Ball joints, tie rods, control arms, etc.
#16
Lexus Test Driver
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I'm also watching this thread very closely.
Just replaced my two front tires a few weeks ago due to bad inside wear.
Now the car is in the shop for two new rear tires (Staggered Setup).
Apparently my tow on the rear driver side is out of spec and totally ate the inside of the rear tire.
The alignment could not get the rear tow to aligned and the front was still off by a few tenths on the camber.
I will need to take back to the suspension shop to see if anything is damaged in the rear driver side, I have no clue why the rear can't be aligned.
You think it's possible to hit a pothole or something and actually bend/damage something in the rear suspension? (I have no damage on any of my rims all straight and true)
The car has only 45K miles on it.
I have the bilstein and eibach combo. on 18"x8.5 and 18"x9.5 in the rear.
The GS appetite for tires is disturbing.
Just replaced my two front tires a few weeks ago due to bad inside wear.
Now the car is in the shop for two new rear tires (Staggered Setup).
Apparently my tow on the rear driver side is out of spec and totally ate the inside of the rear tire.
The alignment could not get the rear tow to aligned and the front was still off by a few tenths on the camber.
I will need to take back to the suspension shop to see if anything is damaged in the rear driver side, I have no clue why the rear can't be aligned.
You think it's possible to hit a pothole or something and actually bend/damage something in the rear suspension? (I have no damage on any of my rims all straight and true)
The car has only 45K miles on it.
I have the bilstein and eibach combo. on 18"x8.5 and 18"x9.5 in the rear.
The GS appetite for tires is disturbing.
#17
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by DetMich1
Its not a DIY job, definitely need the proper facilities, including a press. I don't know what the availability is on bushings either from Lexus or other sources on the GS. In general, the rubber bushings made by Lexus wear out after 90,000 miles or so. If you have clunking noises when backing up especially with the wheel turned (ie. out of a parking space) going over bumps, tramlining, loose steering response and the car is over 6 years old, its likely that worn control arm bushings are responsible. All told, front and rear, there are 16 bushings total. The 4 front lower control arms are the ones that wear the worst and have the greatest effect on steering/handling issues.
#18
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: May 2004
Location: California
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by e-man
Hey DetMich. Did you ever look into replacing the shocks on either the GS or the SC? Also, with respect to replacing the bushings on the SC, was that a labor intensive job? I know it's not a DIY, but I'm just trying to get an idea as to labor costs. It sounds like the hard part is getting the old bushing out, regardless of what you're replacing it with.
#19
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: May 2004
Location: California
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by alexulan
I'm also watching this thread very closely.
Just replaced my two front tires a few weeks ago due to bad inside wear.
Now the car is in the shop for two new rear tires (Staggered Setup).
Apparently my tow on the rear driver side is out of spec and totally ate the inside of the rear tire.
The alignment could not get the rear tow to aligned and the front was still off by a few tenths on the camber.
I will need to take back to the suspension shop to see if anything is damaged in the rear driver side, I have no clue why the rear can't be aligned.
You think it's possible to hit a pothole or something and actually bend/damage something in the rear suspension? (I have no damage on any of my rims all straight and true)
The car has only 45K miles on it.
I have the bilstein and eibach combo. on 18"x8.5 and 18"x9.5 in the rear.
The GS appetite for tires is disturbing.
Just replaced my two front tires a few weeks ago due to bad inside wear.
Now the car is in the shop for two new rear tires (Staggered Setup).
Apparently my tow on the rear driver side is out of spec and totally ate the inside of the rear tire.
The alignment could not get the rear tow to aligned and the front was still off by a few tenths on the camber.
I will need to take back to the suspension shop to see if anything is damaged in the rear driver side, I have no clue why the rear can't be aligned.
You think it's possible to hit a pothole or something and actually bend/damage something in the rear suspension? (I have no damage on any of my rims all straight and true)
The car has only 45K miles on it.
I have the bilstein and eibach combo. on 18"x8.5 and 18"x9.5 in the rear.
The GS appetite for tires is disturbing.
#20
Lexus Test Driver
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by gserep1
LEXOOS,
Since you are from Illinois, did you replace your parts due to the rust and corrosion from snow and salt ? I live in California and bought my car in Arizona. I have absolutely no rust on my car anywhere, and all the parts you mention look great on my car. My alignmenti s checked every 3 months, and so far, no problems.
