KYB for Lexus?

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Jun 8, 2017
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My 2013 IS350c is in need of new shock absorbers at all 4 corners. Car has over 100k miles on it and the shocks have never been touched.

A local, reputable shop that specializes in foreign cars recommends KYB. I don't want to second guess their knowledge and experience, but I have to wonder: is KYB reliable? Reliability/durability is my main priority. I would rather pay a bit more up front to get significantly more service life/miles, within reason, of course. If I have to pay 3x more but only for a small improvement, then I'd lean toward aftermarket, too.
 
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KYB are good. The make Gas-A-Just struts for the IS350.

Just make sure to double check that the IS350 and IS350c take the same struts.
 
From what I understand, they take the same size part. The only difference is the spring rate.
 
In my experience KYB is a "better" shock. They've outlasted all the Monroe's I've used. I found they were stiffer than oem on a regular road by a good margin, yet would totally "open up" if hitting a speed bump or other large obstacle, the sort where you're about to clamp your jaw thinking, "this will be bad." They are rather stiff for the first 3-6 months and then relax into what I thought was a good ride.

For the money, it gets close to bilstein territory. In my experience they (B) tend to run a little softer. I've never kept a vehicle long enough to wear out either set, but I've replaced oem bilsteins (Toyota) before brands like oem sachs. I've had 150,000 on Sachs dampers, still going strong.

If kyb is what they sell, and they warranty the products they sell, I'd do that. If you bring your own, will they warranty the work?

M
 
Ditto on Sachs.
One thing the Euro car makers do better than Japanese makes is longer lasting shocks/struts. I bought a VW GTI new, sold it to my brother with 166K on it and never replaced the struts. The OEM ones are Sachs and are still going strong.
My previous Japanese cars were more reliable minus the shocks/struts wearing out faster. I would definitely look into Sachs.
 
I put KYB struts on our '93 Lexus ES300. Made the car a much better, even fun, driver.
Stiffened it up nicely but not overdone. I think you will be happy with them.
 
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
I put KYB struts on our '93 Lexus ES300. Made the car a much better, even fun, driver.
Stiffened it up nicely but not overdone. I think you will be happy with them.


Thanks, sounds good. I did have the factory "performance" sway bars installed a few months ago. Sounds like the KYBs might be a better match to the beefier sway bars.

How many miles do you have on your KYBs?
 
Originally Posted by meep
In my experience KYB is a "better" shock. They've outlasted all the Monroe's I've used. I found they were stiffer than oem on a regular road by a good margin, yet would totally "open up" if hitting a speed bump or other large obstacle, the sort where you're about to clamp your jaw thinking, "this will be bad." They are rather stiff for the first 3-6 months and then relax into what I thought was a good ride.

For the money, it gets close to bilstein territory. In my experience they (B) tend to run a little softer. I've never kept a vehicle long enough to wear out either set, but I've replaced oem bilsteins (Toyota) before brands like oem sachs. I've had 150,000 on Sachs dampers, still going strong.

If kyb is what they sell, and they warranty the products they sell, I'd do that. If you bring your own, will they warranty the work?

M



Thanks. Yes, KYB is what they source. I'm sure they could call up the local Lexus dealer and have them send a truck with some Lexus parts on it, but I don't know if they'd warranty that. I know I also have the option of bringing in my own parts for install, but they explicitly state they won't warranty that.

I'll have to look more into Bilstein and Sachs!
 
Originally Posted by Deontologist

How many miles do you have on your KYBs?

I don't remember, as that car is long gone. But 40K at least.
It was perfect when we sold it to a friend.
 
KYB is probably the OE supplier and the largest manufacturer of shocks. Most Japanese cars come with KYB shocks from the factory.
 
I always hear people using KYB because they want a little more sporty of a ride. If you want it cushy, KYB might not be a way to go. But I've never used them.

