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Hello ClubLexus! I've been a member here since my CT200h days - 2012 or thereabouts - but never bothered to post a build thread until now, as I felt there wasn't anything worthwhile to share of what I was doing back then. With nicer dailies being added to our garage, the NX200t started getting more interesting things done to her, especially over the quarantine/lockdown, so here they are for everyone's enjoyment. I'll try to keep this first post clean and add permalinks to each mod as I write about them. That way, the evolving mod list can also function as a table of contents of sorts.
Without further ado, here's my 2015 NX200t F-Sport. I call her Arya. I've had her since new, and she was actually one of the first few units Lexus Manila brought into our country over 6 years ago. With over half her life run tuned, she's been very reliable, not counting downtime of my own doing.
Modifications done to her were all in the interest of better driving dynamics, and aesthetic improvements were largely incidental. Yes, I know. A Porsche Macan would've yielded better driving dynamics, but I fell in love with the NX for more practical reasons and really just wanted a better drive to add to all the good I found in it.
EXTERIOR:
KC HiLites Pro-Sport 6" driving lamps
KC HiLites Gravity LED inserts
Draw-Tite Max-Frame Class III hitch receiver
Auto Clover 6pc door visors
Lexus USA rear bumper guard
Lexus USA mud guards
Lexus Japan Urban Style side moldings
Toyota Taiwan rear bumper lights
INTERIOR:
SunBloc Non Plus Ultra IRR Nano-ceramic window films
GROM VL2 Android Auto/Apple Carplay system
Pressed and brushed SS console trim
Pressed and brushed SS door switch trims
Aluminum paddle shifter extensions
I wish I could post videos to show proof of concept, but I don't see myself being able to go out on a good drive anytime soon. Here are some (potato quality) pics for now:
Last edited by chezgk; 08-10-22 at 02:27 AM.
Reason: Table of Contents update
I decided to install polyurethane lower control arm (LCA) front and rear bushings in the NX a year and a half ago for enhanced response and increased caster. Out of all the brands to choose from, SuperPro communicated the most attention given to freedom of movement and longevity, so their bushings are what I ended up going with despite higher prices.
After just 15,000 Kms and despite very generous application of grease, the rear offset bushings have severely ovaled, leading to an unpredictable vehicle, even with bump steer issues sorted out, as I will detail in a future post. SuperPro's "moving design" involving a metal sleeve that pivots within the bushing likely had a lot to do with this. In contrast, Toyota's factory bits have voids for them to flex around without any sliding or pivoting.
The LCA's front bushings, yet another "moving design", were also quite worn and exhibited visible lateral movement when the steering wheel was turned left and right around full lock to either side.
To fix things, I chose to replace the SuperPro parts with Whiteline's caster offset bushings. Just like the OEM design, they have voids and flex rather than pivot, too. The LCA front bushings were left rubber this time around to regain comfort and eliminate the need to regrease every few years or so. (One important note here: since they no longer pivot, the LCA bolts have to be tightened with the LCAs angled the way they would be at ride height.)
The post-installation road test was really eye opening. The ute was both more comfortable and more stable, highlighting how much was left on the table by the prematurely worn bushings. Straight-line braking performance changed the most, with the tires biting hard and no longer flopping around. I feel better about having flexing and non-moving bushings on the LCAs, too, as regreasing polyurethane LCA bushings is as tedious a job as LCA replacement, subframe pulldown and all.
Whiteline's void design matches the OEM rubber bushings'.
This chopstick came in really handy to mark the Whiteline bushings for easy pressing.
Installed view
Full set of service diagrams from Toyota Techinfo on hand to do the job right
Due to the MacPherson front suspension architecture, the vehicle starts losing negative camber (introducing positive camber) once the lower control arms get to parallel - let's call this the "switchover point". Unlike the front end, the rear multi-link suspension continues building negative camber as it compresses. This is in line with Toyota's tendency to build understeer safety nets into vehicles. The switchover point comes sooner with a lower ride height dialed in, as the front lower control arms now rest at angles almost upward to the body.
