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In the process of importing a ISF to the UK. After looking around a while I've settled for a Pearl White 2013 model. Its got a cat back exhaust, coilovers and riding on RCF alloys which really fill the arches. Its already on a ship a fifth of its way here. Already exited 😁 Pics to follow 😉

Hello All, I am creating this thread to document the build on my UK 1998 LS400. So far the car is stock apart from GS300 sport wheels and BC Racing coilovers. I am unsure of the plan with this car just yet buf I have a few ideas. The first issue is rust...... under the boot/trunk seal. Its gonna need some welding (pics to follow) Cheers Matt

My observations. Coilovers! Race chip?! Outstanding recall, so has not seen a main dealer in a wee while. Otherwise ticks boxes.

Ok, so my rear shocks are blown and will be an MOT failure... Time to replace but after seeing Lexus dealer prices for OEM parts I'm seriously thinking of fitting a full set of coilovers. Dissapointed I'll lose the in car adjustability of the dampeners but hopefully I can find a good balanced setting on the coilovers. Any recommendations for which coilovers to get? I'm currently looking at Tein Flex Z, HSD monopro and D2 racing (street) Do we have any suppliers on here offering club discounts etc? :)

If you like that colour combination there is this for a bit more money, but lacking a couple of the other cars bits, coilovers etc. The Car Warehouse - A different kind of company, a different kind of car<br/><br/>

“ reasonableness “ surely pertains OEM type / style replacements all ok whatever the make ….. surely changing air to coilovers ask specifically …… that wouldn’t affect the car mode or structure BUT I would ask to clarify Vide My personal issue and insurers tell me it’s OK ……. 16” wheels in substitute for the original 15” on my 91 Ls400 …… hopefully sense prevails but if in doubt simply ask them ! Malc

I have just spent 3 hours in the company of your 2001 SC 430. It's still looking very sharp. In general, a well sorted car.Being Sorned I could not get a run in it, but Neil the current owner seems well pleased with the performance. Apart from the expected couple of things that any car will get if it's driven it is quite immaculate and it is still on coilovers ! Pleasure to have been able to give it a lengthy lookover.

Mines an Auto, would usually go for a manual but the tax cost was a killer. It's a lovely car, has the bonus of having a stainless custom backbox on it already. Guy I got it from had it from 10,000 miles, it now has 153,000! Currently collecting service items to crack on with, I've already done the engine oil, found it had a K&N filter in it when I went to change the air filter, always a bonus. Going to give the trans fluid a full change and change the filter, then do the diff oil. Long term would be a full suspension overhaul with some Hardrace control arm bushes, Tein coilovers, and since reading your thread some 350z alloys! I've been after a different set for mine as the standard 17's are a bit knackered. The 350's Rays look nice, and not stupidly expensive on FB Marketplace.

Hi everyone I was wanting to get some ideas and thoughts on how to improve the ride quality of my IS250, being an f sport the ride was quite firm but this was majorly improved with my continental eco contact tyres, I recently have tried out a SE-L 250 and the ride quality was vastly superior, is it worth trying to get a hold of stock IS250 suspension used or getting after market coilovers, I have heard the springs used in the f sport suspension are very stiff so could changing those make a difference?

Like @Linas.P said, tyres make the biggest difference generally speaking. @McShmoopy I agree, stretched tyres are more comfy than regular tyres due to the angle of the sidewall, it flexes more. If your tyres aren't stretched, you'll find that the sidewall is pretty much straight, which is what makes it stiffer (that's why runflats are notoriously hard - reinforced sidewalls). It's not the best for absolute performance due to the sidewall flex but you will never notice this unless you're on the track. And yeah, if it's moderately stretched, say 225s on 9.5" wheels, or even similar to Linas's setup that I've seen in person, you want to run at least 44PSI (depending on how heavy the car, you might want more - like Linas) to avoid de-beading but this would occur when the tyre is extremely stressed - drifting, racing around. Normal use won't face this issue if you have say extra 8-10PSI more than what it says on the plaque in your door shut. As for coilovers. I haven't had the pleasure of driving on HKS coilovers in a Lexus. I tried them on a JZX90 and some other cars but it doesn't matter - it's not comparable if it's a different car. Look at technical specs of the coilovers you want to buy. TEIN Flex Z (damping adjustable and cost £804 new) I had on my black IS250 were very comfortable. The ride quality was better in every way than my tired stock suspension on IS250 SE after 130k miles. Comfort was retained, body roll was reduced (a little bit) and handling was improved massively. The standard spring rates of those coilovers are 8KG on front & rear. And that's what it all comes down to. Spring rates make the ride harsher. Dampers make a difference too, but it's mainly the spring. And it can't be one without the other. It works in harmony. For example my BC Racing coilovers I have now are 12kg & 14kg spring rates. It's not a massive difference in terms of comfort, but it's definitely noticeable. TEINs were A LOT nicer to drive on, perhaps not as stiff but for 98% of driving it's way better. People make mistakes by buying lowering springs to get the car a little lower, but you're putting a shorter and therefore stiffer spring on a stock strut that works in a different pace than your new spring resulting in a harsh ride. 3 of my mates went for the Flex Zs and everyone is very happy. When I first gave them a ride in the car, they couldn't believe how soft and comfortable it was. And with adjustable damping, you can make the car softer than factory. Bear in mind, the stroke is shorter, so you can't be going over speed bumps at 30mph anymore because you will bottom out, but otherwise there are no drawbacks in my opinion.

