Sup2jzgte

What are your thoughts on using the stock springs on with either of the following struts?

KYB GR-2

Tokico HP


I have a leaky front strut and I figure if I'm going to replace 1 I should replace them all. Really the only thing I'm looking for is comfort and MAYBE a drop, but the drop is not all that important.


97 SC300

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Those 2 brands should be good to replace your worn oem shocks. Probably not as soft/comfy as oem, but good enough.
If you are planning to drop the car, it would probably be a good idea to do it the same time you replace the shocks.

jer_con

Forget KYB's........

I have GR2s with stock springs and they ride terrible. Caused problems with my rear suspension after installation and still trying to find an answer.

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Maybe they were installed incorrectly? What issues are you experiencing?

jer_con

Its a long story but the first thing that happened was shortly after the KYB installation. I drove my SC home and the rear was jacked up on the passenger side. So in other words....looking at the back of my car it was sitting totally crooked if you can imagine that. The front was fine, just the back.

Took it back to the shop and was told the Swaybar was pushed out of its operating range and bound up on the passenger side. The tech asked me if I had been out jumping dunes in my SC. They used a mo-hunkus crowbar and popped the swaybar back into place, checked it over with a clean bill of health and off I went.

Again trying to shorten this up a bit the problem continued with the rear swaybar binding. Eventually I discovered it occured when my passenger rear shock was extended to full length like making a right turn up a steep driveway. That problem eventually led to clunking and popping noise I'm dealing with now. Everytime I take a right or left turn it pops and clunks on the drivers side. You can also hear it just traveling straight but not as pronounced. So here's what's been done:

* Shocks, mounts and assmbly in the rear have checked and double checked. The tech assures me there's no apparent problem.

* I've had the Swaybar bushings replaced in the front and rear with polyurethanes. This helped slightly but I still have ghetto sounds coming from the rear. The clunking is gone for the most part but I still hear popping sounds and the car feels "loose" over 80Mph.

* Next step to replace the EndLink. I purchased an aftermarket from RockAuto but the Tech says aftermarkets do not come with the retainer clip and I'll need to get an OEM from Lexus. So we'll see if that helps.

Aside from the post-installation trouble I just don't like the way the car rides with KYB GR2's, it's really bouncy and stiff. I changed out my cheap Nitto tires with a decent set of Yokohamas recently and now it's even more bouncy than before. The car no longer aligns correctly, I've had it aligned three times in the past year. Ever since the swaybar binding issue my steering whell is cocked off clockwise and the car ALWAYS pulls left.

I don't know if I can blame the shocks for all of this but it can't all be "Coincidents" Anyways....thanks for any feedback in advance.

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

First thought that comes to mind is that maybe one of the rear endlinks were reinstalled incorrectly when the shocks were replaced.
Did you ever get an alignment afterwards?
I'm assuming the kyb's were purchased new as well.

Jack up your car, take off your rear wheels and try to compare the rear good side with the bad side. See if you notice any differences in the way the spring sits on the shock or any other things.

2000atlant

I just installed KYB GR-2 shocks on my wifes SC300 to replace the stock 180k mile units. I also did new tires and Supra lower control arms on the front. The car rides much better than it did for sure. I was actually surprised that the bushings in the lower control arms really did not look that bad.

You'll be fine using the KYBs with the stock springs.

jer_con

Here's some pics of what happens to my SC ever since the KYB's were installed:

Hopefully you can see how the passenger side rear is higher than the driver side. This just happened yesterday when I turned right up a steep driveway going out for lunch.

jer_con

Here's another pic of the passenger rear:

jer_con

and it just gets stuck like that until I hit a speed bump or something then you can hear the VERY loud pop and clunk and it will sit level again. This is the swaybar getting bound so I've been told. I'm going to have endlinks installed soon. We'll see if that takes care of the problem.

Drivers side rear:

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Make sure the endlinks are fully tightened. Sounds like they could be loose.
Also make sure the springs are seated on the shock properly.