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Hi finally fitted new super lightweight alloys and new tyres. Rims are from bola B2R. Tyres are continental all season. Got stunning deal on tyres about £60 each delivered 🙂. Wheels £600 delivered from factory. No clearance issues at all. Feels quicker off the line. According to Bola wheels web page saving minimum of 6kg per wheel which equates to a weight saving on sprung mass of approx 96kg in total. Suspension is now hard race adjustable top control arms with solid bushes, along with BC coilovers set 3/4" higher to allow for craters in our local "roads". Ride is very similar to my air suspension that was faulty. Off to Edinburgh on Wednesday for replacement radiator under warranty and get new hand brake shoes fitted. As shoes appear to have no friction material left 🤔. Will explain why parking brake has no feel or resistance.

Just fitted Coilovers to my 2002 430 and it's perfect.

Damn, well it only took seven freaking years, but those H&R springs that were the subject of this quote from Post #1, are finally, finally on the car! The estimate of lowering by just 10mm was a bit pessimistic, with the ride height now being approx 15-20mm lower than it was. The springs have also been paired up with a new set of dampers - Bilstein B6s. The journey to obtaining a set of these was actually quite drawn-out and frustrating. I originally ordered a set in 2022, but due to stock shortages and supply chain issues on Bilstein's end, I got fed-up waiting and received a refund. I then flirted with the idea of getting a set of coilovers instead from BC Racing, but couldn't help notice that they seem to have spiked in price quite dramatically during the past couple of years. What used to be a tempting £650-700 option, was now something like £900+. This, coupled with the fact that I had never owned a car with coilovers before, put me off, so I stuck with the idea of sourcing some dampers...eventually. Fast-forward to a few months ago and I noticed that the Bilsteins were now readily available again, so I grabbed a set whilst I could. As well as the shocks and springs, I also bought a pair of RCF lower control arm bushes. This is a popular upgrade, and at less than £80 it would've been rude not to follow the herd. It turned out to be a worthwhile spend, as the OEM bushings had started to split. Albeit, only slightly. I dare say they would've maybe gotten through another MOT. The new shock/spring combo seems great so far. The ride quality has actually improved as the old shocks had definitely seen better days. They weren't leaking or anything, but the ride had become a bit bouncy and uneven of late. Now, the car feels extremely planted and composed again. Turn-in and steering feel is better too. Probably due to the new LCA bushes, although it's difficult to quantity their effect since everything was replaced at the same time. Overall, I'm very happy with how things turned out. The drop from the springs is just about perfect and after about a week or so, I am yet to experience any issues such as rubbing. The car feels very nice to drive as is, but I'll get an alignment booked to make sure nothing is untoward. To finish up, here's a picture that was taken today. 🙂

Finally got the coilovers on a couple of days ago. That meant I was able to put my new wheels on. I got them last week, so I spent my Saturday painting the black parts of the wheels as the factory finish is half and half. Shiny spokes with black spokes. I wasn't a fan of that. Black wheels lose all the design details and I just don't like it personally. They're factory forged wheels off the new MK5 Supra. I had to use PCD adapters as Supra, as well as probably all German cars these days are 5x112. So the specs I managed to squeeze on are: 19x9 ET7 and 19x10 ET15. Still need to roll the arches to stop it from rubbing and then I'll be able to lower the front a bit more. Only got one decent pic at the moment, but more will follow.

Probably, but I'm pretty happy at the moment with with the RCF alloys fitted 😉 Besides I've still got to sort out my coilovers 😐

For sale: Lexus GS 300 (2002) Extra Long Range Item Condition: Used. Current Mileage: 187225 (Car in use and it will go up) All documents in order. V5 on my name. ULEZ/Clean air zone compliant car Price and price conditions: £3000 - If taken at that price I will add 5x 16” rims with tyres + oil for the next change. Extra Info: Got the car from this forum July 2022 Air conditioning, Cruise control, automatic, all the standard equipment Spent on the car: 2019 - 2022 £5000+ Stainless Steel Exhaust from Downpipe with Lifetime Warranty, height and damping Force adjustable Tein Flex Z Coilovers and much more (as shown in the photos) Since I bought the car: LED front lights Profess custom high class LPG system with two gas tanks (all together around 135 l) Lifetime warranty. If you drive the car gently, with 3 full tanks(2 LPG and petrol one) you can achieve around 1100/1200 miles range.I paid £2400 for the whole LPG installation. 4 new tyres 17” Pirelli Cinturato P7 (30 June 2023, £380) MCK 3pcs Ignition Coil And 6xPlatinum Spark Plugs With Wireset Tune Up Kit (£200 installed) Regular oil filter, air filter and oil change (approx every 6000 miles) In total, since 2019, £8000+ has been spent on the car. Negatives: It is a 22 years old car. Don’t expect showroom condition. There are several scratches around the bumpers. This never bothers me, as I drive long distances and often need to park the car in London, where you can expect all kinds of drivers. Recently someone stole my CD player/radio and the new owner needs to buy himself a Double Din unit. Comes with one key only, this is how I bought it. Pictures: As shown. Genuine reasons for sale. May part exchange for Mercedes Van, medium wheel base, 2011-2017 and pay the difference. Contact Details: 07901 306 456 Location: South Wales (CF40) Any viewing and inspection welcome. Delivery & Conditions of Delivery: Buyer collects, or after the funds are cleared I can drive it to your location (Any point in the UK) at the cost of my fuel and transport back.

2015+ RCF RS-R iSport Coilovers. Details and specification can be seen in the RS-R website (Jap built but sold in the US, not aware anyone stocks these in the uk). Good condition with no leaks, cleaned up well with some marks on the chrome finish. Damping adjustable front and rear, included are the rear dampner flexi adjusters purchased extra from Japan that will run from the top of the strut through the rear carpet wall for access. Available as the car is now sold. Along with a fast road geo setup, these worked very nicely, firm but having driven the RCF back on its original oem suspension prior to sale I’d say probably no more so tbh, is a little less tolerant of uneven rds than OEM but the flip side is it has an excellent turn in feel, enhances driver feedback, eliminates body roll and provides you with a stance exactly as you desire rather than fixed height lowering springs I would not recommend for daily cruising if you expect it to feel OEM, but I would recommend if you are looking use that sits between fast road to occasional track use. I was on track for a couple of sessions once and it’s was an awesome experience Expensive to buy new, coilovers not as popular on UK shores where swift springs are preferred I suspect, however I felt the swift springs were too low and prevents the full travel range of the original OEM suspension. Collection preferred (Macclesfield) so that condition can be viewed prior to purchase, can meet halfway dependant on distance and the offer. £875 ono

So, coming up shortly to 7yrs ownership of an IS-F and having toyed with selling last year (resolved when kids moved out 🙂 leaving me with drive space free), I've decided now is the time to give it a little spruce up and care (not that it's been abused) Just working out the budget but things I'm looking at include the following Wheel refurb (not terrible but would benefit) - like for like Proper detail in/out Stone chips and minor scratches sorted Possible radiator replacement (pre-emptive - not an issue currently) Suspension updates (coilovers? - providing non-stupid insurance impact) Toyed with exhaust update but ruled that out for the immediate future. Reason for post - partly to request recommendations for people to do the above (I'm not mechanically minded and wouldn't wish to do any myself) and partly to get some comments on what suspension updates might help. I personally like reasonably hard suspension but the other half isn't as keen (and given the current state of the roads!) so looking to get something to soften things up (not interested in track work or extreme road holding). Based in Nuneaton (Midlands) so local(ish) would be useful. If anyone knows a good independent garage for Lexus servicing (all existing servicing Lexus based) then also let me know. Recommendations welcome. Additionally, just thought I'd put out some fag packet costings for longish-term IS-F ownership. Currently 7yrs and no reason to change currently (have other main car) so looking to get past 10 or more. Original cost £20K, assuming 1.5K (ish) per year tax/insurance/servicing average - cost spread over 10yrs, and excluding fuel, will be roughly 35K or 3.5K per year, roughly £300 per month (figures assuming a zero valuation at the end - which (government excepted) won't be the case) Not too bad I don't think, probably the lease price of a fairly basic car these days. Need to enjoy these things before they are priced out of existence.

