What did you do to your GS today?
05-28-16, 04:59 PM
#1370
A couple weeks ago hit 100k!
Then earlier in the spring I decided to ditch the 19" rays and went back to stock wheels. They looked great but they just felt too big for the car. Idk if sluggish is the right word. But it feels alot smoother and overall better with the 17s. I have ls brakes so I got some spacers for a flush look. 25mm in the front and 35mm in the back. Pictures make the back look sunken in for some reason. Also getting new tires soon. They're 235/45/17 now but I'm thinking of getting 245/45/17 all around instead for a fatter look.
Sorry it's pretty dirty at the moment
Ok then I finally got around to wiring / mounting my radar detector. Wires all tucked away so kinda stealthy. It's a escort smart radar with the remote display.
View while driving
Remote display
Detector to the right of mirror. Mounted just under the tinted area.
This plus waze will be a nice combo...
Also this weekend did the rear brakes. And I guess for a couple months now my brake pedal was progressively getting stickier and stickier. Even after I swapped for the ls brakes / bleeding the problem didn't go away. Searched around here and someone had the same issue, they swapped in a new actuator and it fixed it. Because I didn't have any odd noises from the actuator or abs lights I didn't suspect it at first. I found a decent deal on an aristo brake actuator on eBay and decided to get it. Well now they feel good, really good. Only complaint is I wish the pedal was firmer. I went through almost 3 quarts while bleeding with no signs of air pockets left. Maybe stainless lines will do the trick?
Anyway, I also bought a 20mm rear sway bar and lockers from northstyle that came in last week. I had ordered prothane bushings ahead of time. Put them in, kindof a pain in the ***. The bushing weren't right for the factory mount. I had to shave them down a bit. They fit ok but I'm not going to keep them in. Looking for different ones that fit the factory mount.
Here they are
Prothane 19-1163 Red 20 mm Universal Greasable Sway Bar Bushing fits A Style Bracket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038714C0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gnQoxb2134K4J
But oh boy does the car feel awesome! Corners so much flatter and overall lighter around corners. My superpro caster and control arm bushings came on so I'll tackle those soon. I'm sure it'll handle even better afterwards.
Then earlier in the spring I decided to ditch the 19" rays and went back to stock wheels. They looked great but they just felt too big for the car. Idk if sluggish is the right word. But it feels alot smoother and overall better with the 17s. I have ls brakes so I got some spacers for a flush look. 25mm in the front and 35mm in the back. Pictures make the back look sunken in for some reason. Also getting new tires soon. They're 235/45/17 now but I'm thinking of getting 245/45/17 all around instead for a fatter look.
Sorry it's pretty dirty at the moment
Ok then I finally got around to wiring / mounting my radar detector. Wires all tucked away so kinda stealthy. It's a escort smart radar with the remote display.
View while driving
Remote display
Detector to the right of mirror. Mounted just under the tinted area.
This plus waze will be a nice combo...
Also this weekend did the rear brakes. And I guess for a couple months now my brake pedal was progressively getting stickier and stickier. Even after I swapped for the ls brakes / bleeding the problem didn't go away. Searched around here and someone had the same issue, they swapped in a new actuator and it fixed it. Because I didn't have any odd noises from the actuator or abs lights I didn't suspect it at first. I found a decent deal on an aristo brake actuator on eBay and decided to get it. Well now they feel good, really good. Only complaint is I wish the pedal was firmer. I went through almost 3 quarts while bleeding with no signs of air pockets left. Maybe stainless lines will do the trick?
Anyway, I also bought a 20mm rear sway bar and lockers from northstyle that came in last week. I had ordered prothane bushings ahead of time. Put them in, kindof a pain in the ***. The bushing weren't right for the factory mount. I had to shave them down a bit. They fit ok but I'm not going to keep them in. Looking for different ones that fit the factory mount.
Here they are
Prothane 19-1163 Red 20 mm Universal Greasable Sway Bar Bushing fits A Style Bracket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038714C0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gnQoxb2134K4J
But oh boy does the car feel awesome! Corners so much flatter and overall lighter around corners. My superpro caster and control arm bushings came on so I'll tackle those soon. I'm sure it'll handle even better afterwards.
05-28-16, 07:08 PM
#1372
With a light colored car, I think the black breaks it up well. My dark-*** blue will look better with a full chrome grille. I am trying to find something the right size to soak my grille in without using a whole lot of alcohol. (I am feeling lazy about this, for some reason)
05-31-16, 09:33 AM
#1375
http://www.ebay.com/itm/98-03-LEXUS-GS300-GS400-JDM-SMOKE-SIDE-LIGHTS-99-00-01-/221027839006?rmvSB=true&hash=item3376492c1e&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&nma=true&si=Jybk8CQd33sWQtJ7kA78Ymw%252FYog%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
found these gems on ebay last ones
found these gems on ebay last ones
Last edited by dreamcar88; 05-31-16 at 09:36 AM.
06-02-16, 12:33 PM
#1377
Are there any vibration issues? Well yes kinda. So within the past year i've replaced Inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, new endlinks, tein coilovers, new daizen steering rack bushings, new megan RCAs, superpro caster & lower control arm bushings and upgraded rear sway bar with superpro bushings. Its fair to say that the front end suspension components are really fresh.
