Supension Lexus Rx 350 Model 2010

[inrice]

I just bought a brand-new Lexus rx (350 option 1). and I had a ride of 350 km.

I bought this car because the confort, but I am VERY disappointed by the stiffness of the suspension. (Worst than the BMW 3 series !). The rest seems to be OK.

The tire pressure was correct. My only hope is that with the time, the things turn up to be more acceptable, (me or the car ?)

Is someone aware of this stiffness ?

[The G Man]

I just bought a brand-new Lexus rx (350 option 1). and I had a ride of 350 km.

I bought this car because the confort, but I am VERY disappointed by the stiffness of the suspension. (Worst than the BMW 3 series !). The rest seems to be OK.

The tire pressure was correct. My only hope is that with the time, the things turn up to be more acceptable, (me or the car ?)

Is someone aware of this stiffness ?

I am not sure what option 1 is, but here in the US, its sport package or non-sport. I test drove the non-sport package 2 months. It was stiffer than the last gen but it handle a bit better too. It wasnt even close to a 3 series as far as stiffness. Lexus is making their suspension stiffer in their new car to improve handling, but in my opinion, it is still one of the softest around.

[BadBrad]

Ditto - again G Man. Having owned every gen of RX I'll say this is the best handling of the lot. And yet, it only wallows around corners just a little better than previously. Still darn soft. If you want something softer, inrice, I suggest a Lincoln Town Car or perhaps a '77 Buick LeSabre with that car's standard front sofa.

[The G Man]

Ditto - again G Man. Having owned every gen of RX I'll say this is the best handling of the lot. And yet, it only wallows around corners just a little better than previously. Still darn soft. If you want something softer, inrice, I suggest a Lincoln Town Car or perhaps a '77 Buick LeSabre with that car's standard front sofa.

Even the new Buick, Lincoln and Caddy are making cars their cars with stiffer suspension now. With Lexus doing the same, there might be a new market for people looking for ultra soft riders like the old town cars and 77 Buick LeSabre. I am suprise no car companies have pick up on that yet.

[gregav]

I too noticed a particularly harsh ride in our '10 350 after we bought it. Certainly noticable when compared to our '00 300. My other cars have sporty suspension, but there is a difference between sporty and just too stiff. I happen to read a comment about this by Road and Track magazine. Their suggestion was to lower the tire pressure by 10 to 15% below factory setting. Most tire manufacturers feel this change wouldn't adversely affect gas mileage or tire heat. I lowered mine to 28 vs the 32 factory number. The ride is noticably improved. I see no affect on handling.

Just a suggestion.

[jaswood]

Does it not occur to anyone that those 20" wheels with short sidewall, no "give", tires might be the problem...?

[Taichi]

I too noticed a particularly harsh ride in our '10 350 after we bought it. Certainly noticable when compared to our '00 300. My other cars have sporty suspension, but there is a difference between sporty and just too stiff. I happen to read a comment about this by Road and Track magazine. Their suggestion was to lower the tire pressure by 10 to 15% below factory setting. Most tire manufacturers feel this change wouldn't adversely affect gas mileage or tire heat. I lowered mine to 28 vs the 32 factory number. The ride is noticably improved. I see no affect on handling.

Just a suggestion.

[Taichi]

Do you still believe tire pressure lowering makes a difference.......anybody who is seriously in the business will tell you it does nothing......over the years I have lowered tire pressure until the low air light comes on and still had the harsh ride...it does not change the hard ride

[gregav]

Do you still believe tire pressure lowering makes a difference.......anybody who is seriously in the business will tell you it does nothing......over the years I have lowered tire pressure until the low air light comes on and still had the harsh ride...it does not change the hard ride

I don't know if I'm "seriously in the business", but I did see a difference and I believe a slightly lower pressure can reduce some of the harshness. That being said, however, the ride is still too harsh. There are certainly luxury cars that have a firm ride and good handling without the harshness. I don't think Lexus has achieved this balance with this car. I don't expect a sport sedan handling but do expect a more comfortable ride. Suspension tuning includes tires, springs, shocks and sway bars. We now have front and rear sway bars in the car, but the other components fall short, in my opinion.

[wh2]

The suspension is probably the biggest disappointment for me. Often in making 90 degree turns where the road has any minor bumps the vehicle rocks side to side. On straight roads, any irregularity is felt more than I like. Reducing the tire pressure to 30PSI improves the ride quality, but the side-to-side rocking is still quite pronounced. I have the standard suspension with 18 inch rims, so tire sidewall height(flexibility)is not an issue. I waited until the new independent rear suspension came out in 2010, anticipating the elimination of solid rear axle tramping which affects handling and ride. So much for the wait.

[gregav]

The suspension is probably the biggest disappointment for me. Often in making 90 degree turns where the road has any minor bumps the vehicle rocks side to side. On straight roads, any irregularity is felt more than I like. Reducing the tire pressure to 30PSI improves the ride quality, but the side-to-side rocking is still quite pronounced. I have the standard suspension with 18 inch rims, so tire sidewall height(flexibility)is not an issue. I waited until the new independent rear suspension came out in 2010, anticipating the elimination of solid rear axle tramping which affects handling and ride. So much for the wait.

I agree 100%. The harshness is slightly better. I did bring the car to the dealer who took a test drive and said it was just like all of the other 350's he'd driven, but then found there was a defective shock. I can't say the replaced shock made much difference. I'm thinking of trying after market shocks, but I suspect the side-to-side rocking problem won't be cured with that. I think it's a design issue with spring rates, shocks and sway bars. I recently drove the 2000 RX300 we sold to our daughter and was reminded what a great ride it had, in spite of being a little soft.

