Hello Everyone!
New SC owner here looking for advice.


I have a 98 SC 300...low miles (61k) but the suspension is tired from sitting around in a car collection and not being used. It floats like a 70's Caddy. So I'm ready to freshen it up.

I know I need front shocks and rear struts. I was thinking of using lowering springs, as I want to add 18s at some point. For now I'll use the stock 16s. I don't want to go too low...just enough to make the 18's look good in the wheel wells. I'm not into the stanced look.

My main thing is I want that stock, comfy ride quality.

I've been told to replace the LCAs, but if they're not worn out, is it necessary?

Any suggestions on the right parts to add? And the best place to get those parts?

Thanks for your help
I have a 98 SC 300...low miles (61k) but the suspension is tired from sitting around in a car collection and not being used. It floats like a 70's Caddy. So I'm ready to freshen it up. I know I need front shocks and rear struts. I was thinking of using lowering springs, as I want to add 18s at some point. For now I'll use the stock 16s. I don't want to go too low...just enough to make the 18's look good in the wheel wells. I'm not into the stanced look. My main thing is I want that stock, comfy ride quality. I've been told to replace the LCAs, but if they're not worn out, is it necessary? Any suggestions on the right parts to add? Thanks for your help

I have a 98 SC 300...low miles (61k) but the suspension is tired from sitting around in a car collection and not being used. It floats like a 70's Caddy. So I'm ready to freshen it up. I know I need front shocks and rear struts. I was thinking of using lowering springs, as I want to add 18s at some point. For now I'll use the stock 16s. I don't want to go too low...just enough to make the 18's look good in the wheel wells. I'm not into the stanced look. My main thing is I want that stock, comfy ride quality. I've been told to replace the LCAs, but if they're not worn out, is it necessary? Any suggestions on the right parts to add? Thanks for your help

 

I would say KYB or Tokico for the OEM-like struts. The bilsteins would be my first choice but they are made for the supra which lowers the SC300 a lot. Then I would find a good spring to run with it, but I'm not sure whats the best for your styling and handling.

 

If you want to lower your car then I was in the same boat as you. Did about 4 years of research and came up with 2 answers.
Option 1 is some form of the Gixxer Drew setup. Its a lot of reading and most of the parts are no longer available so you'll be breaking new ground (which is why I didn't go for this option). But from what I understand it gives you a very stock like ride, lowers the car a decent amount without being impractical while reducing body roll.

Option 2: 2 way adjustable coilovers. The once I went with are the KW V3s which are meant for the supra. They lower the car by a very good chunk and its honestly about 1/5 of an inch lower than what I would like. With that being said the suspension rides amazing. The car takes corners like nothing and everyone that has been in the car so far says the same thing within the first minute of driving: "It's SO smooth". The ride on the KWs is stiff but not harsh. Driving on city roads its easy to forget the car is lowered until you hit a dip or a pothole. Uneven surfaces feel exactly the same as they did before i lowered the car. No extra vibrations or groaning. But when you hit a dip or a hump in the road, you feel it significantly more than on stock suspension. This is due to the fact that you have stiffer springs and less suspension travel. There is no avoiding this unless you completely customize the suspension and body work of the car. Now here is the thing though. While the KWs are really nice they still come with 12k front and 9k rear springs. The 2 way adjustment gives me the ability to adjust compression and rebound separately so i'm able to fine tune how I want the car to feel when it hits bumps and curves and there is much more in depth information about the internal construction of the shock so i encourage you to look those up but the thing is if you were to get another set of 2 way coilovers with slightly softer springs, like maybe 10k front and 7k rear, you might be able to get a slightly better ride on the dips and humps of the road. the drawback is that most other 2 way coilovers use hard mounts rather than the factory rubber mounts so road noise and vibrations will probably be more noticeable. I say probably because i haven't experienced this first hand. Either way expect to pay $2k+ for any decent 2 way adjustable coilover. There are plenty of good 1way adjustable coils that let you either only adjust rebound without touching compression or they do both at the same time so you cant really fine tune it to your liking as much as the 2 way. The 1 way option is good if you don't care too much about ride comfort though because adjusting compressing on the front requires you to take the wheels off and if you want to really dial it in, you'll be under the car every weekend changing your settings until you are happy with it. I finally got the rear dialed in but the fronts are still a bit stiff and bouncy for my tasted so i'll be under it again soon lol

 

Incredible info. I’m in the same boat as well. I’m looking for an 18 inch wheel setup that modernizes the look of the car, doesn’t rub, while maintaining as much stock feel as possible, with the added benefit of better cornering. I’ve been doing my research for a while and I like the explanation here a lot. Thanks!
-Sly

 

WOW! Thank you so much for the in-depth answer. It seems I have much to think about.

 

@- V - yes, master, LOL. This is some good info.... I'm swapping in my Celica's 17's while I swap it, since my tires are 10 years old... and was wondering this same lowering question..

 

Can you please provide me with some insight? I have a 97 Lexus SC400 that I am upgrading for my son in the USMC. I am wanting to put a new suspension and brakes into the car. I know very little about cars so I have been on here trying to learn what are the best options. I learned about the LS400 front brake switch over and I read to keep the rear stock. Then I looked into the suspension. I found the article about the Gixxer Drew set up and thought I had the information of what I needed to upgrade the suspension and keep the nice ride with the parts mentioned bellow. I was able to locate the parts on various sites. Where I am confused is that I keep reading that the parts are discontinued. What am I miss understanding?

Toyota Supra Bilstein Shock set (SHOX.COM)
QTY2 part num. AK1242 for Front shocks
QTY2 part num. AK1243 for Rear shocks
QTY 4x Bilstein Coilover Sleeve Kit Bilstein part #193117
Hypercoil Springs
QTY X2 Front: 8" x 2.5"ID 500lb/in rate (shock-shop.com)
QTY X2 Rear 10" x 2.5"ID 250lb/in Rate (shock-shop.com)
Bump stops
QTY X2 Energy Suspension Bump stops part number 4.6103G

 

the 95 ls400 brake swap is the best bang for buck option. The gixxer dew setup, the only thing that's discontinued is the shocks (ak1242 and ak1243). Some places still sell them but bistien no longer produces them. The problem is the grove that needs to be machined into them at a different spot on the body of the shock in order to fit the sleeve and coils on it properly for the sc. There were a couple of companies willing to do it and still honor the warranty but all of those are out of stock. If you buy a set you'll need to find either a local shop to do it or potentially contact bilstein to do the modification. I know the latter can be done but is expensive. If you want to try it you are welcome to it but personally I didn't want to risk all the potential headache that could come with it when i was doing it myself. Suspension is something that can make or break the experience of the car. I would say talk to your son and do a good amount of research with him to zero in on a setup he will be happy with

 

Thank you so much for your time and insight into my question.

 

I went through all of deliberations you describe and after many months went the coil over route with 19” wheels. Also improved the front brakes with the LS400 calipers upgrade.

While not as comfortable or “smooth” as OEM struts, the coil over path offers height adjustment and stiffness settings (when you select coil overs with stiffness settings) to exploit. In my case, I worked with an experienced shop that accomplished my request to lower the car, improve the handling, but avoided fender mods by setting the stops to not rub the tires. (Need to study the wheel Fitment thread to select wheels with correct offsets for this - avoiding spacers is a must, IMO). Specs in the signature block.

Here is where the car landed: