TRD sway bars and steel braided brake lines, anyone tried them?
#19
It's a common misconception that braided brake lines are inherently less prone to "expansion" than stock-type brake lines. That's not the case. The primary "real" advantage of braided lines is that they are more resistant to being torn loose by track debris or other such abuse. This info came to me via an acquaintance who is a racing products engineer with Performance Friction, which is one of the leading suppliers of brake components for racing applications (supplies virtually all of the Nascar teams, for example). If you have good condition stock type lines, good fluid, and the system is bled out properly, the pedal will feel as stiff as it will with aftermarket braided lines. FWIW, I've tried both back to back on my own cars and I've found the above to be true. Braided look nice, though.
However, with more complex ABS systems with huge opposing piston calipers as in the LS430, the line pressures and temperatures are much better controlled under heavy braking. There are many other ways you can improve the braking fade resistance if at all needed, but braided lines may not be one of them that is easily felt or advantageous in significant ways. As with any system, pad change to different materials, and proper maintenance plays a much bigger role to "brake feel" than braided lines in this case.
As for the sway bars, if one is simply wanting to reduce lateral body roll without affecting the ride feel much, it is a viable solution. But for any real performance gains, the suspension system as a whole should be upgraded with careful considerations and tuning. The lateral sway bars only affect the lateral spring rate, and only in relation to the opposite side wheels. It will not affect the overall stroke range, bump and rebound damper tuning, or dive/pitch. For this reason, the cornering stance may become flatter, but effects on the overall handling can be mixed, depending on what you are after. Notably the springing rebound after a laterally loaded deep stroke may become harsher.
It's tricky to work on the performance of a large sedan, as the best merit of them are the glass-smooth soaking of bumps and stable, quiet, well-rounded handling. By upping the performance parameters, things in the comfort department can easily be upset, especially those of the rear passengers, sitting directly on the axis of the rear suspension movements.
Last edited by motohide; 04-05-12 at 09:52 PM.
#20
I upgraded to the thicker sport suspension rear stabilizer bar on my 05 CL and felt a noticeable improvement in handling in crosswinds. It was a fairly inexpensive mod with no degradation in ride quality. The next step would have been upgraded bushings. However, I jumped to the new GS instead.
#21
I upgraded to the thicker sport suspension rear stabilizer bar on my 05 CL and felt a noticeable improvement in handling in crosswinds. It was a fairly inexpensive mod with no degradation in ride quality. The next step would have been upgraded bushings. However, I jumped to the new GS instead.
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JKLionhear
GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005)
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08-05-13 11:20 AM