Mini review: TRD sways, front LCB & Tom's rear LCB
11-21-02, 03:00 AM
#1
Mini review: TRD sways, front LCB & Tom's rear LCB
Hi guys,
I had the F/R LCBs installed today. I did not install one at a time to see the difference. I was barely able to make time to do these.
Anyway, I had my TRD sways installed a couple of months ago. Like everyone said, the ride did get harsher but the handling did get better. I am able to take corners with more confidence but I did not think the ride quality trade off skewed towards the handling. After a couple of weeks, although I got used to the ride, I was still not 100% happy. Other members said that they felt planted with the sways installed. I can only weakly agree with that.
After I got the LCBs installed today, the ride has changed. I did not feel the leap in ride degradation like the sways but the handling feel was fantastic. Forget planted, I feel almost rooted to the ground. I point, it goes. It almost does not matter what the terrain: flat, corner, curve, ... There are a few other frequently driven freeway ramps I want to test out but did not have time today. I can't wait. Overall, I am very happy with this mod.
I keep saying almost because I still feel there is room for improvement. I am also eventually planning to install the Tom's 6-link LSB, and at least the front UGO STB (and probably also the rears). I am hoping these additional pieces will close the "room for improvement" I am talking about.
Lastly, I am not claiming that the LCBs are a better mod than the sways. I just think the sways get you 70% there and provide a good foundation to build on. It is the other pieces like the LCBs that bring out what a good foundation gets you.
On a sadder note, the only thing that reduced my excitement today was my encounter with a large piece of flying metal debris on the freeway on the drive home. It left several deep gashes on my frontend. I guess just another excuse to get the thing repaired and repainted to fix the numerous paint chips that are already there. I know this is peanuts compared to the near death crashes some of our other members are having. Still, it gives me little comfort when I look at the front of the car.
I hope this feedback helps someone.
I had the F/R LCBs installed today. I did not install one at a time to see the difference. I was barely able to make time to do these.
Anyway, I had my TRD sways installed a couple of months ago. Like everyone said, the ride did get harsher but the handling did get better. I am able to take corners with more confidence but I did not think the ride quality trade off skewed towards the handling. After a couple of weeks, although I got used to the ride, I was still not 100% happy. Other members said that they felt planted with the sways installed. I can only weakly agree with that.
After I got the LCBs installed today, the ride has changed. I did not feel the leap in ride degradation like the sways but the handling feel was fantastic. Forget planted, I feel almost rooted to the ground. I point, it goes. It almost does not matter what the terrain: flat, corner, curve, ... There are a few other frequently driven freeway ramps I want to test out but did not have time today. I can't wait. Overall, I am very happy with this mod.
I keep saying almost because I still feel there is room for improvement. I am also eventually planning to install the Tom's 6-link LSB, and at least the front UGO STB (and probably also the rears). I am hoping these additional pieces will close the "room for improvement" I am talking about.
Lastly, I am not claiming that the LCBs are a better mod than the sways. I just think the sways get you 70% there and provide a good foundation to build on. It is the other pieces like the LCBs that bring out what a good foundation gets you.
On a sadder note, the only thing that reduced my excitement today was my encounter with a large piece of flying metal debris on the freeway on the drive home. It left several deep gashes on my frontend. I guess just another excuse to get the thing repaired and repainted to fix the numerous paint chips that are already there. I know this is peanuts compared to the near death crashes some of our other members are having. Still, it gives me little comfort when I look at the front of the car.
I hope this feedback helps someone.
11-21-02, 11:56 AM
#3
I put the TRD sways and the TRD LCb on my GS a couple of weeks ago also, dont have the rear pieces yet. Like you said, the car reponds much much better, and I definitely feel as though the body roll is significantly reduced. However I would have to disagree with the ride quality being worse with the sways, I did not notice any difference in ride quality in the slightest. I do have the Tein Flex pretty low(no gap), and 20" wheels, so maybe my ride quality just sucked enough to begin with where I just didnt notice any difference. Gotta have the drop with the dubz though, all mods come with a trade off I geuss.
11-21-02, 12:12 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Re: Mini review: TRD sways, front LCB & Tom's rear LCB
Neo, thanks for the review. I just got the Tom's rear LCB (I already have TRD from LCB, STB and Tom's rear STB!). The Tom's rear LCB came with a black adhesive-backed rubber rectangle about 1"x4" - do you know what it's for? As usual, the Japanese instructions are of no use to me.
11-21-02, 03:41 PM
#5
Re: Mini review: TRD sways, front LCB & Tom's rear LCB
Originally posted by Neo
,
After I got the LCBs installed today, the ride has changed. I did not feel the leap in ride degradation like the sways but the handling feel was fantastic. Forget planted, I feel almost rooted to the ground. I point, it goes. It almost does not matter what the terrain: flat, corner, curve, ... There are a few other frequently driven freeway ramps I want to test out but did not have time today. I can't wait. Overall, I am very happy with this mod.
I keep saying almost because I still feel there is room for improvement. I am also eventually planning to install the Tom's 6-link LSB, and at least the front UGO STB (and probably also the rears). I am hoping these additional pieces will close the "room for improvement" I am talking about.
Lastly, I am not claiming that the LCBs are a better mod than the sways. I just think the sways get you 70% there and provide a good foundation to build on. It is the other pieces like the LCBs that bring out what a good foundation gets you.
