Christobol

Tanabe sounds tempting then... We'll just have to see what the L-Tuned offers exactly (warrenty coverage, cost etc).

lextec

Christobol, my recommendation is to use the Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs, & lastly the TRD sway bars. This combination was recommended to us by Lance at Toyomoto. He uses this combination for his cars. The suspension is not as plush, of course, as the OE set-up, but it is very comfortable, it responds very well, negotiating turns over wash-board surfaces are excellent, & the car corners prettly flat. The vehicle's pitch is very predictable & the suspension is very responsive. We love this set-up & it's not as costly as a full-on coil over setup. This is a hassle free & effective way to go-you don't have a million adjustments to play with but it works wonderfully. I strongly recommend this combo for a daily driver.

Christobol

Hey thanks for the input, I'll talk to someone about it today.

Risk3233

That is a similar setup to mine.

TRD race sway bars
Eibach Pro Kit springs
TRD adjustable shocks
H&R wheel spacers (planned for rear)

I like the setup a lot, so does my wife. Comfortable yet able to handle high speed cornering well.

It's a setup I'm very happy with.

Christobol

Well for now I'm getting the sways, then I'll determine if I want a stiffer suspension. I don't want something that is too stiff, and OEM can be ruff on some freeways. I just want to halt all body rolling so that I can whip it around corners!

Risk3233

Then the TRD sway bars are what you need (or sway bars in general).

I did incremental modifications to my car. Initially, I installed just the TRD race sway bars and was really satisfied w/that setup. I drove around w/that setup for about 2-3 months. The ride improved greatly and a lot of the body roll was reduced in the corners and I was allowed higher entry and exit speeds in corners. Also, the body roll on high speed directional changes improved.

However, I wanted a slightly lower ride height. That's why I also changed the springs and shocks. The OEM springs and shocks are terrific and are tuned for each other perfectly. If you have no desire to lower (and unavoidably stiffen) the car, then just to the sway bars.

BTW the sway bars will work even better w/a set of poly-u bushings.

Christobol

Rick what are the poly-u bushings? I'm also wondering how the TRD race sways compare to the L-Tuned sways. I know the two are different, so I want to know how it'll affect my ride. I don't want a lower ride (if fact I'm freaking out about how I scrap my car every other day!), but I would like something that didn't allow the inside wheel to lose so much traction when I go into a hard corner. Would the sways solve this, or am I going to have to lose some of the plush comfort in order to get a stiffer spring that will keep the car flatter on the ground?

lextec

Christobol, you're probably going to end up changing your springs & struts in order to achieve the handling that you would like. Granted, the OE struts are valved pretty good & OE spring rate compliments this, your best bet is to go to a stiffer spring & a shock that has less compression & rebound. Gotta give up some ride comfort for 'godlike' handling! Doesn't mean that you have to go lower but a lower CG helps in the handling department too. Do you have a set of shock tower braces? Reason I ask is because we've got a GS430 customer that rants & raves about how much imrovement the L-tuned brace has improved his car's handling. Just a-lot more predictable & firm through the turns. We are satisfied with our suspansion set-up, for now..................

Christobol

Lextec,
I want to get a set of shock tower braces, however I'm not willing to punch a hole in my trunk and lose 20-25% of my trunk space for the strut bar. I'm going to get the front brace as soon as it's out, but for now it has yet to come out. I would love to be able to add it in the rear though.

Do you know what the difference between the TRD race sways and the L-Tuned sways will be? I know the race sways are stiffer, I just don't know to what extent it'll make a difference.

Thanks for so much help too by the way.

lextec

Christobol, I really don't know what the difference in stiffness between the TRD & L-tuned sways is, but common sense tells me that the stiffer unit will allow flatter cornering & less body roll. We use the TRD unit & we are very happy with it. Could just be the total package combination of Bilstein shocks & Eibach springs.......dunno? We didn't try these components one at a time. I just know that they work excellent together. Come to think of it, now I remember why we didn't get the strut tower brace.....not yet available!OOPS! But, we are not overly concerned with losing trunk space for a brace install.......can live with that. The braces are a must on our list though. I guess it all boils down to what kinda handling you want out of your IS. Wish we could just go on a test drive, huh? Oh, well, hopefully you can arrange this with someone near you so that you have a first hand experience with the proposed combos. Best of luck in finding that 'perfect' suspension! Keep us posted!

Christobol

I will keep you posted. I've been pushing people for another IS meet down here in southern cal, so that I can test drive other people's ISs. Well have to see how it goes though.

Thanks

Risk3233

IMO try the sway bars first and maybe set a little more aggressive camber setting in the front and rear. This will help the car stay hooked-up (use more cross seciton of the tire).

Only after being dissatisfied w/this setup should you look at changing the springs and shocks. Changing out the damping assembly will unavoidably result in a car that is firmer riding.

Christobol

Sways are a definate. I'll see if the shop can easily change the camber settings. I don't want to go too far though, otherwise it'll look like a bad lower job.