javanutsy

Vroom,

I'm intrigued by the idea of lowering the RX a little. Your car looks nice. Since our RX is my wife's, I'm interested in this idea mainly for: lowered stance for ease of getting into and out of the vehicle, better handling, sportier look, in that order. I don't want to sacrifice the ride too much.

Judging by what you're saying, your ride is noticeably more firm. Are the TTE springs straight rate or progressive rate? What made you decide on the TTE's? How about the Eibach ProKit? Do you have a link for more info on the TTE's? Thanks.

VroomVroom

Back from Hawaii and I've spent quite a bit of time in the driver's seat the past two days. More impressions...

- The hit to ride quality is really minimal. Harsh dips & bumps are more firm, but otherwise it's very benign.

- The handling improvement is flat-out dramatic. Much more even, barely any body roll, and definitely less understeer. For this reason alone I'd unhesitatingly recommend the mod. A BMW 330Ci it isn't , but it is a totally different beast from stock. (FYI...mine is AWD - the improvements might be much more subtle on a FWD vehicle. At the same time, I'd expect bump-steer, and maybe even torque-steer, would be increased. Just guesses on my behalf though.)

- From a cosmetic standpoint it's really subtle. Honestly, I was hoping for a little more eye candy, but given the two points above I have no complaints.

Bottom line - I'd most definitely do this again. Because I had a shop do the install my total investment is $650. I could've saved $300 of that by doing the install in my driveway. The springs themselves were $241 shipped from Sewell in Texas.

Here's a link to the springs on TTE's website:
http://www.tte.de/popup/Lexus/cm_lex...ingsprings.htm

And there entire list of offerings (few, unfortunately) for the RX:
http://www.tte.de/cm_lexus_RX300_XU3.htm

The springs are progressive-rate. I should've snapped some pics when I got them, but I didn't think about it in time. Two main reasons I went with these: first, they're designed to work with stock shocks. (Big deal as those of us who've dropped vehicles before know - if you don't match the spring to the shock you risk ride quality problems as well as poor handling characteristics.) Second was cost. Sewell's special on these things (not sure if it's still active) made the mod a no-brainer.

I'm really happy with this mod. As I mentioned earlier, I'd definitely repeat it again. Along with the usual Lexus characteristics - comfort, quiet, amenities - I can now list "fun to drive" on my long list of likes for this vehicle. When I was searching the forums on this I remember one fellow that said all RX's should come stock with these springs. I'd have to agree.

javanutsy

Thanks for the in-depth analysis! I will definitely need to read up on these TTE springs. Why do you say improvements on a FWD vehicle may be much more subtle? Our RX is FWD...

VroomVroom

FWD vehicles tend to heavily understeer, and with 100% of the torque going to the front wheels, they're more affected by both torque-steer and bump-steer. Stiffer springs should help a bit with the understeer, but could possibly emphasize the latter two - especially bump-steer. Again, just a guess based on feedback I've heard from Acura folks who've lowered their FWD vehicles. For the improvement in body roll alone I'd still recommend considering these springs.

And the thing I forgot to comment on...while it's hard to notice the drop by looking at the wheel wells, you definitely feel that the car is lower with ingress/egress. Plus, even at 5'9", I can now just about reach half-way across the roof when washing the car.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

makes me want to do that also.

GMoney

Vrooom Can you please re-post the pictures?? Been thinking of doing the springs since I bought the Lex....

Frankr66

does anyone have the pics to repost?

it would be very helpful