jwynn

I finally got my hands on a Gixxer drew setup. Just wanted to ask everyones opinion. Guy said they have less than 5000 miles on it and he didn't know the exact ratio but he said 500/250 street set up I have no idea what that feels like. Whats a fair price for these? Also How long do they usually last? Im looking for a smooth ride but upgraded handling from stock.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Jwynn,

Following up from your PM:

Sourcing all the parts brand new a Gixxer Drew suspension can cost $1,000-$1,200. With only 5,000 miles on those Bilsteins I'd imagine they are in good shape so long as the seller reports no issues. Even so, Bilstein can rebuild these (ot even re-valve them if your car were track-only). $400 is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

500FR/250RR Hypercoil springs is the correct original "street" ratio for this setup. You absolutely will have improved handling and still have nice ride quality. I mentioned you in my PM how I felt 600/325 was only bothersome on extremely terrible, ill-maintained, potholed roads. However, I still haven't installed my 500/250 springs. That should say something about how the "street" version feels. I think you will be happy with these.

As for how long the Bilstein AK1242's and AK1243's last, I've had mine four or five years now and they're going strong for me. I had a bit of squeaking from them after loading the car down with a few hundred pounds of additional weight (maybe 400-500+lbs of cargo) while moving and driving cross-country but this went away. A Toyota dealer added some extra grease to the shocks in early 2014 and since then I've been completely fine.

Adding that much weight to an SC is NOT normal use so I'd take that as an extreme case. My car was 3506lbs stock. Since changing out seats and some other things and switching to an R154 I am theoretically at 3450 or just shy of 3500lbs. Turbos should make it 3600lbs. I truly don't know how much weight I added while moving but it was a LOT. I am sure it stressed the Bilsteins a bit. I just drove carefully. A couple of years later and no issues.

Owing to the goals the original designer had for his SC/MKIV suspension, it's got very OEM durability.

One caveat, however: it is not a suspension that is intended to be lowered very much. I took mine down to a wheel gap that does not look "4x4" but looks more or less "stock" for a Supra. I'm quite happy with that look and the suspension handles exceptionally that way. In fact, that was the thinking from the designer: he allowed for some lowering but not too much. He preferred more OEM-like suspension geometry and travel. If you do lower much (consult the thread on SupraForums) you really should use the "helper" springs. You might want the helper springs on the rear anyway because Bilstein made a minor change to the shocks just after Andrew B (Gixxer_Drew) designed this. I have gotten away without the helpers so far but I do plan to pull mine out of storage and install them on the rears eventually.

In short, what you are seeking will be provided by this suspension. I do recommend it

jwynn

Thanks kahn honestly you're always so thorough i appreciate it man huge help I'm going to get this only concern now is the lowering aspect because Im looking to go 2 inches below stock maybe 2.5 but Im sure it'll be good for it. Im excited once again thanks

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

jwynn, don't mention it! Glad to help. I believe two inches of lowering is about the limit of the design as to preserving the geometry he wanted. You can go lower but then it goes out of the intended spec. I have not pushed the limit of how much I can lower on my car.

Again, if you're going to do that, consult the SF thread and pick up the appropriate helper springs for the rear at the very least so that you can have the correct amount of preload while the car is on a lift. The SF thread "manual" states that this is not required for 500/250 or even 600/325 setups but you can read later in the thread where Gixxer_Drew (Andrew B.) himself concedes that due to Bilstein's odd revisions the helpers should be used in the rear at minimum on all spring combinations. If you're lowering all around, maybe for the fronts too.

Although other than some rear "boing" noises in the past from spring seating which I don't get any longer you CAN go without rear helper springs at my ride height. But when there is a reason to get in there I will install mine. Right now, for me, it's a matter of "this isn't causing issues so I have other things to do".

It may be worth checking the last few pages of that thread to see if there is any consensus on front helpers being recommended.

All that having been said, it is a very good and reliable setup. Just understand that it was not intended for much stylish lowering while maintaining its optimum performance. The two inches you want are fine though.

That SF thread has just about every scenario conceivable covered by now. It's just a truly massive read apart from the first couple of "manual" pages.