2010 Rx 350 Starting To Ride Rough

[desnard]

My 2010 RX 350 has 35K miles on it. The last several months I've been finding the ride starting to get rougher...able to feel even the smallest of bumps. I recently replaced the tires with the same OEM Michelin Latitude Tour HP thinking I would see an improvement. I had to bring it in to the dealer today for a brake inspection, and indeed, the front brakes needed to be replaced. I was given a 2013 RX350 as a loaner. The difference in the ride was night and day. The 2013 was vastly smoother. Should I be looking at some other cause like suspension, bushings, etc. as the cause for the rough ride?

[pj8708]

Hi Donna and Welcome

First, on behalf of the Club, please accept our apologee for not answering your question when you first posted it 5 days ago. That is not the type of support we want to give to our members. Even though the LOC is staffed by volunters, we pride ourselves on being friendly, welcoming, and most important, having lots of accurate information.

Of the over 150,000 members in North America and some over seas, we have finaly been gaining ground attracting women Lexus enthusiust. There are MANY women Lexus owners all across the USA. Their needs are sometimes differant than those of the "gear head" guys on here simply due to the traditional way a girl was brought up. That is, when you get married let your hubby take care of it! LOL

There are not a whole lot of things that can make a significant differance in the feel of the ride, most of which you've already mentioned. Tires and the amount of inflation makes a big difference. Struts is another item, if worn, can make a big differance. However, front struts usually last a long time, ( up into 75,000 miles maybe), and since you've only got about half of that mileage I would say that would be the last thing to suspect.

Another item to look at is the "Air Suspension" system. This feature replaces the traditional coiled spring and strut/shock absorber for the ride control. The amount of air in the struts is monitered and replenished with a air compressor under the hood. If your RX came from the factory with this feature I suppose it's possible that it could have stoped working correctly. The compressor may have an air leak or have blown a fuse. Your owners manual has a pictorial of all the fuse's in your car and where there located and their type and size.

If the RX does not have the Air Suspension, It then has just the standard spring and strut configuration.

Finaly. Of all possible suspects, tires are way out in first place, ahead of any other possibilities. That's why I'm really stumped about your situation. Did the rough ride begin before you put on new tires? Did the mechanics balance the tires correctly i.e.," road force balance"? Have you had the front end alignment checked while the rough ride started or after the new tires were put on?

At this point I don't know what else to recommend. I think some other people with chime in here and add some more information.

Please come back and let us know whats going on so we can learn also.

Paul

[landar]

Welcome Donna .

This is going to be a tough one as it is hard to troubleshoot roughness over the internet. Things that you might try to explain to us is your definition of a "rough" ride. Is it a vibration at a certain speed or just feeling bumps in the road in general?

While it could be quite a few things, I would not think, at 35k, that something is worn out. However, hitting a large hole or curb could put stress on a component and cause early failure so it is possible.

I guess the obvious question is whether you had the dealer look at it for this roughness while they were replacing the brakes? Maybe you swapped it in on the 2013. ;)

[desnard]

OK, I feel kind of silly but at least relieved to have corrected the problem. When my tires were replaced a couple of months ago, I mistakenly assumed that they would put the proper air pressure in my brand new tires. That was Treads and Care Tires, not Lexus. When I brought it in on the recent visit to Lexus, and complained about the ride, they discovered that my tire pressure was approx. 42 psi in almost all the tires. Once they reduced it down to 32 psi, it completely changed the ride. So lesson learned...don't assume that the tire installers put the correct pressure in.

Thanks for the replies!

Donna

[LEXIRX330]

Yep first thing to check air pressure! Glad you figured it out.

[ROTTBOY]

Glad your problem was solved.

Last week, brought in our '11 RX350 for an oil change and was given a '13 loaner. My wife and I both noticed that the ride was noticeable stiffer. Am sure that next time you drive a newer model ('13 and up) you will notice the difference.

Seem to remember reading somewhere that Lexus revised the suspension settings after the 2012 models to improve handling to address the competition (X5, ML etc.....). :)