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Showing results for '"coilovers"'.
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LS400 Air Suspension
H3XME replied to Razor61's topic in LS 400 / Lexus LS 430 / Lexus LS 460 / Lexus 600h / Lexus 500h Club
Maybe it was installed from an imported model..but i don't see why as that'd be a big job. I had factory air suspension on my Soarer and that eventually died. Even used units were mega money so coilovers were the way to go. -
Think he had this on ebay a few weeks back. Could be on coilovers and probably 211, 000 miles not km. I dont think he's telling the whole story either. - looks smart doesn't it. -
i have tein superstreet coilovers on mine and the ride is just as good as the stock set up in my opinion -
They go up & down so it's up to you. You can have 10mm lowering if you want. coilovers will be more comfortable though.
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Hi Lucas. What if I want a lexus is250 lowered by about 30mm only. Can these coilovers do that or will Eibach springs suffice?
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IS250 - New beginning (bit of an ongoing "project")
H3XME replied to H3XME's topic in Modifications & Tuning
Time has come and I finally did a drift day in the 250. The seat above came in handy. I went to Birmingham Wheels as it's local and for £50 you can't really go wrong. I put on my spare wheels on the back and off I went. It was a damp day - it wasn't raining, but they wet the track every 30minutes so people can do wet skids. You'll learn more in terms of control during the wet day, so I didn't mind going even though dry days are better. Oh well, next time.. The car performed really well. Factory LSD locked up nicely, and the steering lock is amazing too. Don't really have any complaints about it. It can definitely do with harder springs on my coilovers for dry days when you have to be more aggressive, but other than that I'm happy with it. I did between 7 & 10 laps before letting it cool down with the bonnet up for 10-15mins and then went back out on the track - the key to reliability.. DO NOT beat on it for too long, have some mechanical sympathy. Everyone said the car is too nice to be drifted, but like I told everyone, I wasn't there to smash it. Drift cars meant to look good, sadly UK is too used to battered E36, IS200 & MX-5s.. Here's a few pics. Got a video coming too.
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Hi, Yes, IS250/220 are the same. I'm running TEIN Flex Z (Japanese manufacturer) coilovers on my 250.. I'm something like 60mm lower. Super comfortable still. I can give you a coupon code on them. https://www.part-box.com/product/vsq22-c1ss3-tein-flex-z-coilovers-suspension-kit-lexus-is250-05-13/ With the coupon they work out to about £650.. couple of days to deliver.
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Hiya I have a 09 is220d and it's ride height is huge IV been looking at carbon culture 47mm lowering springs but unsure on standerd shocks was wondering if is250 coilovers would fit instead ? Can't seem to find any for the 220d Thankyou Luke
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If I'm honest, I have no idea. I've heard of lots of more affordable options once upon a time such as MeisterR and BC Racing - but I have no idea on how good etc. I'd heard of them when I used to have a lot of Honda's, which are generally a bit lighter than some of the Lexus models. I know KW apparently do excellent coilovers, but they aren't cheap. But then again, good things usually aren't too cheap! -
I used Tanabe springs, which are apparently pretty good without spoiling the ride quality. I can attest to this being the case too. The 2 I know of are the NF210 (NF - Normal Feels and less of a drop) and the DF210 (Drop feels with more of a drop) Links here: https://www.tanabe-usa.com/nf210.asp?id=2 https://www.tanabe-usa.com/df210.asp?id=1 I opted for the NF210 as the spring rate is 5% stiffer than shock, which I'd guess the stock shock can take (time will tell!) and the drop is reasonable without having to get aftermarket camber adjusters etc. I'd still recommend a 4 wheel alignment, had mine done yesterday and it's perfect now. Do you know of any coilovers that are meant to keep a reasonable ride quality? My driveway won't allow me to lower the car by much so I wanted to use coilovers to fine tune it so I don't beach it coming on/off the drive. -
Just to update this topic with what I've found after replacing my Anti-Roll Bars with F-Sport ones (and bushes) and installing aftermarket coilovers (Tein Flex Z). Different car! 🤗 The shocks and anti-roll bar bushes I removed were all very tired (which won't help handling), so I suspect refreshing those would have made a difference in themselves. However, I would strongly recommend upgrading too. Why? Because from the outset the GS Mk 3 has been noted for pronounced body roll and soft suspension. While suspension firmness is a personal thing, sometimes being too soft can actually adversely affect ride quality, in essence because the shocks and springs can't react quickly to the larger bumps and imperfections. Anything more than a little body roll, however, is never good; it alters the suspension geometry from the ideal, as the car's frame shifts, and generally results in an unsteady ride and poor handling. Therefore, upgrading Anti-Roll bars (in my case to F-Sport ones) has been the biggest (positive) change I've had in a car. When combined with adjustable coilovers that allowed me to dial them in to exactly where I was comfortable it's a wholly transformed car for the better. Plus the cost of the coilovers (around £800-900 IIRC) was under half the price of a set of new Lexus shocks, so it's cheaper overall too. The bars were around £400 delivered from the US (PTR02-30101 will fit the GS 430 and I'm pretty sure the GS300 too). So, for just over £1,200-£1,300 you can transform the handling of your car, or for a lot less you can replace the ARB bushes and/or the coilovers and still reap a benefit (you'll need to buy a rear bar though, as the bushes are bonded on...). Ultimately it's a personal decision as to whether that's VfM, but I only wish I'd been in a position to do it sooner! HTH! ☺️ -
I'm sure we're all on a budget. It took me 2 years to get the IS250 where it is now.. You always have a choice. You wait, save up a bit more and do it properly. Or rush into it, get lots of sh*t and then it shows. I've learnt the hard way, I did it with my first car and looking back at it, I don't know what I was thinking. There is definitely the right and the wrong way of doing things regardless of whether it'll make you smile or not. You live & learn. If I had someone tell me all this years ago, I probably wouldn't of done so many "sh*t" mods to my first car. People need educating. Especially when it comes to good & bad parts/brands. A lot of mods are very subjective, everyone has a different taste (not all good) but the worst thing is when people go around saying eBay this, China that is just as good as genuine parts from real brands that have been around for decades just because they've never been educated about the parts. Cheap china coilovers and cheap wheels from Wheelbasealloys for example are the best ones to look at. Cheap coilovers will definitely RUIN the car, and this where the misconception comes from. People not using proper parts. Coilovers will not ruin the car, not in even in terms of comfort if using the right ones. Wheels.. sure, why pay £1.5k+ for a set of wheels when you can buy a set for £700 from JR, Bola, Rota etc. You will find out when you hit a sneaky pothole at 60mph or clip a kerb at high speed. You'll end up with hexagon wheels (softer material hence the price) or worse.. shattered alloy which will then lead to an accident. I'm not trying to argue here with anyone, just stating facts. As much freedom as you can get with modifying your car to suit your taste, there is a right and wrong way of going on about it.
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Yes the later suspension was improved, it's not a hard ride, even mine, lowered on coilovers with wide tyres has reasonable compliance. It's similar to the ride in the GS430, just not quite as tight or as good at soaking up the uneven surfaces. On a long motorway run it's very comfortable. I was a passenger in the GS450 but I've driven a new RX450hl, LS600hl's and a few other hybrids. I wouldn't consider them the smoothest drivetrain overall but I take your point in the sense that they don't change gear as such. None were as smooth and quiet as the 3UZFE with 6 speed in the LS430 I owned a few years ago. On standard tyres and good standard suspension you should get a pretty smooth experience in the SC. It is more capable of being 'sporty' than most reviewers will have you believe when you're in tune with it but the ride handling bias is definitely towards 'grand tourer.'
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No worries. I'd give you (or anyone else who's intrigued) a ride but obviously you're nowhere near Birmingham haha. I wouldn't overthink it. The primary purpose of coilovers is track (performance) use. Nobody buys them for comfort, but it doesn't mean you can't have that with the correct spec.
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@H3XME Many thanks for taking the time to reply. It seems I have a lot more to think about than I originally thought. Your car looks amazing. And that is a lot lower than I planned but you still have the comfort. I think I need to read up more on the coilovers.
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@RookyCoilovers being harsh is a misconception. It really depends on the coilovers, spec and brands. Coilovers are only as harsh as the spring rates. Generally, lowering springs are harsher than coilovers because there's only the spring lowering the car while factory strut is always compressed and not working properly. My car is on TEIN Flex Z coilovers (£732) that come with 8kg front & rear spring rates. That's very soft for such a big car. My coilovers have improved the ride quality as my stock suspension was tired after 129k miles. Even now, when people get in my car they always compliment on how comfortable it rides and they couldn't even tell that it's on coilovers if it wasn't lowered. Sure, you can find cheaper coilovers, but they will be crap. These are the entry level branded coilovers that are best bang for your buck. Fully height adjustable and also damping adjustable, so you have the adjustment of how hard or soft you want the damping to be. They will stiffen up the car a bit overall, it will feel safer when turning as they reduce some body roll too, overall the steering is more direct too. Can't go wrong with these. Here's a few pics of my car. It's about 70mm lower compared to stock, but it retains comfort because 1) spring rates are soft 2) dampers work as intended. Stock dampers will be too compressed 24/7 on lowering springs so half of your suspension becomes almost obsolete. At the end of the day, they are coilovers, so don't go driving over speed bumps or potholes are silly speeds, but I can't recommend these enough on this car.
