I recently got lucky and bought a mint 1998 GS300...and the wheel gap is kinda bothering me, but im not made of money. Is there a spring I can use with the stock shocks that wont ride like ****? Im thinkin Tanabe or Tein might be a safe bet quality wise. A lot of you guys seem to know a hell of a lot about this stuff!
THANKS!!!

 

I shock and spring combo adds up to almost getting coilovers. Do a research on BC Racing Coilovers, they are affordable.

 

i kind of agree. tein has a lot of spring options and one of those is CS built with comfort in mind. but by the time you pay someone to take off the shocks, toake off the springs, purchase new springs, install new springs, etc... it does add up. if you are a DIYer then you don't have a lot to worry about and i'd go with lowering springs and replace shocks if needed. coilovers do have a lot more advantages as far as adjustability goes. it all depends on what you want. springs are limited and will settle at a final height but coils can be adjusted at any time to your liking and the more you spend the more options you get. most coils are stiffness adjustable too.

my advice is to save up and do it right the first time. there are always great deals on used parts on the classifieds here too. keep your eyes open and keep checking them regularly.

if it were me check this thread

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...gs-shocks.html

there is a sub-forum dedicated to just suspension so check it out

 

Forget about springs and just save up for coils instead.

 

Well I'm in the same situation as you are. So I went through the Coils vs springs/shocks thread.

(This is what I understood, I'm no expert so bear with me please )

General consensus is not to waste money on springs and get coilovers from the start. So there are 2 main reasons for this:
- once you're lowered with springs, you'll eventually want to go even lower
- the price of lowerings springs + shocks + installation cost is very close to the price of coilovers

This might be true but people also argued that the cheaper coilovers are probably of less good quality than a similarly priced springs/shocks combo. Tein CS coilovers will probably set you back $1,100, which is more than springs & shocks (+/- $600 depending on what you get). So the difference is notable.

In the end you've got to make up your mind. What do you really want?

I'll probably get Tein S.Tech lowerings springs, for several reasons:
- I don't want to go too low for practical reasons (speed bumps, bad roads)
- I don't take the car to the track, no need for adjustments
- I do the installation myself (save $$$)
- I'm keeping the stock shocks until they blow

So in my case, it'd be just $200 out of my pocket for lowering the GS.

I hope this helps.

 

since you have a GS300...there are a few options for you from Tanabe alone regarding springs.

for the GS300 you can get...
the NF210 springs lower the fronts about 1.5" and the rears about 1.0"
the DF210 springs lower the fronts about 1.8" and the rears about 1.3"


you can also use the tanabe springs from the GS400/430 if you wanted to go a little lower as well...
the NF210 springs lower the fronts about 1.2" and the rears about 0.8"
the DF210 springs lower the fronts about 2.0" and the rears about 1.5"


ideally, I think the best spring combo would be the GS400/430 DF210 fronts (2.0") and the GS300 DF210 rears (1.3")...will give it a little bit of a straked look sitting and would look pretty even when driving instead of the rear sagging a little more.


i had teins on my previous ride and they never satisfied my likings...don't know to much of them with the GS300 users.

 

Baddis,

Why didn't you like the Teins?

I believe the spring rates of the Teins are higher than the competition. So I guess the ride has to be a bit stiffer.

 

I have to disagree. Even if you priced out a new set of Eibach/Tanabe springs with brand new KYB GR2 shocks, you end up paying $550. The next 'tolerable' coilovers are Megans and those are $800-850. That's a big percentage increase. Add more for BC coilovers or Teins. Since the OP wants just the springs with no shocks, it's only going to cost $250 for the springs and if it meets his requirements, then that's all there is to it.

I'm a big advocate for springs only IF it drops as much as you need, and you do not plan to drop your car even lower. Define your requirements and find the best setup that matches it. A lot of people mention how shock+springs+assembling+installing will add up to the price of a coilover. That's is true, but the coilovers aren't going to install themselves

 

Coilovers are easier to install though. You can take out the whole stock struts and replace them with the coilovers. If you just want springs, you'll have to take the stock struts apart. It's a little bit more time-consuming.

But anywho, I think you're better off getting just springs. I bet you know atleast one person that knows how to install springs and has the tools for it.

 

I'm not positive, but I believe coilovers will have to be rebuilt depending on how many miles you have on them. Springs, you don't.

 

Compressing springs take a bit more time, but nothing that would tack on so much more money. If a shop has a spring compressor (not the autozone type), then it'll take 15-20 minutes worth of labor. We're talking a difference of $40 or so. Still cheaper than coilovers

 

That's the downside to coilovers. If you get them rebuilt, they'll will cost a pretty penny unless you go with BC Racing coilovers. They'll ship you out new cartridges for $100 each, but the coils also cost a lot more to start with. You'll have downtime if you need to send in coilovers.

Shocks will eventually need to be replaced, but the prices of KYB GR2s are pretty cheap. You can get a brand new set for under $300 shipped.

 

Im in the same boat. I want some tein h tech springs but im still worried about the ried quality, and I dont want to spend a lot of bread on the cs coils. Has anyone tried the tein h tech springs?

 

my experience with teins were on a G20 and a Celica...the G20 just rode like crap, and had adj shocks as well. but the celica still drives like a dream on stock shocks...so i dont know.

i've rode in tanabe DF's ona GS already and they are beautiful

 

Can someone educate me on the reason why the lowering heights on these springs are different front and rears specififcally? Is it for better handling or stopping...i know for sure not in the looks dept. because it's a little off.