Another effect of the lower ride height is the roll center moving downwards more than the center of gravity (CG) does. A web search on “lowering spring roll center” will quickly yield an explanation and diagram on why this happened, but in a nutshell, the CG now has greater leverage on the roll center (a longer roll couple), making the NX roll more in corners despite a reduction in lateral load transfer, lower CG, and slightly elevated spring rates. In contrast, the higher roll center in the factory configuration had bushings and arms dealing with a greater portion of the load transfer than they do now that a greater portion of the lateral load transfer work has been “outsourced” to the springs and sway bar.
Suspension geometry change photo from An Autocrosser’s Blog
With the front lowering springs installed, the upward angle of the lower control arms is visible in these photos.
Rather than going through the tedious, almost-impossible process of restoring the roll center, which involves relocating the ball joint ITSELF (spacers are useless) and/or control arm chassis pivots and altering bump-steer characteristics in the process, itself needing the use of a bump-steer correction kit to revert, if such a kit for the NX even exists, I tried to find ways to have the very slight increase in roll work in my favor.
Rolling more means getting the lower control arms parallel and beyond more often. Rather than fight it, I chose to use this tendency to my advantage by finding ways to delay the switchover point from negative camber gain to negative camber loss in the suspension compression stroke. If the front suspension keeps adding negative camber to the outer wheels during compression while also adding positive camber to the inner wheels during extension, then the very slight amount of roll is certainly not a bad thing to have.
Hardrace Q0085 photo from their website
Hardrace Q0085 is INACCURATELY marketed as a pair of roll center correctors for the third and fourth generation Toyota Alphards, which share the same lower control arm with NXs and RAV4s. Designed to be inserted between the ball joints and lower control arms, these 20mm spacers do nothing to move the ball joint lower relative to the control arm chassis pivots. Roll center therefore stays unchanged with the installation of this kit.
Despite their inability to restore the roll center height, these spacers allow the front lower control arm to rest at a more downward angle, even with the vehicle set at a lower ride height.
This moves the point where the front suspension switches to negative camber loss during hard cornering deeper into the compression stroke, somehow neutralizing the understeer safety net built into the NX. On the most extreme of compressions, however, positive camber gain will still be introduced. This preserves grip in straight-line emergency braking situations. As a bonus, the installation of this part also increased the front wheel track width quite a bit.
Hardrace Q0085 installed in my NX200t
Considering all of this, “camber curve correctors” would have been a more apt description for this product.
TIP: Since Hardrace Q0085 includes 10.9 grade bolts, ignore the included Nyloc nuts and what the accompanying installation manual says and reuse the factory nuts to be able to torque them to 100 ft-lb. This is much higher than the factory 68 ft-lb spec to account for the smooth surface of the Hardrace parts. The 10.9 grade bolts can handle this torque spec without issue.
chezgk! Good to see you active again brother! We need interior pics.
How's the EBC yellow's treating you? Pondering on better pads or full on budget 6 pot brembo kit when my front pads go out.
Hey @Lexuswiz ! I hope all is well with you. Interior pics will be added soon. I just have to take some decent ones first!
I have a very pragmatic view when it comes to the braking system. Out of the box, the NX is more than capable of locking all four wheels, so there's no issue with the factory calipers as far as brake torque is concerned. On spirited drives and track days (it's fun with an NX! lol), I found heat to be the biggest issue, followed by feel.
HEAT:
I modified a pair of Audi RS3 brake ducts and mounted them on the front lower control arms, just as Audi/VAG intended. There are some before and after thermal images for the same ducts but in a Skoda floating around the internet somewhere, but I cannot find them at the moment. The difference in temperature was significant. Fortunately, the opening on the NX's rotor heat shield is on the same side as Audi/VAG's.
Aside from the brake ducts, I changed the fluid to some decent DOT4 ones as well. Heat hasn't been much of an issue since then.
FEEL:
I added Wilwood 4 psi residual pressure valves to each diagonal circuit, pre-ABS. I have a link to the guide in the mod list. These provide the same result as anti-knockback springs on big brake kits but do so using the hydraulic system instead.