I hope this feedback helps someone.
,
After I got the LCBs installed today, the ride has changed. I did not feel the leap in ride degradation like the sways but the handling feel was fantastic. Forget planted, I feel almost rooted to the ground. I point, it goes. It almost does not matter what the terrain: flat, corner, curve, ... There are a few other frequently driven freeway ramps I want to test out but did not have time today. I can't wait. Overall, I am very happy with this mod.
I keep saying almost because I still feel there is room for improvement. I am also eventually planning to install the Tom's 6-link LSB, and at least the front UGO STB (and probably also the rears). I am hoping these additional pieces will close the "room for improvement" I am talking about.
Lastly, I am not claiming that the LCBs are a better mod than the sways. I just think the sways get you 70% there and provide a good foundation to build on. It is the other pieces like the LCBs that bring out what a good foundation gets you.
I hope this feedback helps someone.
Neo,
the order in which you did your mods definitely has to be factored into your impressions. You were quite happy with the results of the LCB's, but I see you have no Front STB yet. It would of been interesting to see what your impressions would be if you did the STB first and the LCB second.
I would think an STB will have a greater improvement since this is where all the force of your shocks/springs is being applied to the body.
It IS good to know that the LCB did affect a change, all on it's own though. I will definitely consider this mod for myself.
As far as the increased harshness of adding sways, I would check to see if the bushings are well greased or for some reason too tight. This can have a BIG affect on how your sways are working. I had a ride issue as you described when I installed bigger sways on my other car. When I removed the end link attachments I realized that the bushings were way too tight, because the bars would not move freely up and down. Your bars might also loosen up on their own after some break in. They do affect ride, but I wouldn't think as much as you are feeling.
Last edited by RMMGS4; 11-21-02 at 03:45 PM.
11-21-02, 04:19 PM
#6
TTurboPimp,
Yeah, you started with a much more aggressive suspension than me (Flex vs. Ltuned, 20s vs. 18s) so that may be a factor. The ride of the sways did not really degrade on nice smooth roads or even on decent roads. It is on bad rough roads, and ones that has dips on one side or the other. On bad roads, the car shakes more than it used to. On the "dips" road, as soon as I hit a dip/groove on one side of the car, an almost equal one appeared on the other side. Before I had the sways, that also happened but on a much lower scale. I just assumed that the sways reduced flex in the car so that vibrations and changes are not absorbed as much as before.
RMMGS4,
Are you wondering about my "good road" ride quality or the "bad road" ride quality? I only have issues with the latter. The former does not really even register. As for the LCBs, I am glad it did make a difference. I can't say that it is the front, rear, or the combo that made the biggest impact. Together, it is pretty good change. As for the the STB, well you know my situation there.
Bit,
Yeah, I saw that piece too. My installer did not use it. It looks about the same size as the Tom's sticker so I thought it had something to do with the sticker. Do you think the sticker will add to the performance?
I also took the car out this morning to a few other frequently driven spots to compare. All I can say is "Yee ha!!"
Yeah, you started with a much more aggressive suspension than me (Flex vs. Ltuned, 20s vs. 18s) so that may be a factor. The ride of the sways did not really degrade on nice smooth roads or even on decent roads. It is on bad rough roads, and ones that has dips on one side or the other. On bad roads, the car shakes more than it used to. On the "dips" road, as soon as I hit a dip/groove on one side of the car, an almost equal one appeared on the other side. Before I had the sways, that also happened but on a much lower scale. I just assumed that the sways reduced flex in the car so that vibrations and changes are not absorbed as much as before.
RMMGS4,
Are you wondering about my "good road" ride quality or the "bad road" ride quality? I only have issues with the latter. The former does not really even register. As for the LCBs, I am glad it did make a difference. I can't say that it is the front, rear, or the combo that made the biggest impact. Together, it is pretty good change. As for the the STB, well you know my situation there.
Bit,
Yeah, I saw that piece too. My installer did not use it. It looks about the same size as the Tom's sticker so I thought it had something to do with the sticker. Do you think the sticker will add to the performance?
I also took the car out this morning to a few other frequently driven spots to compare. All I can say is "Yee ha!!"
Last edited by Neo; 11-21-02 at 04:20 PM.
11-21-02, 05:55 PM
#7
Neo,
between all us locals: me, RedGS4, Synergy, Jawnthen and Rominl, I think we should get together some time on some local roads and compare notes with our different set ups. I've taken Rominl, RedGS4 and Jawnthen for rides before and it is interesting to get their impressions.
I've got a couple of good bumpy roads near me where I can test ride quality, creaking & rattles, etc. I've also got a couple of sweeping turns where I can hang.
What roads have you been using for reference?
PM me if you want, or maybe we should start a new thread about it ? ?
between all us locals: me, RedGS4, Synergy, Jawnthen and Rominl, I think we should get together some time on some local roads and compare notes with our different set ups. I've taken Rominl, RedGS4 and Jawnthen for rides before and it is interesting to get their impressions.
I've got a couple of good bumpy roads near me where I can test ride quality, creaking & rattles, etc. I've also got a couple of sweeping turns where I can hang.
What roads have you been using for reference?
PM me if you want, or maybe we should start a new thread about it ? ?
Last edited by RMMGS4; 11-21-02 at 05:57 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
fireballs gs400
Suspension and Brakes
1
08-12-03 08:08 PM