slickgt1

iTrader: (1)

OH, e-man, getting a softer ride with more control is tough. If you get soft shocks you will bounce around. If you get soft springs they will sag, and most likely cause coil-bind, <---this happened to me on one of my old cars. You need to be there when that coil-unbinds, it cracked my windshield from the impact. Now for you, I would suggest L-tunes springs, shocks that are preferably stock or softer, and get Daizen Sway bars for the handling and control factor. That will probably get you a good mix. This is pretty much the direction I am heading in. The setup I have now is definitely breaking in and getting softer, I just need another week to see where it goes.

e-man

Thanks Slick. That sounds like a good idea. I'll just pick some up at Autozone and slap them on the car this weekend. Oh, wait a minute. I first have to figure out how to jack up the car without killing myself.

Seriously, though, I realize that it's a trade-off between comfort and handling, but sometimes I feel like I'm getting the worst of both worlds -- sloppy handling and a shaky, shimmying ride over uneven surfaces. I just want the ride to be solid -- not crazy stiff, not bouncy soft, but solid. Maybe that's just a function of driving an 7 1/2 year old car with 90k+ miles. Things loosen up over time and it will never ride like it did when it was new.

The Bilstein HDs seem like they'd be worth a shot, but I can't afford to dump $500 into a set of shocks and another $400 into installation only to find out that I've transformed my car into a go-kart and then have to switch it back to stock.

GUNRU-GS4

Slick - did you use your OEM bump stops with your current setup, and did you cut them?

I've had a brand new set of L-tuned springs sitting in my basement since last year and I'm itching to get them on. I've been stalling because I didn't know if I should go with the KYBs or the Bilsteins with the L-tuned springs. I've also been concerned with camber wear on my tires. I'm not looking forward to buying new tires all the time. I guess its a trade off when you mod your car. Also did you put on new shock mounts with the setup? Thanks

slickgt1

iTrader: (1)

I did not do my alignment yet. But I have toe plates at home. I quickly checked the camber, it seems to be fine. It is about 1.3" shorter on top, between two wheels than on the bottom. I will let you know next weekend when I go to get it aligned. I think it should be fine as far as tire wear.

e-man, stop being scared. Jack up your car from the diff, and put jack stands on the trapezoidal pieces with the hole in them. I do it all the time, and just did it on the weekend by jacking up the diff. It will work, it will be secure, stop worrying. It works all the time, and doesn’t damage anything.

Oh, and don't pay anyone to install it. Get some tools and do it yourself. Or ask a friend that has done a suspension swap before to hook you up. It is really not that hard. I mean I am swapping out springs in my GS right now in 3hours for all 4. It really is that easy. Only thing is that I don't use a spring compressor, I have a hydraulic press, so I just secure the spring with the compressors, and stick the whole thing in the press. Takes two minutes to take a spring out.

Don't worry about bilsteins, they are HD, as in Heavy Duty. The stiffer ones are sport, and then there is race. I had sport before, different car. Definitely stiffer.

Yes, I used OEM bushings. The rears I did not cut, I should have, but I figured why, the bilstein is a much longer rod than the stock ones, much thicker. I have not bottomed out yet, and I live in NYC. It should be fine.

The fronts yes, I cut the bottom ring off. That’s it, I figured it is loaded harder in the front, so under heavy braking, if you nail a bump or pothole, you might bottom out hard.

As far as new shock mounts, no, I don't recommend it. Especially since the rears are over $80 each, with my buddy discount. I was concerned with this, but after taking it all off, there is definitely no need for concern. I have 101k miles already, and the strut mounts looked new. I even took them apart, as in I took the metal sleeve out that connected the bottom and top parts together. Everything looks nice.

I recommend Bilstein. I had KYB on other cars, and I swear to you, every time I though that they failed way before they should have. I mean maybe 15k miles. I know I live in NYC, but damn that sucks. The Bisteins we had on my brothers 318i lasted for a really long time, more than 30k. He was t-boned and now they are in his 328is. Still holding strong. The Germans seem to know what they are doing. Especially since the Bilsteins come stock in quite a few Bimmers.

Let me know if there is anything else.

GUNRU-GS4

Thanks for the info slick. I'll probably go with the Bilstein HDs. I have a friend thats done the suspension on all his cars so I might not pay Lexus $500 to install them. Hell I had never even watched a brake job get done before and I replaced all the rotors and pads on my GS. Thanks to the teachers on ClubLexus!

e-man

Scared? Scared???? You think I'm scared????? Come on, I'm not scared. Okay, maybe I am a little scared. I've never jacked up the car from the rear diff I'm afraid if I don't center the jack cup on the diff perfectly, the car will slip off the jack and the jack will puncture the gas tank, which would be kind of bad (I think). Next time I change the rear wheels, I'll try jacking it up from the rear diff and putting jack stands on the trapezoids. By the way, is there any particular way to position the jack stands on the trapeziods? Do the ends of the jack stand protrude beyond the trapezoid on either side?

B -- let us know if you go with the Bilstein HDs (with or without the L-tuned springs) and how it rides compared to stock. You're still currently running the stock suspension, right? Have you topped 100k yet on the old girl?

e

slickgt1

iTrader: (1)

e-man, if you slip the jack off the diff, the only thing you will go through it the spare wheel well. Your gastank is under your seat. Place the jackstands under the trapezoid things perpendicular to the lengh of your car. If your stands have a long top, then fit it either which way you can, trust me those plates are deizel. Just try to fit the jackstand top in there, don't make it stick out from under the car. You will be fine. Just jack it up by the diff, and lower it slowly on the jack-stands, you will see a problem if you do something wrong.