Air Suspension Good!no?

[lextuned]

Hello there guys, i have a 90 ls400 one owner fully loaded with the color i wanted maroon , deep burguny on the same leather, i jkus love them colors when waxed. Any how i have the air suspension now does it lower after a certain speed, whats the goods about them besides there expensive which i dont carejust love seeing all them buttons on the shifter console, whats the big diff bewtween them and factory springs > My apperication to all help. Good Day

[dfkd]

Hey there,

well i owned a Toyota Crown in Trinidad before i moved to Canada and it lowered at 115kph.

The TEMS is great until it breaks...then it's your worst enemy.

If you diy then you could come out not too bad but paying someone to fix it is not gonna be cheap.

The ride difference is quite noticable. Coupled with the versatility of the modulated shocks (gets harder in sport and what not) and the speed sensitive steering, it makes for a luxo ride when you want and a sportier feel when you want.

Like I said, it's great...until it breaks.

[lextuned]

well why would it be a nightmare to fix when you can buy rebuilt ones with lefetime warranty for 400$ is this not worth i, hey its a high dollar car meant for spending high dollar. But for400 is not bad since its goes out every 10 years is this not worth it? let me know any other suggestions if i can . Thanks

[SW03ES]

$400? Where have you found that repairs it for $400? To replace the air system when it goes you're looking at near $1000 a strut. Even if you could get it done for $400 a strut thats still $1600, on a 16 year old car worth maybe $4000. Not worth it.

I've driven plenty of LS's from all generations, air suspension and no, and I actually prefer the ride of the standard struts but don't see all that much of a difference. Certainly not worth fearing a hit for sir struts of nearly as much as the cars worth one day.

It was a high dollar car 16 years ago. If I had a 1990 LS and the air struts went it'd be on its way to the junkyard.

[blake918]

I think he's talking about the $400/strut for the remanufactured Arnott struts; I'd definantly buy them since they come with a lifetime warranty. I think the traditional strut conversion is like $800-$900; I'd put up a little more to keep the air ride!

[SW03ES]

Have you driven them with the air ride and can you tell the difference? I really can't.

[blake918]

I never have. I need to find one to drive for comparison!

[dfkd]

I've driven both and I think it was like night and day.

I drove this car daily and after i drove one without the air system i was almost traumatised...especially in spirited driving conditions.

Cornering and even braking (the system is designed to reduce body throw on heavy breaking by stiffenning the rear struts) i could definitely tell the difference.

I've worked on and studied these systems since around 1992, even had the opportunity to convert and restore them too using the original Toyota/Lexus shop manual (first one i worked on was a 1987 Toyota Crown IT WAS ONE JUST LIKE THIS ONE) and i can definitely say that the system does a whole lot of good other than load leveling.

[lexluxury]

have air suspension and love it.

I've driven both and I think it was like night and day.

I drove this car daily and after i drove one without the air system i was almost traumatised...especially in spirited driving conditions.

Cornering and even braking (the system is designed to reduce body throw on heavy breaking by stiffenning the rear struts) i could definitely tell the difference.

I've worked on and studied these systems since around 1992, even had the opportunity to convert and restore them too using the original Toyota/Lexus shop manual (first one i worked on was a 1987 Toyota Crown IT WAS ONE JUST LIKE THIS ONE) and i can definitely say that the system does a whole lot of good other than load leveling.

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[SW03ES]

I just don't see the difference.

Traumatizing? Come on. This is regarded as one of the smoothest and quietest cars built...ever...and 99% of the ones tested don't have the air ride system.

Personally I feel the cars with the air ride system are mushier in corners and when braking, all the reviews I've ever read comparing the systems agree...

[lextuned]

SO youll send the 90 ls400 on the way to junk yard with bad air strut, cant cough up 400$ to replace one well this is a sign you shold be driving a 90 accord with all manual options, just because the lexus is affordable dont buy one if you cant afford to maintain so value of car is pointlesss towards your point. Correct meif Iam worng, just having the air sus and changing it to sport mode, and having the car lower and high speeds and better corninering come on . All sacarfice to dinky struts instead, this is a low ballers point shall i say i dont knowand again correct me if im worng

[nc211]

Easy gunslinger, just voicing opinions here. SWO3ES has a valid point. He's not saying he doesn't know how to maintain one of these cars. Look at his post counts, trust me...he knows. You're new here and I understand you're feeling out the forum a bit. But don't go down the road of insulting people, otherwise you could be banned. SWO3ES is a finance guy, he thinks in numbers, as do I. Some say its a disease, but others say it's a gift.

