Ok since the weather has broke and a lil funds has broken loose of their shackles, it's time to pay my suspension some attention. Starting with the front, in the morning I will be ordering Beck and Arnely LBJs and tie rod ends, OEM steering rack and sway bar bushings. The two front struts and mounts are getting replaced as well but I'm torn between Monroes and KYBs. The later is the oem brand but I here they are not tuned the same as the factory ones. On the other side I heard good reviews regarding Monroe, how they aren't as firm as the KYBs aND is closer to stock ride. At close to $200 a piece for the original factory parts, I chose to go with either of the former two who average about $110ea. I've read that folks got good results from using KYBs but has anyone have any experience using Monroes on their LS430? Which out of the two would you recommend or would you stick with OEM? Need quick answers. Ordering tomorrow.

 

PM Sent !!!!!!!!

 

I used KYBs and it feels like stock to me.

Steve

 

I have the Monroe's and like them, they were made in Japan (if that matters to you)

They gave a slightly firmer ride than what was on there, but that easily could be because the original struts had so many miles they had become overly soft (they had around 150k miles)

I also did not use KYB because I didn't want a harsh ride, and KYB is notorious for that. But at the same time, that is not every application. It could be the KYB give a factory ride in this instance.

I would say the ride is now very much like a Mercedes. A smooth, quiet ride, but not floaty, and feels connected to the road.

My advice though is if your struts aren't leaking oil and you don't get any other reason to replace (like say tire wear, you might just want to leave well enough alone. My rear was badly leaking, I had a puddle on my garage floor. But until that point, I was happy with the ride.

 

my fronts are Monroe, seem fine to me. the OEM can be obtained from some dealerships but they will be pricey. the online auto parts are not OEM, different part numbers. my right rear was replaced by the dealer at 85,000 miles. I wondered silently why just 1 shock so I bought another from dealer in California. fronts went out together at 95,000. still waiting for last original shock to go at 112,000.

 

267K miles on '01 original shock struts (no leaks) all 4.

 

Since you've made that point, there is no urgency to my strut replacement. I figured since i was refreshing the suspension i might as well do the struts since my car is now at 190k. I am getting some feedback from the front half of the car that is not desirable. Some steering play, small amount of vibration, and a sense of looseness that wasn't present before. I did have my LCB replaced recently and they help out a lot with stability and clunking issues that i had. An alignment, new tires and replacement of two bent wheels further helped sure up my ride but i still feel there's something else to be done. I ordered the LBJ, tie rod ends, and front sway bar bushings this morning. After this will be the steering rack bushings, rear sport sway bar and bushings, and new strut mounts. When all these items are new and im still not satisfied, i will turn my attention to the struts/springs and maybe get my steering rack looked at.

 

It's a tough call, on one hand if you're determined to basically rebuild the suspension with all those parts listed, might as well just finish it out if you're going to replace everything you listed. (In for a penny, in for a pound)

Personally, I'd probably just start with the tie rod ends and maybe the sway links and sway bushings and see how it feels. That will probably tighten things up significantly and is under $200 in parts. They are also easily done in a driveway.

If the tie rod ends are original at nearly 200k miles, they have to be pretty sloppy. I know when I replaced mine, the steering felt like a laser.

Also, sometimes when you start looking for problems, you'll find ones that aren't really there. I felt like my LS wasn't as smooth as it could be, and I took a spin in someone's new $90k Mercedes down a road near my house and the ride was about the same. It was just a really bad road that was making a poor ride.

 

The other day i did a front brake job(new rotors and pads, cleaned the calipers and greased the shims and pins) and while at it, i took the time to replace the FSB bushings. These little pieces of rubber makes a significant improvement to the overall composer to your ride. A whole lot less body roll in corners which beforehand my passengers would have to hold on in turns that wasn't all that sharp. A lot better now. Highway stability is on of the major improvements. Before, i had wandering steering and crosswinds would all but take me out but now she tracks great and the ride is flatten out which i like. Only problem i had with the install was making sure the load was off the bar when putting the bracket and bushings back on. The brand new floor jack i bought from Walmart is faulty from the start. It didn't hold pressure, slowly lowering the control arm that took pressure off the sway bar. Nevertheless i got it done. Next up is the BJs and Tie rod ends tomorrow. Im hoping this will correct the the slight looseness and clunkyness i still have in my steering. After that i will focus on the rear swapping out that sway bar for the sport upgrade.

 

FSB=Front sway bar bushing?? I too have the highway wandering problem. I already replaced front control arm bushings and steering rack bushings.

 

Yes front sway bar bushings. If you can rule out tires and/or alignment issues, old SB rubber allows more "sway" to the ride making side to side movements more prominent which in turn makes the car wonder especially on the highway. I too have done the LCB but haven't tackled the steering rack bushings as of yet. Once the BJs, rack bushings, tie rods are done, im hoping to have near stock feel back to my ride.

 

There may be done dealers selling the shocks for wholesale prices. Not sure how much but it may be worth trying