jgilk1

ok so i bought a (stock) 1992 lexus sc400 about a month ago and after about 400 miles i have come to notice that i can't for what ever reason feel the road through the steering wheel this is not one of those situations where the gear box is worn out, loose or sloppy i turn the wheel very little and the car responds


both front fenders had dents in the weirdest location (pulled the front end off) poped the dents out as best i could with dolly and hammer... and with bumper and fenders out of the way did a motor flush with oil change and filter while i was at it checked all the rubber lines and noticed that the lines next to the transmission oil cooler were dry rotted and repaired by a less then steller mechanic who fixed the leaky lines with a second set of hose clamps... wth...


the power steering fluid was brown and full of mineral deposits so i let it drain filled it cycled the steering box and basted it about 10-12 times till it started coming out fairly clear....

went for a drive today and although the steering wheel is much lighter to turn then before i have half as much feeling of the road then i did with burnt and fried power steering fluid...

is this part of the luxury car feel and what might help to get road feedback in to the steering wheel??? (the paper work in the glove box says that the punp and rack were replaced 80k mi ago and the rod ends still feel tight (no slop)

CrispyST3

iTrader: (1)

i think you should be good. What kinda car did you own before if you don't mind me asking?
I think if they put in a new rack and pump then thats why it feels so brand new, did they show u receipts that they did that?

jgilk1

my other car is a 1976 chevy luv (isuzu pup) i have about 30-40% feedback from the road (but no power steering) and before that a 95 240 sx and a 96 sti impretza both of those had decent to marginal feedback from the tires to the steering wheel....

i have all the factory service slips since october 1992 till February 2010 all slipped with millege and vin (as well the original sales paperwork).... as well as all the factory manuals, and window sticker

BattleVer

Welcome to lexus and overly large rubber bushings. Yeah they make the car to be as smooth as it can be but with some changes you can get that feel back other then the power steering being too strong.

marshall2j

I have the same issues with mine. My 97 TT Supra has a much better steering feel (better, not great) but that is probably due to upgraded sway bars and coilovers.

MrBrock

That's the "luxury" feel of Lexus steering. At $45k+ new these cars were marketed to people who didn't want feedback in their steering on the way to the golf course.

jgilk1

i got that same feeling in a porsche once.... nothing like spending $90k+ on a pair of roller skates remotely attached with jello lol






just short of $44k brand new... half the original service life was split between Oregon and California.... for 244k miles this thing got taken care of really well for the first 15 years or so of its life (mileage wise and general lack of wear and tear on the interior i would say this car spent most its life on the highway)


battlever as i mentioned in the post above i owned a subaru overly aggressive steering i am use to (strong) but its nice to be able to feel the grip to the road while being overly strong



on another note other then the is300

jgilk1

so i ran out of smokes and decided today would be the best time to test a theory.... intentionally the purpose was not to see if the car would do 130mph but some jackass decided they didnt want to merge over in to the next lane so i gave it a bit of gas and sling shotted past to look do and see the needle passing 130~ damn this thing picks up speed quickly from 75-130 lol....

any way what i did find out is that at low speed the suspension is squishy and not very responsive but even cruising @ 85mph the suspension comes to life and the sensitivity in the road picks up as well the breaks grab a bit harder at that speed (no i was not playing cat and mouse i was doing vehicle research)


at lower speeds i feel that the suspension is designed for passenger comfort vs useability (im sure 20 years ago this rode smoother then a cadillac with out as much body roll) ... im going to go with the first thought that these are single valve shocks/struts as to the fact that they became more aggressive at speed??? the springs are a bit soft though but counter productive to the enjoyability of high speed driving...


so this is what i came up with.... with no searching have i come to the right conclusion....

i believe stiffer bushings on the upper and lower control arms as well as properly tuned street suspension replacement of the tierod ends and wider tires up front (225 or wider)

(i live in spokane we have pot holes speed bumps and jackasses that put 5* slopes in to parking lots so any suspension alterations must maintain factory ride height
)



and yes at high speed i feel that the gearing in the steering box is way to aggresive...

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

These cars have a speed sensor and I believe this is why you feel more "road" at faster speeds.

And, I'd rather feel less road at this point. My steering wheels shakes and rattles all over the place. I bought that aluminum steering rack bushings but haven't installed them yet.

My entry level honda fit with electronic power steering is much more responsive than this car. I believe it's just the nature of owning a luxury vehicle.

jgilk1

well guys where would be a good place to start? (brands or venders )

yes the suspension has 244k on it and it all needs replaced but as johnny cash said 1 piece at a time... (i got a motor build to start on the 76 luv sooner then later lol)

i guess to say i never really have overly jumped in to a full suspension overhaul and dont 'want to start throwing parts in to it that are just pointless

new bushings in a control arm vs new control arm? (poly bushings not stock)

larger sway bar up front vs replacing old bushings with poly


yes the ultimate goal is to make the steering wheel feel as though its actually attached to the wheels...

marshall2j

Someone in supraforums inserted a resistor somewhere to increase the steering "feel". I'll try to find it. It may work for SCs

jgilk1

yeah anything i can do to make it feel like it handles like a car would be great lol

TweakTech

iTrader: (2)

Lower your car with adjustable dampers, and a 35 series sidewall tire....oh herro bumpsteer.

OG Dada

iTrader: (10)

^^^awww you beat me to it! I was about to say that! 18/12 kg spring rates of coils, upgrading every single bushings to polyurethane, stretched tires (235/35/19 on 9.5 & 245/35/19 on 10.5) and with 3 inch distance of chassis to ground I feel every slab and bumps on the road on my SC! Lol

When I first got my SC I researched a lot about the technology put in this thig by Lexus/Toyota, and I'm pretty damn sure I can answer everything you're referring to and asking, but I'm a bit lazy to type and **** today. All I can tell you now is if you really want to "feel" the road upgrade every single bushings of the suspension parts to polyurethane including sway bars and steering rack, and I can tell you you'd feel more than you want but the car will drive like brand new with those upgrades. Good luck.

jgilk1

yes i would love to lower the car but as is i scrape about 1/4 speed bumps i go over even when taking them at a 45* angle... and going 18/16 theres to many pot holes i dont want to feel the car in my spine but some feedback from the steering wheel would be nice (rims to big make the ride to hard) ill probably go 245 18's in the rear on 9.5...

ill be working on replacing the bushings and sway bar for now and replacing the suspension bars for more suspension adjustability... thinking about modification to the knuckles as well so i can make 3 point turns and see if i can get the shop to do 1/4" drop when they reweld them... this will give shorter throw as well should put feedback in the wheel