Absolutely not; it's the front suspension that skews my words but they feel like two different cars totally. 98 is quick, a bit more nimble and lithe and fun to drive. The 97 feels stately, like a car not in a hurry (4 speed vs the 5 speed) and the suspension is surprisingly solid for a car with 40K more on the clock. It feels sturdier because it feels heavier in a way if that makes sense. The 98 though, man you put your foot down and it is impressive that a two ton car can get like it does. Love that 5 speed trans

 

hmmm... i've never driven a 97 but now i'm very curious. i also don't think i could ever settle for any less power than it's got. i mean damn that mothafu**a really just gets going like few other cars. 1st gear goes to practically 50 but it'll still spin the tires from a stop.

coming from NY everyone drives like such a wuss up here in MA with their prius or civic but i've always got plenty of oomph to get past them. one of my favorite tricks to quickly get by a bunch of slowpokes (only attempt under proper circumstances) is to pull up to the light in the left turn only lane, left foot on the brake, and as soon as that light turns green i'm off and already past them before they even touch the gas. it's resulted in a few flashes of highbeams and honks but it's well worth it to have free road up ahead plus i'm out of state so i won't get any points on my NY license. in a slow car this might be dangerous but as long as there's nobody in the opposing left turn only lane (in which case i wouldn't try it) i've never even come close to actually creating a dangerous situation. bring on the haters lol... i admit the car probably has more power than i have responsibility and don't deserve such a great car, but i'll be damned if i'll let anyone take it from me haha

 

I whole heartily agree, that 5 speed is something else. You should test drive a GS400, same drive train as the 98 ls400 but with a lighter body.

 

That sir, spells trouble!

 

if we're honest just for your wallet lol

 

Either of you gents or anybody for that matter, know about the combatibility of suspensions parts and what not through out the different ls400 yrs? And does it travel across to other models? I know the rest ends are different in the 98 ^

 

Bump... Still digging and doing my research but if anybody could chime in as far as the right direction to look, that would be great. I'm going to the junk yard this weekend to get some measurments on a 99 gs300 to check arms, and other random stuff to see if there's any chance of compatibility.

 

The 95-00 for most intents share the same suspension part#'s. There may be different part #'s for some bits. The GS does not share with the LS. That's not to say that some may be modified, these may not be worthwhile when basic parts are readily available for the LS stateside.

 

I'm more interested in the rear subframe from the gs300. 98 ls400 sub frames don't appear as often as I'd like and was hoping to source the one local. I'm still gonna give it a good look over but thank you for the info. I guessed that most ls400 stuff would fit across the board but I'm more interested in other platforms parts. We don't have a massive performance market so I'm trying to bridge that gap quickly.

 

Good luck on that, the gs suspension parts is only compatible with the 2002 sc430 and up since it shares the same frame and platform.

 

And you sir, were harshly correct. That was a bust on that part but worked out great in other ways.