Gladius

iTrader: (1)

C'mon guys...think about "practicality"....of course it's gonna "look better" lowered, but the guy lives in Chicago. Coilovers will work if he plans on taking them off for the winter. Some of you guys "recommend" mods just because it's the "cool" thing to do, or it will look "sick". You have to remember that to some people, the IS is a daily driver and you have to weigh the pros and cons when it comes to modding.
Like me for instance, I would Love to lower my IS, but I have a steep drive-way and it's not practical.

Justin2JZ

Or if you would like to instantly raise/lower your car you can go with bags.

yoegster

With wheels like that (nice) - I think you have too.

linus73

i will not be driving in the winter! i have a camry for that. however i am only concerned with how the car will ride and feel, also will it rub with my 20's currently on the car. so with that bieng said i think the coilovers might be the best solution. ???? idk maby some bags , as suggusted.....how much installed for bags. 3000 is my price range

Justin2JZ

UAS bags are $2,100 bucks.

http://www.luxurymods.com/uasairbagsuspension.aspx

kuuqi

If Chicago weather is anything like Boston weather then you will be fine lowering it. I have my 250 awd on F-sport springs and I drove through the snow storms last year no problem. I didn't drive it any faster or slower than before the springs. Now if I were you, however, I'd invest in some coilovers. You don't have to spend a ton and being an AWD, we have limited selections regardless.

I'd take a look at a set of Megan EZ's if you're on a budget or a set of BC racing's BR series. If you take care of them properly then you will be able to lower and raise them every season. You just want to get some good anti-seize. If it seizes, some kroil and a good wire brush should fix it. If it's several frozen, you can order some parts from the manufacturer and have it repaired at a reasonable price.

To save money on the long run, I'd take a look for some chain tire shops like Sullivan tire. If you have Sullivan tire in your area and there's a decent tech around, they offer lifetime alignment even with coilovers. But again these are a hit and miss. But if you find a good tech, you can raise and lower them with relative ease. Just make sure you have a good tool to measure, some car jacks and a buddy to help out if necessary.

Bags are probably not the most cost efficient way of raising and lowering. It gets the job done but for 2k + install..I'd skip it.

Hope that helps. And yes, lower it because it looks that much better. And with coils, you'll love the way it drives.

One more thing to note, being an AWD model, do NOT lower it too much. You want to keep a minimum of 25" from the ground to the top of your fender. If not then your CV boots risk tearing and that'll be a nightmare in itself. 25" off with 19's will give you about a half to no finger gap or so if I recall correctly. It won't necessarily tuck but it'll still look and drive great.

Also don't be alarmed if you noticed some vibrations from 10-20mph on your speedometer if and when you lower it. This is normal on Lexus AWD vehicles. Not much we can do about it at this time. I noticed it several weeks after driving my car and now I don't notice it unless i think about it.

linus73

thanks for all the good advice! greatly appreciated. i will be getting some coilovers. the megans on ebay any good ? and what do you think the install price will be? or is it better to just get them from a shop with the installation? thanks again

A_Grasso

iTrader: (13)

I think you should try to get a deal from the shop, where they sell you the coil overs, and install them for a set price. I paid 120 for install

TaYLoRGanG

is there a link to ask the SouthCarolina area? i think I'm the only one in my state on ClubLexus

edwa

I still don't get it? I have read all the threads with lower the AWD and most say they experience some sort of vibration but that its okay.

Spoke with several local shops here and they all asked me the same question. "Why would it be okay to experience vibrations on a luxury car?"

Does anyone have a real answer to that question? i mean contiuous vibrations can't be good ? Something must be getting worn out or loose?

I bought the 19" prodrives last year for my wife's is250 AWD but still haven't put them on yet cause I'm still trying to find an answer to this mystery. Also, the car is my wife's daily driver and she nor I would want to have our nice quiet car start vibrating all the time.

ed

chi123

iTrader: (12)

I'm in Chicago as well. I never expected to lower my IS350 but today I ordered lowering springs to drop it 1.6". Yes, it's springs and I'm just not willing to spend thousands on lowering my car. The Megan EZ coils you probably found on eBay are pretty popular and lots of people here recommend them too. As soon as I get the springs in, I'm installing them even though winter is coming up and the forecasts say this will be a harsh winter again like last year. I'm driving it through the winter.

ecr527

This is CL!!!! 99% of the members will say YES!!!! On a serious note, I'm with the others here that say to go with coils. Either that or go with a spring that doesn't have that serious of a drop like the F Sports.

kingster

Vibration can never be good. It is nerve recking. I driven older cars with bad tires and lumps on them and let me tell you, "Vibration makes your drive hell". If there is some vibration at 20-40mph what's it like going over 60mph? Tires ware out unevenly and chances are they may blow up when reaching higher speeds and temperature.

I really would not say to anyone that vibration is ok. I had cars lovered before but never experienced any vibration. Was it because the lowering was more old school? With new technology, the ride should be more smoothly. Specially with a luxury car.

maximL

iTrader: (2)

Before I had my IS, I daily drove my tc slammed all summer (raised it up in the winter). I live in Chicago and work downtown.



This is, however, what will happen if you don't raise it in the winter. You get stuck:



Do the work yourself. Suspension work is not that hard.

LEXtegra

I say lower it. But if you don't want it that low for when it does snow and still minimize some of that wheel gap, you can do what I did, and get you some F-sport AWD shocks and F-sport springs. And even with my 20's on its not 4x4 status. check my sig pic