That’s brilliant, are you going try a different spring rate on the RSR coilovers then?

Have you tried freeing them up with a hammer and pin punch ? Here are some 2008 ISF spring rates that I dredged up from the internet a while ago when I was looking to change coilovers....

Let me know if you’d be looking to sell your coilovers

Lookinng to get BC coilovers. What's the ideal spring rates I should look for considering the dismal state of our roads. Currently the car is on RS*R coilovers but the bottom height adjusters are so tight, I can't get them undone.

For sale: Tastefully modified 2001 Lexus SC430 with a package of spares. Extensive build diary from previous owner documented within the club forum. Registration plate – MC51 NFO Colour - Silver 4.3 V8 (3uz-fe) Registered 7 Dec 2001 Mileage - 82303 Item Condition: Very good condition with minimal age related marks. Price and price conditions: £8950 Including comprehensive spares package as described below. Extra Info: Bought September 19th 2023 from the owner of “Landbeasts cars” and only covered 686 miles since purchase. Images and purchase details are available via Landbeasts Facebook page. I purchased to use as a weekend summer use car to cherish and became a tad obsessed with the SC430 history, build quality, features and looks. Despite my best intentions and ambition to use the car over the summer I also have a BBR converted Mazda MX5 Turbo and cannot justify keeping everything going at the same time!. After receiving sensible but hard to hear advice from my other half here I am. The car is also the feature photo on the front page of the Lexus SC430 Club UK on Facebook. The car has a number of desirable and quality accessories installed prior to my ownership including BC racing coilovers, 20” Rotiform SNA alloy wheels, stainless steel exhaust, Cusco front strut brace, HKS tri-foam air filter, stainless steel radiator panel cover, gen 2 LED rear lights, upgraded reversing sensors to the 4 sensor system with colour matched sensors (via Lexus Nottingham), front 6x9 speakers replaced with focal units, rear subwoofer replaced with Vibe slick 8” unit, 4 x new tyres fitted by Landbeasts. Active exhausts have been installed and removed prior to my purchase (The parts to reinstall are supplied with the car) As part of my OCD with cars I commenced gathering essential parts via the Lexus owners UK club that in the unlikely event of failure I would have access to. Despite obtaining the original pie dish alloy wheels as spares I also purchased a further set of SC430 5 spoke alloys with tyres to use in the event of wanting to remove the unique Rotiform SNA 20 inch wheels. During research I also liked the look and safety of the rare and optional space saver tyre conversion kit. This kit is not manufactured anymore and not available to purchase in the UK. After a considerable amount of time searching I found an overseas dealer that could provide the kit. I had to wait over 4 months for delivery of parts from various countries and at a cost in excess of £500 but in my opinion the end result was worth the wait and expense. The car has been garaged during my brief ownership. I traced the fastidious previous owner prior to Landbeasts who provided a detailed and fascinating insight into the history of the car. There is a comprehensive detailed build diary from the previous owner on the Lexus owners club website revealing the scale and scope of works completed in creating how the car is today. I have been told that this car was ordered at the 2001 Geneva motor show and was part of the original 256 produced in the first year of manufacture, it also had the optional 24K gold styling pack fitted. As the images show, the car has had a number of modifications to create it’s current looks and stance. The car has been maintained and improved throughout it’s life to a very high standard and as a car enthusiast, it met my expectations! Full service history is a combination of Lexus and specialists with Landbeasts completing a service prior to my purchase in September. Last serviced September 2023 year by Landbeasts prior to my purchase. MOT – Due 17 September 2024 – No advisories. New coilpacks installed by Landbeasts Paintwork has been subject to a stage 2 machine polish and ceramic coated at some point including headlight correction. The underside of the car has been treated with Dinitrol at some point. Bodywork and interior can only be described as very good condition with the odd age related marks due to age and use. I have since purchased a Lexus first aid kit, Lexus bag to carry service items and a Lexus touch up paintwork kit to store in the boot. Hopefully the images show the condition and looks of the car. 3 x sets of keys. The following parts have been purchased by myself and will come with the car as a package if full asking price is met. · Original full set of pie dish alloy wheels · Full set of 5 spoke SC430 alloy wheels with tyres · New - SC430 MODS Bluetooth hands free module (not installed) · New – OEM set of 24ct Gold coloured badges · New – OEM chrome fog light surrounds · New – OEM chrome grill surround - New - OEM chrome bonnet trim · Used - Climate control unit · Used - Stereo unit · Used - Amplifier · Used – Subwoofer · Used – High level door speakers · Used – Centre console including rear compartment · Used – Door cards · Used – Rear seats · Used – Rear headrests · Used – Gear knob · Used – Steering wheel · Used – Cup holder · Used – 2 x front grills · Used – Ashtray and walnut cover · Used – 2 x Sets of rear lights · Used - 2 x Sets of wing mirrors (1 has a slight crack in the mounting plate) · Used – Boot mat (non - space saver) · Used – Tool kit boot tray · Used – Sat nav unit (the motor powering the walnut cover does not work but sat nav screen is like new) · Used – Active exhaust Overall, a beautiful and stunning looking SC430 with a detailed and interesting documented history. Hard to justify not using such a vehicle. Pictures: 20240419_133341.mp4 Contact Details: 07508822448 or neilstorey63@gmail.com Location: Lancashire Delivery & Conditions of Delivery: Collection only