I have 102,000 miles on my 99 GS4, and don't think that I'll change anything unless I have a reason to do so.
Thanks again!
Since you are from Illinois, did you replace your parts due to the rust and corrosion from snow and salt ? I live in California and bought my car in Arizona. I have absolutely no rust on my car anywhere, and all the parts you mention look great on my car. My alignmenti s checked every 3 months, and so far, no problems.
I have 102,000 miles on my 99 GS4, and don't think that I'll change anything unless I have a reason to do so.
Thanks again!
If i would be you i've asked myself :
1. Why do i need alignment done every 3 months? Once a year should be more than enough
2. No rust is no indication that your suspention is OK!!! Check your ball joints, bushings and if everything is ok save your money and do alignment once a year, unless it's free of charge than whatever, I wouldn't waste my time for alignment every 3 months
I've spent over 1K to upgrade my suspention, and just 5 months later i'm going to rip it apart again just because OEM bushings are ***t, Daizen kit is sitting in my room and screaming
![Woohoo](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/woohoo.gif)
![Big Grin](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
#21
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Thanks to everyone who has responded. My issue could be the shocks, it could be some of the other suspension components, I don't really know. What I am trying to accomplish is to tighten up the front of the car, particularly over uneven surfaces. I don't want a firmer/stiffer ride necessarily. I just want the suspension to feel more connected to the car. Sometimes on uneven surfaces the car shudders, shakes, shimmies, etc. Something up front just isn't doing its job right. It's most likely one of the parts discussed in this thread, but could it be something else?
Here's where I'm going with this. I would probably be better off posting this as a completely different topic, but I'll try here first. Could what I am trying to fix be accomplished with a strut tower brace and lower chassis brace (I think that's what these things are called). As I'm sitting here doing tons of research, it just occurred to me that maybe I'm looking at this with a bit of tunnel vision. Hey, I plan on replacing my front lower ball joints anyway, and I don't mind putting on some new shocks, but maybe what I'm looking to fix is really more a problem that's inherent in the stock design of the car. There are so many people that talk about the floatiness of the GS. Floatiness doesn't bother me. It's the front end shudders and shakes that really take away from the enjoyment of driving the car sometimes. Let me know what you think.
e
EDIT: You can ignore this last post. I did some searching and found the answers to my questions. The STB and LCB won't make a noticeable improvement for what I'm looking for.
Here's where I'm going with this. I would probably be better off posting this as a completely different topic, but I'll try here first. Could what I am trying to fix be accomplished with a strut tower brace and lower chassis brace (I think that's what these things are called). As I'm sitting here doing tons of research, it just occurred to me that maybe I'm looking at this with a bit of tunnel vision. Hey, I plan on replacing my front lower ball joints anyway, and I don't mind putting on some new shocks, but maybe what I'm looking to fix is really more a problem that's inherent in the stock design of the car. There are so many people that talk about the floatiness of the GS. Floatiness doesn't bother me. It's the front end shudders and shakes that really take away from the enjoyment of driving the car sometimes. Let me know what you think.
e
EDIT: You can ignore this last post. I did some searching and found the answers to my questions. The STB and LCB won't make a noticeable improvement for what I'm looking for.
Last edited by e-man; 01-17-06 at 10:17 PM.
#22
Lexus Test Driver
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by alexulan
I'm also watching this thread very closely.
Just replaced my two front tires a few weeks ago due to bad inside wear.
Now the car is in the shop for two new rear tires (Staggered Setup).
Apparently my tow on the rear driver side is out of spec and totally ate the inside of the rear tire.
The alignment could not get the rear tow to aligned and the front was still off by a few tenths on the camber.
I will need to take back to the suspension shop to see if anything is damaged in the rear driver side, I have no clue why the rear can't be aligned.
You think it's possible to hit a pothole or something and actually bend/damage something in the rear suspension? (I have no damage on any of my rims all straight and true)
The car has only 45K miles on it.
I have the bilstein and eibach combo. on 18"x8.5 and 18"x9.5 in the rear.
The GS appetite for tires is disturbing.
Just replaced my two front tires a few weeks ago due to bad inside wear.
Now the car is in the shop for two new rear tires (Staggered Setup).
Apparently my tow on the rear driver side is out of spec and totally ate the inside of the rear tire.