Now, to address your opinion. I'm very much upside down on my car too in repairs, but that's ok because I love my car, and can't find anything out there that I would rather have, except for an LS430...but just not in the cards right now. If you love you car enough to fix it & keep it..then I salute you. but just realize, you'll not get one penny back if you decide to sell it after you repair it. That's all we're saying here my friend. B)

It must be the time change recently, seems like we've got a few short fuses on here this week. My advice? If you're old enough...have a beer and chill out. Sit back and enjoy the fact that you own a Lexus LS400 in general...or any lexus that is.

SO youll send the 90 ls400 on the way to junk yard with bad air strut, cant cough up 400$ to replace one well this is a sign you shold be driving a 90 accord with all manual options, just because the lexus is affordable dont buy one if you cant afford to maintain so value of car is pointlesss towards your point. Correct meif Iam worng, just having the air sus and changing it to sport mode, and having the car lower and high speeds and better corninering come on . All sacarfice to dinky struts instead, this is a low ballers point shall i say i dont knowand again correct me if im worng

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[SW03ES]

LOL, everyone's entitled to their opinion and you've got to respect that my opinion is my opinion.

As for me being cheap, or not being willing to put the cost in for the car. I bought a new Lexus with every option lol (except obviously the air suspension), I don't see how you can call me cheap because I wouldn't buy a 16 year old LS400 with the air strut option over a 16 year old LS400 without the air strut option. I don't think its worth fixing something like that on a car that old.

Its not just $400 either, the struts have to at least be replaced in pairs and you're more than likely to need to replace all 4. If I had a 1990 LS400 and it needed $1600 worth of air struts it would be replaced and not repaired no. I would sell it, and take the $1600 and buy a newer one instead, one without the air shocks.

As a matter of fact I plan on replacing my ES with a new LS430 sometime next fall and I refuse to buy an Ultra Luxury model. Why? You guessed it, it has the air suspension. If I keep it for 10 years and it fails its gonna cost me at least $2000. Why bother when I can buy a normally suspended one that rides just as good and the struts will never fail in that way? If I were leasing one for 3 years and getting rid of it that'd be one thing.

I mean if its something really useful, like a nav system, then I'll risk the repair cost. But why risk it when the standardly suspended car is heralded as the finest riding sedan ever built?

Thats my opinion, its not yours and thats fine.

[cardona6569]

LOL, everyone's entitled to their opinion and you've got to respect that my opinion is my opinion.

As for me being cheap, or not being willing to put the cost in for the car. I bought a new Lexus with every option lol (except obviously the air suspension), I don't see how you can call me cheap because I wouldn't buy a 16 year old LS400 with the air strut option over a 16 year old LS400 without the air strut option. I don't think its worth fixing something like that on a car that old.

Its not just $400 either, the struts have to at least be replaced in pairs and you're more than likely to need to replace all 4. If I had a 1990 LS400 and it needed $1600 worth of air struts it would be replaced and not repaired no. I would sell it, and take the $1600 and buy a newer one instead, one without the air shocks.

As a matter of fact I plan on replacing my ES with a new LS430 sometime next fall and I refuse to buy an Ultra Luxury model. Why? You guessed it, it has the air suspension. If I keep it for 10 years and it fails its gonna cost me at least $2000. Why bother when I can buy a normally suspended one that rides just as good and the struts will never fail in that way? If I were leasing one for 3 years and getting rid of it that'd be one thing.

I mean if its something really useful, like a nav system, then I'll risk the repair cost. But why risk it when the standardly suspended car is heralded as the finest riding sedan ever built?

Thats my opinion, its not yours and thats fine.

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Hi: I guess some outer creature has got into us. I had a similar posting like that towards me. I guess we love the same car, but have different outakes on how we like things, it is just life.

C. PR

[SW03ES]

Pre-cisely.

But our love of the same car will pull us through ;)

[blake918]

I noticed the Ultra Lux package is gone for '06. I wonder what that deal is?

[nc211]

yeah, but you're foreign. Hahahha...JUST PLAYIN!!!

Hey, you guys got Belekin beer down there? That stuff is soooooooo good. Last time I had Belekin was in Belize, "Ambergies Kay" and was pickin' the barley oats out of my teeth, and loved every drop!

Hi:  I guess some outer creature has got into us.  I had a similar posting like that towards me.  I guess we love the same car, but have different outakes on how we like things, it is just life. 

C. PR

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[SW03ES]

I noticed the Ultra Lux package is gone for '06. I wonder what that deal is?

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Really? I hadn't noticed that. Slow sales maybe, 06 is going to be a short model year anyways.

