I an new here and have been reading about the Steering ECU mod members list in their sig. What exactly does this improve and where would i be able to purchase one?

 

You should do a search for this. It has been discussed many times before. However, since you have a 2001 you already have the "tuned" steering ECU. At least that is what Lexus says. I know for myself, I wish I could stiffen up my steering. Some folks with 2001+ vehicles that have tried switching to the L-Tuned steering ECU indicate that it provided a stiffer steering feel(even though Lexus says the L-Tuned is the same as the one already in their cars). Most with 2001+ vehicles and L-Tuned ECU felt no difference(because it is suppose to be the same). Again, this is all based on previous posts about this issue. I am sure someone with a 2001+ vehicle and an L-tuned steering ECU will pipe in with their experience.

 

I just want to clarify that "stiffer" means less steering boost. It doesn't take care of the slack that's in the steering due to the soft bushings. From what I hear, it's only a marginal improvevement. I went all the way and disconnected the power steering pump harness, which lowered my steering boost at all speeds to highway-level boost (lowest possible), and it's still a bit light. I would not recommend doing this though as it has "side effects" -- I will be reattaching the harness shortly myself.

 

Pavster, I read about someone else here disconnecting their power steering pump. What "side effects" did it have.

 

I've tried it on my 99 GS and still didn't notice any difference ( I posted about it a while ago), so I just took it off and sold to another CL member. My friend has a 2000 GS and he tried it on his feeling no difference as well. Now as he took it off, I might take it and try again after changing my shocks/springs.

 

Sounds to me like if I were to get all new Daizen bushings for the front linkage that I would see the biggiest improvement. Thoughts?

 

What happens is at low speeds and engine RPMs, the steering wheel sometimes would go VERY VERY heavy, like the pump completely lost pressure. Pretty unpleasant when you are trying to make a quick turn and the wheel pushes back -- you can still muscle it around, but it feels very strange. If anything, I would suggest you try it for a couple of days -- driving VERY VERY carefully at first to get used to it, and see if you like it. However, please don't blame me if you hit something

I just reconnected mine back, and man, I just hate the way it feels stock. It takes zero effort to turn the wheel, and there is absolutely no feedback. When I had it disconnected, it felt like a BMW -- nice and meaty, and I could feel the surface under the tires. I am going to put my engineer hat on and see if I can figure out a way to get rid of the problem I mentioned (I have both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science experience, so don't count me out).

-pavel.

 

What are you looking to improve? Daizen bushings have less give/shock absorbtion than stock, so they will feel more sporty -- the steering input will be more direct. But they will not take the slack out nor will they make the steering feel more firm. Read my above post about making the steering firm.

As far as taking the slack out, I just figured out what's going on with our cars. I had a friend of mine turn the wheel while I looked under the car to see what was absorbing the movement (note that the first half inch or so of steering wheel travel doesn't really turn the wheels). What I saw shocked me. The steering rack is mounted on a bunch of soft rubber bushings, and it moved a good 3/16 inch back and forth as my friend was turning the wheel. This means as you are driving and you hit some uneven pavement that forces the wheels to turn, the rack movement will let them instead of transmitting the force to the steering wheel. This made my car very difficult to drive on our awesome rutted roads. The thing would jump from one side of the rut to the other and back.

The fix is ridiculously simple (and again, please don't blame me something bad comes out of your attempt to do it since it is technically a hack). If you remove the two bolts that hold the steering rack to the frame, you will see that inside the bushings there are metal sleeves. If you find washers that fit around those metal sleeves, you can effectively bypass the bushings. That's exactly what I did. I found the washers at the local Ace Hardware for $0.60 each - 4 of them. Then put one on each side of the two rack mounting bolts, and tighten. I tightened to 80 lbs/ft, although I don't know the spec. Did the same test as before and found virtually zero slack at the steering wheel, and a test drive revealed that I cured the car of its tendency to follow ruts.

Some day I will get my act together and take some pictures of all this stuff.

 

Very good info! I think I might do that washer mod for my car the next time I'm at my friends shop with a lift.

 

Pics please! I have a 98 GS400 that doesn't have the steering pretensioner adjustment on it and I am in dire need for anything that will reduce/eliminate the slack in the steering wheel!

 

Anyone else try this mod yet? Please post some pics. Thanks

 

can this be done using a floor jack or will i need to use a shop to lift the car up.
i believe i have every possible suspension upgrade but still feel the steering wheel still need better feedback. i guess the steering is still too soft. but definately, we need pix for better visual.

 

subscribes for future pics.

 

Very interesting.. This is the first time i have heard of this... Anyone else try this out?

 

i think a member did the same thing but used industrial zipties instead of bypassing the bushing....its a interesting though but havent really seen anyone do it