Suspension and ride quality

[Matt1986]

Hi all.  My ls400 1998 feels off. Or at least it's not as good as it should be. I would describe the ride and floaty and soft but I can feel a tough road surface or bumps at the same time. 

 

I have a new leaf as well and that rides much stiffer in the corners but feels a less harsh ride. 

Is this just age? Design , or should I be looking at a particular area for this? Shocks? Bushes etc. 

I know I'm comparing a 3 year old and a 20 year old car but it currently feels the worst of all worlds. Soft and harsh! 

[Cotswold Pete]

Matt,

You kind of describe how I feel about my LS, which is soft but harsh (very dependent onroad surface), and my wifes X-type is the same.

However having been in new cars of recent I would say

Audi Q7 - seems never to be harsh, but never totally smooth like my LS can be

Mazda 6 - worse than my LS on just about any road, no good for having conversation in above 40mph due to noise from road.

BMW X1 - less noise than LS, but feels as harsh on som surfaces (earlier X1s were naff on just about any road surface)

Range Rover - okay on really rough surfaces but no better than my LS on your average road

Merc CLS - Seemed like the best for ride but not my kind of car (though my mate would not drive anything else), but it is 14 years younger than my LS.

I do think modern cheap(ish) cars have better designed running gear than was around in the first two decades of the LS, but a cheaper car will probably get more ragged in ride before it is 20 years old.  My dad's Peugeot 406 is same age as my LS, but a lot more clang-bangy than my LS on rough roads.

 

[Britprius]

Matt this is typical of worn shock absorbers. The car floats, and maybe wallows on smooth undulating surfaces, but if you hit a bump or hole the suspension tends to crash or bang. The shocks over years loose the oil responsible for damping the ride. The oil should be under pressure from  pressurised gas in the shocks, but this can also leak away causing any oil left to foam while trying to damp movement.
Worn or loose rubber bushes can also cause problems, but these can usually be seen to have problems such as cracking or even missing rubber.

John. 

[Matt1986]

Yes it depends a lot on road surface. On a new road surface it's quiet and lovely. A broken surface I feel it rattling the car to bits! 

I've found a can get a set of bushes for the rear suspension system and have got new upper control arms for the rear, so will probably be replacing this asap as they are all looking past their best. I'd like to get new shocks as well but OEM parts are expensive. 

Any good recommendations for OEM ride quality shocks?

[dendonc]

7 hours ago, Matt1986 said:

've found a can get a set of bushes

Where/who can you get bushes from?

[Matt1986]

3 hours ago, dendonc said:

Where/who can you get bushes from?

A company called febest a German manufacturer make pretty much all the suspension bushings for my 98 ls400 and quite a few other bits like boots and bearings. They are in EU and have free shipping and the vat is included in the price. I'm replacing all the rear arm bushes and carrier bushes apart from upper control arm for £132.

 https://shop.febest.eu/catalog.html?brand=LEXUS&model=LS400&year=1998

[dendonc]

Thanks for that Matt.

Someone on one post topic here said replacing bushes in some part of an LS (can't remember where) needed to have 20 tons of pressure applied, do you/anyone know about that? it sounds to me like there must be a special machine for it but that sounds like a very expensive outlay for non franchise group garages to do only once in a while & which would presumably be out of date for many vehicles as they come out with new models, any info on that would b interesting.

[Matt1986]

I've seen quite a few videos of removing various Toyota bushes and most seem fine with a press or those bushing removal tools. I suppose I'll find out! When I get around to it I'll try and do a guide or video as I've found very little on the ls400 on YouTube.

[dendonc]

16 minutes ago, Matt1986 said:

I'll try and do a guide or video as I've found very little on the ls400 on YouTube.

OK that would be very useful, the LS 400 vids I've seen on youtube are all US & many parts are not exactly the same as here, there's gotta be a reason why when go to Lexus for  'most' parts they want the chasis number..

[cornershop]

13 hours ago, Matt1986 said:

 Any good recommendations for OEM ride quality shocks?

 

[Matt1986]

4 hours ago, cornershop said:

 

Thanks! 

[Newbie1]

Changing front and rear ARB links for new Toyota parts improved ride quality markedly in my case, which surprised me. Felt much more "insulated."

[Cotswold Pete]

2 hours ago, Newbie1 said:

Changing front and rear ARB links for new Toyota parts improved ride quality markedly in my case, which surprised me. Felt much more "insulated."

What was the cost of doing that. 

When you say insulated, is it more wafty, or actually more secure ride and less jiggy on rough roads.

My missus finds car too wafty, and roll bars have been suggested as key to her comments.

[Newbie1]

I also replaced the ARB bushes front and rear. Much less wallowing which passengers in the back noticed particularly. Felt more "insulated" in terms of ride quality. I bought genuine from Amayama. Can't recall exactly but with freight and duty probably came to about £150.

A lot of stress through the ARB bars on these heavy beasts.

Recently replaced ARB links on my wife's Celica. Old Blueprint lasted 2 years. Genuine all the way now.