Hi Stephen, yes it just wasn't designed to be that sharp or precise. You already have the coilovers so stiffer sway bars (ARBs) would be the next thing to consider upgrading to improve the handling without the loss of that relaxed, laid back, SC character. The front strut bar will make just a very small difference. When I added the ISF rear sway bar, that was a great improvement.

I can confirm that if you polish it, the strut brace is indeed very shiny and probably adds 10 bhp despite the increase in weight.🙂 The short serious summary answer is, I don't think there's any significant handling advantage in having a front strut brace for normal or even fairly spirited driving. On the track, on the limit or in a smash where it should add a bit more rigidity perhaps it's worth having. To improve the handling without compromising the ride, fit good tyres, coilovers and better ARBs. When I first fitted it I would say I was 'in tune' with the car and was convinced the front top strut brace would make no difference at all but in practice I felt it did make it feel a fraction more stable. It's a shame the old forum notes are gone as I remember doing a very brief review. The SC is good fun and more capable than most realise considering it's a flexible cabriolet but If you want the car to handle and go fast the first thing to do is to leave the roof on, the windows up and think about fitting a roll cage. They are strong, well built cars but you really don't want to be upside down on the tarmac or in a ditch in one of these. Coilovers, wide wheels, wide sticky, tyres, uprated front anti-roll bar (Aristo/GS TTE) and an ISF rear anti-roll bar all definitely make a noticeable difference. Adding the underbody brace also stiffened it. Having a proper leather steering wheel to grip helps too. Mine isn't a posh Cusco brace but it has the optional authentic Lexus sticker to impress Uncle Bob the race scrutineer.

The OEM suspension and exhaust are now back on the car. This is now back to stock except for the window tints and chrome delete. PM me an offer on the RCF (39,980 miles), the RSR iSport coilovers or the Hayward & Scott cat back exhaust with ceramic tips.

