silver305

iTrader: (1)

So if you have followed my threads, you have seen the headache i have been thorough trying to get my car to ride decent. It look a few weeks, but i feel it is finally better given the crappy tires i have on it.
Anyhow, i have been searching through different threads regarding dropping my car. I bought TANABE springs off of a forum member. The springs are meant to drop it .8 inches on the back and 1.5 inches on the front. To me, the front will look MUCH LOWER than i think it should, but it is what it is.
That being said, i keep reading tons of people who go through tires at almost every 3 oil changes. That is pretty crazy if you ask me and yes, even if they buy the camber kit etc, some of you still have issues.
Luckily, i have a mechanic who will do the springs for $250, but he did tell me it is a PITA to get them done. The back seats need to be out, etc, etc and it takes anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on how smooth it all goes.
What are your personal experiences with dropping your LS? I had my IS dropped and i didnt really notice my tires get all worn out unevenly. A part of me says that it would be better to just get tires with a thicker side wall so the fender gap isnt as big which in turn WILL make the car ride even smoother because of a thicker sidewall. As a matter of fact, the guy who sold me the spring told me that is what he did to his car and it was a good fit.
Thoughts??

jayhoang

It's all in the alignment.
Your drop is so subtle that it probably won't make a huge difference as long as you get your alignment in check.
Toe really kills your tires more so than camber, but if you are able to get it back to stock specs, you shouldn't notice a difference.

The install in the rear is a PITA though that's for sure mainly because of the seats having to be removed.

Lextrician

i agree just time consuming but I have done it a few times so it is straight forward.

Grouchy

iTrader: (1)

I just got my coilovers installed last weekend and the guy never took the rear seats off. Maybe because I was getting coilovers installed? Anyway the whole install took less than 2 hours and paid $250 too.

I'm going in two weeks to get my alignment done by some famous shop here in So. Cal. Guy shaving my fenders said as long as I adjust the toe, I should have even tread wear.

CJITTY

I did an extensive write up on my Tanabe Install Experience Thread

lbintab

iTrader: (1)

I don't know how they were able to remove the rear struts without removing the rear seats. You need to remove the rear seats to be able to remove some of the fasteners holding the rear deck lid down. Once the rear deck lid is lifted up you can get to the top bolts for the struts. if your mechanic didn't remove the seat then he simply pried up the rear deck lid. as for going through tires...it depends on a lot of things. yes alignment is big but the biggest issue of all of them is the weight of the car and how much sidewall your tires have to shoulder the weight. a higher profile tire will last longer with as far as camber is concerned because more of the weight of the car is distributed along the contact patch of the tire.

I8ABMR

Leave it stock. It still looks great . Mine looks dropped with the wheels on it . I cant imagine going and inch and a half lower to ruin the ride and burn through tires. This car is no feather weight. My last two cars have been dropped so at least I can speak from experience. For me, I don't have time for all the trips to the tire shop and the headaches with suspension parts wearing out anymore . Seems like the only members who are really happy with their dropped LS are the ones with the air suspension and even then they dont ride dropped most of the time or at least have the option to raise it up. The guys with the Tanabe springs all want Coil overs and the some of guys with the coils are all complaining about the ride and tire wear and want to go air. Difficult decision but I cant imagine you having better luck with vibrations by being forced to run cheaper tires even more so since you will be burning them out so fast. 15k-20k on a set of tires is not going to happen. I challenge anyone to show me a tire on a dropped LS that hasnt been changed out by the time it gets to the belt to get anything even closed to a reasonable life cycle for a tire . I had to laugh when a member showed a set of tires that went 30k but they were worn down to the steal belt. More like 15k. My car is on factory alignment and I get about 20k from a set of rears and 30k fron a set of fronts so I dont buy it when people start talking numbers in the 20-30k range when they are dropped. I change them when you are supposed to not when they blow or when they get to the belt.


I dropped $2300 on a set of Michelin PS2s on Friday and Im not dropping my car when Im dropping 2K+ on tires. If you drop it I hope you get some tires that arent all jacked up again.


this thread would be meaningless if both sides of the argument werent present

Lextrician

no way to remove struts without taking the seats out and unless he pop the decklid out which I am not sure how that comes out without the seats.

FLYCT

How's the ride with the new PS2's.

JR

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

Let me Address some common misconceptions

1. Tires go bad due to bad alignments and mad/insane camber
2. It's not the camber that ruins your tires (although it does contribute) it's the toe

I8ABMR

I ordered them on Friday and they should be in on Monday or Tuesday. I have been slammed at work so I need to try to get in there ASAP. I can't take the vibration from these horrible Pirellis. The price was about $600-$700 more than the normal offerings . In my opinion you get what you pay for and Im sure its more than just grip. Until today I have never had a tire on a car that rode as nicely as my Michelins I had on my dropped GS. Only one time to balance ( not the usual 2-4 trips to get it decent), and the car rode like it was on glass. Any time I mention the brand in comparison to anyone at any tire shop or performance shop and they always say " Michelin is the best". I have experienced their quality and performance before and I need to stop denying the evidence my own experience offers as well as the fact that the reduction in the vibrations I have been plagued with is worth the extra $600-$700. Yes some tires are better than other but I wanted the best since I have had so many issues with vibrations. I want to try this before I get rid of the car. I will do a write up on my experience with the new tires. For some reason the Lexus vehicles seem to be very sensitive to vibration as it is without running a huge set of 22's on rubber band sidewalls. God I hope this works. If it does then the rest of us who have gone the same painful path as me may have a light at the end of the tunnel

FINGERS CROSSED

spool

I have Tanabe springs on my 460L and it rides great!! Not bouncy, not too low IMO, and I did the install myself. The only way you can do the rear is to just pull the top rear seat section out and forward but technically not out the car, thats what he proably means... The rear shelf has to come up to access top strut hats. I can text pics of my car with stock wheels if somebody wants to see the stance. Hope I helped...

I8ABMR

For me its not the height or ride quality that bugs me. I have had dropped cars before. What drives me nuts is the tire wear on the LS. It significantly worse that the GS or my G35 because of the added weight. The raked look with the Tanabes is because the front is too low. This burns up the front tires

Grouchy

iTrader: (1)

Yeah. I remember people on here taking our their seats or saying the rears seats had to be removed to access the rear struts. But my installer just told me all you had to do is unscrew some screws and lift the back deck up a bit.

Going in tomorrow to get my alignment/toe adjusted. Lets see how long these tires (Falkens) last me.

CJITTY

Videos on youtube how to remove seats for access to strut bolts.i would love to hear you report back if his theory holds true. I don't believe it's possible to be honest but good luck