The brake pedal is now always high and firm with the RPVs installed, as long as the system is free of air. Also note that 4 psi can be easily overcome by the ABS system if necessary, and our foot's pressure on the pedal is usually way higher than that when ABS operates. Even with 4 psi residual pressure, the vehicle still coasts freely.
NOW, about the EBC Yellows:
On their own, they are superior pads compared to the OEM ones as far as thermal capacity and initial bite (when warm) are concerned. Paired with factory rear pads, they are detrimental to overall system performance.
Why? They move brake bias to the front and now trigger the ABS way before the rear brake capacity is saturated and even before weight is fully transferred to the front. To tune brake bias back to the rear, you'd need (A) a proportioning valve with matching ABS delete, (B) larger diameter rear rotors, (C) matching Yellowstuff rear pads, or (D) tamed initial bite on the front pads.
(A) is definitely not an option. (B) is next to impossible. I did check out the larger rear rotors on our GGL25 4th gen. RX350 FS, but it had different and incompatible-to-the-NX rear spindles despite the same rear caliper. (C) is definitely an option but pricey.
That leaves us with (D). I have Hawk LTS front pads on order and hope they reduce initial bite. This should be the case, if my past experience with their HPS 5.0 is any barometer. I'll definitely update this thread once they're in.
Thank you for the concern, @Lex2000TL . Yes, I've watched that video multiple times, along with Jason's other EE videos, Kyle's Kyle.Engineers videos, and Fat Cat Motorsport's Shaikh's videos on ride harmony and flat ride. Such videos usually limit the conversation to swapping out components and not changing suspension geometry, which I have also done. I do find sense in most of what he says, and that's perhaps the reason why I chose to go with long travel Bilstein dampers and tamer spring rates despite partially deleting the AVS system. Coilovers, especially Tein's programmable, G-sensor equipped Flex Zs, were tempting, but I just couldn't give droop travel up - not in our rough city roads that resemble rally stages more than highways, anyway. I also strongly believe in running the softest spring rates you can possibly get away with (EE has a video about that!) and using body roll to your advantage instead by modifying geometry.
The mod list in the first post is already a filtered list, since I have already removed parts I deemed useless or detrimental to both ride and performance. This includes the Cusco 30mm front sway bar, which hurt ride quality and acceleration on exit, the softer Tanabe NF210 front and rear springs, which resulted in really bad suspension geometry, the WedsSport SA-20R 18x9.5 +38, which hurt wet braking performance of 255/55 tires at normal tire pressures by way of being slightly overstretched, and others.
That said, it would always be best for anyone reading this to do their own research before diving in. What I have done to my vehicle meets my preference and is a result of multiple years' worth of experimentation, expedited by a very long lockdown that essentially cleared all roads rough and smooth, straight or twisty of vehicles last year and made consistent testing very safe. This is a setup that was honed not from reading a bunch of internet listings but rather through deliberately driving over wide and deep expansion joints on a tightly curved flyover, very rough concrete roads built by manual labor, off-camber, wavy, and pothole-ridden asphalt roads, etc. to see how ride comfort, grip, and transients were affected by each iteration.
Great thread chezgk.
It's very informative along with other members' input and will help lots of owners
Thanks, @GS3Tek . Thought it'd be cool to share what I know and also dispel the notion of this platform being boring and void of much aftermarket options.
Yup you're correct on roll center reduction after lowering, resulting in even more roll. Most people lower their cars and immediately think OMG superior handling. but you have to know what suspension type you're dealing with and make the necessary proper adjustments. other cars have spacers you can buy to reposition the control arms to account for the altered angle. Glad to see you did this with yours. This is how it's properly done. Of course some Lexus cars offer lowering springs directly from Lexus (Blue f sport) but those are very minor decreases in ride height so likely not necessary. I'd say over an inch is when I start to get uncomfortable in terms of changing the handling dynamics. I'm certain you correctly removed any pre-load during your installation as well.
Vorshlag has great suspension articles you can see as well. Also try Dan Edmunds inside line another great suspension engineering article.