The alignment could not get the rear tow to aligned and the front was still off by a few tenths on the camber.
I will need to take back to the suspension shop to see if anything is damaged in the rear driver side, I have no clue why the rear can't be aligned.
You think it's possible to hit a pothole or something and actually bend/damage something in the rear suspension? (I have no damage on any of my rims all straight and true)
The car has only 45K miles on it.
I have the bilstein and eibach combo. on 18"x8.5 and 18"x9.5 in the rear.
The GS appetite for tires is disturbing.
wow i had the same problem on my car..... same side could not get aligned,,, took an hour then we finally got that one wheel perfect...everything was fine then,,, bam,,,, one of the arms fell the other night,,, wasnt too big of a safety issue,,, but the car was not drivable cause the arm was rubbing against my rims..... funny thing is that i am running the same size wheels as you too.... now my car is back in the shop making sure all bushings,,, ball joints are all fine
#23
Lexus Test Driver
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by DetMich1
You don't mention if you dropped the car with the suspension mods. If you did, its possible that the change in geometry is enough that you can no longer align the car to factory specs. The are ways to compensate for one problem by adjusting one of the other parameters depending on your driving style and other requirements. Since you live in the Bay Area, I can strongly recommend you go to Custom Alignment in Mountain View. They hosted the End of Summer meet last August. Very knowlegeable and do meticulous work on alignment, brakes and suspensions.
Actualy my post does say droped on ebiach and belstiens.
#24
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: May 2004
Location: California
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by alexulan
Thanks, I might go check them out.
Actualy my post does say droped on ebiach and belstiens.
Actualy my post does say droped on ebiach and belstiens.
BTW, your post only said that you were on Eibach and Bilstiens ("I have the bilstein and eibach combo. on 18"x8.5 and 18"x9.5 in the rear.") Made no mention of whether you were dropped or not. Eibach makes more than one design of spring. Some result in stock height, some minor drop some major drop. You just didn't specify.
Regardless, Custom Alignment can definitely rectify your alignment and suspension problems.
Custom Alignment
#25
Lexus Champion
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: North Cali
Posts: 1,667
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by DetMich1
Its not a DIY job, definitely need the proper facilities, including a press. I don't know what the availability is on bushings either from Lexus or other sources on the GS. In general, the rubber bushings made by Lexus wear out after 90,000 miles or so. If you have clunking noises when backing up especially with the wheel turned (ie. out of a parking space) going over bumps, tramlining, loose steering response and the car is over 6 years old, its likely that worn control arm bushings are responsible. All told, front and rear, there are 16 bushings total. The 4 front lower control arms are the ones that wear the worst and have the greatest effect on steering/handling issues.
Even if you go with new Lexus control arms and the associated bushings, here is the website for the Vlamos replacement bushings. There is a lot of good info on there about the suspension and how it all works. I'm not even sure if he makes bushings for the GS. I can tell you he was very easy to work with when I ordered bushings for the SC and had them shipped to the US.
VFT Bushings website
Even if you go with new Lexus control arms and the associated bushings, here is the website for the Vlamos replacement bushings. There is a lot of good info on there about the suspension and how it all works. I'm not even sure if he makes bushings for the GS. I can tell you he was very easy to work with when I ordered bushings for the SC and had them shipped to the US.
VFT Bushings website
i have a 2000 gs400
when you hear the clunking noise, does it happen through out your drive or only at slow speeds when wheels is turned. i hear it only at low speeds and usually i am braking at the same time. i took a look at the bushings and they seem to look fine. i even tried to shake them, but doenst move.. the whole car just shakes on the lift. any advice on what's wrong. or should i just change the bushings and ball joints to be safe because my car does have 80K miles.
thanks
#26
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I have some of the issues, but i wasn't going to come forward as the threadstarter did. After reading through this thread, I do have that clunk noise when i put my car in reverse from park, and when going over bumps.. I know my shocks are shot.
I figured from this thread to change my brushings, shocks and springs, and ball joints.
My car is about to be on 120K, my driver side ball joint went out about 95k, and i replaced it.
I figured from this thread to change my brushings, shocks and springs, and ball joints.
My car is about to be on 120K, my driver side ball joint went out about 95k, and i replaced it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
nismofreak
GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005)
5
10-26-12 06:37 AM