But I cant give a fair assessment just yet because:
1. I snapped one of the sway bar mounting bolts when installing the superpro bushings. I left the bushing on and drove carefully to the alignment shop. Well that bushing fell off on the road someplace.... The shop was able to extract the broken bolt but since there was no bushing to replace it, one side of the bar isnt secured.
2. the alignment shop says they couldnt get my car completely within spec because they suspect one of my steering knuckles might be bent from a previous accident. I dont have the alignment report in front of me but its atleast degree off in the front. So i need to get new steering knuckles.
I cannot say for certain that these issues are causing vibrations but maybe they contribute to them. Also, 25mm spacers in the front are pretty aggressive. Given the sensitive nature of our suspensions, I am sure even if everything was brand spankin new, the car would still have some vibes with such large spacers.
So overall I am happy and as soon as I can secure the rear sway with new bushings, Ill be able to really test everything out and see how it feels. Until then here are some new pics with the wider tires:
Last edited by sade04; 06-02-16 at 12:42 PM.
06-02-16, 05:29 PM
#1379
Thanks! So they're 25mm in the front and 35mm in the back (both hubcentric). I cant remember which vendor but I got them off of amazon. Just search (desired size) & 60.1 hub & spacers and you'll see a bunch. This past weekend I got new hankook evos and went a little wider than stock. Stocks are 235/45/17 and I went up to 245/45/17. I really like the fat tire look.
Are there any vibration issues? Well yes kinda. So within the past year i've replaced Inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, new endlinks, tein coilovers, new daizen steering rack bushings, new megan RCAs, superpro caster & lower control arm bushings and upgraded rear sway bar with superpro bushings. Its fair to say that the front end suspension components are really fresh.
But I cant give a fair assessment just yet because:
1. I snapped one of the sway bar mounting bolts when installing the superpro bushings. I left the bushing on and drove carefully to the alignment shop. Well that bushing fell off on the road someplace.... The shop was able to extract the broken bolt but since there was no bushing to replace it, one side of the bar isnt secured.
2. the alignment shop says they couldnt get my car completely within spec because they suspect one of my steering knuckles might be bent from a previous accident. I dont have the alignment report in front of me but its atleast degree off in the front. So i need to get new steering knuckles.
I cannot say for certain that these issues are causing vibrations but maybe they contribute to them. Also, 25mm spacers in the front are pretty aggressive. Given the sensitive nature of our suspensions, I am sure even if everything was brand spankin new, the car would still have some vibes with such large spacers.
So overall I am happy and as soon as I can secure the rear sway with new bushings, Ill be able to really test everything out and see how it feels. Until then here are some new pics with the wider tires:
Are there any vibration issues? Well yes kinda. So within the past year i've replaced Inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, new endlinks, tein coilovers, new daizen steering rack bushings, new megan RCAs, superpro caster & lower control arm bushings and upgraded rear sway bar with superpro bushings. Its fair to say that the front end suspension components are really fresh.
But I cant give a fair assessment just yet because:
1. I snapped one of the sway bar mounting bolts when installing the superpro bushings. I left the bushing on and drove carefully to the alignment shop. Well that bushing fell off on the road someplace.... The shop was able to extract the broken bolt but since there was no bushing to replace it, one side of the bar isnt secured.
2. the alignment shop says they couldnt get my car completely within spec because they suspect one of my steering knuckles might be bent from a previous accident. I dont have the alignment report in front of me but its atleast degree off in the front. So i need to get new steering knuckles.
I cannot say for certain that these issues are causing vibrations but maybe they contribute to them. Also, 25mm spacers in the front are pretty aggressive. Given the sensitive nature of our suspensions, I am sure even if everything was brand spankin new, the car would still have some vibes with such large spacers.
So overall I am happy and as soon as I can secure the rear sway with new bushings, Ill be able to really test everything out and see how it feels. Until then here are some new pics with the wider tires:
thanks for you're detailed post! Love the wider tires. I may just do the same when I need a set. I ended up finding a deal in the classifieds for 25mm so I grabbed those for the rear. For some reason my rims seems to fit more flush stock than yours. As far as I know our rims has the same specs. Only difference is mine is chrome. I also realize mine is from the 03-05 GS430 and not the 06 300. The rims of the front of mine does not have any spacers and doesn't seem to really need any (maybe 10-15mm the most).
I do have vibrations before and after installation. However my vibration was less after installing the spacers. I think this is due to the fact that my wheels were WAY over torqued by the shop. I was having difficulty breaking the lugs free with a 3 foot breaker bar. I did realize when installing the spacers on the rear that one of the rotors (the hub centric part that the rim / spacers sit on) was bent. So I am assuming that is causing the cabin vibration and my caster arm bushings needs to be change which is causing the slight steering vibration.
EDIT: Looking back on your pics and my pics in on my desktop, I think if mine was lowered, my wheels would look more tucked in than at stock height where it looks more flush.
Anyhow here are the pics (not sure how to resize) :
Last edited by Blaze876; 06-02-16 at 05:36 PM.