Ride On 2008 Lexus 350

[macbal]

My wife has back problems and is unhappy with the ride on the 2008 Lexus 350. We took it back to the dealership and they said everything was normal. It does seem to be worse than my previous cars. Any suggestions help would be appreciated.

Thanks

James

[Lexus 28]

My wife has back problems and is unhappy with the ride on the 2008 Lexus 350. We took it back to the dealership and they said everything was normal. It does seem to be worse than my previous cars. Any suggestions help would be appreciated.

Thanks

James

My previous 1993 LS 400 with AIR SUSPENSION was noticeably smoother than my current 2009 ES 350 over bumpy roads ONLY. However, the ES is quieter, more powerful, safer, and at least equally smooth on freeways. You should verify that your tires have the recommended 30 PSI. Since the air suspension is not available on the ES, then you would need to spend $70K + for the LS 460 with air suspension. If a test ride in that car is not smooth enough for your spouse, then I believe you have more than "car" problems :) Good luck.

[mhawkin1]

Did you not test drive the car before purchasing?

Short of a Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis or ?? I can't think of a car with a smoother more "floaty" ride. My friends jab me all the time because my car rides and handles like an "Oldsmobile of yore."

[1990LS400]

Try to keep your tires at the minimum pressure shown on the driver's side door jam. On both our Camry and LS, that is only 29 psi.

[SW03ES]

Short of a Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis or ?? I can't think of a car with a smoother more "floaty" ride. My friends jab me all the time because my car rides and handles like an "Oldsmobile of yore."

The LS rides much better....do yourself a favor and don't drive an LS lol.

Like Jim said, check the tire pressure and keep it at the factory reccomended PSI on the door, I think its 32 because of the 17" wheels. That will help a lot. The ES rides really nice...I bet that pressure is way high.

[DaveT]

My wife has back problems and is unhappy with the ride on the 2008 Lexus 350. We took it back to the dealership and they said everything was normal. It does seem to be worse than my previous cars. Any suggestions help would be appreciated.

Thanks

James

I own a 2008, and have noticed that it is pretty jumpy over rough roads. Not sure which tires your car has - mine has the Yokohama Avid model. I can't say I love them, and believe they are a major source of the problem. It's annoying enough where I'm considering installing Michelin XGVs on it and trying to sell off my Yokos (only 5k miles on them - any offers?). The tread pattern is quite blocky, and that usually translates to a rougher ride. The XGV is much more a "touring" tire, with more longitudinal grooves and some fairly thin tread aspects for quietness. If I decide to take the leap, I'll report back if my theory is correct. I know the Toyo Proxes are quiet too, but when I got only 22k from them on my old ES330, I swore off them.

[Lexus 28]

My wife has back problems and is unhappy with the ride on the 2008 Lexus 350. We took it back to the dealership and they said everything was normal. It does seem to be worse than my previous cars. Any suggestions help would be appreciated.

Thanks

James

I own a 2008, and have noticed that it is pretty jumpy over rough roads. Not sure which tires your car has - mine has the Yokohama Avid model. I can't say I love them, and believe they are a major source of the problem. It's annoying enough where I'm considering installing Michelin XGVs on it and trying to sell off my Yokos (only 5k miles on them - any offers?). The tread pattern is quite blocky, and that usually translates to a rougher ride. The XGV is much more a "touring" tire, with more longitudinal grooves and some fairly thin tread aspects for quietness. If I decide to take the leap, I'll report back if my theory is correct. I know the Toyo Proxes are quiet too, but when I got only 22k from them on my old ES330, I swore off them.

Consumer Reports (November 2009), pg. 48, 49 is helpful if you're looking for COMFORT (ie, listed separately under "ride comfort", and "noise") as well as other aspects in your tires. My 2009 ES OEM tires were Bridgestone Turanza EL 400, which were rated as "very good" for "noise" (or lack thereof obviously), and ONLY "good" for "ride comfort" (I agree). The Yokohama Avid (TRZ) is similarly rated under "comfort", the Yokohama Avid (H4S) is rated slightly worst, while the Avid (V4S) is slightly better than the above. The BEST tire (excluding winter tires) for "comfort" is the Kumho Solus KH16, followed closely by the Hankook Optimo H727, the Pirelli P4 Four Seasons, and four tire brands listed under "Performance All-Season". Michelin XGV's were not rated in this report, although the brand took top spots in ALL four categories (ie, all season, performance all-season H & V speed ratings, and winter tires). Bottomline: buy the higher rated tires for "comfort" if that's your priority, and inflate them at the recommended 30PSI. That's about as good as it gets (in terms of comfort) for an "entry level" luxury sedan, which is still pretty darn good.