doug_999

Really? I thought the brake system was the same - no?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

nop, the gs430 has a whole new brake setup with brake assist or something like that, defiintely more powerful. specially if you have brake kits. i have ap racing and manaray has ap racing on our cars. when you brake in his car, it's like you suddenly get a lead foot

doug_999

I know the brake assist came in 2000 - I guess what I'm curious about is did the brakes change or are you saying other components changed. I'm just curious.

Thanks,
Doug

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well in terms of teh calipers no they are the same. but i have heard a few people telling me that the master cylinder is also changed. never got a chance to comfirm though

Lexs400

so the question is, if one were getting a 2000 gs400 and a 2001 gs430 with roughly the same mileage for the same price, should onepick the 430 or the 400 ?

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Which one? Depends on the options (newer ones can have Mark Levinson stereo and DVD navigation), and also overall condition of the cars.

Also, I've heard but not confirmed, but the GS400 were built better than the GS430?

Lastly, if the GS430 is under warranty, that would be a big incentive, esp. in the first few months of ownership so you can get everything fixed that's broken by Lexus and not your pocket (4y/50K bumper-bumper, 6 year/70k powertrain).

Just a couple of things to consider. . .

hawk

unfortunately, comparing the GS430 to the GS400 is well, not quite as easy as a comparison between a ferrari and a kia. but to summarize, here are some of the 'bigger' arguments for each one against the other in consideration for purchase (i'm specifically leaving out certain things that are more debatable owing to personal preference, such as different steering wheels, chrome accented interior, rear tail lights, blah blah blah):

for GS430:
-possibly still under factory warranty
-more torque
-less issues with low idle speed
-less issues with condensation in headlights
-l-tuned steering ecu is stock on it (most ppl believe so....and more 98-00 ppl feel steering diff. w/ L-tuned steering ecu upgrade than do 01+ 430 ppl from what i've been reading over the last several months)
-multitude of other minor mechanical upgrades (brakes have been mentioned) that you probably won't ever notice/know about unless you're into modding (and seriously so, at that)

for GS400:
-rumored to be a tick faster (0-60 time.....but if 0-60 time is only reason for someone to buy a car, they're not looking at the whole car), possibly owing to 430 engine being that much heavier than 400 engine)
-e-shift buttons on steering wheel
-cheaper than the 430 (if both cars are same condition, wear and tear, etc.)
-drive by cable throttle means direct mechanical response--no annoying lags as found in the 'drive by wire' throttle control (drive by wire, to the best of my understanding, means that electronics are reading the pedal movement and then telling the engine what to do, instead of the pedal being directly and mechanically connected to the throttle on the engine)

GS handles better than the average joe-schmoe car out there. And most owners don't mod their cars because the handling is sufficient for them, or they're just driving it just in order to drive around with a high-end badge on their car.

Now, the reason you'll find a lot of ppl on this forum complaining about the handling is that, naturally, people who come to this forum have a greater interest in their cars, and are thus more likely want to find ways to make improvements. And, well, CL, as a community of car nuts, continually reinforces an interest in its members to find different ways of getting their respective cars just they way they want.

So to the average person, not much of a difference between the 430 and 400. To you though, the mere fact that you're registered on CL means that little and different things are more important....

Now, if it just comes down to personal preferences, here are a few things to consider: 01+ taillights are generally regarded as being much slicker (look at pictures); there are chrome bezel and instrument gauge inserts in 01+ GS's; green tint headlights for 01+, navigation in 01+ GS's is FAR superior to 98-00 navi; mark levinson stereo is a really beneficial thing to some people. Also, go here: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_library.html It's the lex website with the "official" rundown of differences.

Also, just to reiterate: the comparison between the two is slightly difficult, and you basically need to make your decision based on your preferences, needs, and interests. That's the bottom line.


-Hawk

GJSGS4

The GS400 throttle is not a direct cable connection. It is a fly-by-wire setup. The accelerator pedal is connected to a cable, but the cable turns a position sensor that feed the information to the ecu. The ecu inturn drives a servo motor that opens the butterfly valve on the throttle body. If there is a failure in the fly-by-wire system the cable will eventually start opening the butterfly to provide a limp home mode. In the limp home mode you have to push the pedal about 3/4 of the way to the floor before the engine will come off of idle.

3dog

iTrader: (1)

thank you that was very informative
3dog

SeattleGS400

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure about that? I thought the 98-00 GS400 had a direct cable connection (like most Lexus V8 4L engines at that time), until the Lexus V8 4.3 L engine came out (which was a drive-by-wire setup for more efficient control of fuel metering to net lower emmissions).

rominl

iTrader: (4)

if that's the case why i see a throttle body wire when i take off the engine cover?

GJSGS4

Yea, I'm sure. This is how they adjust the throttle response when you switch to snow mode. When in snow mode a specific depression of the gas pedal opens the throttle less than when in normal.

If you want to check it out remove the air intake so you can see the butterfly valve, With the engine off see how far you have to press the gas pedal down before the butterfly valve starts to open.