How is the steering ECU upgrade? Who has tried it and do you feel a difference? I have 18's on my GS and it feels pretty good already how much will the steering feel improve. Will probably order from Steve from Carson but like to hear opinions first fronmm you guys.

Thanks
RAY

 

who? MY lexus? Sorry hahahaha.

Wow 2nd Ray on ClubLexus. Wonderful.

Like everyone said the steering ECU is a no brainer. For the difference in the feel and the price, it's definitely worth the investment.

 

RAY I got the steering ECU from Ltune fitted it in and to be honest the steering feels a little different I am still using 16inch wheels thou,,, I have more road feeling which is quite nice and it gets better when you push it around the corner .... I also fitted RMM front and rear Sturt bars those help quite a bit I didnt like the way my car handeld before in cornering because of the soft suspensions but now its great ... I was thinking about getting sway bars but what the hell I dont race it and I wont be needing them + you have to keep em lubed up every now and again or they start making funny noises ,,

I would recomend the steering ECU its for $150 and depending on your driving style wether its worth it or not is all up to you G luck

 

BBD,

So you would definitely recommend going with strut bars first rather than sway bars? I was thinking about putting in either strut bars or sway bars to improve cornering on my GS, but I wasn't sure which would be the best to go with first. I didn't know that you might have to keep the sway bars lubed periodically. Is this the experience of everyone who has sway bars?

 

I have TRD sway bars... no need to lubricate as far as I know. I believe it's because of special bushings.

 

bitkahuna,

I just realized that your car looks like what I have in mind for the GS430 that I'll be getting in 3 months! I have a '98 silver GS300 now, which I will turn in after the lease is up for a new 2001 silver GS430. Then I'll be immediately putting in the L-tuned steering ECU/suspension/exhaust. I'll eventually put in the TRD STB and sway bars (BTW, which would you put in first?), and then 18" wheels.

I like how your car looks . . . Great pics on your website!!

GS_DieHard

 

GS_D,

you are def. on the right track to improve the handling on your upcoming GS430. however, my few thought based on many members feedback from the past:

1.the TRD front strut bar would fit the GS430 ONLY if you take off the engine cover. no big deal, just to let you know. the bar does provide some improvement, but tightening the front suspension into an U-shaped geometry.

2.however, to eliminate the body roll even more, a set of TRD f+r sways is a must have. in fact, i recall 2 former bmw owners(current GS owners) of only upgrading the sway bars and no strut bar, and complemented its true effectiveness.

william

 

Although I had the strut bar put in at the same time as the springs/shocks and therefore don't know the effect of the strut bar by itself, I'm sure the sways have a bigger effect. The GS is pretty stiff anyway, so it's not clear to me how much effect a strut bar will have (although some on here have said it made a big diff), but the TRD sway bars are MUCH sturdier than the stock ones, and it makes the car corner significantly flatter.

It's a lot of fun...

 

How would you guys rate the sway bar effectiveness if you already have tein HAs....I currently have Teins and the car handles great in the corners.
Just wondering if anyone has added sway bars after Teins.
Thanks
MIKE

 

reason I went with strut bars first ,,, is because I liked the way it would look on my car. this is the main reason and both Strut and sway bars would improve your handeling ,,,,,,Sway you have to Lube em up as far as I heard their where many previous posts I have read in the past about squecking sway bars ... either it was installed with out rubber spacers or something but I dont think it would be a big of a problem...

I just got the Struts from RMM... they work great and they look nice

 

Mike/Spartan,

with both Trd sways and your Tein HA, i guarantee you will FLY out of the corner doing 55 mph without any worries.

 

what do you guys mean by turning corners are flatter? I don't get the "flatter" part

 

the car becomes more "planted" to the road, less floating

 

Ohhh, now I see what you mean. I had actually seen a few pictures of a GS being slanted on a fast turn. That must be pretty cool, flat on the turn !

 

Normally the outside front corner 'dips down' when turning hard (also called body roll) and then if you need to quickly turn the other way, the corner comes up, then the other one goes down, etc. This is an unsettling feeling, plus it means the tires are not getting a 'flat footprint' on the road, limiting traction.

The upgraded springs and shocks and the sway bars dramatically reduce the amount of dipping or body roll, so the car feels MUCH more in control around corners. Now the only problem is there's not enough side bolstering in the seats.