LS - 1st and 2nd Gen (1990-2000) Discussion topics related to the 1990 - 2000 Lexus LS400

Had it aligned....

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Old 03-12-19, 09:57 AM
  #16  
Stroock639
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Originally Posted by jaaa
How the times have changed. When I was young in the 50's, the Japanese were known for making cheap things.
well nissan and mitsubishi definitely still do haha, and even Toyota I think is starting to take the cheaper route on some things (like not bothering to design their own sports car)
Old 03-12-19, 10:20 AM
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Sin1UZFE
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Originally Posted by Stroock639


well nissan and mitsubishi definitely still do haha, and even Toyota I think is starting to take the cheaper route on some things (like not bothering to design their own sports car)
I thought so too regarding the supra until I read into it and what not. It seems that while they used a detuned z4 engine the development of the chassis was very much like the BRZ with subaru. But I prefer japanese cars from the 90s. 00s when they started to cheap out a bit. Remember tacoma rusted frames?
Old 03-13-19, 03:29 PM
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Sin1UZFE
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Took it back, they tweaked some things and its much better but pulls to the right still, they blame my tires...for the price I dont blame them haha. Ill run these down before getting my coopers as planned.
Old 03-13-19, 07:09 PM
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spuds
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Dang frustrating to take a car in and come out with problems you had to pay for.
Old 03-13-19, 09:58 PM
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Losiracer2
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I'm pretty sure its the tires causing your issue. I used to work at Discount tire for 5-6 years in college and we'd use to see a lot more people that buy these cheap Chinese economy tires come back for a radial pull constantly. Corners have to be cut somewhere, so you pay for what you get, especially in tires.

Also, how bad of a hit did the pass. side of your car take? that could also be a concern since the body damage was enough to dislodge the bumper some and misalign things.
Old 03-13-19, 09:59 PM
  #21  
Sin1UZFE
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Originally Posted by spuds
Dang frustrating to take a car in and come out with problems you had to pay for.
Luckily they didn't ask me to pay again yee
Old 03-13-19, 10:03 PM
  #22  
Sin1UZFE
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Originally Posted by Losiracer2
I'm pretty sure its the tires causing your issue. I used to work at Discount tire for 5-6 years in college and we'd use to see a lot more people that buy these cheap Chinese economy tires come back for a radial pull constantly. Corners have to be cut somewhere, so you pay for what you get, especially in tires.

Also, how bad of a hit did the pass. side of your car take? that could also be a concern since the body damage was enough to dislodge the bumper some and misalign things.
Not sure it was like that when I bought it it was cheap because of it...it was a family member of the wife who hit a gas station poles around the pump. She wasn't used to the power. Nothing was bent in the suspension but there was some damage to the area where the bumper attaches.
Old 03-16-19, 10:06 AM
  #23  
Robnh
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One other thing, and this may pertain to the accuracy of your printout...

when you set the caster the car needs to be at “full drop”, meaning the suspension is hanging free and the caster needs to be set at full drop, and then, and only then should all alignment measurements be taken and recorded. If the wheels are on the ramps at the time they are measured, you’re not getting a true reading. I don’t know what proedure your guY used, anD I can only assume he got it right. But doublecheck. I’ve had techs fromboth Town Fair tire and NTB screw this up.i just had my car aligned after full suspension rebuild, and I had to supervise them after my 2nd trip back to correct it. A lot lot of these techs are MEATHEADS. Sorry, it’s true.

First trip in, they tried adjusting the bolts with an impact driver, and did so from the head end of the bolts and destroyed the threads. These caster adjustment bolts must ALWAYS be adjusted at the nut, not at the bolt head. 135.00 later after I bought new bolts, I took the car back to them and insisted I hang out in the bay and provide guidance. Don’t assume those guys know what they’re dong, no matter how strong they sound. You have to control the process, or you get what you get.

take the car back, go to full drop, and get the readings. I bet they’re wrong.

Also helps if they have recently calibrated the unit, and even better if it’s made by Hunter.

Getting caster right, while maintaing correct toe and camber range was a *****, but we finally did it.

best way, is to start at the rear wheels, get those dialed in properly, dead solid on, and only then, move to the front.

Last edited by Robnh; 03-16-19 at 10:12 AM.
Old 03-16-19, 10:09 AM
  #24  
Robnh
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If you are thinking, “I should not need to go through all of this”, guess what? Time for a reality check.

Solid Techs, who know what they’re doing with alignment, are probably 1 in 5. I’m sorry to say this, but it is true.
Old 03-16-19, 10:53 AM
  #25  
ds24y
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Front Cross Camber and Rear Toe sending the car to the left, unless there are other suspension problems. I have aligned >10k Lexus vehicles from 1991 to 2015.
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