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Lx450 Ride Bounce


dwells50

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I hated the ride of our LX450 at first. We live in the mountains of NC, and it was scary to drive it at the speed limit on normal hills and curves. It felt like we were about to bounce off the road. It was "hang on for dear life by pinching the leather seats with your buttcheeks" bad! :o

We bought it at 90,000 mi., and 5 years old.

I've heard the suspension of a LX450 is 20% softer than a Landcruiser.

-I checked into replacing the springs- too expensive.

-I replaced the shocks- using Gabriels. It didn't make much difference.

-I upgraded the steering stabilizer using an Old Man Emu- Big difference! It was still bouncy, but the steering felt much more under control.

A friend of mine is a tire wholesaler. He said it's Michelins had a very soft sidewall to begin with, plus they were nearing the end of their treadlife. Sidewalls soften even more over the life of the tire. He recommended Pirelli, known for their stiff sidewalls. I ordered a set of Scorpion STR's- P275-70R16.

When I took them to the local garage to have them mounted, the tire changer said "I hate mounting Pirelli's! It takes 2 of us because they're so stiff!" These tires were so large, though, that he had no problems.

Huge difference! We love the LX450 now. We've had it 3 years, at 135K mi. :D

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i will have to try the tire change. i was very close to giving it a coil and spring change. love the truck just gets scary when i hit a bump. does trd make a suspension kit for the lc/450 and also interested in adding a safari roof rack, where can i find a compatable one? Thanks

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If you're considering a coil/shock change, give the guys at Slee Offroad a call (www.sleeoffroad.com). There's an OME (Old Man Emu) suspension kit that provides very limited lift (like 1/2 inch) but gives you a MUCH improved ride over stock.

Cost runs about $700 for the spring/shock combo -- not too bad.

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I agree, thats prolly the best solution, and Christo is a great guy.

but another option would be to swap to a set of 80 series LC stock springs(which I hear Lexus did on many of the LX450s's) and shocks(OEM LC shocks are cheap and pretty darn good) Can find used 80 series springs for free all over the place.

Me I run OME shocks and springs on almost all my Cruisers, I LOVE the stuff......and they are local to me ;)

John

If you're considering a coil/shock change, give the guys at Slee Offroad a call (www.sleeoffroad.com).  There's an OME (Old Man Emu) suspension kit that provides very limited lift (like 1/2 inch) but gives you a MUCH improved ride over stock.

Cost runs about $700 for the spring/shock combo -- not too bad.

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My ride definitly improved on my LX450 after the OME installation. My wife even said it made a big difference. You can go with a stock height or get a 2.5" lift (go with the lifet). Either will give you a better ride even then the Land Cruiser parts.

Doug - Look John is here now :D There weren't any more Land Cruiser for him to buy!

I agree, thats prolly the best solution, and Christo is a great guy.

but another option would be to swap to a set of 80 series LC stock springs(which I hear Lexus did on many of the LX450s's) and shocks(OEM LC shocks are cheap and pretty darn good) Can find used 80 series springs  for free all over the place.

Me I run OME shocks and springs on almost all my Cruisers, I LOVE the stuff......and they are local to me ;)

John

If you're considering a coil/shock change, give the guys at Slee Offroad a call (www.sleeoffroad.com).  There's an OME (Old Man Emu) suspension kit that provides very limited lift (like 1/2 inch) but gives you a MUCH improved ride over stock.

Cost runs about $700 for the spring/shock combo -- not too bad.

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  • 1 month later...

Its been a while now, but I had the last year of the LX450. When it was still under warentee, a dealer (Lexus Carlsbad, CA) replaced the tires and shocks with aftermarket units at NO COST!!! As you mention, it made a "night and day" difference in ride and control.

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