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After a brief email conversation with Ceika customer support, I placed an order with them. $1,290 shipped. They should arrive in a couple of weeks. I'll report back when I get them and after the install.
Finding the OEM air bag units is tough for AWD models, I bought all four of mine off ebay, and it made a huge difference. The front were basically $900 per corner, shipped. The rears were a little more expensive, $1100 per corner, shipped. I had the dealership install all four, something like $1900, which I gladly paid since I didn't have the time or interest in doing it myself. It drives like new. I love it. Dealership also replaced the boots, inners and outers.
Finding the OEM air bag units is tough for AWD models, I bought all four of mine off ebay, and it made a huge difference. The front were basically $900 per corner, shipped. The rears were a little more expensive, $1100 per corner, shipped. I had the dealership install all four, something like $1900, which I gladly paid since I didn't have the time or interest in doing it myself. It drives like new. I love it. Dealership also replaced the boots, inners and outers.
Odd your fronts were cheaper. For me, rear was about 200 cheaper than front. they arent hard to find, just hard to find legit OEM seller.
I think it was just timing. I bought the two fronts last year. Yes, finding legit sellers of the real items is difficult. I could have paid $1800 per corner through the dealership for just the parts, so it was nice to save a few hundred on each corner.
Ceika Coilovers have arrived. It took about 3 weeks for them to be made and about a week to arrive.
Here is a pic after unwrapping the bubble wrap. I also ordered 3 different sizes of adjustment extenders for the rear since the top of the rears are below the rear parcel shelf/deck. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to access the 3 top nuts. OEM instructions call for removal of the executive center console, ottoman seat, and other seat. Seems excessive (to say the least).
I'm really interested to know how they will feel on a 5000 lb car, do they have a rating? Even on a SWB model with a regular back seat the whole thing has to come out because of the way the rear tray fits into the rear side panels, you could get it out by cutting the 2 retaining tabs on each side of the tray if you can figure out where they are but it would be messy.
I'm really interested to know how they will feel on a 5000 lb car, do they have a rating?
I assume no different than how differently the LS460s with and without air springs feel.
It's generally the same tech. The only differences being:
- Instead of pushing a button to adjust valving in the strut, I have to do it manually at the strut top. That's exactly what that little servo motor is on top of OEM struts does. It just turns a ****/pin back and forth to adjust valving in the strut.
- I can now adjust the length of the shock body thus changing the ride height. I'm not looking to slam it. I just want even spacing all the way around instead of the "off road" look that OEM has.
A few years ago, I had an LS430 with soft, floaty spring suspension and swapped that out for coilovers. The car instantly felt modern. Not harsh at all. Acceleration, braking, and cornering were all improved greatly. It simply felt like a modern luxury car instead of a 20 year old land yacht.
I'm sure they do take the car's weight into consideration. This ain't their first rodeo 😄
Originally Posted by Gerf
Even on a SWB model with a regular back seat the whole thing has to come out because of the way the rear tray fits into the rear side panels, you could get it out by cutting the 2 retaining tabs on each side of the tray if you can figure out where they are but it would be messy.
Well...my car is slightly different being that I have reclining back seats. There is a 4-5 inch gap between the seats and the parcel shelf to allow for the recline. It's covered by a leather flap that simply Velcros to the shelf. I have easy access to the two push pins that hold the shelf down in the front (see pics). Today, I'm going to remove them and see if I can simply lift the shelf up from that point without removing seats or center console. I just need to lift it up a few inches to get a socket wrench on the strut top nuts. Wish me luck!
I would probably try this if my air suspension craps out but for the amount I drive the car that would be awhile so I'm really interested to see how it turns out. If you can see the push pins you will be able to lift the front some but there are covers on the air shocks like in the picture of my rear deck. The hooks for a lack of a better word in the tray are approx where the arrows are in your pic. Good Luck, I'm going to be watching this for sure.
Thanks for the tip on the hooks/tongues/tabs/whatever they are called.
Here is a pic (black) of a LS600h shelf from the UK Lexus forum where a guy took his rear apart chasing a rattle sound (which turned out to be his rear strut). I can see the tabs. The beige one is from ebay showing the underside (this one has center seat, though).
OK. I've got the front freed up by removing the 6 bolts that hold in the top/back of the center console (where the DVD player is). That was easy. No need to remove the seats (yet).
Now the problem is, as @Gerf mentions, the sides of the shelf are pinned under the C-pillar trim. In order to remove the C-pillar trim, you gotta remove trim all the way from the door kick plate up to the C-pillar, which may or may not require the seats to be removed.
But, note here how in the Arnott video, they don't care about removing the C-pillar trim. They just taco the shelf and pull it out from under (skip to 1:25). Maybe that's the last step for me.
So now you know where the tabs are and the front of the shelf is free you just need to release the part of the lower c-pillar trim that fits in the slots. Doing one side at a time with your fingers (which will be hard) or a tool that will work starting at the rear tab push the tray towards the rear of the car and fold the tab towards the centre of the shelf to release it from the c-pillar trim retainer...do the tab closest to the seat next, you will be able to tell when both are free, after you do both sides it should pull out unless there is something really different with yours compared to mine. Putting the shelf is easier just wiggle it around and it will go together mostly by itself. Hope this works.
The coilovers are in. No need to remove the rear seats at all! Just the top half of the executive center console which releases the center of the shelf. My mechanic was able to bend/bow the shelf in the middle (like in the Arnott video) to gain access to the strut tops. He said that he needed a small socket wrench to work on the nuts, but it worked. No need to cut. No need to remove the seats or pillar trim.
He was able to fish the adjuster extensions out of the flaps that child latch thing so I can adjust the dampening. You can see them from outside of the car (see pic), but not from inside of the car.
As with most coilover installations, there is some back and forth with fine tuning the height. Right now, it's too low in the front and a small but too high in the rear. Safe enough to drive but not even. He'll even it out tomorrow.
On dampening setting 20 of 30 clicks "hard", the ride was pretty good. Not harsh at all. If anything I may go in for a bit more stiffness. The spring rates are spot on. The car isn't as dreamy as when new, but it's still pretty damn good right now. And for $1,300USD, it's punching well above its weight.
I'll post pics of the outside of the car when we fine tune the ride height. Also getting an alignment in the morning.
When you get it all setup can you let us know if it affected your headlights at all, I lowered mine with the height sensors and it didn't seem to raise or lower them at all. Is your height adjustment separate from the spring adj ?
08-08-24, 01:09 PM
