StpdSavant

Awesome, thank you, Kurtz and calvin2376. I have a 2007 with 24k, but I think it was a garage queen most of its life (I just bought it at 17k miles three months ago). I just wasn't sure if the fasteners were captive with the endlinks, and I always like to replace fasteners (especially ones exposed to the elements) whenever it's not economically prohibitive.

mjh09e

iTrader: (2)

I've read that the Hotchkis front sway bar is slightly larger, but is there any real difference? People say that it produces more understeer, but has anyone actually driven a car with them? Any insight on this? I'm going to order some sways soon, but not sure which to go with. F-sport because they are the blue color and designed specifically for our cars?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

bigger front bar is a bad thing.

Larger front bar=more understeer. Which is one of the things you're trying to get rid of with aftermarket sways.

mjh09e

iTrader: (2)

Thanks Kurtz, gonna jump on some F-sports then.

mjh09e

iTrader: (2)

Is the f-sport rear sway bar the same for the is350 and isf. I'm looking on Sewell and they have two different prices. For the is350 it is $184 and the isf is $166. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Thanks in advance

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

^^^^They appear to be the same bar. But, the one for the ISX50 contains:

Includes additional sway bar brackets and bolts

The ISF Bar does not. That could be because there was a bushing change for the ISX50 in 2009. And the additional hardware compensates for the change. That's only a guess though.

Lou

jv250

*i don't experience to change out the sways myself.

how much does it cost to install both front and rears?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Can you:

1. Read and understand English
2. Operate a socket and torque wrench
3. Get under your car (ramps or jacks/jackstands, whichever you have)

If the answer to all 3 is yes you can install yourself. 15 minutes for the rear bar, 30-60 for the front depending how slow you go.

It'll take longer than an oil change, but it's no more difficult, and less messy by a lot.

Otherwise...well... if I absolutely had to pay a shop (which will throw it on a lift and have much better tools) I wouldn't pay more than 60-90 minutes of labor max... which will be probably 60-120 bucks at a local shop.

A dealer will probably hit you for 2 hours at $110-120 an hour though.

jv250

^ haha. thanks for the tough love. i know i can do it myself, but i prefer to have it done by someone more adequate.

i do have:
1. low patience
2. proneness to accidents

:P

oh yeah, and both dealers i called wanted $450 for the install. what a joke. hahaha.

BAY2LA350

I noticed you're in CA, and I just ordered a sway bar set from k3rry (CL username) who is a sales rep at Lexus of Westminster, down here in SoCal. I don't want to post his quote for the installation, but I will tell you it is considerably less than $450. If you search the forums/google, sewell posted a "guideline" chart of the amount of labor to install various f-sport parts. like others have said here, its around 2 hours for front and rear.

I bought my car up in NorCal, and can't imagine any dealers up there asking for $450. Your best bet is probably Lexus of Fremont, since it seems they have a fairly large following from modded-Lexii (plural for lexus?!)

Also, I noticed you have a 2010 model. I'm in the same boat, and prefer to "extend the warranty to the length of the new car warranty." I know most will say that sway bars are low risk of voiding your factory warranty or causing problems, but considering I spent a large amount of money for the car, I don't mind spending the few extra hundred for the peace of mind.

jv250

i'm having a local guy in socal do it for me well known here on CL.

how's a lexus dealer going to know what was installed by the dealer vs not? especially with the f-sport parts. :P

peace of mind for me is not worth 300+ extra bucks. i've wasted some money on peace of mind before, i'm over it.

freeflight

I had the sway bars installed on my car today, and can definitely feel the improvement in the form of reduced body rolls. The on ramp from 405 to 605 is under construction, there is a little slalom type of section I had to hit the brakes before, but today I confidently drive through it without using the brakes. Even lane changes on freeway feel better. A very worthwhile upgrade.

BAY2LA350

So I just got mine installed, and finally got the car back. I was driving around a base Dodge Charger for 6 days, so my frame of reference is a little off, but it does feel more stable in the corners. I've been driving on straight roads for the most part, so can't give a true assessment. However, after 35 pages of "hype," it may be hard for the sway bars to live up to the expectation.

Also, regarding service history, you yourself can see every item completed to your car if you log on to Lexus Enform. So since they keep that online database, I assume all dealers have access to it.

Boofster

iTrader: (3)

Just installing the rear sway in the garage. It seems the 2009 oem sway bar has the bushings AND brackets molded on the bar. The F-Sport rear bar box did not come with new brackets, just bushings. The installation instructions in the box mention nothing about the brackets either. I dug out the Sway Bar Set instructions PDF and it seems there is an optional "Rear Sway Bar Brackets" part # 48832-30060. I guess I'll be off to the dealer tomorrow and see if they have them. Not happy about this







EDIT: After some research, apparently there are two versions of this package.
The '09 needs 4x bolts #90119-A0169 and 2x rear sway bar brackets #48832-30060

StpdSavant

I kind of have the same sentiment. I think the bars are a great improvement, but (and maybe I'm just not nearly typically as aggressive as others here) I just didn't think the change was as night-and-day as others have reported. If I had to do it all over again, I would prefer even more roll stiffness, so I might have gotten the Hotchkis set.

Now, I just got the bars installed, and as another data point, I had the rear bar installed first for a few days, then the front bar. Since I am not an experienced racer, it would not be accurate for me to give any impressions on steady-state handling characteristics. What I did find was that the rear bar alone did improve roll through corners, and may have alleviated some understeering tendencies in some situations. In "slalom"-type maneuvers I still felt that the car rolled excessively for my taste.

When the front bar was replaced, body roll was reduced even more, and although a stiffer front end should not promote oversteer, I did feel more confident in terms of being in situations that would promote more oversteer. My primary goal is in reducing body roll, and the new front sway bar certainly contributes more stability in that regard. Ride quality is only slightly diminished over uneven bumps compared to stock.

To summarize my position: the rear bar does make some improvement in reducing body roll, but for me, I would only consider the sway bars if getting a complete front/rear set. Is the front worth getting? Yes, it is.