Help Needed With Polybush Development

murph · July 8, 2007

Hi All,

I have posted the details below in the suspension section and have not had any feedback as yet, I am sure it could be early days but just to make sure all get to see it I thought I would post in the general section, appologise if this is not the done thing. Any help would be gratfully received as I am going to be fronting a reasonable amout of money to make this happen.

today I spent some time with Tim Darvill the Marketing and Development Manager at Powerflex. The reason for my call was to start selling Poweflex bushes for smart cars (my main business is two smart car centres) and also I had primed him with the fact that I loved my Lexus LS 400 and why didn't they sell replacement bushes for the car.

Having got the LS up in the air we inspected what was needed and some 16 bushes later we had a kit in mind!

To develop the kit I will have to pay for development costs etc so wanted to gauge interest from members of the club. The kit price will probebly be around £300 (don't hold me to this as we have a way to go yet!) This is a lot less than renewing everything from Lexus as I m sure a few of you know.

As I have only owned the Mk3 LS400 can anyone tell me are there any major differances between the marks that I should be aware of?

Does anyone know how many LS 400's were sold in the UK of the various marks?

As part of the development process they need the suspension parts off the car and as I can't take mine off the road for more than a day I wondered if anyone knew of a car being broken that I could borrow or buy the said parts from, if you do and you want to help then I am sure a couple of bushes could find there wy into your hands etc etc

Anyone wishing to help please e-mail me how to get in contact.

I will discuss with Matt putting a club deal together if that would also be of help.

And please register your interest as I will have to commit to upwards of 20 sets and development costs to make this happen.

many thanks for your interest and help

Murph

maneesh · July 8, 2007

LS400s used to sell approx 1 per day, hence around the 365 mark per year!!!

Polyurethane bushes already exist for the LS400 - and they have been heavily tested and reviewed on clublexus

http://www.daizensporttuning.com/products/...m_bushings.html

And bear in mind, that no matter how often you grease the polyurethane bushes, you will get some squeaking noises from time to time, esp in cold weather!

murph · July 9, 2007

LS400s used to sell approx 1 per day, hence around the 365 mark per year!!!
Polyurethane bushes already exist for the LS400 - and they have been heavily tested and reviewed on clublexus

http://www.daizensporttuning.com/products/...m_bushings.html

And bear in mind, that no matter how often you grease the polyurethane bushes, you will get some squeaking noises from time to time, esp in cold weather!

Thanks for the reply Maneesh.

I can only see replacement available for a couple of the parts, so have been talking wth Powerflex about a set of 16 bushes to cover all the relevant parts, is that overkill, do the other parts just not wear out?

I guess noise v ride is a case of how mush noise do you think and given that the LS is quiet inside will you hear this when driving?

Again thanks for you help

Murph

maneesh · July 9, 2007

they do the anti roll bar bushes too. those plus the control arms are all the bushes I can think of that wear out on LS400s.

the ride with polyurethane bushes will be harder, and nearly all LS400 owners choose their car for ride quality!

I hear the squeaking on the GS all the time, esp when pulling out of driveways and going over speedbumps. Who wants to lubricate poly bushes every month? Lexus is supposed to be hassle free ownership!

I'm glad I've got uprated rubber bushes back on!

GoldfingerLS · July 9, 2007

Agree with Maneesh. The point of buying the LS400 was the quiet, creamy, silky smooth ride. Hence I wouldn't go for poly bushes which would give sqeaking and a harsher ride. I would be interested in replacements for the standard rubber ones, even though they would not last as long as the poly ones, the LS is worth every penny :)

Having said that DHP owners might be interested ?.....

SimonR · October 25, 2007

I have a MK1 LS400 with 228,000 miles. The bushes are pretty much dead and I have been looking for a cost-effective replacement.

If you need help with development I might be prepared to lend my car on condition that I got it back in one piece and that this help was reflected in the price of the bushes.

I did contact Daizen asking if they did rear UCA and LCA but never heard back from them.

I would have thought there would be some demand for a complete kit. Maybe not so much over here but there should be for LS400's in the US and Celsior's in Oz.

Re the harsh ride, I spoke to Carl from lexls.com about that. He feels that the ride isn't unduly harsh with poly bushes and retains most of the quality ride.