Hagar

Got an email saying the LS430 air strut is now $210 USD. The only issue I understand i they do not lower the ride at highway speeds. Could be wrong

nbizzle

Wait what!?!?! I don't know about that deal but are you saying my 2001 LS430 UL lowers itself at high speeds???

warminwisc

Only when they hit 135 mph

rkw77080

This option is available only when you set the Normal/High button to "High", in which case, the air suspension raises the vehicle height to maximum. As long as you drive slowly the vehicle remains elevated, but once you exceed a certain speed, the vehicle automatically drops back down to the "Normal" height until you slow the vehicle again.

nbizzle

Thank you. I do notice, just about every time, following highway speeds, the air compressor kicks on...mine have been checked and are in good condition. I do drive on normal height at all times.

nbizzle

I’ve only done 120 so far. Gonna have to check into that lol

kos

iTrader: (1)

Has anyone had luck with Chinese knockoffs? Seems like a roll of the dice.

Hagar

I swear I read this somewhere else but found this. I agree it looks like when using "HIGH MODE", the car will lower itself at some speed I don't what, is it 35 ad above?

But this post suggest it does lower at high way speed and the guy showed it on his datastream that was hooked up.

Originally Posted by brianlin87 1) At higher speeds, the factory air suspension will lower the car slightly for aerodynamic purposes. True or False? If so, roughly how much?
I believe this is true, though to quantify the measure of how much is negligible because I'm sure it depends on the actual speed of travel. I notice during speed of travel in access of 65+ mile, the Data controller lower it itself. When I slow down to 30-40 mph, I notice the Data controller adjust itselt to go back up to the original setting. Again, this is just MY observation

2) The "HEIGHT HIGH" button on the console will raise the car. What situations is this typically used for? High water, extra comfort?
I have used it twice. Both occasions were when I had a bodykit installed on my car and the driveway to the destination was at such an angle, I didn't want to risk it. There is a thread where someone performed an oil change in his garage and used the "height high" button for more clearance when working under the car. I use this feature all the many, many time. Usually at shows or meets, I would use the "L" setting to slam the car for better appearance.

3) If the car is set to "SPORT" mode, does this mean the car is lower than the other modes or does it just tighten up the dampening for stiffness?
AFAIK, sport mode does not lower the vehicle, just stiffens the dampening.

4) There are different ways to adjust the air suspension to your exact desires.
I have both the Datasystems controller and the Skipper Lowering Links. Both allow adjustability. The Datasystems is for in-cabin adjustability, and the Skipper LInks can be "slightly adjusted" from outside of the car (when being installed). The initial reason I had both installed was because I did not like how long it took for my car to "lower" all the way down. The Data System allow you to adjust from inside the cabin. The Skipper Lowering link, you just set it once and use the "Height" button when you want to lower or raise the car

5) Can anyone provide the time it takes to go from normal position to the lower levels using the module?
Without lowering links, from normal to superlow, I would say it takes approximately 3-5 mins (feels like a long time when waiting)Data System and Skipper lowering link in the way to go. Adding the Skipper Lowering link lower the car a little more and it drops/raise the car much faster.

6) Can owners of the module provide their various settings and describe where you like to set the car for various situations.
With both the controller/lowering links, my controller is set on zero, and i'm essentially at zero wheel gap. I don't toy with the suspension based on situations now, but in a month (when I have my aero installed) my answer will probably change.I used to ride at the "6" setting with just the Data Controller...now with the Data and Skipper, it's set at "4". No finger gaps.

7) Do's and Dont's when it comes to the A/ S system. Lessons learned would be great.
The raising/lowering of the factory A/S will definitely have wear and tear on the ride comfort and inevitably strut longevity. The car was not meant to be raised and lowered frequently (particularly with the datasystems) - so if you're messing around with it frequently, I wouldn't be surprised if things went wrong. Find a setting that you like for looks and comfort, then leave it.

The way I see it, If you're not planning on replacing the entire suspension, I would probably not mess with it too much and approach the situation with a "set it and forget it" attitude.

Peacebay

My question then, is why has the coefficient of drag for the air suspension equipped LS430s been listed at 0.25 while the coil sprung ones are 0.26 cd? I’ve always understood that the air sprung 430s lower themselves on the highway, further than the coil sprung ones ever sit..

Ricklin

I think that is correct and the car does go down a touch at highway speed, can't say I know that with certainty tho. So far I have used the high position one time. The heat shields for my mufflers were coming off due to corrosion. I put the car up on high and helped them off the rest of the way.

So far I like the air suspension, comfy yet the sport position stiffens up the damping enough to make pushing it harder on mountain roads pleasant. Darn thing handles really well! It's just big and heavy. If the 210 dollar struts are China knockoffs it ain't worth changing them out yearly.

StanVanDam

1) Factory air suspension lowers itself at 100km/h to achieve the 0.25 coefficient of drag. I don't recall seing any published specifications for the drop distance, but my car seems to drop 1/2 inch front and maybe 3/4 inch rear. Non-air LS430s have a 0.26 Cd.

2) Height HIGH will raise the car approximately 30mm (1.18 in). This function can be used for rough terrain. I use it for driving over heavy snowfall, dirt roads, mild off-roading, or whenever roads are super slushy/salty and I want to decrease the amount of slush being caught under the car. Also before I wash the car and before doing oil/transmission/coolant change, setting HIGH provides extra working space.

