dipstick

Well, I have had my Sportivo sways in for almost a week (many thanks to Nuum VVT-i), and I think I can give a realistic report now.

Before I had my sways installed, I had driven Nuum's GS430 -- a very cool black car with L-tuned suspension and exhaust, TRD race (blue) sway bars, TRD STB and rear LCB -- earlier in the day. I had also had a demo ride with Bitkahuna some time ago in his silver car setup the same as Nuum's, so I have a reference.

I started with the L-Tuned suspension. My goal was to reduce body lean and improve handling response and turn-in, but not to the extent that there is almost NO body roll as you get with the blue sways. Don't misunderstand, I love the solid, crisp handling and flat turns with the stiffer bars, but I wanted to maintain the luxury ride to some extent and feel more comfortable with at least a little body lean. Having driven two Corvettes for 12 out of the last 15 years, I was ready to give up some handling for a quieter, smoother ride. Also, I like the look and ride quality of fatter tires, so I have a set of Michelin Sport A/S tires, 245/45/17 front and 255/45/17 rear, on stock 17" alloys which softens the response compared to 245/40 and 275/35 tires. I also have 5mm spacers on the front and 15mm spacers on the rear.

My very first impression was that body roll had not been reduced as much as I was expecting. When we took a short test ride I swerved side to side to get the feel of it at about 35-40 mph, and the car does still roll a little. But the more I have driven it, the more I recognize the reduction in lean and the improvement in handling. The body roll I described above progressively disappears as cornering speed and turn-in increase, and the handling becomes very responsive and predictable at higher speeds. Note that I don't really drive fast compared to what I read on CL. However, I can take the corners and curves I have driven for 15 years just about as fast as I did in the Vettes with comfort. Actually, the Vette rear end would break too suddenly for me, and I haven't had that feeling with the GS4 and the new sways. I am especially pleased with the improvement in cornering from a stop under full throttle. Total confidence that it will go where I point it without any loss of control.

I was told that the TRD race sways are over 100% stiffer than stock, and that the Sportivo sways are about 50% stiffer, and I think that is about right.

As far as luxury ride, it has not suffered at all (remember I already had the L-Tuned suspension). We have pretty good roads here, an occasional pothole, manhole cover, washboarded asphalt, etc., but not really bad. But I can say that I can't feel any difference in ride quality and quietness. Naturally on the interstate there is no difference in comfort, as expected.

Well, there it is. My recommendation: If you want crisp autocross type of handling that lets you push the limits of the car(which is great), get the TRD race sways. Considering the handling improvement, the comfort trade-off is worth it. If you want a compromise that makes the GS handle as well as or better than a BMW 540i Sport, but keeps most of the Lexus ride, I highly recommend the Sportivos. Both sets are high quality products, and you won't be disappointed.

Glad to answer questions if you have any. And thanks again to Nuum, the Lexus GS Master.

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

great review

what kind of bushings came with these were they rubber or urethene

can you feel the diff between stock and the sportivo , i mean is the diff obvious or do you have to look for it, i was going to go for the daizens but now they have finishing issues and cannot provide for some time.

you said no degradation in ride quality i know the blues are so stiff some have complained about breaking brackets and links

Guru

TRD Technocraft uses hardenned rubber bushings.

dipstick

Lexforlife: Right, the bushings are hard rubber like the stock bushings. The difference between the Sportivos and stock sways is obvious, you don't have to look for it or imagine it. It is just not as advanced as the race type sways. I think if you put the sways on the stock suspension (not L-Tuned) the difference would be impressive.

Navaz

Just like I said a week ago!
Under city driving conditions they are perfect.

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

is hardened rubber what they call durometer and are they as good if not better then urthene

VVT-i

Great write up and really nice to meet you too. I was wondering the differences between the blue and the white sway bar, now I know. The spacer did the job too. I like the way your car look..sweet.

whitels

Excellent review. Now the group buy...

RON430

Just a quick note. Durometer is not a type of rubber, it is a measure of the "stiffness" of a rubber. And what stiffness gets used where for a bushing and its effect on ride/handling is a whole other topic.

dipstick

Another observation -- relative to ride comfort, I have to go over umpteen humps and "traffic calming" bumps every day, and I try to take them with only the left wheels or only the right wheels where there is a gap in the bump. The place where the stiffer sways would really show is in this type case where only one side of the sway is moved up or down, and I can't tell any difference from before. I am getting more confident with my setup, and I think my new Michelin Sport A/S tires are contributing to this. These tires are, imho, the best I have ever had. Ultra quiet, great adhesion, no squealing, great turn-in feel. I am very impressed. I haven't ever driven on the other popular tires on this site (Bridgestone SO2, Yoko AVS or Toyo TS-1, so I can't compare to those. My previous experience has been with my Corvettes: Goodyears, Michelin XGTs, Dunlop Sports.