PirelliRC

Im coming up on 3 months of ownership and i am thrilled with the car in all aspects, if i have one small gripe it would be the shock absorbers on the ES. The suspension is tuned so the car is not floaty on the highway and is confident through corners and i really like that, however at low speeds over uneven surfaces sometimes there is a little more road input than i am looking for. The suspension itself is silky smooth so i think the excessive road input is due to the shock absorbers.

So i had a question to our knowledgeable members here, if i replace the shock absorbers with a more heavy duty ones, will the road input over bumps, cracks and potholes improve and not transfer as much into the cabin ? Any insight ?

Thanks
-Dave

chromedome

The dampers are a bit weird, I'd say. The ride is firm on highways but not harsh, whereas it does get crashy on rough roads. The previous generation was more floaty but it was a lot more comfortable on rough roads. Coilovers would give you a firmer, well damped ride, but high spring rates will make the car feel crashy if the road's not smooth.

I've found that tire compounds and
pressures really affect the ride - my 17" Dunlop SP Sports are set to 35 psi cold and with the higher ambient temperatures now, the ride is more comfortable than during winter.

PirelliRC

well i cant wait for the Michelins to wear out so i can put Pirelli P7's. I always use theae tires and they are ranked number #1 in comfort and road noise. But the tires contribute so much, i think swapping the MacPherson struts and absorbers for higher quality ones might translate to less road input.

SW17LS

Replacing the struts isn't going to do anything for you. Theres really not a lot you can do other than swap tires. Yours has the Primacy MXV4, the P7s aren't going to be much smoother and quieter than those, if any.

PirelliRC

i spoke with a few suspension shops and they pretty much said the same thing, ive noticed that the ride is much more firm when the tires are cold, but once they get heated its very nice and composed. There is no road noise from the tires, its just a bit firm. These Michelins are rated at 8.4 for comfort by TireRack, while the Pirelli P7s All Season tires are rated at 9.4 for comfort. No other tire has higher than 9.1 which are some Toyos. And they were silky smooth on my GS so ill toss em on once these Michelins wear out. I still got 7/12 tread depth all around.

I took my car in for service last Friday and they inflated my tires to 35 psi cold. I normally have 33 psi cold but i decided drive with 35 psi for a while. And i have to admit, it does feel better and glides over surfaces effortlessly, especially when it gets up to 38 psi. Also it seems like its helping my MPG as well, after half a tank its indicating 37.2 MPG (personal best so far) and cruising range is 556 miles. The most i have gotten is 530 miles to the tank so there is a difference. Sure is good driving the hybrid when fuel prices are over $4.00 / gal now in L.A.

chromedome

Good to hear you're getting higher mpg and paying less for gas

Crazy idea here but could SW15LS describe the LS ride compared to the current ES? Or the Benz S-class on steel springs? I wonder if a good fabricator could make a set of shocks and springs or even coilovers that match the spring rates and damping on the LS. Not looking for a lowered setup here, more of a firm but well-damped ride that combines the comfort of the old ES with the better control of the new one.

SW17LS

I've not driven the new S Class on steel springs, but I have driven the previous S and of course the ES.

The S Class and the LS ride very similarly. The S is a little firmer but its a little flatter, if that makes sense. The LS wallows and floats a little more. I'd rate both rides at 10/10.

The LS rides significantly better than the ES. Its much heavier, much more sophisticated suspension set up (you have to look at the control arms and suspension setup of the LS, very complex), its much more isolated from the road, no harshness anywhere in the ride or the suspension. Its not just a matter of struts or spring rates, theres a lot more to it than that. The overall smoothness of the LS' powertrain, the incredible level of quietness, all of that goes into overall the perception of the ride. The LS is a big step up in overall refinement.

At its core the ES has a much less sophisticated suspension setup, I don't think theres much you can do to an ES to make it ride like the LS. I'd focus on tires, get the smoothest quietest tire you can, air them at the minimum PSI or a pound lower cold.

I really think the reason people feel the new ES rides differently than the old is tire pressure. Companies have raised tire pressures to improve economy.

chromedome

That I understand, the ES is lighter than even the GS while being larger. The S class on steel springs has a firm but smooth ride - you feel large bumps but they're smoothed over whereas in the ES, large road imperfections are felt as harsh thumps in the cabin. That difference is down to suspension component design, spring rates and damper setup and these can be modded. It's possible to engineer long-travel suspension parts with variable damping, like good Ohlins kit, but cost is another matter.

SW17LS

Yeah and its the kind of thing where unless you had really significant knowledge and experience in suspension and suspension geometry it would be a very difficult and hit or miss undertaking...

chromedome

Yeah, aftermarket suspensions are usually a hit or miss affair unless you live in a place with perfect roads. Like Florida

Anyway, over highway expansion joints, how would you describe the LS' ride vs the ES? How about over potholed roads? Just the vertical motion and damping, leaving out road noise and all that.

SW17LS

Its much better, expansion joints make a muted thump without really any feeling in the suspension, you can feel potholes but it just kind of glides over them.

The LS ride I've always described as the feeling of smoothing out road imperfections. You feel that they're there, but its almost like the car covers them up. Hard to describe...

The ES rides well, but its a different ride. I got some of that in the GS but not to the same level as the LS. It has a solid, vault like feel that the ES lacks. The LS never hits anything that you feel thrashed or harshly. For instance, you can hit a speed bump at 40 MPH and it just kind of floats over it.

chromedome

So it's a combo of enough compliance in the suspension arms, low spring rates to absorb bumps and good dampers to complement those springs. The ES feels good on smooth roads but yeah, the ride on rough roads sucks. The LS and GS also have stiffer bodies so thumps are better absorbed.

Seems like Lexus engineers stiffened up the ES to make it handle better but at the cost of ride comfort. Most companies seem guilty of this, equating a stiff ride with good handling, when it's possible to get both comfort and handling. Just ask Citroen...

PirelliRC

The GS suspension is a wishbone suspension, it also has "cushions" in between the struts and mounts, i think this also plays a role in the absorbtion of bumps and cracks. The ES floats over speed bumps very well, it only has some trouble going over potholes at low speeds 5mph - 25mph. On th freeway its smooth as silk.

chromedome

If you really want to tune your suspension for the kind of driving and roads you usually experience, better go for a completely customizable coil over set. I'm not sure which companies offer these for the ES. You can choose ride heights, spring rates, damping and rebound rates and keep going back to the workshop until you find a sweet spot. I did this on a previous car and managed to get a smooth ride for the street with sweet track handling but it took forever to get things right.

NickTee

You would want adjustable compression and rebound, not combined adjustment, to be able to perfect the adjustments and you'd need to speak with a specialist to select the correct spring rate that's not too soft and not to firm. They may also have progressive-rate spring for coilovers. Additional benefits include the ability to alter ride height and that they are rechargeable and can be rebuilt if needed, rather than shelling out money for new struts when they wear out.