1993 Lexus LS400 - alloy wheel & suspension q's

Thread in 'Technical Questions' started by oldgoldlex, Sep 6, 2019.

  1. oldgoldlex

    oldgoldlex New Member

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    Hello all, just joined the site.

    I am looking for some help if possible.

    I have a 1993 LS400 that I would like to use occasionally for daily driving. I have been thinking of putting larger wheels on it and lowering the suspension a little. I have been told that if I am going to be putting larger wheels on the car and lowering it as well, then new shocks will be required - or better yet a set of coilovers.

    So, I have been browsing here and there about wheels and springs and coilovers etc and trying to see what works well with the car that I have. Then, yesterday I found a set of wheels in Japan that I liked (Crooooooooober) and before I knew it, I had purchased a set of 19" alloys.

    The alloy sizes are as follows:

    8.5Jx19 +40ET
    10Jx19 +45ET

    I bought them thinking the offset would be ok for the old Lexus. However, taking into account that I will probably have to buy a set of BC-Racing coilovers, do you think they will fit?

    Ideally, I don't want to roll the arches or suffer from completely rigid suspension, I would like to maintain some level of comfort but also a safe fitment without tyre issues, bottoming out over speedbumps and potholes etc etc. Effectively, a smart looking Lexus with nice wheels that is not sitting like a 4x4 but is also practical for normal everyday use and comfortable to drive (not asking for the earth here am I!)

    Any help appreciated!
     
  2. lowanslow

    lowanslow Member

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    The rears you will have no issues with possibly might need a spacer. I ran 19x10et15 on my old one without a spacer and will be running similar on my new one. The fronts you may also need a spacer as well depending on the calipers. As its an older UCF10 I don't think it will have the newer bigger calipers, but if it does you will definitely need a spacer to clear the brakes, my old fronts were 19x9.5et38 and I had to run a 20mm spacer to clear the calipers.

    As for coilovers BCs from driftworks are fantastic. My last LS400 I had the regular BCs with 22/18kg spring rates as I had it low. It was still comfortable however the top arms mashed the turrets. I also had to roll the arches on the front to get lock. This new one i've ordered the super low BCs with the 22/18kg springs as the rears didn't go low enough for my liking on the regular set and I plan to run it very low as its not a daily.

    The BCs will give you a nice drop and they offer softer spring rates for more comfort. Hope this helps in some way. Included a photo of my old one to get an idea how low it was

    lex4.
     
  3. oldgoldlex

    oldgoldlex New Member

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    Oh my, lowandslow your car looks super duper! That's the wheels I love too! (AME Shallen?)

    Do you still have the car or was this your old one? What have you got now?

    I actually just got my car back yesterday after having it in storage for over two years (owned it for 4 years but only done 200 miles in that whole time) and having had it go straight to Lexus as well for a rough idle (needed to get the ECU repaired in the end - what an expensive operation just to get to that point). So, after spending so much on the car it needs to be kept for a while and I would like to use it occasionally and perhaps even daily in the good weather (yes, I do live in Scotland and no, it was not a joke!).

    I also want to have it looking a little different as its going to be my fun car. However, its got to be comfortable to use as well.

    I have never went this far with car before (as in getting coilovers). I have had cars lowered, upgraded wheels etc but nothing on this scale to this kind of car.

    I suppose firstly will be to get the wheels on and see what happens first. I was deliberating between coilovers or even H&R lowering springs from the states but everyone says I will need new shocks, so back to coilovers again as its a little cheaper and probably more of a common sense thing to do.

    Can I ask you, if I get coilovers and get the wheels on, what else should I do to the suspension or what other components should I change to ensure a good long lasting result? You said your turrets got mashed - I am sorry but I am not that knowledgeable on mechanical aspects, what are they and what caused it/should I look to sort mine out before fitting the coilovers?

    I have a few clonks as it is with the car bur the mechanics at a local garage could not see any suspension faults and even the Mot tester just yesterday said it looked fine which is odd.

    I would also appreciate your advice on tires. I have been told by the folks that sold me the wheels that I should go for 245/35/19 for the front, and 275/30/19 for the rear. Do you think that sounds about right? Could I make it more comfortable with a higher profile or will the circumference of the wheel as a whole be odd and not drive right?

    I have lots of other niggles to sort out as well with the car, so if you are willing to lend an ear I would always be grateful for the advice (and perhaps I could send you some beer money!).

    I have attached a few photos, some of the car and one of the wheels I bought.

    Many thanks

    DSC02564 (Large).JPG DSC02544 (Large).JPG carlsson.
     
  4. lowanslow

    lowanslow Member

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    Thank you man. Yeah that was my old one i had last year. Sold it on and bought a c33 laurel for a stint. Sold that and bought a e38 740i but never really warmed to it so sold that and bought another ls400 because I love them. Yeah ame shallen wheels, bought them from and american living in england who lived in japan :D he advised they were the perfect size for an ls400 and the tyres were perfect for the height I ran mine at as his was bagged.

    I'm currently awaiting coilovers coming from driftworks and I have wheels sitting waiting to go on the new one.

    Your best bet is just to get coilovers as they will replace the strut complete instead of faffing around with springs and struts separate and finding you oem struts are duffed and probably very expensive to get oem replacements.

    The turrets being mashed was basically because I had it lowered so much the top arm was hitting the inside of the suspension turret. This will really only happen if you are going very low so I wouldn't be worrying about yours if you are going for a sensible useable ride height.

    Other things to maybe look at when doing suspension work would be to have any bushes checked, with dropping it it could put stress on the bushes especially if they are still original from factory. Again this is just precautionary and you could find they will be grand if you arent dropping it too much and if your mechanic has checked it over i'd say you will be grand. You could go over board and start replacing things that don't need. I only had to replace a few bushes in the rear of my last one and a track rod after a year or so but this was because they were the original factory items and hadn't been changed in 193k so they got a good run!

    I used to work for Lexus and found these cars to be very reliable. The suspension can sound a bit clunky at times, both mine did when on standard suspension but never found any issues with it! Certainly if you need any help or advice with the car shoot me a DM on here id be happy to help where I can and lend any advice, as I say I worked in Lexus and had to do a few bits to my old one so I can help you if I can!

    Lovely car man, two tone is the best look on these! Thats what I loved so much about my old one. Also Carlssons are a nice choice, they look well on these. I was actually looking at a set on japan yahoo for my new one. With the tyres i'll be running 235/35/19 all round, same sizes I had on my last set of wheels and it was perfect for the height etc I was at. As you're going for a moderate drop and comfort id say the sizes you've been recommended are safe enough.To get an idea how they will look check tyrestretch.com, from there you can work out if they will be ok.
     

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