Firming Up The Ride On A 2005 Rx Awd

[chaChaNY]

My RX is a sweet ride with no problems, in spite of a 2008 collision with a Dunkin Donuts truck. Just had an oil change, trans flush and rear differential oil change. Have had tires replaced and made "mistake" of buying the exact same Michelin tire which is comfortable but a bit spongy. I've been thinking about upgrading the rear shocks to stiffen the ride. Don't know too much about shock ratings...i.e. is there a number for the OEM shocks to rate the firmness, so I would know what to shop for? Is this even a good idea? Am I focusing on the wrong part or end of the car to accoomplish what I want? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Would like to hear from anyone who actually swapped out any parts to stiffen the ride.

[cduluk]

I know some of the Rx330's came with a "performance package" which came with adjustable ride height and i believe different shocks or whatever. Maybe there are OEM parts you can add to yours to get a better ride?

[pauljcl]

My RX is a sweet ride with no problems, in spite of a 2008 collision with a Dunkin Donuts truck. Just had an oil change, trans flush and rear differential oil change. Have had tires replaced and made "mistake" of buying the exact same Michelin tire which is comfortable but a bit spongy. I've been thinking about upgrading the rear shocks to stiffen the ride. Don't know too much about shock ratings...i.e. is there a number for the OEM shocks to rate the firmness, so I would know what to shop for? Is this even a good idea? Am I focusing on the wrong part or end of the car to accoomplish what I want? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Would like to hear from anyone who actually swapped out any parts to stiffen the ride.

What psi (pressure) are you running your tires at? You can increase the psi to 35 psi (though I find it too harsh). Harder shocks will slow the transient sways, but not affect final lean; they will also give a tighter feel - which some people don't like - when road irregularities are met. Higher rate springs will reduce lean somewhat, but probably will need different shocks, so that rebound is controlled. The way to reduce lean (as in turns) is to increase the thickness of the sway bars, often along with harder springs and thus also new shocks. You can also reduce the size of sidewall of the tires, i.e. run lower aspect ratio tires (e.g. 35 instead of 55) but, if you increase the width to get back to circumference size, the sidewall will be the same size, though 'comparatively' less. Or you could try taller rims with lower aspect ratio tires, which might increase swense of 'turn-in' response.

Re: shocks - I haven't looked into this for ages, but there used to be adjustable Konis and Bilsteins, where you could install the shocks and then 'tighten' them to your satisfaction (via a bolt/nut on the body of the shock absorber).

Having read your post, I don't really know what you are trying to achieve = less comfort? More 'control'? Less 'rebound'? Less 'lean'?

[i am sure there are lots of suspension experts who are members and will give better explanations than I can].

Good luck!