SLVRGS4

I'm not expecting my GS400 to handle like my BMW 540i Sport did, but man it feels really floaty on the highway, especially over 80 mph. I bought a 99' used a month ago with roughly 53K miles and it has the sport rims/z rated tires. I know that Lexus puts more luxury into their cars but man this thing drives like a caddy. Do the Springs/shocks need to be replaced at this milage?? If they do, I'm going l-tuned springs/shocks and TRD sways. I'm tempted to go coilovers, but I don't want to spend more than a grand on the suspension mods. Any opinions, comments??

r00kie

When I bought my 2000 gs4 a couple months ago, I too didn't care for the floaty ride and the body roll when making turns. I ended up getting the l-tuned suspension and f+r sway bars. It was like night and day after the upgrades. The car is now planted and handles great.

SLVRGS4

Way too floaty...if you could do it again would you stick with the l-tuned or would you have gone coil overs?

JacobT

Sounds like you need new shocks. When I installed lowering springs with stock shocks. 3 months later the stock shocks got worn out, and it was so scary to drive on highway when hit a little bump. You just thought the car was out of control. Replace the shocks and it'll be day and night difference.

SLVRGS4

That exactly what I'm talking about....scary as hell when hitting bumps. I guess I'm going to go l-tuned all around while I'm spending the money. Thanks for the feedback...

r00kie

I don't have any experience with the coilovers so I can't really say which is better. Maybe someone has done both and can chime in. Personally, I got L-tuned, cuz I didn't want to void my CPO warranty (3yr/100K)

I think w/ the coilovers you can adjust the height and the ride quality, but it's a little more expensive. With the L-tuned, it's about a 1 to 1 1/4" drop. I had stock 17s before I got 19s, and the 17s didn't look too bad and still handled well. Most of the time I can just drive normally without having to worry about the car being too low. So the L-tuned fit my needs.

Hope this helps.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Coilovers are nice if you have want to spend the $$ for them. They are more flexible in terms of height and ride adjustments. The good ones have pretty good build quality too so that is also a plus.

It also depends on what you are planning to do with your car in terms of body kits and wheels. I have the TTE lip, 18s, and the L-Tuned suspension. If I had 20s, I may consider coilovers more seriously since I can get a little more wheel diameter (to raise the car a bit). With my current wheel/tire combo, I am slightly under the stock diameter. Although I'd love to reduce the wheel gap a bit more, I have to already be very careful with scraping coming out of driveways. Going to coilovers to get more lowered would make life even more difficult.

Ride-wise, the L-Tuned suspension, for me, is good enough. If I change my car configuration, I will adjust my assessment then. Now, this only assumes you want to get better handling without losing too much ride comfort. If you want to push it more, then you probably need to look at coliovers anyway.

There are also other shock/spring combos too. If you have warranty concerns, then L-Tuned is your only option.

Good luck.

elclassico

TRD sway bars, front lower brace, l tuned springs/shocks. you should be fine. or if you want looks too, your going to need a coilover system. i would do the trd sways for now, and see what you think, they will help alot! in the mean time save up for coilovers eventually. that way you skip a step, just some advice, good luck!

SLVRGS4

Great feedback guys...

I don't want to drop my ride height more than an inch (damn Chicago roads!), so the l-tuned seem like a better choice. I know that the coilovers (I was looking at the TEIN CS kit) can be adjusted, but what's the minimum ride height adjustment on those? TRD sways next, and I hope that my LEX will be able to outhandle my 540i Sport!!!

UTGS400

From what I have heard from other CL members, adding the TRD Sways along might solve your problem, especially if you live in an area where the roads are rough. I have the L-Tuned suspension, sways, and STB and I am getting sick of riding down some of the roads here in Austin...the ride is just way to harsh. On the bright side, I LOVE my setup on normal roads.

SLVRGS4

I'm willing to comprimise ride quality to avoid bouncing around on the highways everytime I hit a dip in the road. Also, I've read a lot about front end steering issues with the GS, and I definitly have experienced that. For example, hitting bump on the roads (at higher speeds) should NOT translate into loss of control on the road or movement of the steering wheel. Any other components that may need to be replaced to fix these steering issues other than L-tuned, sways, and ECU?