much thread through the nut as possible...

Shinchan

I love my TRD Strut Bar. I have an Y2KGS4 and my TRD don’t need the spacer. However, I have to remove my Engine cover cause there are minor rubbing with cover on…. But who give sht about an engine cover. I have recently installed the Tein HA where the damper adjustment is on top. Amazingly, the TRD Strut bar actually has a hole as small as a dime, that my damper adjustment just fit through perfectly. If it was for that hole, I have to sell my TRD Strut bar…. Thanks god for the HOLE…hahahaha…now I can adjust the damper without removing any parts in the front.

I don’t know if UGO or tom has open structure to allow the damper adjustment to be easily access.

red

Shinchan,

Just wondering how you like the Tein H/A's so far. Are they much stiffer than stock and did you have any problems with install or alignment? I was looking at going the same route but was wondering whether H/A's would be overly harsh compared to stock. Thanks in advance for any info.

Red

Shinchan

Red,

First, I love my ride so far… stiff like what I wanted. It’s totally different than the stock setup. Very stiff ride, very harsh. It all came down to personal taste. Choosing a suspension upgrade requires careful research and understands what you are trying to accomplish. My goal was to Out Handle M5 and hang or outperform with our little sibling stock IS300 (No Offense IS owner, IS is one of the best handling compact). I will soon reach my goal with Tom’s rear 6 piece this summer.

Take a look at Manaray’s comment in this thread:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=43261

If you want retains luxury ride feeling, Tein HA is not the way to go. Apexi World Sport Coilover might be what you needed. I know there is a group buy going on .. that will give you a really good price on Apexi. Bilstein PS and couple other ones mention by Manaray.

Now as far as alignment issue? I have not notice any uneven tread ware on my snow tire yet.. But again, I just have these on for 4 weeks. I had the car realign last week. No regular local shop know how to align my car… due to the lowering factor… You will need to find someone who knows how to align lowered car. My car was so low to a point, that the alignment guy had to raise tein ha up a bit to get the car into an acceptable alignment range. I still have not find a good local shop knows what they are doing with my alignment.. but I will soon do another alignment for my 18” summer tires. I have a defect on my tein ha right now, rear driverside damper adjustment would not find the end.. I don’t know how stiff is that particular sturt. Tein USA is going to send me an click assembly try to fix the damper adjustment. IF it’s not the click assembly, they will ship me a new rear strut. I think the support from Tein was not too bad. Let me know if you have any other questions.

red

Shinchan,

Thanks a lot for the input. Based on your info I am considering going a different route. I had already purchased a set of Tein H/A's but I'm now considering selling them since I was not realy looking for the M5 handling as a top priority.

thanks again,
Red