3) Suspension switch SPORT/NORM is for the 4 wheel independent electronic shock absorber control that optimizes damping force depending on the bumpiness of the road surface, including roll damper control, anti-dive, and anti-squat control. The electronic actuators are step motors with nine 15 degree steps that sweep a 120 degree angle. In NORM mode, the electronic actuators dynamically adjust each of the 4 shock absorber control rods between steps 0-4 (soft) based on driving inputs (steering angle, each wheel's speed, acceleration/deceleration/yaw sensors, height sensors). In SPORT, the electronic actuators adjust the rods between steps 4-8. In a normal car, you can only set these control rods at the time of installation.

5) Factory air suspension, when switched from NORM->HIGH or from HIGH->NORM, takes approximately 20-40 seconds to reach the target height.

I'll disagree with that somewhat, since the factory air suspension adjusts itself 100 times per second, based on driving style and changing road conditions, which includes auto height levelling control based on weight of passengers, weight of trunk luggage, driving conditions, etc.

Some people here who have used a non-factory air controller (e.g. DataSystems ASC680) have reported air strut failure sometime after. Tough to say if it was simply a coincidence or not, since several people here also reported air strut failures on a pure OEM setup. My 02's air system is still working fine after 17 Canadian salted-road winters.

Some reading material:

The electronically modulated air suspension system of the new LS430 is an advancement of the system of the previous LS400. While its basic construction and operation remain the same as that of the previous LS400, it offers the improvements described below. As a result, the effect of the road bumps on the vehicle in various and driving conditions has been minimized and a stable vehicle posture is maintained.

Speed sensitive control has been adopted to automatically lower the vehicle height when the vehicle is driven at a prescribed speed or higher, in order to provide the aerodynamics and excellent stability at high speeds.

The construction of the pneumatic cylinder has been optimized to realize excellent stability, controllability, and ride comfort.

The air suspension ECU calculates the sprung mass vertical velocity of the 4 wheels according to the signals received from the acceleration sensors. Also, by way of the height control sensors, the air suspension the air suspension ECU controls the damping force for each of the 4 wheels to an optimal level to provide a stable driving posture.

The suspension control actuator is located at the top of each pneumatic cylinder. This actuator uses a step motor that switches in 9 steps to effect minute changes in the damping force. The step motor consists of 2 sets of stators and coils. To control the damping force, the step motor causes the magnetic rotor, which is directly coupled to the shock absorber control rod, to make small rotational movements in accordance with the signals received from the air suspension ECU.

Semi-Active Non-Linear Control:
* The semi-active control of the damping force control has been changed from sky-hook control to non-linear control in order to effect 4-wheel independent control that constantly achieves an optimal damping force in relation to the bumpiness of the road surface. As a result, excellent ride comfort has been realized.
* Smoothly changes the damping force to a target value in accordance with the changes in the road surface or driving conditions. Thus, excellent ride comfort has been realized while ensuring a level of vibration damping performance that is higher than the skyhook control of the previous LS400.

Imaginary Roll Damper Control:
* Imaginary roll damper control has been adopted for the damping force control to optimize the vehicle roll attitude during cornering. As a result, excellent cornering stability and controllability have been realized.
* Changes the damping force to control the vehicle posture during cornering. As a result, excellent stability and controllability have been realized during cornering. This control assumes that two types of shock absorbers, (one for restraining roll and the other for restraining lift) are provided at an imaginary point on the inside of the turn of the vehicle. The function of these shock absorbers is to prevent the center of gravity of the vehicle from rising. The damping force of the front and rear shock absorbers is controlled in order to control the vehicle’s posture as in this imaginary condition.

By going with an aftermarket air shock, you will lose all of the automatic computer-controlled suspension adjustments: semi-active control (reduces road vibrations, utilizes the bumpy road sensor), imaginary roll damper control, anti-squat, anti-dive, and speed-sensitive damping controls (stiffness is automatically increased at higher speeds). You will also lose the ability for automatic height adjustments based on vehicle load, and the automatic lowering of the car at 100km/h that results in lower aerodynamic drag, higher stability, and higher fuel efficiency. But you'll save hundreds of dollars..

Ricklin

I appreciate you posting the reading material. I really like the way this LS handles. Now I have a better idea why. I have been using one word more than others to describe the way the car handles. that word is planted. Esp. compared to other big luxury barges the LS feels very planted when pushed hard in the curves. I like it very much.

whutt

Really debating rolling the dice on these $210 struts, anyone else want to be a guinea pig and maybe we get a discount if we review them for the company? I already went to coils, so can always swap back if need be.

SlkySmooth

Keep us updated. Do you like having coils? Light on the dash?

whutt

No light on dash, just pop out the air suspension fuse from the fuse bank and you're good to drop coils directly in. I'm running BC-BR w/ 12k/10k springs and it rides well, but definitely tight. Debating switching to 10k/8k or going to reman air like this.

I emailed OSTAR and they are out of stock for LS430 struts, due to them being unable to source enough components at the moment. They rebuild the struts and give a 1yr warranty. Trying to see if I could buy some struts from yahoo japan etc. and have them sent their way.