Sc 430 Suspension

[dalepulde724]

I am new to this site and problems with my SC 430 bring me to ask questions. I have a 02 with 10K miles.

I Put aftermarket wheels on it at 2k. The car still rode as it did knew,Which was not all that great. Any small pot holes or railroad tracks it seem to bottom the suspension and not have much rebound dampning.

@ about 6200 I took it for service. When I got it back it had a bit of Wheel shimmy. I took it right back. They told me my wheels were bent.They re balanced them and it was a bit better. Now it is real bad and has a rear shock leaking. From the weak suspension it has bent two rims extreemly bad. I have been calling around to find out that even the stock wheels are bending.1 is due to the Weak and junk suspension.the other is from the run flats being so stiff . I have run these wheels on Porsches Mercedes and a Corvette with no problems ever. Other than bushings is there a real suspension change? My dealer says NO.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank You

[dusi]

You Americans seem to be getting a very rough deal. You are correct that the suspension and tires (proper spelling :) ) are crap and we Brits being fighters have forced Lexus to replace both items free of charge. Perhaps Lexus in the US thinks that because you have always put up with third rate cars they can get away with it. The only way you can get them to do anything is by creating a lot of bad publicity which is what we did.

You may also like to attack them from the safety angle because we think the car in standard form was not roadworthy, and having been nearly flung off the road twice under heavy braking, I am here to tell you that that is the case.

There seems to be little point in attacking your dealers as they seem not to care at all so all your efforts should be focussed on Lexus themselves.

Good luck

[oeo]

I was told by my Lexus dealer that the suspension in general from Lexus/SC430 for American cars vs British cars have different specs. They said that the american car's suspension are different. Designed for american roads vs. british driving. Overall I'm happy with my SC430 handling and ride. I'm just not pleased with the Bridgestone run flats starting at about 7,000 miles because of lack of grip and they're too noisey, and harsh ride... definitely not good for the suspension.... So, I'm looking forward to changing to Pirelli PZERO non-run flat tires soon...

Overall I no-longer consider the SC430 a sports car. It is a very fine, very reliable, high quality, innovative, high value SPORTY car. It is not a sports car like a Porsche, Vette, MGB, Alpha Romeo, etc.

I'm very happy with mine! Also, according to Edmunds SC430 owner reviews 95% of american SC430 owners are very happy with their cars....

[dalepulde724]

Dusi. I agree that we Americans do let them sell us anything. I think this is why is some cases they can claim 95% customer satisfaction. Most of the SC buyers here would not know good from bad. I have been in the performance world for 35 years and know how the magazine articles work. For example. when they are test driven they are taken for a fairly short time and not driven long enough to show the future problems. I have called the customer satisfaction line only to be treated as if I bought a toilet and I am stuck with it. .I was treated better when my GM car gave me problems.I spoke to the wheel MFG which told me the only wheels they were having a problem with were on the 430 SC. When the SC was 1st released here the run flats were an option later they all just came with them. I think no matter what country the car is being shipped to it should have a suspension capable of handling any road terrain. Are pot holes and rough roads any different in England than in the US? There are many cars out with time dampning suspension and they all seem to have it worked out now. My father just bought a Infinity G35 coupe. Its to new to tell but at this point it sure drives better than my 430SC for a bunch less money. I was not looking for a race car just a sporty car that has the luxury of a Lexus. My 00 Corvette would out run this car and give an average of 5 MPG more. Thanks for the feed back. DP

[oeo]

I guess in Great Britain Lexus has sold far fewer SC430, so it's not a huge deal to update tires and suspension in those few cars... They've probably sold 20,000 to 25,000 here.... and most of the SC430 customers are not ex-Corvette, or real sports car customers... so I guess we don't know any better, so that's why we're mostly very happy here in the U.S. with our SC430.

This past weekend I drove my 430 with 14k miles Bridgestone run flats well past 95mph and it felt like I lost control of the car... like it was gonna take off in the air or something... just couldn't feel the road....it was a scary feeling so I slowed down... I remember the steering in my 96 & 98 SC400 really tightend up at high speed.... I don't know if the way the SC430 drives at very high speed is the car or the tires...

I'll let everyone know after I get my Pirelli PZero Nero M&S non-runflat tires....

[Loz]

From My open road session I can say with confidence that they drive far better with the roof up. but people look more with it down. its as leisurely as the LS430 and if you want a sporty V8 go for the GS. Best of all worlds!

The SC is not a sports car but is a very fine Grand Tourer. I think it only ever intended to be a GT. And its not a bad one. Shame Merc brought out the best one in the world yet though...

[oeo]

LOZ,

Yes, I did have the top down when I was driving in the 90mph range... I didn't think about that when i posted my last reply... I'll try it again with the top up....

[HK_Altezza]

I expect that the US spec SC430 is fully tuned for comfort, although with a very strong engine, while the springs of the European version are stiffer .

Replacing the existing springs/shocks will definitely help and probably if stiffer sway bars are avail it will transform your SC430 in a real driving machine.

I had the springs and shocks changed abnd lowered my car, and it definitely is much more fun to drive now.

Alex

[bly]

If you have the run flat tires on it get rid of them and put on a set of real tires. You'll think you bought a new car. Also, I had a wheel slightly bent when I had the run flats on the car. If you hit a pot hole with the run flat tires it's like they're solid rubber and they transmit the shock to the wheel.

[Rar]

I still like my run-flats!!!

[dalepulde724]

Thank you all very much for the info. I have owned lots of different makes of cars,sport touring and race.

None of which I have bent a wheel. if you own a car and have to avoid pot holes,I would like to know where you drive. A close friend of mine owns a performance tire shop 2 blocks from my dealer. Seems as I am not the only one who has bent wheels on an SC430. My dealer will do what ever to make me happy although he has no knowledge of a different spring or shock that the factory has.Does anyone have an upgrade or factory number or notification about this?

So far I have only heard of 1 person liking the run flats on this car.

I have run up to 130 mph bring the car back from Texas. we ran 90 plus with the top down and it still ran smooth. As I said before the more mile on it the worse it became. I am changing tires and putting on new wheels then looking further into the suspension.

We will see. Thanks to all of you Dale

[oeo]

Back to drawing board..... now the tire rack tells me that the Pirelli PZero Nero M&S non-runflat tires in the SC430 size are back-ordered until December...... Originally they were due in the end of August.... Too bad... I was looking forward to some nice fall driving on these Pirellis!

Maybe I'll wait... since these seemed to have the best overall ratings....

[freds733]

:D I am a new sc430 owner; I traded in a Corvette z06. I was looking for a more refined ride and I feel that I got it. The first thing I did was to order the new Bilstein PSS shock/spring system; can't wait to get it installed.

[Fidgits]

Have a look at fitting the TTE back boxes too mate :winky: