Howdy, I am a brand new owner of a gorgeous 1996 LS400.
http://www.onedaywealth.com/lexus/
What springs and shocks commonly used to lower these cars and improve moderate speed (less than 100mph) cornering?
What Springs? How much to lower?
What shocks absorbers?
What sway bars?
I'm leaving on a many thousand mile journey around Australia to visit my clients. I expect a few dirt roads will be encountered but for the most part I'll be driving on sealed roads at higway speed.
Having just bought the car I thought I might start off with a Lexus "A" service (a "B" was done last service and despite my insistence they convinced me that the car was fine and didn't need one - which was a $1,000 saving so I'm ok with that). One thing they did mention was that the shock absorbers (though not leaking) were a bit soft and could probably do with replacing.
I live in Adelaide South Australia which is not known for it's massive parts support for modified LS400s so I have to look interstate or (hopefully not)overseas. No one in Adelaide gives me anything but blank stares so as usual I have to start trusting people I don't know. Fortunately I am a member here so I'm not totally alone.
We have a company called Industrial Springs who can re-set my springs which I don't mind as I figure it'll keep some of the ride quality because it'll keep the stock windings but being slightly more compressed should stiffen the ride a little in the harder corners. They just have to know how much I want to lower the car and they'll do it in one day (in the morning - out the afternoon). I am not after a hard as stone handling car. I'm just after an improvement. I like to improve all my cars and very few of them have escaped some improvement in either looks or performance. Case in point my supercharged 1UZ powered Cressida some of you might remember (now for sale if anyone's interested).
This car already has the looks and great paint (I still marvel at the quality of paint in the door jams - this car is in very good condition - Lexus said it's the best example they've seen in a long time - looks like it just came out of the factory they said) but it needs slight lowering, a nice set of wheels and some sportier suspension to suit my driving and conditions.
I love totally slammed cars - don't get me wrong - but this car only needs sensible improvements in ride appearance and handling. I was thinking this the other night and thought I'd have a look on ebay for some wheels and low and behold only put up for sale a few minutes before was a set of 5 spoke factor mags for an LS430.
I liked the look so I used "Buy It Now" and they are on their way. I plan to fit Goodyear F1 Tyres (good choice or is there a better choice for tyres). The wheels are 18x8 38P. I took a bit of a punt not knowing for sure if these will fit my 96 but the previous owner had them on his Gen1 LS400 and said they would fit and look great. $200 each ($2,600 as an option for the LS430). I also confirmed it with my tyre dealer and he said they "should" fit no problem.
These should give me a wider footprint and less sidewall movement while exposing me to greater damage potential from pot holes...etc. I think I'll take the chance for improved road holding and the car rides so well that a bit of a reduction in "comfort" will be an allowable sacrifice.
So how much lowering do you think I'll need to make the car look perfectly proportioned? What springs would you guys fit and what shocks are suitable (or even available) for my car? What about sway bars? What about just sway bar bushes? I've heard that replacing and firming just the sway bar bushes will result in more control and less...umm...sway - I guess. However none of this stuff is available locally except for one bloke who has a full set of fully adjustable coil overs and no car to put them on but doesn't want to sell (what a tease). What's the story with these coil overs anyway? Very expensive I imagine but is the news all good with these units? Remember, I want to improve the general performance of the car not go as stiff and low as I can. Mild is the key word here.
I should also note that I am hitting the road in about 10 days so I don't have too much time to wait. The springs can be done in one day so it's just a matter of choosing the right shockers (if I have a choice).
Thanks for reading this long post. All help and comments appreciated.
http://www.onedaywealth.com/lexus/
What springs and shocks commonly used to lower these cars and improve moderate speed (less than 100mph) cornering?
What Springs? How much to lower?
What shocks absorbers?
What sway bars?
I'm leaving on a many thousand mile journey around Australia to visit my clients. I expect a few dirt roads will be encountered but for the most part I'll be driving on sealed roads at higway speed.
Having just bought the car I thought I might start off with a Lexus "A" service (a "B" was done last service and despite my insistence they convinced me that the car was fine and didn't need one - which was a $1,000 saving so I'm ok with that). One thing they did mention was that the shock absorbers (though not leaking) were a bit soft and could probably do with replacing.
I live in Adelaide South Australia which is not known for it's massive parts support for modified LS400s so I have to look interstate or (hopefully not)overseas. No one in Adelaide gives me anything but blank stares so as usual I have to start trusting people I don't know. Fortunately I am a member here so I'm not totally alone.
We have a company called Industrial Springs who can re-set my springs which I don't mind as I figure it'll keep some of the ride quality because it'll keep the stock windings but being slightly more compressed should stiffen the ride a little in the harder corners. They just have to know how much I want to lower the car and they'll do it in one day (in the morning - out the afternoon). I am not after a hard as stone handling car. I'm just after an improvement. I like to improve all my cars and very few of them have escaped some improvement in either looks or performance. Case in point my supercharged 1UZ powered Cressida some of you might remember (now for sale if anyone's interested).
This car already has the looks and great paint (I still marvel at the quality of paint in the door jams - this car is in very good condition - Lexus said it's the best example they've seen in a long time - looks like it just came out of the factory they said) but it needs slight lowering, a nice set of wheels and some sportier suspension to suit my driving and conditions.
I love totally slammed cars - don't get me wrong - but this car only needs sensible improvements in ride appearance and handling. I was thinking this the other night and thought I'd have a look on ebay for some wheels and low and behold only put up for sale a few minutes before was a set of 5 spoke factor mags for an LS430.
I liked the look so I used "Buy It Now" and they are on their way. I plan to fit Goodyear F1 Tyres (good choice or is there a better choice for tyres). The wheels are 18x8 38P. I took a bit of a punt not knowing for sure if these will fit my 96 but the previous owner had them on his Gen1 LS400 and said they would fit and look great. $200 each ($2,600 as an option for the LS430). I also confirmed it with my tyre dealer and he said they "should" fit no problem.
These should give me a wider footprint and less sidewall movement while exposing me to greater damage potential from pot holes...etc. I think I'll take the chance for improved road holding and the car rides so well that a bit of a reduction in "comfort" will be an allowable sacrifice.
So how much lowering do you think I'll need to make the car look perfectly proportioned? What springs would you guys fit and what shocks are suitable (or even available) for my car? What about sway bars? What about just sway bar bushes? I've heard that replacing and firming just the sway bar bushes will result in more control and less...umm...sway - I guess. However none of this stuff is available locally except for one bloke who has a full set of fully adjustable coil overs and no car to put them on but doesn't want to sell (what a tease). What's the story with these coil overs anyway? Very expensive I imagine but is the news all good with these units? Remember, I want to improve the general performance of the car not go as stiff and low as I can. Mild is the key word here.
I should also note that I am hitting the road in about 10 days so I don't have too much time to wait. The springs can be done in one day so it's just a matter of choosing the right shockers (if I have a choice).
Thanks for reading this long post. All help and comments appreciated.
