2007 Rx350 Front Seats

[sandeep12]

I leased a 2007 RX350 that my wife uses mostly. Every time we go on long trips, I realize how uncomfortable the driving experience is. The seats kill me...i have tried various adjustments, but they are very hard and my lower back hurts. The dealer of course thinks nothing is wrong (not suprised at all)

Recently, I put a seat cover - wooden beads...which helps some. The ride on long distance is horrible.

Does anyone know if you can replace these seats ? My RX300 is so comfortable that i absolutely love it for long drives.

Also, what is the difference in suspension between RX300 and RX350 ? I blindly bought the RX350 without even bothering to test drive it, since i was in love with RX300 - boy was i wrong.

[cduluk]

I agree with you, compared to the seats in the Rx300 (i had one before my Rx400h) the seats in the 04-09 Rx330/350/400h are TERRIBLE.

I don't believe however that seats can be swapped in, especially not because of the side airbags, heating elements (for the heated seats) and switches to detect whether or not anyone's sitting in them (for the airbag system). Plus, the mounts wouldn't match up...

And the suspension in the 04+ RX's is more tuned to the "sporty" type whereas the Rx300 suspension was more for "comfort". It's also due to the larger (well, smaller) tires.

[sandeep12]

can you change the supension to give a more comfortable ride - instead of the sporty one on RX350

[cduluk]

Not that i'm aware of... I know you can make it even sportier (Lexus even put out an Rx330/350 with a "Sports Package" that made the ride even stiffer) but i'm not sure what can be done to make it less so...

[sandeep12]

I got some useful insight after reading about the "ride" quality on LS460 - which is the flagship lexus product. It seems that tires play a big role in the quality of ride.

The RX 300 has 225/70R16.

The RX 350 has 235/55R18. You can also get 225/65R17 for an RX350. From what I read the higher aspect ratio improves the ride quality significantly. Michelin has a brand called Latitude Tour (225/65R17) that they claim gives an extra quiet ride. I have Michelin's on the RX300 and they are smooth as silk. Apparently, when someone complains of ride quality even Lexus dealership is changing tires on new vehicles.

I am going to order the 225/65R17's from Michelin and see how they work. I read additional articles in the forum that said that going from 235 to 225 shouldnt cause any issues. Any thoughts ?

Wish me luck - i think i may be getting closer to solving this mystery and begin enjoying my RX350.

[pauljcl]

I got some useful insight after reading about the "ride" quality on LS460 - which is the flagship lexus product. It seems that tires play a big role in the quality of ride.

The RX 300 has 225/70R16.

The RX 350 has 235/55R18. You can also get 225/65R17 for an RX350. From what I read the higher aspect ratio improves the ride quality significantly. Michelin has a brand called Latitude Tour (225/65R17) that they claim gives an extra quiet ride. I have Michelin's on the RX300 and they are smooth as silk. Apparently, when someone complains of ride quality even Lexus dealership is changing tires on new vehicles.

I am going to order the 225/65R17's from Michelin and see how they work. I read additional articles in the forum that said that going from 235 to 225 shouldnt cause any issues. Any thoughts ?

Wish me luck - i think i may be getting closer to solving this mystery and begin enjoying my RX350.

If you have 18" rims, you will need 18" tires, rather than 17" tires. (Unless you also change rims).

[sandeep12]

You are right, i will need to change the rims too.

Wonder how much quieter they will get if I just change the tires with 18" Michelin's.

The rims will be costly too. I will talk to the dealer and see if i can make some headway in getting used 17" rims.

[anasazi]

Not sure how respondent comments strayed from your original complaint re: uncomfortable seats to all the discussion about tire and suspension affects on ride quality!!

I've had an '07 RX since new and have never been satisfied with the driver's seat either. I can spend about 3 hours in it, then need to get out and stretch. I surely don't mind a firm seat and, in fact, generally find them more comfortable than something too padded. But there's something about the ones in this car that just don't work, at least not for my butt!

[sandeep12]

OK, I did the following and am much happier with the ride.

I went to relax the back and bought a tempurpedic seat cushion that you can place over the front seat. It is called sacroease w/wedge. It makes you sit a little higher than i would prefer but after a week of driving, I got used to it. It is a day and night difference and is very comfortable. I actually feel like taking the car out now. This seat cushion cost $280. there is another one without the wedge and it is $160. They are expensive, but i figured re-doing the seats with extra memory foam will cost me in the $600 range. You can try them for 30 days and if you don't like it return it....so i decided to try since there is nothing to lose.

I decided to stick with the 18" rims but bought Michelin Latitude Tour 235/55 R18 tires. They are apparently the quietest in their class. They ride very well and there is less road noise now. They are T (110 miles) rated instead of V (130 miles). I never drive over 75-80 mph, so the T rating is fine for me. I special ordered them at Costco and had to sign a waiver saying that i understood that the ride would not be as sporty...(Duh...i didn't want it to be sporty hence i was changing them). The tires came in 2 days and Costco had $70 discount for Michelin tires.

Hope this helps others in a similar situation like me. I feel so much better now.

Having said that, I wish Lexus would listen to customer feedback and provide better seats on their flagship models. I still dont know which Lexus to buy as my next car....since i heard similar stories on the 2010 RX350's too.