Nice proper thoughtful build, just how I like them. I came in here expecting to see something bad but i was pleasantly surprised.
Hey @Lexuswiz ! I hope all is well with you. Interior pics will be added soon. I just have to take some decent ones first!
I have a very pragmatic view when it comes to the braking system. Out of the box, the NX is more than capable of locking all four wheels, so there's no issue with the factory calipers as far as brake torque is concerned. On spirited drives and track days (it's fun with an NX! lol), I found heat to be the biggest issue, followed by feel.
HEAT:
I modified a pair of Audi RS3 brake ducts and mounted them on the front lower control arms, just as Audi/VAG intended. There are some before and after thermal images for the same ducts but in a Skoda floating around the internet somewhere, but I cannot find them at the moment. The difference in temperature was significant. Fortunately, the opening on the NX's rotor heat shield is on the same side as Audi/VAG's.
Aside from the brake ducts, I changed the fluid to some decent DOT4 ones as well. Heat hasn't been much of an issue since then.
FEEL:
I added Wilwood 4 psi residual pressure valves to each diagonal circuit, pre-ABS. I have a link to the guide in the mod list. These provide the same result as anti-knockback springs on big brake kits but do so using the hydraulic system instead.
The brake pedal is now always high and firm with the RPVs installed, as long as the system is free of air. Also note that 4 psi can be easily overcome by the ABS system if necessary, and our foot's pressure on the pedal is usually way higher than that when ABS operates. Even with 4 psi residual pressure, the vehicle still coasts freely.
NOW, about the EBC Yellows:
On their own, they are superior pads compared to the OEM ones as far as thermal capacity and initial bite (when warm) are concerned. Paired with factory rear pads, they are detrimental to overall system performance.
Why? They move brake bias to the front and now trigger the ABS way before the rear brake capacity is saturated and even before weight is fully transferred to the front. To tune brake bias back to the rear, you'd need (A) a proportioning valve with matching ABS delete, (B) larger diameter rear rotors, (C) matching Yellowstuff rear pads, or (D) tamed initial bite on the front pads.
(A) is definitely not an option. (B) is next to impossible. I did check out the larger rear rotors on our GGL25 4th gen. RX350 FS, but it had different and incompatible-to-the-NX rear spindles despite the same rear caliper. (C) is definitely an option but pricey.
That leaves us with (D). I have Hawk LTS front pads on order and hope they reduce initial bite. This should be the case, if my past experience with their HPS 5.0 is any barometer. I'll definitely update this thread once they're in.
How's that for a long answer?
Love the response, always a good time chatting with you. Thanks for the insight.
Very interesting read on the braking, I'll look into those RS3 ducts being an VAG newb now. Traded my dying RX330 for an Audi Q5 and these 4 pot brembo's just bite smoother compared to the floaters my NX uses, but I'm still on OEM pads and rotors. I do agree the braking system is more than adequate for the NX but I'm a hype beast and need that BBK look LOL.
Love the response, always a good time chatting with you. Thanks for the insight.
Very interesting read on the braking, I'll look into those RS3 ducts being an VAG newb now. Traded my dying RX330 for an Audi Q5 and these 4 pot brembo's just bite smoother compared to the floaters my NX uses, but I'm still on OEM pads and rotors. I do agree the braking system is more than adequate for the NX but I'm a hype beast and need that BBK look LOL.
Blatantly honest about your hype beast tendencies! By all means, go for it!
The brake ducts are a straight fit to Golfs, A3s, and other VAG products from that particular family. I reckon similar modifications as those done in my project would have to be done to make the ducts fit your Q5. Fantastic car, though, that one.
If by "biting smoother" you mean more predictable and linear engagement, in contrast to stepping deep into the pedal stroke before getting some bite, then it's definitely something alleviated by the Wilwood RPVs.
Oh, and I forgot to mention: Brake cooling in my NX was also helped by the much wider vents in the EBC rotor.
Yup you're correct on roll center reduction after lowering, resulting in even more roll. Most people lower their cars and immediately think OMG superior handling. but you have to know what suspension type you're dealing with and make the necessary proper adjustments. other cars have spacers you can buy to reposition the control arms to account for the altered angle. Glad to see you did this with yours.
