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Struts needs to have good construction quality inside, whether its mono or twin tube. OEM Lexus Struts and Aftermarket KYB are LIKELY different inside (EVEN if manufactured by KYB). If more expensive option is fine, go with OEM struts.
We all know what is the difference between factory, aftermarket, and OEM parts. Sometimes, used factory struts are better than new KYB or similar manufacturer.
Now. There is a chance replacing struts won't fix your issue with softness. Rear wheels seem to be slightly shifted forward. Any change in geometry or structure directly changes dampening forces.
Struts needs to have good construction quality inside, whether its mono or twin tube. OEM Lexus Struts and Aftermarket KYB are LIKELY different inside (EVEN if manufactured by KYB). If more expensive option is fine, go with OEM struts.
We all know what is the difference between factory, aftermarket, and OEM parts. Sometimes, used factory struts are better than new KYB or similar manufacturer.
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Now. There is a chance replacing struts won't fix your issue with softness. Rear wheels seem to be slightly shifted forward. Any change in geometry or structure directly changes dampening forces.
Good luck!
I thought the same about the rear wheel not being centered in the wheel well. Strut assembly is straight up and down and the arms are not bent. All bushings are torqued at ride height. The rear being too high exaggerates that look. I compared with other LS430s and they are similar. On all I looked at including mine I could fit 3 fingers in front of the tire and 4 after. I had two body shops look at it and they said its fine and alignment is in spec(at least toe and camber, no other readings in the rear). I also got the cross measurements for the rear subframe and everything measures out.
Here is what it looked like at original height and wheels, wheel still doesn't look centered but not as bad as the other picture.
Another car.
Struts haven't shipped yet, hopefully they are not special order.
@Kansas , nice response! You sound like a former Toyota/Lexus employee at some level. Did you work for them?
I know people will debate, but I stayed with 17's on 55's and avoided going 18's on 45's. If I could own 2 of these....different story. I guess I am old-fashioned, but I will always believe that you can't totally compensate for loss of rubber. This is a great thread though, lots of info.
I don't know. I always upgrade to coilovers myself.
IF it were me, I'd go with the OEM "sport" shocks.
Yep, I'm an OEM fan myself. The OEM's are $179 and $202 on OEMvehicleparts.com. Any new strut is going to feel good, but think of how long the originals last. They are so good.
Got one of the new struts installed. Rides much better on the right rear side I installed. From what I could tell the original right rear strut was more worn out the original left rear that still on the car. With the original left rear strut and new right rear strut now on the car, the new strut is a little softer and feels cushy which is what I wanted.
Only thing is the 01-03 twin tube strut makes a hiss sound on speed bumps. I'll contact KYB to see if that is normal. I think with the seats back in I won't hear the noise or may need more miles driven.
You can see the inner tube on the new strut where the cap is crimped.
01-30-21, 07:41 PM