[lextuned]

owwwwww easy does it now.. Now since some of you have so much pride (from being in this chat room for years) which is not a good thing to live by due to causing arogance and ignorance. I state my opinions in general not aiming towards anyone, and thats anyone. Now if we shall have non maturity in this areana this shall not be accpeted. No pre judging here. Period Now the newer lexus 95-97 just went plain cheaper. No fogs, looks like a avaoln hello. plain jane ( my opinion before we get lil over our heads) you have the duals on the older years why did they bring them back in ls430 hmm. My point is fully loaded older ls400 really has much more craftsman ship than 95-97 years. I dont know but tell me . No im not a young one and some loser that drinks to get rid of probs or to have fake fun here. Can we all just get along.

[nc211]

Well you're certainly entitled to your opinion. ;) Yes, we can all get along, infact we all do quite well! Stick around long enough and you'll see we have quite a bit of fun here, and we even poke fun at eachother sometimes in a friendly manner, because we're all friends. I've picked at SWO3ES about the Infiniti G35 v ES330, heckled KEWL once or twice and made countless jokes against myself. Yet I accept thier opinions as fact, and have learned to follow when asking, and not be affraid to lead when being asked. Based upon your comment, I assume you're of an age that life has taught you this. However if you feel that we're arrogant and ignorant loosers, and your first reaction to one of our opinions is to point this out, then I honestly doubt you would be willing accept our knowledge and opinions based upon personal experiences of our cars in general.

I think the best option for you is to contact your local dealership for a quick and professional diagnosis.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.

[dcfish]

Well you're certainly entitled to your opinion.  ;) Yes, we can all get along, infact we all do quite well! Stick around long enough and you'll see we have quite a bit of fun here, and we even poke fun at eachother sometimes in a friendly manner, because we're all friends. I've picked at SWO3ES about the Infiniti G35 v ES330, heckled KEWL once or twice and made countless jokes against myself. Yet I accept thier opinions as fact, and have learned to follow when asking, and not be affraid to lead when being asked. Based upon your comment, I assume you're of an age that life has taught you this. However if you feel that we're arrogant and ignorant loosers, and your first reaction to one of our opinions is to point this out, then I honestly doubt you would be willing accept our knowledge and opinions based upon personal experiences of our cars in general.

I think the best option for you is to contact your local dealership for a quick and professional diagnosis.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.     

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nc211, Well said. :whistles: And besides How can one call another a looser when they don't know the person? Must be self reflection.

[nc211]

Well that does it...I'm going Infiniti! You guys think the 06' will be like a "Platinum" series model type since they're about to change up the design for 07'? Saw my next car this morning in the parking lot. It's a 02' LS430...White with tan interior......Ohhhh sooo sharp! Damn the tax man! He gets too much of my salary. Good thing I have a legal obligation of full disclosure, otherwise I cheat my returns down to a point where I'd qualify for foodstamps, and be driving that 430!

I noticed the Ultra Lux package is gone for '06. I wonder what that deal is?

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[Gumart1]

It's true NC we are all like family and it's all in great fun and it's all about sharing our love for the same car - So if you believe the LS is great, don't be afraid to say so KEWL! (Just kidding ). I can say that when I am out working alone on my LS I do not feel alone with the presence of the forum. I feel like you are all with me as I work but it's a good thing you are not because then you'd really be laughing at me

I personally think that the air suspension is worth every penny and the ride is phenomenal. I also think there is nothing bad to say about the standard shocks. My 98' without air gives me a ride that is ten times smoother than my SUV. I can't even say my air ride in my other LS is twice as good. It is not. But it is smoother over bumps and still handles beautifully (when it works). I believe it is hard for anyone to assess the differences between the two unless you personally drive two brand new LS's on the same road at the same time and even then it will be a personal feeling. But there are so many variables. You may drive a used LS with air shocks in perfect shape but the rest of the suspension needs replacing. Then you would conclude that the ride is no better. Also where you live is a factor. In Chicago the roads suck. I feel a much bigger difference with the air ride. If I lived in Arizona I don't think I would care.

Financially if an older LS is in excellent shape mechanically then I think it is definitely worth the cost to keep a failing air ride, if you prefer the ride as I do. No you won't get every penny back but the car has reached a point where the depreciation is so low. I don't mind spending some maintnenance $ as opposed to watching it disappear in thin air in yearly depreciation. Although, if I didn't intend to keep the car or if it's useful life was coming to an end then I would not do it.

Here is a great review from Familycar.com about the air ride - sorry this post is so long!

"The ride on this car with its air-suspension is as perfect as you can get. Soft but controlled over any kind of pavement we could throw at it. We took it through Brooklyn New York where some of the streets have been heaved and tossed by a century of bus and truck traffic and spot patched whenever absolutely necessary. On the rare occasion where they would pave a section of street, you may see a Con Edison crew the following week breaking it up again to make an underground repair.

