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Looks awesome Matt....I was originally wanting to do the Highlander rear brake setup & after comparing the 1325 vs 1391 pads & then comaring the 996's to the 1391's & then seeing the rear rotor diameter difference gen 3 to gen 2 are less then the front rotors & then seeing that the pad sizes 996 vs 1391 are pretty much the same size. For me its not worth the time to tear down the rear backing plates, ect, it'd be another thing if it was like the basic gen3 front caliper/rotor/pad swap. So I have the Hawk Talon rotors & pads on order for the rear. The Hawk Talon rotors w/ the hawk pads work awesome, so the 3rd time is the charm, LOL & IDK but I flushed the brake fluid 4 different times.....From when I installed the SS brake hoses to swapping out the front setup for a gen3 setup, gen3 reman calipers w/ orielly rotors & their C1324's & then Bosch rotors w/ Wagner oex 1324 pads which lasted twice as long as the orielly pads/rotors, then installed the Hawk Talon rotors/pads....w/ flushing out the brake fluid w/ new dot3 each time. Matt, it took me about 1/2 or so to replace the bank one vvt oil line w/ the later model all metal one, IIRC it was $10. from Belluvue Lexus. I used the Dorman metal oil cooler kit as well as the Dorman alloy oil filter canister vs the plastic filter canister.
That is completely understandable, the OCD in me wanted to do the rear brakes, but like you said earlier the front is doing 80% of the work. Even carrying heavy loads and towing, those rear brakes still weren't working too hard, I can imagine on a FWD Civic with a 60+/40 weight distribution, it would be even less. I suppose in my case it made more sense because I already had the backing plates and wanted to see if it would work, etc. That's good how Hawk still had some rotors/pads avail for the stock rear brakes. I can get Porterfield R4-S and Hawk PC (Performance Ceramic) pads for the front and rear, but those are still just street pads, looks like it's going to be hard to find some track pads.
Today marks the day that the RX finally drove! Super happy and excited about this. Unlike before, she’s buttery smooth and responsive! The new TRW struts and Eibach springs give the car a nice stance and cut out a lot of the slop, nose dive and body roll. Bigger brakes and stainless steel brake lines give me that punchy, confident feel I’m used to in the Highlander, and just like the Highlander, there are no clunks or squeaks to be heard!
Basically, it feels like the Highlander, except more body roll! Despite the milestone, this project is not over yet! I still have lots of parts to install!
Edit:
June 1st, 2022
Wow! This car is getting more and more enjoyable! The Eibach springs really keep the car under control and still retain comfort! I prefer them a lot over the Highlander’s H&Rs. The H&R springs reduce body lean a little more, but they reduce comfort and introduce more bumpsteer, they can even get a bit squirrelly if you hit a rut while cornering. They’re still a lot better than OEM though. I think with the Highlander’s upgraded sway bars it should definitely be on par despite the weight difference. The brakes are wearing nicely and are BUTTER, just like the Highlander’s. The new engine mounts work fantastic and you can hardly tell the car is idling, the transmission is so supple with a proper fluid change, newish ES350 mount and new filter. Everything runs so smooth and quietly.
Here are my next short-term plans:
- 235/55R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires on 2016-2022 RX rims (4th gen RX wheel studs already installed)
- Shark fin antenna
- Tinted front windows
- More sound deadening
- Better horns
- Larger front and rear sway bars
- Heavy-duty rear sway bar brackets
- Replace rear control arms
- RX400h tail lights
- HID head lights
- Replace leaking steering rack
- 4th gen RX350 heated steering wheel
OH MY GOSH!!!! The 2001-2003 Highlander steering rack was a DIRECT FIT!!! This is amazing! I always wondered what that soft and isolated feeling was, and if there was any doubt of there being a difference between the racks - well it has been debunked! The old 01-03 Highlander rack is made by Koyo and has great feedback and a heavy, sporty feel to it that I really missed while driving my RX. Another bonus is that these 01-03 Highlander racks are dirt cheap because no one wants or needs them!
I did a little “poll” on the Highlander group and most people like the JTEKT 04-07 Highlander and 04-09 RX rack for that supple, isolated “easy” feel, but I actually prefer the steering feel a lot more in my 2002 Highlander. What a great way to send away a leaky, junk rack! Now my RX gained the one thing it was lacking as it steers just like my Highlander. This tighter rack REALLY suits the new upgraded suspension I put on! The only downside is that parking is a little bit more annoying, but that is a trade-off I am MORE than willing to make.
For some extra goodness, I installed some Nolathane REV190.0100 steering rack bushings for an 05-15 Tacoma in place of the OEM ones. This was something new I tried for my RX, and it got rid of the slight dead zone and increases the steering response slightly without a negative hit on comfort. It’s a little bit nitpicky / hard to notice, but it was 40 dollars well spent!
Now for the Creme de la Creme, something I’ve discovered and have been enjoying on the Highlander for over two years. It’s a 2010-2015 RX / 2008-2019 Highlander 26mm front sway bar, which is 3mm thicker than the stock 23mm bar. This keeps the front end flat under cornering without introducing extra understeer, and was what I used to tame the Highlander from excessive throttle-off oversteer. Make sure you get the AWD version of this bar so it clears the T-case! I learned that the hard way on my ‘Lander. This was the absolute worst pain of the job, but your butt dyno will be thanking you when you out-corner those pesky BMW X5 drivers. I found it easier to remove the two front struts and the rear engine mount for a lot more clearance. At least I didn’t have to drop the exhaust like in my 2002 Highlander!
