With the current suspension woes of my 02 GS430 with 99,000 miles on it, and unpredictable handling with alignments constantly going out i have to wholeheartedly agree with this review of a consumer i found on www.cars.com. It seems like this person hit every single point dead on with the GS430. Does the mass community of GS owners sadly all feel the same?


Good, but not great,
August 17, 2010
By Lexus Fan
from Chicago
Comfort:
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance:
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Handling:
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Interior Design:
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features:
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Value for the Money:
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Reliability:
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
"I've had two Lexus cars, both mechanically perfect. Except for the suspension. Age, not miles, hurts these cars. They're so smooth and quiet due to rubber bushings in the suspension arms. When they start to wear out, you get vibrations and very loose handling. Very difficult to find the worn part (even for dealerships), usually ends up in a goose chase. Parts are very expensive, and labor is even more expensive. Expect $1,000 repair bills, when repairs are needed. My 01 GS430 was my least favorite car to own. Nice and comfy, but boring and would not track straight, slightest bump would throw it off course, very loose handling (the front didn't communicate with the back). The V8 is the best in the business, but too much for this car, makes it feel heavy and lumbersome. Too much power in a daily useful manner. It's either golf cart smooth, or dangerously fast, no in-between - All or Nothing. Slightest moisture on the road, and the tires would spin very ease. Snow? Forget it, even with the traction control (warning warning, you're stuck). This is a car the Lexus built to compete with the 5 series. They got the power right, the ride right, but the fun and driver engagement wrong. Best quality? Quiet and smooth. Worst quality? Handling and sense of driver feeling of being in total command of the car. I sold it. It's like they blended the IS and LS with this car, with more emphasis on the LS. It's basically a smaller LS. Great, if that's what you want (big cruiser). But, very disappointing if you want a sports sedan feeling. If you buy one older than 6 years of age, expect a few suspension bushing problems down the road on this car, especially in the back. 300hp is too much force on the rear setup."

 

a stock gs? ya

but thats why almost everyone upgrades suspension, i love the way my car handles now..

 

Seriously stock suspension sucks.

 

Care to elaborate? Also, if I don't want to slam the car but just tighten the handling, would do you recommend?

 

coilovers/ springs&shocks, swaybars, etc..

 

I wrestle with this b/c a suspension is designed as a system. If you change one of the parts, does it work with the rest of the system?

Or do you have to go whole-hog and change everything out?

Says the guy who would like a tighter suspension but doesn't want to pay or do a lot for it

 

If you get a set of coilovers then you will solve most of the loose handling. However, if the car is 5-6+ years old then I would suggest inspecting the bushings for damage. Make sure they are still sound, otherwise you should change them out with new ones or go with aftermarket bushings. The only other part to change out is the sway bars, but it's not as necessary if you aren't going to be taking turns at high speeds often. The coilovers will take car of the floaty feeling and give the control back to you.

 

I got Eibach springs and Daizen sways...took 80% of the crap the guys refers to OUT of the Lexus suspension. Next step is Bilstein shocks to stiffen a *smidge*, then I'd say its good!

 

Coilovers, ball joints, tie rods, new bushings and you are good to go!

 

can anyone post the link to the Daizen bushing on sewells webiste, i can't find them>>>

 

Thats what i hate. You have to buy all of these suspension parts to make the car handle or drive like a "normal" stable car stock. Also, it's no doubt about it that the soft rubber bushings deteriorate frequently that affects the ride. But Lexus doesn't just sell the bushings, they make you buy the whole control arms What happened to just doing oil changes and your lexus will run for 200K miles without shelling out a bunch of cash?

 

I just ordered a control arm bushing kit from TM Engineering . They have them in stock, I received my order in less than 2 days.

I totally agree about the handling of this car but then mine has almost 200k miles, with new suspension coming...

 

iunno, after seeing the dramatic difference of adding performance suspension parts to my GS, I can't imagine not doing the same thing to any other car I'll buy in the future.

Very few cars sold in the US are marketed toward enthusiast drivers without compromising handling. In the luxury-sport segment, even more true as the folks able to afford new 5's and GS's are typically 40+ years old.

For my entire suspension package, it wasn't that expensive ya know.

Daizen bushings everywhere - $150
Springs - $200
Shocks - $250
TRD sways - $400

So about $1k to add a "sport" package to any stock GS. This is my first time ever delving into working on a car, and I had no problems doing the installation myself.

End result for me at least, car drives AWESOME compared to any other "sports car" i've ever been in.

 

How is the comfort of the car in the way it rides? Does it ride close to stock? I've heard bad things about the Daizen bushings making the car ride hard.

 

its not going to ride like stock..itll be stiffer which i like..i dont think i can go back to the floaty stock suspension...the gs just feels right with my coilovers