In some cases, you knew you were going over a particularly bad section of road because you could see it out of the front windshield. But from inside, all you could feel was a gentle rocking motion, with little or no sound from a suspension that you knew had to be working its heart out.

Normally, a car that rides this softly is a bear to control, bounding up and down after a dip in the road or wallowing like a boat when you tried to take a turn. Not so this Lexus. I found the steering to be quick and responsive and the cornering to be flat and steady. The excellent tires gripped the road with a vengeance both in cornering and stopping while maintaining a very quiet ride. A rare achievement. When going over a dip in the road that would send other softly sprung cars bounding up and down and getting their passengers seasick, this car will sense the dip in the road and instantly tighten up its electronically controlled shocks to stop any bounding before it had a chance to start. As soon as the energy from the dip is absorbed, the shocks returned to their soft setting. If the computer senses that you are driving fast, making quick steering movements or braking hard, the shocks will stiffen up to their sport mode and stay that way for as long as necessary. At highway speed, the car will lower itself automatically by about an inch for improved aerodynamics. Another advantage to having air-suspension is when you have a full load of passengers and/or heavy items in the trunk, the car will level itself automatically. There are two controls on the console to allow you to modify the behavior of this system. One switch allows you to manually change from normal to sport shock settings, the other switch lets you increase the ground clearance by about an inch or so for when you are driving through snow or on bad roads.

I also had a chance to drive another Lexus with the standard coil spring suspension without all these bells and whistles. I can tell you that, while the ride was not quite as good as the air spring car, it still had an excellent ride while providing good handling and control on winding roads. In both cases, you are dealing with a car that rides as good as any in the world."

[SW03ES]

owwwwww easy does it now.. Now since some of you have so much pride (from being in this chat room for years) which is not a good thing to live by due to causing arogance and ignorance.  I state my opinions in general not aiming towards anyone, and thats anyone. Now if we shall have non maturity in this areana this shall not be accpeted. No pre judging here. Period Now the newer lexus 95-97 just went plain cheaper.  No fogs, looks like a avaoln hello. plain jane ( my opinion before we get lil over our heads) you have the duals on the older years why did they bring them back in ls430 hmm.  My point is fully loaded older ls400 really has much more craftsman ship than 95-97 years.  I dont know but tell me .  No im not a young one and some loser that drinks to get rid of probs or to have fake fun here.    Can we all just get along.

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I don't think we're the ones that need to watch our pride. I posted my opinion and you called me cheap and suggested that I should be driving a 1990 Honda Accord. You're the one thats having issues respecting the opinions of others, not the rest of us.

As for your views on the newer year LS's, I can see no purpose for them in this context except to incite the other members that have participated here who just so happen to have those generation LS400s. Please, don't do that.

I personally think that the air suspension is worth every penny and the ride is phenomenal. I also think there is nothing bad to say about the standard shocks. My 98' without air gives me a ride that is ten times smoother than my SUV. I can't even say my air ride in my other LS is twice as good. It is not. But it is smoother over bumps and still handles beautifully (when it works).

Have you driven two cars of the same generation with and without the air shocks? I ask that because the first generation LS was floatier than the second, which was floatier than the third. Each time they've done a revamp they've tightened the suspension on the car slightly. That coupled with newer struts and bushings on your 98, wheel diameters etc could just as easily account for the ride difference as the air ride.

I drove MANY 98-00 LS400s when I was looking, and my dad had a 98 with air ride for 160k miles. In the same generation comparing the two suspensions I can feel no real appreciable differences, inlcuding after driving two vehicles on the exact same test loop.

I've picked at SWO3ES about the Infiniti G35 v ES330

I don't remember that lol

[lexluxury]

i too have had an encounter with an alien, and this creature told me the air ride was worth it. i would not trade it for anything. anyone who says you can't tell the diff has never ridden in a car with air suspension. i would fork over 400 for a new air strut in a heartbeat (and yes, you can buy them rebuilt for 400). you absolutely do not have to replace 'both', although it's recommended. why? the air leveling system will adjust for any extra firmness in suspension caused by one new strut. if you like a cushy ride, go with air suspension. you can't wander around worrying about whether an air strut is going to fail on you and what the cost will be ten years hence for god's sakes. at any given moment, in any car, and in lexus for sure, you can have a failure that will cost you the price of a strut and a half (or two). you go with what you like. enjoy the now. the future doesn't exist. yet.

Pre-cisely.

But our love of the same car will pull us through ;)

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