Knucklebus

I'm new to Lexus but I've been making old cars handle since the late 70s. I come from a GM background and it was easy to swap a 78 Trans Am front sway bar onto my old 70 Buick and really wake up the handling. I've spent a lot of time in junk yards, pulling parts and comparing sizes in my youth. All my life I've scrubbed the outer edges of my front tires off long before the rears were worn out.

I have read through several pages and a handful of threads and I'm seeing nothing definitive on sway bar upgrades or even bushing or end links to improve flat cornering. I'm not interesting in lowering because our roads are not good enough around here.

I'm a do-it-yourselfer. I am not afraid to turn a wrench and get grease under my fingernails but I'm not reading anything that seems to back anything up with facts, specs, etc.

Anyone have anything they have found to work?

eddie420

I've been trying to find this information for ages and contacted several distributors who can't seem to give me this information. I like my car but I had the flat cornering, just atrocious. Excessive body roll is a turn off and I'm not interested in installing springs (or replace with coil overs) and prematurely destroy the struts. Did you find out anything about this?

EDIT: Saw this, haven't read it completely. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...a-bushing.html

Knucklebus

No, I've not done anything yet but those bushings are starting to look pretty sweet. Will watch the videos and see what they do.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Luxury car feel, luxury car ride. The damping rates allowing the vehicle to use the full range of suspension travel to absorb a bump or pot hole without transmitting that shock into the cabin is a huge factor.

Increase the progression of damping rates and the vehicle becomes more responsive. Increase the rates of the antisway bar and this helps reduce lean angles. Spring rates and damping rates go together. Too much of a mismatch leads to compromised handling.

Taking all of this a step further is fitting the vehicle with less forgiving bushings at major pivot points makes it more responsive. All equate to feeling more of the road.

What are you willing to trade off along the way?

eddie420

The GS350 for me was supposed to be a daily driver (100 miles every day) so I financed it. Love the car, but hate the cornering. I don't mind feeling the road more which is why I am willing to make the sacrifice. Since you seem to know a bit, any advice on how to make the handling better other than getting less forgiving LCA bushings? Will be much appreciated.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Tire profile is a good start but here is the big trade off.
Unless you pay top dollar for aftermarket wheels, nothing is as strong as oem wheels. Going from a 60 series cheap tire to a 40 series performance tire should be a first step. The downside is the 40 bends cheap rims and is more easily damaged than a 60 series tire.

Start with tires and mounting sway bars in urethane. If willing to buy new shocks/struts, start reading reviews and pic something suitable to your needs and price range.

A lot of spring shock packages go after lowering the car to reduce the center of gravity which reduces lean angle at the compromise of reduced ground clearance and travel. Oem travel range reduces bent wheels when potholes are hit. Its all a compromise. Lowering comes at cost for some.
Any stock 18" suit your fancy?

Knucklebus

OK, watched the videos. To me, it appears the big problem is deflection AND the control arm walking fore and aft. I think the big washer and some preload goes a long way to reduce the to and fro action. I may investigate something to take up the slack. Possibly a big washer on both sides of the stock LCA bushing. It appears that the OEM bushing is designed to allow quite a bit of to and fro.

As for the swaybar, the end links are already ball and socket type with little play. Only the center bushings have any hope of being swapped for urethane.

While I do not like to reinvent the wheel, I do like to tinker and discover what may be 90% effective for 10% of the cost. An 1/8" sheet metal plate, a drill and a grinder are handy and I've got a little time to experiment.

We'll see.

eddie420

Thanks. The wheels I have are 235/40R19. The poly/urethane items (bracing, etc.) I am sourcing from Japan. Zero interest in in lowering the car, hate the way they prematurely kill your struts/shocks. Now if I went with some aftermarket setup with correct rates, that problem could go away. Do you have a personal "go-to" company for aftermarket shocks?

eddie420

Please keep us updated!

EDIT: FYI, the RRR LCA bushings carry a lifetime warranty.

Knucklebus

I have found sources for large diameter washers that I can use for bushing spacer to hopefully absorb the fore and aft movement. If I can sandwich the bushing without inducing any noises that would seem to resolve a fair bit of the movement.

My dad used to tell me about some other racing tricks I've never felt the need to replicate. They used to drive nails into soft rubber bushings to firm them up. I won't be doing that but I might have some other ideas like drilling a hole through the bushing and sandwiching it between two large washers to severely stabilize it. Think plates and screws for broken bones. As I see it, the center of the bushing has excessive movement in the shell. Time will tell.

Now I just have to find time to get it up on jack stands, take some measurements give it a try.

eddie420

You are definitely old school DIY'er. I tend to do everything myself also but bushings I'd rather buy a solution.

Knucklebus

I hear you but I can spend a lot of time tinkering for the extra $300 I save.

In the end, it isn't about the money, it is about figuring it out and making a simple solution.

As I look at the bushing design, it appears Lexus had a good design that someone complained was too harsh and the bushing was how they softened it up. I've never seen a bushing with that much give in it.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

JM2C but the moment you create a flaw in the bushing its going to tear wide open.

That said washers on rubber are like knees on a gym floor. Someone will loose. Monitor wear and be safe.

Knucklebus

Not in my experience. I'm pretty sure rubber bushings that are confined in a housing will be fine. Every control arm suspension bushing in my old cars are clamped between metal ears at the frame and rear end. I suspect a few washers to take up the slack will not hurt the core of the bushing. I'll know more when I get it apart.

Knucklebus

I've sourced some large, thick washers I'm going to try this weekend to see if they will take up the slack in the front lower control arm rear bushing. The plan is to keep the arm from walking rearward under hard braking.

I'll take pics when I tear into and try to do a before and after road test like the video did.