LEXGS400

I am getting a black GS400 very soon and i am 100% putting at least 18 inch rims on the car, maybe 19's...i havent decided. I also am interested in getting TRD sway bars and maybe the TOM'S 6 piece suspension kit. Or maybe even the L-tuned, L sportline or maybe a Tein CS suspension setup to reduce bodyroll so that i can feel safe(r) competing with other cars at high speeds....especially that damn 540i sport...i would hate to lose a race to one of those....cocky BMW drivers . I also want to get a bodykit as well....i was thinking of the RMM, VIZAGE, or TOM'S, kits....i live in NY so i pretty much have to have urethane bc its stronger...which is too bad bc there are a lot of nice fiberglass kits out there (im not sure if TOM'S is urethane).....but there are way too many potholes and uneven roads and i dont have the $$ to keep replacing front bumpers. Anyways...my questions are....do i have to lower the car if i get a kit?? i always hear talk about the GS not looking right if you have a kit and rims but the car isnt lowered....or is that only if you have 20's that it doesnt look right if its lowered??
How many of you out there have a GS with kits and rims and lowered suspension and are having SIGNIFICANT clearance problems?? Is there any way around this...besides not getting a body kit or lowering the car?? What is the best combo of upgrades to avoid this problem??

Your help is greatly apprieciated

Evan

PAULGS430

Hey Evan. Please come to the next CLUB LEXUS MEET in New York.
There you will be able to check out some GS that have been lowered w/kit,rims, etc. You'll be able to get different opinions & judge for yourself if some mods. are worth it. When you get your GS. First lower the car. If you can afford it get coilovers, if not you can always l-tuned or eibach/bilstein combo. very popular among gs owners. then rims, then kit. Trust me if a get a kit especially in area (city) where roads are bad. You are gonna have to drive around constently paranoid about bumps,potholes, inclines & dips. Ask Sypher cus. he has the L-sportline full kit (polyurathane) very durable. If ya go w/FAT Tires set-up w/19's/ it's almost the same as being on 20's. Ya gotta always concentrate on the roads for stuff that wanna do damage to your rims,exhaust scraping & kit. I love the look of drop,rims,kit but you gotta be careful.
That's the only thing that I do not enjoy having to be real careful.
Trust me it's so worth all the paranoia. It looks SSSSOOOOOO good. afterward tho. you end up parking real far away from everyone else in the parking lot. Damn haters.

Paul

RAristo

My advice is to get a coilover set which you can adjust the height. You have the freedom to raise or drop your car at your own will. That's what I do. I have TEIN HA with 19" and a fiberglass bodykit. When I first dropped 2", it scraped so bad that I had to repaint the front bumper. Until I raise the car 1", the problem went away.

Good luck.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, if you want the best, either look or performance, always get coilover. you end up spending a bit more, ONLY a bit more, but it's a lot better. adjust the height to your like, perform a lot better and you can adjust how hard the ride is. all the best

LEXGS400

Is there a way to control the lowering and raising of the car through a button or switch inside the car?? How much would that cost??

rominl

iTrader: (4)

nothing on that available now yet

Manaray

There a couple of solutions (all airbag based)...Canover is the best but you're looking at like $3000...the other stuff is pretty much crap...

Tein is coming out with a new in-cabin height adjustable coilover system where it still uses the spring and a shock...from what I understand the in-cabin height adjustment is STRICTLY for height adjustment only and unlike airbag systems (and the Canover system), it does not play any part in the dampening and rebound...which is GOOD. that is the way it SHOULD be. So it will have all the "characteristics" of coilovers but with hydro/airbag style height adjustment. I think THIS is going to be the solution for a lot of you East Coast guys....won't be so bad for us West Coast guys either...

But before you get all worked up, figure that these are going to cost signficantly more than the CS/FLEX...so if you're already cringing at those prices, you can forget about this one...

dagr8tsthustla

well...I've bee dealing with the same dilemma..I am definately lowering my car though...don't have coilover money, but it is the best way to go...I am a NYC native so this is a big problem for us over here...with potholes...poor construction of the roads that goes on in every part of NY/NJ that you may go to so it is inevitable that your car will sustain some sort of damage in your possesion. You would definately have to do some research(which there is plenty to do on this board) and see which kit you decide to get, what rims/tire size you will get so that after those factors have been figured out...you can check the clearance on the springs you may want to get. I'm not a pro but just a person who does alot of research and asks alot of questions...this board is very informative and members that are willing to give as much input as possible. Hope this helps!!

Danny

Coolguy949

Fibierglass body kit?? Why not polyurethane? Fiberglass will crack like a **** if you even tap something at 2MPH. Polyuethane is the way to go IMO. That's why they use on the stock peices.

Rob

<edit> Doh! I just realized you HAVE a fiberglass kit. I thought you were recommending he get one. Need to slow down when I read.

bravo261

iTrader: (1)

now THAT is a suggestion

RAristo

Rob,

Quality fiberglass is pretty strong. As I mentioed before, I scraped so bad the first couple days when I put it on. I was afraid that my front bumper is gone but no, only a thin layer of fiberglass was off. The retouch/repair only takes about an hour and it's good as new.

mcgong

Also figerglass can be repaired and poly can't. I'd go coilover to just so you can adjust the height to see what fits you the best. If money is an issue, try Bilstein PSS. They run about 800-900 dollars and you can go about 125 mm lower. Not sure if that is low enough for you though.

LEXGS400

Why cant polyurethane be repaired?? so if i damage a urethane kit i have to replace the whole thing??????

Coolguy949

Urethane is what they use on stock vehicles for the most part. When you crash your car, ussually the bumper needs to be replaced. If it was fiberglass they can fix it with more fiberglass. Polyurethane is made is a giant mold as one unit. If it gets damaged badly you ussually cant repair it. That doesnt mean it's inferior though. I like polyurethane more than fiberglass personally. It has more flex and tolerance. Fiberglass cracks when it gets damaged or hit lightly. Ever see those lowered hondas with their front body kit cracked at the bottom? That's what fiberglass does if you bottom out too hard.
That's my view on the whole thing.

Rob

RAristo

If you want bodykit, there is not many PU kits for you to choose from in GS other than RMM, LSportline, TTE, GReddy, and JDM. The last three are add-on only. For a lighter color car, I wouldn't go for add-on 'cause the lines are a bit obvious. I personally prefer PU too but not too many choices here.