TexasGS

Oh, yea one more thing. What is the most aggressive position for the Diazen rear sway? Inner or outer hole. I have mine in the middle.

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

come drive my car and i gurantee nothing but smiles

JeffTsai

iTrader: (1)

Ok...ok, all this talk about the roll center adapter. Now where do I buy one?
I just ordered some new tires...coming in this week. I don't want them to wear out prematurely. High performance, low profile tires don't come cheap

TexasGS

So is it your Tein Flex or the Toms stuff that is really tightening up your car? Or is it the combination of them both? Which would be the first to do?

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

i would say its a combo of parts that makes the package , the braces do their job keeping the unibody rigid and tight with min deflection, the teins flex do a great job handling the road itself and controlling uneccessary bounce , and the bushings do a great job of returning good road feedback without distortion


its the package that makes the difference to me

TexasGS

I guess I will try out the Tom's bracing first. I think my car handles pretty well but it feels like there is a bit of flex within the frame of the car. It seems as though the Tom's bracing would correct that. I have heard that the L-tuned springs and shocks are pretty stiff compared to the Tein CS that many folks have. So I imagine that my suspension is not the problem. So I think I am going with the Daizen bushing replacement up front and then the Tom's bracing.

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

ltuned shocks and springs are considered entry level for handling.. they are rebadged kyb struts with eibach springs , the kyb struts do not hold up well in the handling dept


if its within your budget try and get the teins cs the new one or if you want a sportier more flexible setup go for the teins flex and get the toms 6piece links , rear lower brace front lower brace and front upper strut tower bar and finish off with daizen sways , then you will own the road

HKGS300

Ltuned shocks are the stiffer shocks that Lexus Europe is using as standard part.
People in Europe like their cars a little stiffer on average (according to some manufacturers).

KevinGS

The Flex feel quite a bit stiffer than the CS, especially in regards to body roll. So if you want go-kart like reflexes, go with the Flex.

Unfortunately, in the DC area, if you do actually take your Lexus into the city, the Flex is pretty darn stiff. Coupled with sway bars, the car I was in was simply crashing into bumps, making the whole car shiver in such an unLexus-like fashion, I don't know how anyone could take it on a daily basis. I understand adding even more suspension mods like the Tom's 6-link makes the whole chassis even stiffer.

If I lived where the roads are smooth, I'd jump all over some of these mods. But even with my Tein CS, the 19" fat setup, and the Daizen Sways, my Lex still crashes into too many bumps for my tastes, many reverberating through the whole cabin. I know it's the sacrifice we make for our cars to handle better than stock, but I think I've almost maxed out my sacrifice of comfort. But I have to say, the car handles much better than my old stock suspension, as I sail through turns with confidence now.

Hec, next time, I just have to buy a car that handles better initially, and still soaks up the bumps. BMW has done a great job mastering this feat in a sedan...so it can be done. Even the 3rd gen GS handles better in stock form, and of course still soaks up the roads imperfections.

I'll lean more towards a better stock suspension for my next car. After a while, the constant modding produces diminishing returns on ride quality for sure. After it all, it IS a Lexus, not a Lotus Elise. But if I lived where most the roads were as smooth as ice, I'd mod my suspension more since the sacrifice of ride quality would be much less noticeable on a regular basis.

SoCalSC4

Nobody's mentioned this... I wonder what kind of tires Lvangundy is running?
We should start by ruling-out the obvious.

I've never found my GS to be ill handling, even for the two days I drove it with stock suspension.
If you're comparing an eight year old car with 90K miles to a new generation Audi A6, you will surely feel a difference. I noticed a BIG difference when i installed new ball joints in my GS. Suspension parts wear out; the GS is known to need ball joints as a wear/maintenance item. Also, have you had the alignment checked recently? Too much toe-in will cause the steering to feel a little numb.

I think part of the issue may be that the Lexus cars are so quiet you don't feel like you're going very fast, even when you are. When I first got my 400 I thought "this thing runs good, but it's no hot rod." Then I started encountering cars I knew were quick... and I was able to beat them.

I'd like to see some numbers on chassis stiffness theory. For example, I don't believe that German cars introduced around 1998 were any stiffer. Modern day cars are constantly getting stiffer, however. (hey now!)

Lvangundy

In what I'm describing, I'm not referring to how the car is able to handle grip - what I'm referring to is how the suspension bounces on corners and leans considerably when turning - even with sway bars. The car is very jittery and unpredictable.

One big issue is the very tame steering ratio and the dead spot in the center steering position.

The rear end feels like it reacts slowly to the changes in the front end.

I'm sure my bushings are worn enough, my alignment isn't perfect and the tires are worn, but that doens't fix the bumpy, floaty feeling the car has and the boring steering ratio.

Realfresh

lexforlife - are the roll center adapters similar to spindle kits for trucks/SUVs?

Lvangundy - I do understand part of your point. For the past 2/3 generations, (including the new chassiss), BMWs seemed to have really figured out the "perfect" medium between comfort and handling. Their sedans handle like nothing else, you have to drive them to truly understand.

On the topic of chassis stiffness, chassis stiffness only goes so far, the design must also do the chassis justice.

TexasLex

I don't think I would ever purchase one because of potential service issues, but I think you need a BMW. Before you do that though, consider why you bought the Lexus in the first place. Did you used to like the way it handled? How many miles have you put on it since your purchased it? Maybe it does need a four-wheel allignment and some new bushings to get everything put back in its correct plane.

I think this will help, but I don't elieve it will remedy the root of the problem which I bet is that you have the wrong offset wheels on your car. It is all about maintaining the correct geometry so the suspension can operate as it was designed to do.

TeeLex

iTrader: (24)

Lvangundy,

Do you have the L Tuned steering ECU mod? If not, that might explain your steering feel ( along with worn bushings). I have the L Tuned steering ECU and the Tom's front LCB ( plus all other bracing, 6 links, sways, coilovers, etc ) and my 2004 GS430 steers very well IMO. Not lacking at all in the steering department. We have decent roads in South Florida and I can certainly 'tear it up' with my car and the mods I have. Not desiring a BMW at all.

supergs400

I believe the GS430 already has the L-tuned ECU, but definetly you need to upgrade the coilovers to a more aggresive model. The CS was made for the Comfort Sport, the Tein Flex is a bit more in the middle for performance and the RA is more geared towards perfornance. When I used the HKS hipermax coilovers, the car handled very well, ride was bit firm, but had no problems with cornering. I am sure the flex would be a good compromise.