pretty cheap but an oem replacement axle wont fix the issue.

 

something frank1 emailed me with


""ok, ill post this up but this is what i have. if you put a spacer on the back side of the CV it will only move the center line
of the CV back and may create another issue, what we should do is this with several cars. with the car on the ground
take an axle nut off and push it into the hub, a stock axle will move in about 1" and bottom. depending on how far it
moves we can decide what needs to be done, if the inner CV is a tripod it may have to be changed to a ball and cage
at the same time, a tripod (like the S2000 some one spoke about) is actually a 3 legged u-joint and will have issues
with angle. i would suggest getting several cars measurments so we can get an idea of the length. also i would really
like to have a set of axles out of a car with the issue to see if its wear or length or both. "

 

A problem you may run into by spacing out at the hubs is the speed sensors or abs sensors may not register. Because most cars have a tooth sprocket looking rings on the CV axles

 

if you look further back into this thread, you'll see where indicate the spacer goes. pretty much take off the axle nut and slide the axle out from the back of the hub. it fits right over the end of the axle, then you slide it back through the hub. like mentioned above though you do have to make sure its centered all the way or else you will damaged your speed sensors. when i first installed them i didnt do that and f'ed up both my sensors. $400 lesson learned.

i always tell people that want to use the spacer, unbolt the speed sensor (1 10mm bolt holding it to the hub) and then drive around to see if it fixes your issues. if it does, then just turn the wheel all the way and you can reinstall the sensor.

 

.. "is the inner CV tripod or a ball and cage?..what we should do is this, with the car on the ground take an axle nut off and push the threaded end into the hub
on a stock car it will move in about 1" at the most. i would suggest doing this on all 4 axles so we really know where
we are at with all 4 so there are no surprises. my guess is the front axles have a tripod inner CV and are too far out of the
housing, see if we can get some numbers. "..another email i got from frank

 

Just joined the (06) gs300 awd family, and it sucks that I cant just swap out springs and call it a day. Great info on this thread, please don't let it die.
So after reading countless of threads old and new, to reduce vibration and wobble, the consensus seems to be nf210 springs with RCA, I'm thinking 30mm, because I plan to run 20s staggered rims. And now spacers for the axles. Is there anything else I'm leaving out here?

 

You'll vibrate! You maybe able to get away with NF's and a spacer but adding an RCA will lower the front end putting more weight to the front end and vibrating. The AWD system is sensitive, im running 20's staggered and a custom RCA 1/2" and I sometimes (not all the time) get vibrations.

 

I plan to get RCA's for both front and rears, wouldn't that even out the weight distribution?

 

from my understanding RCAs will not cause any types of vibrations and i believe there have been people lowered on mild dropped springs like f sport or h tech's that have used the RCAs with them and reported no issues.

 

Really?..sounds promising, I am a fan of teins....I'm assuming its the h tech for the RWD?... havent seen anything for AWD. Thanks for the info... BTW. just about all the threads Ive read, you seem to chime in on all them, haha good to know you're trying to solve the mystery of the AWD lowering problems.

 

theres no difference, a spring is a spring. road magnet made "awd" springs and the issue still happened.

hers some more info on lowering springs and RCAs:

Installed RCA blocks on my AWD GS

 

For those of you still considering lowering and looking for all the feedback you can find, here's mine....

I recently bought a 2010 GS 350 AWD with around 35k miles. So far, I've dropped a little over $4k into it (parts & labor). I had the chance to drive it stock (even with the crappy run-flats it comes with) so I have a good comparison from stock to now.

Some of the mods I've made: DWS tires, new premium pads & machined rotors, F-sport sways, AP2 exhaust tips, de-badged rear, 20% tint, Megan Racing roof spoiler, Megan Racing LP series Coilovers.

Originally, installed out of the box, the coilovers provided nearly a 2" drop with out any adjustments. I drove it that way for a couple weeks. It handled like it was on rails but bumps were very harsh (I think the damper was set at like 12 which is pretty firm). I didn't soften the dampening until after I raised it up a little bit so I can't comment on how soft it "could have been" at that height. What I can comment on is I had pretty good vibrations stopped while in gear and could feel a pronounced wobble upon acceleration in 1st and 2nd gears. The vibration bothered me more than the wobble because it was fairly harsh at a stop light and you could hear and feel it inside the cabin.

After raising it up just a bit (now at about 1.5 inches lowered front and 1.25 inches lowered in rear from stock height), I am very pleased. I also softened the ride by setting the dampening to 22 (on a scale of 1-32 levels of adjustment - 32 being the softest). I have very minor vibration at stop (most people wouldn't notice - I do because I felt it stock beforehand). I also have very minor wobble upon accel in 1st & 2nd if I'm stepping into it. If I accelerate slowly, I don't even notice it.

This brings me to my last point and I think very noteworthy: When cruising through the city (with a lot of stop/go), I leave it in "snow" mode. This allows me to take off in 2nd gear which is much smoother and helps avoid the unnecessary downshifts to 1st (2nd has plenty of torque). If I need 1st, I just turn off snow mode. Once I have my 20"s (summer), it will be no problem for me to take off a little slower and let folks admire the rims!

So for me (and originally I thought I would look at a different car due to this problem), it is very acceptable and hardly noticeable on the Megan LP's at the 22 setting and the height I have it set at currently. It still handles extremely well while offering luxury comfort. I basically wanted the Lexus luxury/reliability with a BMW-like ride and I think this is it!

Summary: For those of you who aren't looking to slam the car and still want comfort WITH good looks/stance, I think you can find an acceptable ride height vs ride comfort balance with the Megan LP coilovers. I have honestly been pleasantly surprised.

I will post again in the summer once I go a little lower with the 20"s!

 

Great info, waiting to see your car in the summer.
What do you guys think of the Form and Function type 2? It has a Dual tube setup which is better for street use.
http://www.tein.co.jp/e/special/ni_toryu/index.html <--shows the differences between Mono-Tube and Twin-Tube.
Does anyone have the FF type 2 on their AWD? I want to know more about these coils before making a final decision, I am leaning towards the FF type 2 now.

 

first see if they even make an awd version. last time ive checked tein didnt make an awd version for our cars. only bcr and megan did.

 

Suscribed for more info.