Hi I have a dilemma I have decided to ditch the air suspension on my 2006 SEL its finally given up so I am hoping to fit coilovers. Having scoured the Internet I have found a company on here who supply them, cutting a long story short I have been told that there are 2 rear lower mount holes i need to measure before supply, I'm sure my car is 85mm but the other is 69mm has anyone fitted coil overs to their car and what was their measurement? TIA Dean

Thanks, iv seen some posts on that but I'd be afraid of damaging the sensor or even touching it at this stage of its life. Just thought the controller would let it down enough for what I'm looking for, All fails il get coilovers 👀

Finally got all the parts for fitting coilovers, top control arms and rear drop links. Plus insurance is due. Current insurer will not insure me with mods. Been looking around for an insurer to cover mods. Got what I think is reasonable quotes considering changes from OEM spec. Costing me about £400 more than last year, bearing in mind insurance has rocketed in price.

Picked up some front end pieces. It slowly taking shape. Coilovers are going on this weekend if the weather holds. Android Head Unit is on order too, arriving next week. I went for the more OEM looking model this time. Also doubled up on the RAM (4GB. I had the 2+32 spec last time and I had no issues with smoothness of it etc, but I used it for about a month before I sold the green Lexus so I thought I'd future proof it a little with this one. Wheels from Japan should be with me at some in May and then it's more or less done.

Maximus Prime air lines are they just push and turn? As for getting another garage to do the work I have issue mentioned before, if I remove jack stands from front of car bottom of front bumper is on the deck. Be lucky to get an ant to squeeze through the gap. Recovery for lowered cars is jack them up and but wedges in the coil spring. No coil springs is going to make even more difficult. Can take bumper off to help. Nearest garage that I could find that would do cambelt, water pump etc etc was 8 hours driving from me. So went to dealer. If you look at map of UK find Orkney im right up in that corner of Scotland, part of Highlands and islands. Swapping suspension should not cause to many issues if I do it myself. Have done spring swaps on MacPherson struts that is a very dangerous game. No air in struts being removed. Coilovers already have springs fitted. Got adjustable top control arms to fit on all 4 corners as well at same time. Off with the old on with the new. Will be keeping everything for air suspension refitting. Also bought some super lightweight road rims that look stock to go on. Lightweight rims might take some harshness out of ride by reducing unsprung weight. Next job after fitting this lot is to sort exhaust out. Previous owner fitted a straight through 3" exhaust with 2 straight through silencers. Need to get a resonater fitted to get rid of drone.

I can vouch for BC Racing - a quality, really well made kit. Ordered mine from ID Workz website and it arrived the next day. They offer Klarna too - that's if you don't fancy forking out £949 in one go, and splitting the bill may help you with putting the car on the road quicker: https://id-workz.co.uk/products/bc-racing-br-series-coilovers-for-lexus-ls430-ucf30-01-06 I've watched a number of videos on these suspension swaps beforehand, and knew what needs to come out and how it's all accessed. Once the air lines are disconnected, the fronts are a straight swap, and the rears are slightly harder to access, in that the top mounts are hidden behind the rear seats and the parcel shelf. Ideally, you'd need to undo the rear seats (or get the garage to do it for a little extra), and drop the backs a bit - they can be temporarily held in place by seatbelts if needed. Then lift the rear parcel shelf slightly and voila - you'll see the mounts. This is what I did before taking the car to the shop, but if don't fancy messing around - ask them to do it. There's a video that covers the lot, including the rear seats here (rear seat removal starts at 10:50): In addition to that, I printed off the suspension diagrams from Club Lexus forum (attached), and brought with me a photo of a car that had its struts replaced - to give my mechanic an idea of where things are, and to show my desired ride height, as I wanted the car lowered whilst they are at it. My final request was to leave everything in place as much as possible, i.e. not a full demolition job, and keep the air compressor and other related bits in place. I've also asked them to ignore any lights that may come up on the dashboard as I will deal with these myself - there was only a single fuse that needed removing to stop the compressor from pumping air and if memory serves me right, it was located either in the engine bay or one of the footwell fuse boxes - easily accessible and I can check which one and where it was tomorrow for you if you like. Since that was done - no warning lights whatsoever! They charged me just over £400, and left the old air struts in the boot, so I could resell them later if I wanted to. He said it was all quite straightforward, and they only struggled with undoing one bolt on the rear strut, but considering the age of the car that was to be expected. The air lines were disconnected from original air struts and everything else has remained in situ, so I could technically have it back on air in future. These BC coilovers are fully adjustable, so you will have options to play around with for both the ride height and ride quality. I may be wrong, but pretty sure there were two settings on the top mounts - for Sport and Comfort, a little dial you can twist - I haven't looked since I've had them installed, so memory is a little foggy now 🙂 But the ride height is definitely something worth thinking about if you are having the suspension swapped anyway. The garage will be able to set it whichever way you like - and it can be adjusted to go lower or higher at a later date, the kit comes with all the tools if you are mechanically minded. Positives: 1. Car is now much more planted in corners, handling feels superb, and the body doesn't roll 2. As mentioned above - the kit is fully adjustable, the world is your lobster oyster 3. Quality - these struts feel like they will outlast the car, they are that well made The one negative: Ride quality doesn't compare to air suspension, it will be firmer. I think the only way to counter this would be to have the ride height set higher to allow the struts to work their magic with greater suspension travel. But seeing that I expected this before the swap, I am honestly not regretting it one bit, and in my opinion it's probably the best upgrade you can do to prolong the life expectancy of your LS 🙂 If there's anything that I've not covered - let me know, happy to help!