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Taking advantage of the nice weather I finally managed to install the LS400 callipers and discs I had lying around for quite some time While I was at it, changed both lower ball joints, inner+outer track rods and anti roll bar endlinks to finally have a proper alignment since lowering the car on coilovers. Waiting for the oil to drain, I thought it’s a good time to clean the rear arches for any dirt trapped in there and inspect the areas. A bit of surface rust which I’ll get back to it once the I’ll have more time to dedicate but for now I’ve used the old oil to pour some into the cills for a bit of short term protection I had to make a trip to London for a few days, so made a stop in Chesham at Wheels In Motion for the alignment, car is behaving the way it should now. Couldn’t stay away from marketplace and picked up some goodies, a set of Hotchkis anti roll bar which will improve the overall stability of the car, and a auto box as a spare. Now at this point I should’ve stopped browsing the marketplace, but needing a few interior bits to make mine perfect, I went on it again and bought another IS300 Sportcross 😬 It’s in ok condition overall, a bit rough at the rear cills where it had some repairs previously and it needs a good clean underneath as it’s full of mud. I’ve purchased it with the idea of being a donor car but know I’m not so sure, having an lpg kit installed I kinda fancy daily-ing it. Oh well, food for thought.
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When I was chatting with the guys at my local halfords who all drive older cars and modified and experienced in all aspects of suspension they recommend I stay put with normal suspension as the majority of coilovers give a very harsh ride. Yes very few don't but they cost thousands. To change the springs is a doddle. From start to finish and by that I mean get tools out and Jack's and then when done put tools away it took me an hour to remove a strut replace the dust gaitor with a modified one and put strut back on the car. Only tool needed to buy was spring compressors. Yes members on here swear by coilovers but they want a stiff harsh ride and do drifts and doughnuts and there's nowt wrong with that.
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Great pics Paul. Out of interest what coilovers you fitting to your lexus?
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I've never driven IS220D or G35. I have driven 350Z (same as G35) and E92 330i manual. Neither of them can be compared imo. Completely different cars. Can't exactly compare 200hp saloon to 280bhp coupes. They are within 100kg of each other, but of course the IS250 lacks power compared to them. In terms of driving, IS250 is a very nice, comfortable cruiser. Steering is too light for my liking and the car is too heavy for the power it's got. Like I said, completely different, but very enjoyable. You just can't get into an IS250 expecting something fast. Mine is lowered on coilovers, it's got aftermarket exhaust, different wheels, seat, intake and as much nicer as it is to drive now, you still can't compare it to my GT86 or my friends 350Z or my father's 370Z.. completely different car, built for different purpose. Nevertheless, it's almost a perfect daily. I say almost because the rear sets don't fold. All that being said, the IS250 does drive like a Japanese car rather than a german despite being "luxurious".
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Lexus IS 300H 2013 Non F-Sport Premier (Bagheera)
_3rd replied to HellaF's topic in Lexus Build Threads
I run 19” 8.5” ET34 front and 9.5” ET35 rear and it’s okay but I have coilovers set about -65mm so got negative cambers on both axles. My front wheels are a bit hidden in arch, rear ones have not much space like 4mm to rear bumper top mount. Idk 🤷♂️ if this spec will fit if you are not going to lower your suspension Best option you can find someone with similar offsets and try to fit wheels yourself. What tires are you going for? For 9.5J I would go 255 which is a bit stretched, same as 225 on 8.5J -
If you want to keep it original, ask the dealer for a cost, it may not be too bad or alternatively consider some adjustable coilovers.
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GS300 2009 - replace adaptive struts with normal KYB struts?
lapausa replied to lapausa's topic in Brakes & Suspension
I am really doubtful it would take a month. No way. Today they are running a -35% and a KYB one comes at 93GBP. Delivery will be 5 more GBP or so. Racing Coilovers are something different, I would not go with such a solution tbh. But in any case, keep us updated. -
GS300 2009 - replace adaptive struts with normal KYB struts?
ZXSpectrum replied to lapausa's topic in Brakes & Suspension
Thanks for that. The only issue I have with using Autodoc is that everyone I know that has used them have had over a month wait for parts. currently I am considering BC Racing Coilovers from Driftworks. -
Hi there, new on here. Everytime I buy a different car I end up selling and going back to lexus so here is my 5th lexus now. Keeping this one "forever" lol. Need to get some new pics when I've added my own little touches.. I have coilovers coming soon as I've found a broken spring on the front. Top pic I've changed a few things already.