Thanks for taking the time to read through this. The spacers definitely help improve the camber curve by keeping SAI/KPI at a more acute angle with the line created by the lower control arm pivots at ride height. They don't do much for the roll center, though!
Originally Posted by E46CT
This is how it's properly done. Of course some Lexus cars offer lowering springs directly from Lexus (Blue f sport) but those are very minor decreases in ride height so likely not necessary. I'd say over an inch is when I start to get uncomfortable in terms of changing the handling dynamics. I'm certain you correctly removed any pre-load during your installation as well.
Agreed. The RS-R Ti2000 Half Down springs seemed like a good option to get elevated spring rates with a milder drop, so I have them on order from Japan, with arrival sometime next week or the week after that. Pretty exciting to think what a slightly higher ride height vs RSR Down can unlock in tandem with the camber curve correctors installed. The rear springs for the THD set are similar in rate to the ones from the Down set. Since my NX has an ever so slightly raked stance from the increased caster and SAI, I'd probably keep the Down springs in the rear and only swap them out if the rear roll center needs to be tweaked relative to the front's.
Quite the contrary, I actually added roughly 13-15 mm of pre-load to the front strut stack using polyurethane isolators to gain some bump travel back and more leeway to tweak the bump stop stack. I'll write a post about that later.
Originally Posted by E46CT
Vorshlag has great suspension articles you can see as well. Also try Dan Edmunds inside line another great suspension engineering article.
Nice proper thoughtful build, just how I like them. I came in here expecting to see something bad but i was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for the kind words and for the suggestions. Vorshlag's articles seem right up my alley and would nicely supplement the reading material churned out by MotoIQ. Inside Line, on the other hand, seems to have been taken down.
In the absence of aftermarket parts, I had to make my own: Custom angled strut shims for the Lexus NX. A longevity mod with no performance benefit. They just neutralize the caster preload on the strut mounts and allow the strut mount bushings to live longer. Self aligns over the longer bolts, too!
Strut mount stack includes:
- Sachs 802668 strut mounts, cored with a 12mm cobalt drill bit to allow...
- Grade 10.9 Yamaha ATV extended wheel studs from Quadboss
- 1x Moog 9809 DANA 60 axle camber shims (perfect bolt circle diameter!) (Please ignore the double stack in the photo)
- Stainless steel spherical washers to level the nut
Because of the way the asymmetric springs sit in the struts, the caster shims will cause the left side to rise a little compared to the right. Perfect in my case, since the NX leans more to the left the lower it goes/more caster it gets. The shims don't pose much risks, too, as the strut mount bolts only see tension forces when the vehicle is up in the air. Most of the shear loads are dealt with by the lower control arms, and if they were ever a factor, the grade 10.9 spec bolts can surely take care of them.
I ended up using just 1 shim on each strut mount and not 2 as shown here.
Unhappy strut mount bushing leaning back due to increased caster. (Before installation of caster shim)
Blatantly honest about your hype beast tendencies! By all means, go for it!
The brake ducts are a straight fit to Golfs, A3s, and other VAG products from that particular family. I reckon similar modifications as those done in my project would have to be done to make the ducts fit your Q5. Fantastic car, though, that one.
If by "biting smoother" you mean more predictable and linear engagement, in contrast to stepping deep into the pedal stroke before getting some bite, then it's definitely something alleviated by the Wilwood RPVs.
Oh, and I forgot to mention: Brake cooling in my NX was also helped by the much wider vents in the EBC rotor.
Had to make my intentions known lol, as we both know a 6 pot BBK for this car is strictly aesthetics without more engineering and better tires.
I also saw your thread on the RPVs, while I'm intrigued, not sure if I'm ready to do that just yet. You must be a mechanical engineer or something with all this knowledge and know-how, I'm just an above average backyard mechanic.
For the EBC rotors, how do they hold up against rust? Are they coated in the non-contact surfaces?
04-21-21, 09:19 PM
chezgk's NX200t build
