Hi<br>I'm new to this club and joined bacause I am looking at maybe buying a 95/96 SC400 next year as a daily driver/project car. I will want to push more toward the performance side of the performance/luxury combination and I'm a little concerned about a characteristic that I noticed on the one SC400 that I've test driven (a 95 with about 65000 miles). I live in Winnipeg, Canada where the SC400 is a very rare car, so I've not had the opportunity to drive more than this one.<br><br>The highway that I take to work is concrete and has been pounded by gravel trucks into a washboard surface. This can, particularly at low temperatures (and it gets really cold up here!), be enough to shake your fillings loose. As I said, I want to preserve the "luxury" aspect and I was disappointed in how the Lexus handled this surface. In general the ride over it was good, although there were sections where it seemed to excite a resonance in the car. However, the suspension was noisy and "clunked" over every ripple. I have subsequently spoken to a couple of people with experience with SC400s: one said "No they don't normally do that. You just need to replace the control arm bushings", the other was "Yes, they are noisy over rough surfaces. It is a sports car after all". I saw, however, that Consumer Reports said that it was noisy over tar strips, which have some similarity to the ripples in the highway.<br><br>Unfortunately, the SC400 is so rare that I'll probably have to get one brought in from either Western or Eastern Canada (there's probably not much chance of finding one here in Winnipeg) and, therefore, I'd like to get an idea as to whether or not the car that I drove is typical.<br><br>I'd appreciate any input which you can provide.<br><br>Thanks<br>Barry

Hi Barry:<br>The SC400 has a positive feel sports car suspension which lets you know what the wheels are doing, especially the front wheels via feedback thru the steering wheel. Most recently, Route 15 here in Connecticut, on a 5 mile strech was undergoing repaving. They "ground" the old back top off leaving a ridged and undulating surface. I was riding on this stretch with 3 cars during this time frame. They were a Chrysler 300M, a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and the SC400. Of all 3 cars the SC400 gave you the most tactile feedback of what the pavement condition was. The 300M gave the least noise and feedback and the Grand Cherokee was in the middle of the two. If I had to ride that strech all the time and it would never be fixed to smooth, I would not want the SC400 or the Grand Cherokee or the 300M, I think I would opt for a large Lincoln Town Car or a large Caddy or Grand Marquis with their dampened suspensions and buffered feedback.<br><br>That said I think no true sports car will suit the bill, having owned a few Corvettes, a Jensen Interceptor a Datsun Z and two BMWs (2002 and 325e) and a GTO, as memory serves, all of the above would be considered either on par or harsher riders when compared to the SC400. The long wheelbase and thin wall depth tires on the 300M and SC400 give (at the same time) road seam dampening or smoothing however the thin walled low profile tires are not as smooth as a thick walled high profile tire. <br><br>The Corvettes were harsh riders and creakey. The Z would be next up and due to the lightness and short wheelbase was also firm, the GTO with the leaf rear springs was tail light and bouncy. Then I would place the 1973 2002 followed by the BMW 325e and the Jensen. The Jensen was the best riding of them all with coils, long wheel base and the big heavy hemi gave it weight. The tubular frame of the Jensen gave as it were. Then would come the SC400. However, all of these as stated before have either sports car or european suspensions designed to give you feedback.<br><br>The road you descibe will telegraph its condition to you in the SC400 or any other sport car. I suspect this to be true with say an MR2 or Boxster or TT or Acura NSX as well. My 1993 SC400 does not thump or bang. I hope I have not talked you out the the SC400 but this comparison of suspensions I know well may have you lobbying to have that road repaved. 8-)<br>Art in CT

Barry,<br>I'm looking at a `95 SC400 myself, and from what I've read lately... the recommendation to change the control arm bushings may be correct. In 1995 the SC 400 went from steel to rubber/eurathane bushings to deaden the noise similar to what you described. Hope that helps, good luck.<br>SAMc