Dsmart

I bought L-tuned shocks and springs, and put in the TRD front strut brace thing. Is there a real strut brace (and if so does it help) also what is a strut tower brace, (carson toyota one), do you use that with the TRD front strut brace or one or the other? What about sway bars do they make that too? I need to know what I need to do to get this car to drive like my 2000 bmw 528I I use to have, that was a hell of a driving car.

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

being the street racer that everyone here knows me tobe let me chime in for you

ltuned shocks and springs will not do the trick firstly... once you have the desire to stiffin up your susp with complementing braces , they will overtake the ltuned stuff.. i know , been there done that


get a decent set of coilovers period.. springs and shocks need to be matched and balanced to acheive the road holding you desire

dazien sways or trd , whichever works for you but must have sways

forget the trd underbrace, go straight for the toms version, the extra link and triangled mounting really gives the front end a feeling of oneness

i prefer a hinged strut tower brace vs the trs one piece but they all basically do the same thing preventing the strut towers from distorting

get the toms rea 6 piece links , this will keep the rear subframe from moving around within itself
and complement that with the toms rear lower control brace to keep the entire subframe from twisiting and distorting under cornering and acceleration..

get a decent rear strut tower brace


finally upgrade to 18 or 19 in staggered wheels



after all this and a trip to credit couseling (to recover from all the charging) you will not only handle like a bimmer but in most cases out handle them ..


i have sat on the bumpers of many 3 series 5 series 7 seies and some unsuspecting mseries to their amazement they could not shake me , and their are many people down here who have seen me on the hwy and can attest to this as well as some have driven with me

rominl

iTrader: (4)

umm, and i just want to add that there is no "ultimate handling combo" too.... everything is relative and if you really want ultimate, you get a racing team to analyze it for you, and that's not before you spend anything less than 6 figures...

anyway, like ed said, if you want ultimate handing combo, then ltuned springs/shocks was a wrong start already. as for braces and suck, they all help here and there, so personally i dont' see any reason why there is a piece that you should "not" add

and the lower brace you have that's for the bottom of the car. the strut bar that's for the engine bay....

and you need sway bars, get daizen or trd it's your choice. but that's what give you the most handling improvement. braces won't buy you big time jump

Dsmart

http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetai...bCategoryID=21
is the part I have along with the l tuned shocks and springs, I am getting the staggered l sportline wheels 19" this week, II don't want to take a turn and feel like I am going to fly off the ramp of a free way. What other parts do you recommend I need. I don't want to get coilovers because I drive too much and too much weight in the car and don't want to replace them every 60K miles too. what rear piece would compliment that etc

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

dsmart

your last post is alittle backwards...


the coilovers are actually ltghter then shock s /springs combo and as far as lasting you will blow through the ltuned shocks (rebadged kyb junk) in 30-50k depending on driving style


anyway get the sways and braces done and you should be fine , but you have been advised, send back the ltuned stuff and get a set of coilovers , davegs and myself have the bilstein pss which work exceptionally well for under a 1g and if you want something softer the teins cs or theirs even a guy selling a set of apex world sports


do yourself a favor and do some research and use the search feature here .. you will find everything you need to know

rominl

iTrader: (4)

at certain point you will want to care about the rear coz' that's pretty loose (weak point of our cars imho), and you want to get braces and such for that

DetMich1

Dsmart, just to clarify, are you talking about the Lower Chassis Brace (LCB) or the Strut Tower BAR (STB)? The STB mounts between the tops of the shock towers one for the front and one for the rear. These are available from multiple manufactures for both front and rear. Front goes under the hood, rear spans across the trunk. Front probably adds more than the rear. Some like the solid design others prefer the hinged though once installed i doubt there is very much movement at the hinged joints. Most of the differences from brand to brand are cosmetic as long as you pick one that is of quality make to begin with. Other concerns are what will fit with your engine cover or type of spring/shock or coilover set up. Remember that some coilovers have motorized adjustment that affects how the STB (strut tower bar) mounts.
Lower chassis braces (LCB) mount under the car. Also made for front and rear. The GS comes with a mild LCB in the front stock from the factory. TRD is stronger, the Tom's is stronger still with an additonal two anchoring points That link in your other post shows a picture of the front LCB by TRD. It was available from Sewell for $129, I hope you got it for the sale price. As rominl has said, once you get the shocks/springs (or coilovers) and tires/rims taken care of, the next most effective improvement will be obtained by beefing up the sway bars. There is plenty of old discussion to review but TRD makes two different sets one mild the other more rigid but both stiffer than the stock ones. Daizen makes a set that are somewhere inbetween the TRD's in stiffness with the rear bar adjustable. These will make more difference than the various strut bars and chassis braces can.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

If you want the ultimate handling combo for a 2nd gen GS I think I'm about there.

- Tein Flex coilovers (had L-Tuned springs/shocks - they're better than stock but not close to the coilovers in capability).
- Tein EDFC (damping controller) - great to let you push a button to get a comfy ride some times and a really tight ride others and somewhere in between if you like!
- Any front strut bar (I had TRD now have RMM to fit over the EDFC controllers)
- TRD lower chassis brace (or Tom's - better)
- TRD or Daizen sway bars
- Tom's rear chassis brace, rear strut brace and 6 piece kit

If you do all those things, you'll be VERY pleased I assure you.

DetMich1

So, what does that all price out at to be fully equipped? Maybe $3,000 plus another $750 or so for installation? Then a nice set of 18" or 19" rims and performance tires for another $3500 or so and you have yourself a very nice handling GS. Now you need brakes to slow down cause you're goiing a 100mph through the curves, exhaust would sound good, hmm maybe body kit to spice up the look a bit , then lets see what 's next? Oh, how bout nice upgrade for audio, with DVD and screens,........ Does it ever end????? NAHHHH!