jv250

I know, I know, a billion threads about F-Sport springs.

But I'm a noob, just tryin to figure out. I understand the drop on the springs is ~1", but that's all I'm lookin' for. I understand that the ride quality will be reduced on some instances of uneven road.

My main concern is what a service manager told me when I asked him. He said many people who did install the springs required a camber kit, because the wheels started to turn in.

My questions are:

How bad is bad when you're talking about driving down say a city street? What would you rate it (1-10)? (Yeah I'm that guy :P)

In terms of structural integrity, how well would a setup of F-Sport springs + Standard Shocks hold up in daily driving (streets and highway)? Will there be any issues with this setup in the short/long run?

What it be better with the Sway Bar kit or FSport shocks? I just want to stick with the springs is where I'm getting at, just want that "lowered" look without spending too much, and i'd rather stick with F-Sport (cause, again, I'm that guy ;D)

panda327

iTrader: (3)

its not bad.. just when your shocks begin to wear .. its bouncy as hell.. and not enjoyable .. save up a little more and get coils .. which is what i'm doing ..

new.era.13

iTrader: (10)

well first, it will alter the angles of the alignment. But not much, camber angle will be in spec. 1 inch isnt much at all. im dropped on coils, about 2.5 inches in the front and my camber angle is -2.1.

just get it properly installed, reset the bushing and get an alignment.

since the springs are progressive, the rates are constantly changing.
they are made to run of either or, so get the sway bars

jv250

cool, thanks for the responses guys!

as for coils, i'm not really looking to drop my car, much. in that sense, it wouldn't make sense for me to spend and get those right?

i've heard that the shocks will begin to wear (as with all springs) - how long does this usually occur at? im around 14000mi on my current stock setup, say I do install them, will the shocks last another 5k? 10k?

i also plan on doing the rear sway (front maybe) and f-sport shocks when the stock ones give out.

i love the ride quality i have now, and i have the 18" split-five-spoke alloys which look pretty decent in terms of ride height. but that extra 1" I could see it make it look better.

panda327

iTrader: (3)

don't bother with the f sport .. it wont drop enough to satisfy you .. at first you may think its decent but as time goes on you will want to go lower

jv250

lol. you may be right, but honestly, i'm not looking to slam or go flush or tucked, and i already drive like a bat out of hell anyway, so i'd be sure to destroy my bumper (but perhaps force myself to get that 2011 MYIS F-Sport bumper) :P

But tbh, I'd be fine with that 1" drop. I've seen it on a few IS's already and know that's how far I want to go.

It's my daily driver so I wouldnt want to go scraping everywhere.

new.era.13

iTrader: (10)

the shocks will last longer than that. i have seen people using tein springs, and the shocks lasted over 30k.

Phresh2010

iTrader: (3)

should be able to make it to 50k without any problems

JDMIS300TT

A little thread jacking. ( sorry) what about eibach pro kit with stock shocks. Also have an opportunity to get isf shock. Its for a chik. Ride quality is optimum.

tenspeed

iTrader: (1)

Your shocks should last as long as they would have with stock springs. They shouldn't wear out any sooner if they are a inch lower. The only danger would be that if there is some corrosion on on the shaft, it could damage the seal and cause leaking.

freeflight

I would also considering F-sport springs only, if they don't reduce stock shocks' life span.

my95tsi

iTrader: (2)

I'm perfectly satisfied with mine but thanks for the false assumption.

What most don't realize is that coilovers will not last the life of the vehicle. You have to rebuild the shock every 30k miles. I drive that in a year so coilovers are out of the question.

OP to address you question your service manager has no idea what he's talking about. They don't even make camber kits for our car. If Lexus sold the F Sport springs knowing it was going to throw your alignment out of spec they would also be selling F Sport camber kits which they clearly don't. I had the factory sport suspension before my F Sport springs and I can tell you that the ride is almost identical. On a scale of 1-10 I would give the harshness a 6 with 10 being the most harsh. Factory sport suspension would be 5 and factory non-sport suspension would be 4. The IS isn't a great riding car to begin with, it's not an LS.

mjh09e

iTrader: (2)

You just convinced me not to get coils! I drive approximately 15k miles a year and plan on having my car for at least 4 years...which would mean rebuilding coils twice F-SPORT springs it is!!

meefer

iTrader: (8)

I have driven your exact setup (F-sport springs, stock shocks) for over 3.5 years and 75K miles at least (can't remember exactly when I got them put on). I had Lexus dealership service until 100K miles and no one said anything about replacing shocks. The new independent shop I go to recommended it but said it was just something to monitor at upcoming service visits.

And coils definitely do not need to be rebuilt every 30K miles or every year. Like any part on your car it will lose performance over time. When to rebuild them is up to you unless one fails. I'm debating on going coils because the shocks for F-sport are about $700 shipped anyways.

viprtwo

iTrader: (15)

30k miles of fwy is much different than 30k miles of street and rough pavement. I wouldn't say it's mileage but that amount of "work/use" the shock has to do.

Racers kill their struts very very quickly going over apexes and cornering their vehicles very very hard.

If you are cruising, i hardly imagine that much effort to transfer energy is going into the shock.

Not to mention, coilvers are tuned stiffer, so if you don't exert as much force on them, I would think they'd last longer given a decent build quality.