It's been a while since I posted. My SC has been doing well.......except the handling has room for improvement. On the road or highway, my SC doesn't deal well with the tire depressions in the pavement. She wanders more than she should.

My SC is a 2002 with 57,000 miles on it. Trying to improve the handling, I had the alignment checked and it's actually quite good. The mechanic also thought the suspension was okay. After some discussion, we got to tires and sway bars. The car has Falken tires. The mechanic said they were pretty much bottom of the heap tires. He said he thought that was the biggest suspect but he had experience with SCs and that their wimpy front ends can benefit from after market sway bars front and back. I recall postings on this site critical of the "delicate" front end. He said I would have to do some research to determine the best aftermarket sway bars but would install them if I rounded them up. He also recommended Continental tires for the SC.

First, handling. Does the mechanic have it about right on handling issues and means to improve handling?
Second, are the tires a likely handling take away?
Third, should I consider sway bars and, if so, which ones?

 

Would control arm issues show up in an alignment inspection?

 

are the shocks original?

If so, that is where I would begin.

 

#1 is better tires with AA traction ratings if you need replacements.

#2 is maybe aftermarket coilovers (can be height adjustable from stock to very low -improves and lowers center of gravity) also harder struts/springs AKA coilovers reduce body roll to almost zero depending on stiffness settings.

#3 larger swaybars and harder bushings, depends on the price and value.

 

I don't know whether the shocks are original, but I'd guess they are. The mechanic pushed down on all 4 corners and thought the response was okay- not like new but okay. I don't know whether that's a decisive test.

I'm wondering about the control arm question. What would be the symptoms of worn control arms?

 

the #2 control arms can be an issue but I would seriously change the shocks first. I learned the expensive way and changed almost everything in the front end before I changed the shocks...installed coilovers and WoW!!! What a difference...good shocks will help too but the rears are difficult to find.

check motor mounts too, they are weak on this car, but that is not your problem know.

 

I did some searching of posts on shocks and see your point. There is quite a spread in costs for new shocks. OEM costs about $170 each. Should I stick with OEM or will another less expensive shock do the trick? I should mention that I like the "Lexus" ride and don't want to feel every bump like in a Porsche Carrera.

 

then do not get coil overs, stay with shocks. i know there are others who have done shocks and would certainly invite them to the discussion simply because I didn't do shocks and can only tell you my experience with coilovers.

do you know how to search only the sc430 section?
if so, you should find the information you seek.

 

I do know how to search but it is only marginally effective. It still takes lots of time to sift and screen.

Is your SC430 Inigo Pearl with saddle leather? If so, you have impeccable taste!

 

yes sir, that is the color and I agree it is a very nice color combination...is yours the same?

let me try to find some threads that might help with the shocks.

look at this pic, do you search from that box in the middle right of the pic.
just click "search this forum"

 

Here is the first link, will post more in this response...I just searched the word shocks...next I will search Bilstein

Texsexlex provided some good info on his update in here.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...ar-shocks.html

here is a good thread started by Mandyfig.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...s-weekend.html

 

....hey rlp.....just thought I would add my experience with shocks.....if you go this route, you will definitely notice a difference in the ride & handling. Adding just the shocks, it took a lot of the "floating feeling" out of the car. I didn't really realize that I needed shocks until I put larger rims/tires on the Sc & it would rub occasionally when hitting a dip. Now with this being said, there are probably other improvements also that would help the car. I installed KYB shocks on the front & Bilsteins Sports on the rear. In your search for shocks, you'll find many options for the front, but really nothing for rear, at least in 2013 when I purchased. The Sc (2002-2004) has the same setup as the 1999-2004 Gs300, so I was able to cross reference the rear & come up with some options. I can't remember the CL member, but when there was a big discussion about rear shocks in late 2012, he forwarded this info to the forum, so I took a chance on his word & it paid off....fellow member Barcadi also bought the Bilsteins for his rear. Although I haven't changed any bushings up front, I've never had an issue with the alignment, so you could possibly have a bushing issue & the alignment not show it.I really don't buy the tire issue,unless they are worn out. If they are the same size front & back, you might swap them around & see if you feel a difference. Now I felt a major improvement, when I added the rear Isf sway bar, it made the rear firmer & felt more "planted" to the ground......my wife even noticed that improvement, the first time she rode in the car...lol....I've lowered the car almost 2 inches on Tein Sports Springs & it really handles like it's on a rail now, but the ride is much more firmer now, so I gave up a "plusher ride", for better handling. I have the TRD front sway bar (not installed) & just purchased the polyurethane bushing set that was posted in the classified section, so expecting to install everything this weekend or next. Hopefully this will take away the small "shimmy" I feel sometimes (thinking it's bushings,since I haven't changed mine) & improve the handling even more.......I can't think of anything else, off the top of my head, so hopefully this will help you some

 

Phew! Sill wading through the links. Thanks for all the help, Bgw. And, yes, our cars appear to be identical, both inside and out.

So, I'm bagging the new sway bar for now. I'm buying new shocks..... fronts for sure and rears if I can get comfortable with tex's GS300 rear shock substitutes.

I have to admit I'm a bit confused by references to struts and to shocks. They look different and the KYB shock is $93.48 and the KYB strut is $87.98. Which one do I want?

For the rears, I found that the Bilsteins are more than twice the price of KYB - $189 vs $88. Are the Bilsteins that much better and am I likely to need new rear shocks?

 

I answered my own question on the difference between shocks and struts. Odd that struts were offered for a 2002 Lexus SC430.

I ordered the front shocks. I'm not sure about the rears. I'd like to be more confident that I need them, especially since they would be twice the price of the fronts.

 

what brand and how much?