To be fair I paid the full 10k for this ,because some of your spend had already been done to my satisfaction. Like the exhaust, majority of brakes and suspension (coilovers). Also satisfied with the current audio and exactly how good it is I don't know, because I am virtually deaf in one ear and not that good in the other. Stew is probably thinking he had not noticed, but I lip read well as I have been doing it for most of my life. Anyway the Audio is good enough for me. So, my rough guesstimate on buying this was that I would spend circa 10 to 15k doing mechanical/structural stuff, now and future, with the rest getting the leatherwork and body right on point including some dream Alloys at some point. I was inspired by Nigel? doing his leather seats so I am determined to have a go at that as it's my kind of thing to do. Likewise I am going to take the finish on the bodywork right back and rebuild it. Hence, I will have to spend on an erectable outside 'tent' so I can work out of the weather. Depending how I do with that work I might underspend, or just decide it's not good enough and pay for it to be redone. At the end of it, at my age I could have gone out and spent 20 to 30k buying something a couple of years old with not much mileage and been bored to tears, but if I was going to do that then I don't think I would have waited since I sold my last car in 2016 to do it. My wife has been teasing me to buy a new Aston Martin for years, but I wanted a car that 'grabbed' me and motivated me to create a project with it. The SC 430 is that car. Personally I don't care about resale issues I will leave that to my wife/daughter to determine. I am here for a Good Time not a Long Time and the car is a part of that.

My car's air suspension seems to have problems. It's become onesided recently, and the mechanic suggested that the rear height sensor and suspension components need replacement. They've advised switching both the front and rear from air suspension to coilovers now. TEIN FLEX Z COILOVERS LEXUS LS430 (Parts £780 + Labour charges of £600). Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Rear dampers on my car are made by Tokico, with 48530-53280 part number. Fronts are Tokico too, but I don't know the part numbers of those. As for coilovers, the only ones I've seen for an IS that supposedly retain a comfortable ride, are Hipermax III CLX by HKS.

That is good point - aftermarket coilovers almost always going to be less comfortable "out of the box". What they call "comfortable" basically translates into - better road handling and less body roll with just 20% comfort penalty, so it is relative - they are comfortable compared to more aggressive coilovers, but they still less comfortable than stock . To really get them to be more comfortable you need ones custom build for you, basically choosing spring rates everything yourself, a lot of trial and error, it is pretty much rocket science at this point. As well note - the less comfort may be somewhat related to age/wear, not necessarily F-Sport parts. For example when worn bushes start transmitting vibrations into the car body is not because they are too hard, but just because they worn out. So simply refreshing the rubber parts in particular can improve the ride. It won't be softer, but it will be less road noise and vibration.

Is anyone on here running this BC coilover on their IS250? Mine came with 14K/10K springs and are expectedly stiff compared to stock; starting to think these spring rates are meant for the ISF or IS350. So far, the car doesn’t lunge forward too much when I bring it to stop. Currently rides like a bimma infused Fuji. You catch my drift? 🤡 They’re currently set at standard ride height with 15 clicks from stiff to soft all round. I didn’t mess with the preload. Haven’t dialled them in yet. Short of getting plastic surgery on my bum to help absorb the impact of bumps, some feedback from an experienced member would help. The aim is to lower for better handling and looks without shattering my coccyx. Thanks Frank

Hi guys! i have a lexus is fsport 2017…been finding it difficult to look for a coilover. Been in contact with different shops and they said that they cant find any coilover which will suite the car. can anyone help?