Originally Posted by skyactiv
Ditto on Sachs.
One thing the Euro car makers do better than Japanese makes is longer lasting shocks/struts. I bought a VW GTI new, sold it to my brother with 166K on it and never replaced the struts. The OEM ones are Sachs and are still going strong.
My previous Japanese cars were more reliable minus the shocks/struts wearing out faster. I would definitely look into Sachs.
I had an 04' VW Beetle TDI and sold it with 176k with original shocks and struts. The struts were starting to get a little tired, but not too bad with all those miles.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Ditto on Sachs.
One thing the Euro car makers do better than Japanese makes is longer lasting shocks/struts. I bought a VW GTI new, sold it to my brother with 166K on it and never replaced the struts. The OEM ones are Sachs and are still going strong.
My previous Japanese cars were more reliable minus the shocks/struts wearing out faster. I would definitely look into Sachs.



The struts may not be leaking-but they are not performing as well at 168,000 miles-unless the car is defying the laws of physics.....
 
Originally Posted by CKN
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Ditto on Sachs.
One thing the Euro car makers do better than Japanese makes is longer lasting shocks/struts. I bought a VW GTI new, sold it to my brother with 166K on it and never replaced the struts. The OEM ones are Sachs and are still going strong.
My previous Japanese cars were more reliable minus the shocks/struts wearing out faster. I would definitely look into Sachs.



The struts may not be leaking-but they are not performing as well at 168,000 miles-unless the car is defying the laws of physics.....

Those VW shocks seem to last a long time. I borrowed my buddies 2003 Jetta tdi with 200k miles and it still had the original shocks, and even with the front sway bar disconnected it certainly wasn't floating around. I'm sure throwing new Monroe's under there wouldn't have improved anything anyways.

I've always had good luck with KYB and they do firm up the ride a bit, which is what I wanted. I can't say I've worn any of them out either but I think the most I've run them is maybe 60-70k miles before the car was retired.
 
Originally Posted by MaximaGuy
KYBs are junk - stick with OEM. I did that for my other Toyo and wasted money having to go back to OEM in less than a yr


Did you go back because of mechanical failure or something else, like you didn't like the ride quality?
 
I replaced them on My GS 350. Same design as yours. All KYB the ride is great. Made in Japan. Guess who makes your original shocks? It is going to have large KYB/Toyota sticker on it.
When I called their hotline he said they are likely made on the same assembly line, but may or may not have the same damping. The aftermarket ones may compensate a bit for age and worn rubber. Maybe 10% more.

Pro tip, when installing them, pull the rod all the way up or they will be hard to get installed on the spring compressor. One thing that does wear out in them is the upper "anti-rollover" spring. This assists the sway bar so you have better handling. Their techline verified these cars have that.

I think my car may ride a bit higher, but it is on the money for the toyota spec where you measure to the LCA. I found out the AWDs have a slightly larger front gap, many are tempted to lower them. They lower with small blocks like a truck in front.

Also, you may want to replace your rear LCA bushing with a GS-F. I am ordering those, it firms up the ride a bit.
 
Originally Posted by CKN
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Ditto on Sachs.
One thing the Euro car makers do better than Japanese makes is longer lasting shocks/struts. I bought a VW GTI new, sold it to my brother with 166K on it and never replaced the struts. The OEM ones are Sachs and are still going strong.
My previous Japanese cars were more reliable minus the shocks/struts wearing out faster. I would definitely look into Sachs.



The struts may not be leaking-but they are not performing as well at 168,000 miles-unless the car is defying the laws of physics.....
 
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Originally Posted by Deontologist
Originally Posted by MaximaGuy
KYBs are junk - stick with OEM. I did that for my other Toyo and wasted money having to go back to OEM in less than a yr


Did you go back because of mechanical failure or something else, like you didn't like the ride quality?



The ride quality and cornering was painful and when I got them new it looked different the shaft was small and it was just not right. I went ahead and installed the Tirerack KYBs thinking technology must have changed in the last 10 yrs with some apprehension. It sucked real bug and when I reverted back the OEMs are much heavy compared to those flimsy KYBs and the ride was back to normal. Its an expensive job and if you are paying $120 for KYBs just go ahead and pay the $200 for OEMs and call it a day
 
If Bilstein is available and close in price, go with that or Sachs.
I used those two and KYB on many occasions. KYB are alway very good shocks an steady in quality. However, they are not on par with Bilstein and Sachs, not even close, especially more upgraded versions of Bilstein and Sachs. Other brand to consider is Koni, which would be also step up from KYB.
That being said, I would never hesitate to put KYB on a car.
 
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