David hi …….. are you on about 300k miles if my memory serves me 🤔 Reading various posts about negligible comfort differences ( if any ) twixt air / coilovers and if it was me, and your cars still brilliant, well, I’d seriously consider the coilover solution Good luck Malc

Hi have quite a big issue with my air suspension. Did a scan with techstream. Need a new compressor and part which splits air to front and rear. Used items are not going to be under £200+ shipping. If I fit new or parts still don't know if that will fix air system. I could be going down a rabbit warren and find I still need more parts. On techstream my ride height sensors are giving huge difference in measurement. Cannot not adjust height via techstream. No air in system might be why I cannot adjust them. I can get a set of BC coilovers for £1000. Very tempted to go down this route, then again I like the air suspension. What views do members have on trying to keep air suspension or go coilovers.

Hi fellas, hope everyone is well, and be most welcomed to this build thread. This is my first Lexus venture and also my first Japanese car, purchased with legit 41K miles on the clock, pretty decently taken care of interior. It seems like the car had a small front end cosmetic damage that was sort of "repaired" by the previous owner. (Head lights and front bumper). Being so the headlights went under some modifications by the previous owner (Stated that he wanted to do something different) so the inner mask or garnish or what ever the name is for that, has been binned. Don't know why, it looks stupid without it. but since everything inside is black it kinda stays blend in at a further distance. This project is meant to be a "Daily" that I can occasionally drift or track it. Kinda defies the purpose of being a "daily" but well here we are. I haven't done much to it just of yet. Car: Lexus IS250 SE (205bhp) from 2006 Beige & Black Interior Factory Tinted windows. Modifications so far: Suspension - Tein Street Advance Adjustable CoilOvers Wheels - Rotiform RSE 18x8.5 & 18x9 with Nankang NS20 225x35R18 & 235x40R18 Exhaust - Dual Stainless Steel CatBack Non Resonated Tail-Lights (Middle Boot Section) Updated to 2010 retaining the outers from 2006/07 Duckbill Boot Spoiler Team Heko Tintedw Wind Deflectors Future Wanted Modifications: 3UZ V8 Engine Swap Enkei RPF1's 18x9 & 18x10 Seibon Carbon IS-F Front wings IS-F SideSkirts Seibon Carbon Vented Bonnet Seibon Carbon boot 6 pot Front Brakes and Floating Rotors. 2 Pot Brembo Rear add on Hydro Calipers. I hope to update soon... and thank you for reading. Best Regards, Igor.