How does the handling compare to the coilovers? I take it that compliance is better? Glad you got it sorted.

Hi Yea Tein will be okay, people tend to normally go for conventional shocks from Rockauto or BC coilovers. Have you also fitted a separate gearbox cooler? If not, I'd suggest you do it as the ls430 suffer from gearbox failure due to coolant leaking from the radiator into the gearbox

Purchased TEIN FLEX Z COILOVERS for LEXUS LS430 and it will be delivered to the garage end of this week. Hopefully it should be ok..

Len, The garage actually didn't even mark it down for immediate attention. Had they done so I would have acted straightaway. Just as you imply not the sort of issue to prevaricate with. I did have some arch phots showing some kind of let's call it minor contact. They did not of course say the contact was still happening either which would have helped. At this point I am really just trying to work it out one way or another if there is something needing attention and how to check that. This vehicle also has R Meister coilovers so of course I wonder if at some point that might have even been a contributing factor. Suspect I will end up just handing this issue to a local garage and asking them to clarify for me IF I have an issue to resolve.

So, The vehicle healthcheck was carried out at Lexus Preston yesterday, free of charge no less, Quel surprise ! Are they good mechanics, I do not know, but they have b...y good coffee ! Seriously, apologies up front for any who get bored trawling through this lot, but I do have 20 photographs taken of the bits we don't usually get to see. As a self confessed novice just trying to learn I am inviting comments from those with much more experience. In a general sense, how does the overall look of that undercarriage strike you. When I saw they described it as having 'vast amounts of surface rust' I had a deja vue moment post Angiogram when the consultant looked down and said '95% occluded , I recommend a Quintuple bypass' ...colour me sh..g a brick. Then I look at these pics and am I wrong ,but I just don't get that description ? Bit of moisture down there, and they did say there are leaks from steering rack and engine, the latter unknown. Fair enough, but I looked at my driveway where it has been stood and there is not so much as one drop showing on the cobbles so what to do? Some corroding of a rear brake pipe. Think that is shown. No big deal methinks. Signs of tyre rub on 2 arches ? Guess that is perhaps do with Coilovers? Anyway, all comments welcomed and appreciated. Finally, they did say it is the 'cleanest' SC 430 they have seen 😃

No argument with that. I actually looked into airlift conversions a while back, but they are a bit spendy, and introduce another potential maintenance item. I could have bought a nice LS460 on bags for less than I paid for my ISF, but that style of car is not what I was after. Guys who fit Bilsteins to their ISF's are outnumbered 100:1 by those who fit BC or similar coilovers and big wheels to their cars. But the guys with the Bilsteins and otherwise stock suspension are usually very happy with the improvement in their ride, while the lads with the BC's are swapping springs, wheels and tyres to try and fix tyre wear, harsh ride and handling problems I'm happy with a "sporty" ride, and I once had a car with cut springs that cornered on the bump stops and I thought that was cool But I have moved on since then... Cheers...

Having compressed the factory shocks while off the car, I have to say the damping is definitely on the FIRM side !! On the other hand, the factory spring rates are very close to the popular SWIFT lowering springs. This indicates to me that with proper damping the factory springs should be able to deliver an acceptable ride. Bilstein tuned their B6 ISF dampers to work with stock springs and ride height. The coilovers in the car are the HKS Hipermax MAX IV GT with 16F and 10R kg/mm springs that are a lot firmer than the factory rate. For track work on smooth surfaces firm springs are seldom a problem providing they have quality damping. Aftermarket coilovers are designed to improve performance for track/racing applications. In general, they have the opposite effect when used on the road where the surface is less than perfect. I don't intend to track my car, so ultimate grip on a racetrack is not important to me, but ride quality on our substandard roads, is important. Cheers...

Who are you going to insure with if you don't mind me asking? I found that not everyone wanted to insure a JDM ISF, perhaps the coilovers on mine have more of an effect on price than I realised, judging by your experience.

I have a 2004 with standard suspension and for me it is just fine even with 19” wider wheels. If the car still has run flat tyres they will give a hard ride so much better with non run flat tyres. When changing suspension a lot of people will just go for coilovers. That way you can adjust the height of the car as well as softer or harder settings.