Assuming the stock brakes are up to spec and you are not planning to run up and down Pike's Peak repeatedly, the only reason to upgrade brakes on a street car is to improve looks. If you can lock your brakes or get into ABS, then the tires are the limiting factor determining how fast you can slow down. It's not rocket surgery.

 

I don’t want to be any lower than you mentioned. The roads around my home are poor and I’m not about having a slammed car

 

If you had bad roads look into progressive springs. I have H&R sport springs with Bilstein B8s for that exact reason. I have yet to bottom them out except when I went 50 over a massive dip in the road that I didn't know was there. The rear hit the lower limiters but the front handled it like a champ. That combo is the best of both worlds in my opinion. If you pair that with some better sway bars and you'll have a car that handles really well and is still nice to drive on crappy roads.

 

Flyinhawk turn on your private messages. I can't respond to you

 

Sorry about that. I think it’ll work now.

 

Agreed with the above comment about rubber. THE most important thing.

The GS400s came with 235/45-17 so arguably a 225 up front is a downgrade. Tire brand, size, and choice is a huge factor.
The E39 M5 came with 245/40-18 + 275/35-18 and those widths are plentiful in 18" and 19"

I run 255 + 295 and the front of the car could still use more tire.

I'd refresh the caster arm bushings, lower ball joints, check the upper A-arm bushings. Add a streetable coilover system (I have the H&R coilovers and love them - but discontinued). A coilover with compression & rebound adjustability will help you set the car up to your liking (stiffer in rear, softer in front, etc).

I've been running the Daizen front & rear sway bars for years and I'm pretty happy with them. The rear bar is adjustable - you can stiffen it to the point where the car doesn't understeer - but if you lift, it'll oversteer in a hurry (I run mine on the softest setting). I'd do it in stages - 1) bushing & ball joint refresh. 2) coilovers or springs & shocks. 3) Sway bar bushings. 4) I'd swap sway bars last.

One other note about big sway bars - they do affect the ride quality quite a bit, by virtue of basically making the suspension less 'independent' from side-to-side. If you mostly drive the car on the street be aware you can over stiffen it with bars and spring rate.

 

Maybe it's having driven a Miata R Spec, yet it's been run with cheap pads, and autocross pads, without ABS, and there's a huge difference in feel/fade. Granted, the cost difference is $50 vs. $300 for the set, yet I wouldn't mind our GS4 having a bit more feel, and a bit less fade. Not autocross level, yet oem-quality "stock" rotors/pads are a big disappointing, for feel/fade.

The problem with 235/45-17 is that it's a bit of an odd size, the only cars I've seen it being popular on are some German vehicles... mainly VW/Audi group, such as the A4, Beetle, etc. you can find 225s all day, the 235s are a bit harder to find (at least with our looking). And when price-comparing 225 vs. 235 on Tire Rack, for the same tire, the price can be as much as 35-40% more, for that extra 10mm. For a local chain, you can get the least expensive 225s for $50/per, while the 235s, are almost $80/per. When we were looking for a used GS4 (way back when), don't believe a single vehicle we looked at didn't have 225s.

Yet, agreed... tired/pads are the biggest change you can make, with a simple swap of the item.

 

Let me get in on this and give you my take my gs430 is a beat in the handling department I'll say it would almost keep up with a 911 I have fig sway bars fig bushings front and back solid rack bushings with the stock on hankooks,also I have bc coils no extreme drop cuz I just wanted to lower it just 1inch and keep it stock I think I'm runing like 16k 14k which I feel like I went to high cuz i have to ride with them on the softest settings and the car feels stocks but I can push through corners and freeway loops at crazy speeds now if I set to stiff it's a wrap I gave my gs to my wife I have a cls55 and when I drove my lex the other day I said to myself damm this f ing Lexus can out preform my Benz in the handling department I forgot about the times I had with that but if you stick to what I did with the 2jay you would be killing the game really if I could take it back I would of got poly bushing instead because I'm fully stock but I wanted to build a 2jay but in the end the cost is crazy just building by your self but really all you need is swaybars 1st than coils.thats wear I saw thebiggest change if you have the money go Michelin Max performance

 

Tire Rack shows 96 options for 235/45-17. These a relatively large and heavy cars; they benefit greatly from wider rubber.
There isn't a single tire less than $140 each I'd put on my GS. You won't find me running Riken or Nankang tires. Just a personal thing.
Like shoes, tires are the most important thing your car 'wears.'
Another option would be to go to 18" wheels with 245/40-18

 

Still says you're not receiving messages

What width and offset are your wheels? I have 18x8 and 18x9 rear and I don't think I could go any bigger without rubbing. That said I haven't rolled my fenders or done anything to make more wheel clearance

 

Sounds like it might be easier to buy an E39 M5. It already is 100 up on hp/torque, then you have all the suspension upgrades to go.

Then again, can only imagine what maintaining an E39 M5 would cost, so maybe the Lexus might be a better idea...!

 

I think thats why a lot of people have the Lexus. I'd rather have an E39 M5 but after seeing my friend spend over $10k maintaining his E38 740i in 2.5 years thats not for me.

 

Much thanks. Money is the key lol. I will add fig to the list of options to choose from.

 

You hit the nail on the head haha. I was going to buy a 540i e39 but the cost to fix and maintain is insane! I’ve always loved the big body Toyota’s and for the cost of maintenance and aftermaket, the gs was the winner. Plus, it’s more of a challenge using the Lexus. I had an rx7, eventually I want the gs to carve like that little monster did!

 

it should work now. I changed settings and found the save button XD