airahcaz

98 GS400, went to after market chrome 17s, potholes and rough surfaces in NYC area were too killer, went back to stock.

Here is the question, many I guess upsize to 18 19 20s, but also adjust suspension to compensate, and thus bring the ride back to a Lexus feel. Is this true? Does it work?

Who does this, a Lexus Dealer, or can I bring it to the same shop where I want 18s and they do the suspension for me too? What are the costs?

Put simply, I want 18s, but I don't want to lose significant ride quality. Upsizing the rims without doing any other modifications has been met by sheer dissatisfaction and complaints from many here.

redgs4

While there are some that attempt to retain or go back to a "Lexus" ride after upsizing the rims, it seems that most get the suspension to either complete the look [lower] and/or increase performance with comfort as a second or third consideration.

Do a search, it's been a hot topic.

Ag02M5

Changing suspension will NOT make the car ride smoother (except a small number of coilovers).

It is for looks/performance with ride being sacrificed (although some might prefer a stiffer ride).

Late.

airahcaz

So suspension modifications are mainly to bring the car lower? Wouldn't 18s and up already fill the wheel well?

I am happy with the GS4 stock's performance already, I just wanted bigger rims for a better look, along with trying to keep a Lexus ride.

Ag02M5

If you keep the same overall diameter, the bigger the rim, the smaller the tire sidewall. This is going to make the gap seem even LARGER.

About the only way to get less gap without lowering is to ride 20's or 19's with oversized tires.

Personally, I think the GS stock suspension is crap and would suggest the L-tuned setup at minimum. The ride is a tad bit firmer but the car feels safer and looks better. Good tradeoff even for those concerned with ride.

I think the only people that would complain about L-tuned are those that have gone to coil-overs and wish they had done that first.

Good luck.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

By 'stock' I assume you mean 16s?

If you have 16s and go to 18s or bigger, the ride is going to be rougher simply because there's less rubber height (sidewall) between your rims and the road.

That's because the roads SUCK where you drive. Not much you can do about it. And to think how much you pay in taxes there...

RacingAristo

Even if you put on 20" on stock suspension, the tire gap is still going to be big. Also for the safety reason (center of gravity), it's better to lower the car a bit if you put on bigger rims.

No aftermarket suspension for Lexus GS will actually make your car softer than stock.

If ride quality is your concern and still want to drop the car a little, may I suggest L-tuned.

RON430

Overall diameter of the tire is normally not changed much. At the least, the speedo starts reading off but there are other problems. In order to go to larger diameter rims and maintain the same tire diameter, the tire sidewall has to shrink, as bit mentioned. Inevitably, inorder the keep the tire working, a shorter sidewall has to be compensated for with a stiffer sidewall. Add in larger contact patch and the ride is going to get worse. Tradeoff is not all looks and fender to tire gap, handling increases with the stiffer sidewall larger contact patch. Just one of life's little tradeoffs.

airahcaz

Forgive my ignorance, 'contact patch'?

And I guess the verdict is although I can get performance upgrade and better looks, I will not be able to have the same ride. Personally, I used to drive an LS400, so why someone would want a stiffer ride on a GS(made for performance AND luxury), I dunno. Why not get an all out sports car or something then.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Contact patch is how much rubber actually touches the road (mostly dependent on tire width).

Er, because the GS is a sports sedan and the LS400 isn't?

mooretorque

ranjankhan, the short answer is that virtually ANY handling improvement available for the GS will come at the expense of ride comfort. To me, the L-Tuned suspension produces virtually no degradation in comfort compared to stock. There is a slight but noticeable increase in impact harshness when contacting such things as those speed humps that have become popular with some traffic engineers. But the almost total elimination of the floaty sensation over whoop-de-dos and of the feel that the body was actually wobbling around on top of the suspension is, for me, MORE comfortable since I no longer have that queasy, uneasy sensation that accompanied those motions.

But even those blobby 16s are not going to give you the ride sensations of the LS. Lexus can't fix crappy roads if that's all you have to drive on...........

airahcaz

So how do I get L-Tuned?

RacingAristo

You can purchase L-tuned at the vendors (Lexus of Mant, Steve Ganz and etc) of CL. Check them out.

airahcaz

As to not get cheated, how much does this usually run?

GS4Will

~$550 for springs and shocks...