[The G Man]

The old RX300's suspension was so soft, some people get sea sick riding in it :) :)

[The G Man]

There are certainly luxury cars that have a firm ride and good handling without the harshness.

I think you have answer your own question, the key word here is "car". The RX350 is not a car, it s SUV. There is no question in my mind that the suspension in the RX can be better. Then again, the Japanese is not known for their suspension technology, leave that to the Germans, a Lexus is know for its customer service and relaibility. If someone can make a high quality reliable car with a sporty suspension and yet ride comfortably, that would be the perfect car. As far as I know, no one have been able to do that yet.

[gregav]

There are certainly luxury cars that have a firm ride and good handling without the harshness.

I think you have answer your own question, the key word here is "car". The RX350 is not a car, it s SUV. There is no question in my mind that the suspension in the RX can be better. Then again, the Japanese is not known for their suspension technology, leave that to the Germans, a Lexus is know for its customer service and relaibility. If someone can make a high quality reliable car with a sporty suspension and yet ride comfortably, that would be the perfect car. As far as I know, no one have been able to do that yet.

Yes the Germans make amazing suspensions. The Japanese are no slouches, however. I drive a Honda S2000 and an Acura TSX, both of which have excellent suspensions. The RX300 I didn't consider overly soft. I'm an avid autocrosser and appreciate a firm ride, but given that the RX350 is more driven to the soccer field than off road, a better compromise could have been made. The Jeep Grand Cherokee I used to have had a better ride vs stiffness solution than this RX. I've read that Lexus is trying to move to more performance oriented cars with BMW mentioned as a make to emulate. I believe they will get there, but this RX hasn't done it. (IMHO)

[The G Man]

Yes the Germans make amazing suspensions. The Japanese are no slouches, however. I drive a Honda S2000 and an Acura TSX, both of which have excellent suspensions. The RX300 I didn't consider overly soft. I'm an avid autocrosser and appreciate a firm ride, but given that the RX350 is more driven to the soccer field than off road, a better compromise could have been made. The Jeep Grand Cherokee I used to have had a better ride vs stiffness solution than this RX. I've read that Lexus is trying to move to more performance oriented cars with BMW mentioned as a make to emulate. I believe they will get there, but this RX hasn't done it. (IMHO)

The Honda S2000 and Acura TSX are cars, cars have different suspensions than SUV. A SUV usually have more suspension travel, which makes it harder to handle well without making the making the suspension much stiffer.

The Japanese are starting to make some decent suspension, but they are still behind the Germans. If you take a quick turn or do some high speed maneuvers with the RX300, it will protest quite loudly with heavy body lean.

The Grand Cherokee’s suspension is quite soft as well, but not as soft as the RX300. Most suspensions are a compromise between ride comfort and handling. Some manufacturer can make that compromise better than others, but there is no magic formula here, they all have to play by the laws of physics. Air suspension and active suspension can make that compromise between comfort and handling much better, but now you are talking about a couple of pretty expensive options and higher maintenance cost.

It seems like the new RX’s design intention is to emphasize the balance between handling and comfort, it will alien some buyers who is still looking for the soft rider of yester-years, but it will also attract more younger buyers and male buyers as well. The LS460 is heading in the same direction, the ride is much stiffer than the outgoing model. Perhaps the ES350 will be the last of the Lexus soft riders.

[jaswood]

I too noticed a particularly harsh ride in our '10 350 after we bought it. Certainly noticable when compared to our '00 300. My other cars have sporty suspension, but there is a difference between sporty and just too stiff. I happen to read a comment about this by Road and Track magazine. Their suggestion was to lower the tire pressure by 10 to 15% below factory setting.

Most tire manufacturers

(With one most certain exception.)

feel this change wouldn't adversely affect gas mileage or tire heat. I lowered mine to 28 vs the 32 factory number. The ride is noticably improved. I see no affect on handling.

Just a suggestion.

The Ford exploder earned that name just that way, lowering the tire pressure in order to lower the propensity for roll-over. Lowering the tire pressure and then driving for long periods at high speed is fraught with DANGER.

[The G Man]

Decreasing the tire pressure also cause lower gas mileage and shorter treadwear.

[FXLexus]

I have a 19" wheel (p235/55) on my 2010 RX350 and I have been experiencing the stiff ride, and still not used to it. I am wondering if changing to a thicker (higher height) tire. Has anyone tried this and wonder if it helps?

[RickC5]

I have a 19" wheel (p235/55) on my 2010 RX350 and I have been experiencing the stiff ride, and still not used to it. I am wondering if changing to a thicker (higher height) tire. Has anyone tried this and wonder if it helps?

Yes, changing to a tire with a higher/taller sidewall will definitely improve the ride of your RX. However, to really get some noticeable improvement, you will need to switch to 18" wheels, or even 17" wheels, as your 19s just won't allow a large enough tire to make much of a difference.

Re: the stiffer suspension. We currently own a 2008 ES350, and in a failed attempt to trade it for a 2011 RX 350 recently, we took the RX for a longish test drive. I immediately noticed that the RX suspension was much firmer/stiffer than our ES. But, the flip-side is that the RX handled pretty nicely for a SUV. Not much lean in the corners--compared to the ES--but definitely NOT car-like. It seemed more truck-like to me, but a good-handling truck.