As seen: 3RX bar (top), 2RX bar (bottom)
You will also need 2007-2017 Camry sway bar end links or the thicker 2007-2009 ES350 sway bar end links to allow the wider sway bar to articulate without the link contacting the strut. These are the same length as stock but have the two joints on the same side instead of opposing sides. Optional are 3RX front upper sway bar brackets or 2004-2020 Sienna sway bar brackets for some extra beefiness. I have the 3RX brackets on my Highlander and the Siennas on my RX and they both fit the same. The Sienna ones are almost identical but may be cheaper so probably get those instead.
Holy smokes! You can toss this thing around corners REALLY HARD now and it stays FLAT!! This doesn’t even feel remotely similar to the vehicle I bought back in January. It feels like my Highlander except way darn faster and smoother. I’m really freaking disappointed in our 2014 RX F-Sport stacked up against my 2RX because it rides like crap in comparison and handles like a brick, even after I put Bilstein struts and shocks on it. These cars are absolute sleepers with the right attention, care and modifications. It’s no E46 M3, but it’s fantastic for an old SUV!! Feels like a sporty wagon. Can’t wait to get a custom big rear sway bar made and throw my heavy-duty sway bar brackets I designed on there.
I used Dupli-Color engine paint in flat black (code CDE1654). Stuff is so awesome to use too, it’s an enamel paint that dries really fast and the whole spray job can be completed in under an hour, as well as being hard to the touch in only a few more.
Now that the front suspension is done. It’s time to tackle the rear. I know from my 2002 Highlander that this job is absolute hell, but the pain is worth it after you regain the ability to do a rear alignment, and feel the better ride of nice new bushings in the control arms.
First of all, if you live in the rust belt or any rusty area, don’t even bother trying to save the factory rear knuckles, control arms or ABS sensors (maybe try a little). These will likely be hibernating in their same spot and will stay that way. If you want new knuckles, you have to get them from a 2008-2013 Highlander or 2009-2015 Venza, as they don’t seem to make aftermarket for our cars. No worries though, I already proved this fit my 2002 Highlander years ago, it’ll fit the factory ABS sensor, control arms, dust shield and wheel bearing with only a few subtle differences as mentioned:
- They use the same 19mm bolts as the front struts instead of the stock 17mm ones. This will not affect camber adjustment if you have 04-07 RX rear struts, and you can safely run the stock 17mm strut bolts. If you have 08-09 rear struts, the aftermarket ones have 19mm holes so this will reduce the crazy camber you can get if you swap to the 19mm bolts
- They have a slightly beefier design and weigh a little more
Had to take a reciprocating saw to the control arm, don’t even bother trying to save it if you’re in a rusty area
Do yourself a favor and take these tips into consideration to save yourself a lot of headache.
- Anti-seize the ever living crap out of these bolts, Toyota didn’t so they will seize into the collar of the bushing and you’re screwed
- Don’t take the control arms off the knuckle if you’re planning on changing it, unless you want to save the factory bolts
- For the rear forward control arms (ones more towards the front of the car), reverse the direction of both the knuckle bolt and frame bolt. Make the head face towards the back of the car instead of the front. You can substitute it for a shorter one as well. I don’t know WHAT they were thinking on that one, but they were dumb enough to do it on my Highlander and my RX. Having the bolt reversed on the knuckle prevents you from removing the trailing arm, and the body side bolt prevents you from removing the bolt without DROPPING THE GAS TANK OR SUBFRAME WTFF!!
Since I'm super cheap and not willing to get screwed by the bolt prices like I was last time on the Highlander, I'll be wire-wheeling my existing bolts, and then trying some MOOG K100401 toe adjustment bolts for a 2011-2018 RAV4. They appear to fit and have the bonus of being grade 12.9 and a grease fitting, hopefully preventing the fate of the OEM bolts, seizing in the dang collar!
The Moogies fit, they are M14 x 1.5 and 80mm long with a 22mm head like OEM. I had no issues adjusting the setup and the 7mm hex grease fitting works! I used a bleeder screw cap to protect it from the elements. Now my RX has a new 2008-2013 Highlander rear knuckle, all three new control arm and greasable rear toe bolts!!! It's almost ready for an alignment and new tires! Just need to do to the other easier side (No gas tank in the way) and get this bad boy aligned for once!
I spray a thin coating of Fluid Film in problem areas and in creases that I think will collect road slime. Has been working great for me, but unfortunately I got my two cars when they were already rustier so a lot of bolts broke upon removal.
The subframes are a little crusty, but the actual frames on both my 2002 HL and 2008 RX are very solid and are holding up extremely well.
I also spray down the car frequently too with cold water to clean the sludge off without activating the salt to make a chemical reaction.
I’m looking at replacing front sway bar bushings. It all looks pretty crusty. I’m concerabour breaking the forward bolts in the subframe and it doesn’t look like there is access from below for the forwards. What technique did you use?
I heated the inside of the frame up there with a MAP gas torch, it surprisingly didn’t take a lot of heat to persuade it to break loose. I had a lot of resistance taking off all four bolts and was worried about the threads, but after wire-wheeling all the bolts they threaded in by hand like butter without needing a thread chaser.
