Prost

Where is the cheapest place to get a set of 4 Bilstein HD shocks for 1999 GS 300/400? THe best I saw was around $640 for a set of 4.

Thanks

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

try ebay.
they had Bilstein sports for 379-399 for 4.
they may also have the HDs.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I want to ask if you have experienced the bilstein hd before or even the sp?

Just to let you know, I went to autozone and they do carry both of them. You have to pre-order so you save the shipping cost, except pay for the tax.
Rough rough price estimate I can remember was about $115 each for front and a little more for the rear.
Go to autozone.com and check them out.

I have the sp and like them, but was wondering how the hd handles.

Ebay has some cheap prices too.
I'd rather get it from autozone.
Here's another:
http://www.ajusa.com/cgi-bin/bilstei...3820b2419543ec

Prost

GS3Tek,

I don't have any experience on the Bilstein HD, one of my mechanic friend told me that HD is more toward OEM ride quality and the SP is more on the firm side. As I get older I think I prefer a "better" ride then tose "sporty" ride and that's why I prefer the HD. The site you gave me had great price, about $100 different compare to a set of KYB-GR2. I am having tough time deciding on which brand should I get. Any idea?

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Bilsteins vs. KYB???
No brainer: Bilsteins. Lifetime warranty as well.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I've "heard" that the kyb-gr2 is softer than the bilsteins.
Check with our vendor l-tunedparts.com or doublewhoosh (tm engineering) to see what they carry and their prices also.

If you want comfort and controlled ride, double whoosh is having super sale on the tein cs and this is what I'll be getting:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...41#post1753341

Are you still on the stock shocks/springs?
Let me know if you have other questions

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

But you have the l-tuned in your sig j/k

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

LMAO.
I *like* the L-Tuned, I just don't think they'll hang for long. Besides, he asked what *brand* to buy, and between HD's & GR-2's I think the choice is clearly HD's. The choice between Bilstein Sports and GR-2's is not as clear, because the Sports can be too stiff.

Tek, your point is moot anyway in MY case, I dodged your bullet. I just ordered Tein CS's from Todd !!!!!!! My L-Tuned setup will be for sale as soon as I get them mounted in the spring.

RON430

Prost, if you have the GS3 like your profile says, don't even think about the sports. You won't be happy.

Prost

I know, that's y I am thinking about the HD, not Sport. Anyone knows is the KYB-GR2 softer then HD?

GSquicksilver

i got my HD's from autozone back in july.

to clear the air, the HD's are the same as the sports in terms of damping. they are just a longer shaft than the sports so they can be mounted with the oem springs.

the hustler07

Thats what I thought and remember reading a couple of weeks back. I was going to go with the sport and some L-tuned springs.

RON430

I am sure you have some reason to believe this but I have put sports on my GS4 and sports on my wife's GS3. The sports on the GS3 were on for about two weeks because the ride was awful with them. No just too firm but truly awful. When the ride is too firm, the car spend most of its time with no adhesion and that is not a way to get better handling. The HDs made a dramatic difference in the ride. According to Bilstein there most definitely is a valving difference in the HDs relative to the sports and I can vouch for it so unless you have something else you can point us to, I would not believe for an instant that the only difference in the shocks is the length of the stroke. And I have the sports that were removed from the GS3 on the shelf in the garage to prove it. Finally, I have used the HDs and the Sports with the oem springs so I can't figure out what you are tyring to say or what was told to you but if someone indicated to you that one shock was meant for stock springs while the other is not, they are wrong.

Prost

I am kind of confuse

Does that mean that HD ride quality is closer to the OEM or I should simly go the GR2 route and forget about all the Bilstein stuffs.

My bottom line is that I want something that is a bit better or about the same as OEM but not "rought" like some BMW with sport package.

RON430

As I recall, and this is according to bilstein, the HDs are valved somewhere in the range of 20 to 50% firmer than stock while the sports are more at the 50 to 100% stiffer than stock range. I haven't talked to bilstein in a while but I believe it is somewhere in that range. On my wifes 2K3 GS3 the sports gave it a buckboard ride that was awful and the car would bounce off bumps so much, the handling was much worse than stock. Generally, you want the softest suspension you can get that keeps all of the tire contact patches maximized and in contact with the bloody road surface. If you are doing something that puts high loads on, like a banked race track, you want stiffer springs and shocks to keep the suspension from bottoming out because at that point, you don't have a suspension, you have a buckboard. The HDs are definitely stiffer than OEM but they get rid of that tummy tossing freeway float that Lexus seems to feel is a luxury ride in a sport sedan. I personally like the sports on my GS4 but in all honesty, I sincerely doubt I would ever buy sport bilsteins again. The HDs cost more, and I have never figured that out, but they are as stiff as I would want to go. The problem is compounded by the basic GS suspension which has a very strong tendency to harshness, and this can be made worse by things like tires and road surface as well.

There is nothing more difficult to describe over the internet than ride quality. Some guys think that a good handling car is one that shakes so hard your kidneys start swimming around your body looking for a new home. Other people love that Lexus stock ride. The bilsteins in either flavor are going to produce a noticeably firmer ride. If the roads around your house are really bad and you find the stock handling to be acceptable, put the OEMs back on, or probably the KYBs. If you want to increase the stability at the expense of some "cush" go for the bilsteins. Bilsteins will definitely not make your car handle or ride like a bimmer with a sport package but they will bring the GS ride/handling a lot closer to the bimmer balance and type of ride handling. I don't feel I have helped much but there it is. If there is anyone close to you with either setup, of course try out their car. I put the HDs on my wifes car with Sportivo sways and I like the ride/handling of it better than my GS4 on the sports. But that could be just personal preference. When it comes down to it, no one, not anybody with their own tuner shop, or internet parts business, or modded car, or huge number of posts here can tell you what you are looking for and will like in ride/handling. That's up to you and your buttometer to sort out.