PirelliRC

i was thinking of coil overs as well but i did speak with a couple specialists and both agreed that coil overs will be firmer than the stock suspension, one suggested struts with an air ride type suspenion which using a small compressor to damping the vibrations. Its cost around $2000 installed. Interesting idea but the stock suspension is not bad at all so i wont be doing any drastic mods. Around how many miles do the struts usually need replacing ?

You cant really compare the ES to the LS, the LS is in a whole nother class in pretty much every aspect. Its definitely a top automobile. But the ES for its price is a fine automobile in its own right.

NickTee

Coilovers will only be firmer if you set it up that way, but your coilovers typically have less travel than the stock struts. Most people getting into a base coilover setup are looking for a ride that "corners better" because it eliminates the body roll. Those kits offer a stiffer spring rate, but they're also single-adjustable coilovers that do not allow for fine-tuning.
If you buy dual-adjustable coilovers with progressive rate springs, or even softer springs than are typically offered, you can adjust the suspension to be softer that the stock setup. Just because it's a coilover does not mean it has to be harsh. It just happens that most people are not buying coilovers for a softer ride. As for stroke length, I am unsure what the stock stroke is on your struts, but the coilovers have 130mm front and 170mm rear stroke.

lesz

I'm not sure that I understand the comments about using higher tire pressures to improve the ride comfort. It should be just the opposite.

Before owning my generation 6 ES, I had a generation 4 ES. I don't think that there was much difference in ride quality, but, if there was any difference, I'm confident that it was largely attributable to differences in the recommended tire pressures. With the generation 4 ES, the recommended tire pressure was 29 psi. With the generation 6 ES, it is 33 psi. I find that, with my 2013 ES, if I raise the tire pressure, say, to 35 psi, the ride quality becomes noticeably harsher. At, say, 30 psi, it feels much like the ride in the generation 4 ES. In any case, I keep the tire pressure in the current ES at the recommended 33 psi, which should result in good mpg, and it should also be best for even tire wear and for extending the tread life of the tires.

SW17LS

Higher pressures reduce ride quality, not improve it. Lesz is right, manufacturers have been increasing pressures to improve fuel economy, and ride quality takes a hit. If you want a better ride, lower the pressure.

Arty101

I also get a softer ride with lower pressure, and a firmer and better handling albeit harsher ride with more air in my tires. That's the cheapest and easiest solution.

PirelliRC

whats your cold tire pressure ?

Arty101

I have my cold press. at 34psi, slightly above the recommended to get a little better mpg.

airchomper

There's not a ton you can do with suspension - I don't think there are any aftermarket options that are more compliant than the stock suspension.

I'd get in touch with a Toyota/Lexus/Scion aftermarket shop, especially one that works with Toyotas.

The first thing to do is to get more tire sidewall. I believe your car has 17 inch rims, and you can actually get 16 inch steelies from a Camry, a 16 inch tire with a taller sidewall and a good tire on it will do wonders. Sidewalls are the first 'spring' that road undulations can be dampened by. This will really help decrease the jounce/jerk from bumps of all sizes. This is where your bang-for-buck is. You can probably trade rims even with someone who wants better rims for their camry, and the tires will probably be cheaper.

If you want to do more work, you should consider a thinner sway bar, I believe that the base spec Camry has a thinner swaybar. A thinner swaybar will produce less sympathetic dampening, if you hit something with one wheel, the rest of the car will be less affected. However, you'll lose high-speed stability.

As a final resort, you can talk to a spring company like swift to produce more progressive/softer springs. You'll get more body motion, and the car will feel boaty, but it'll ride much smoother down the road. This will be the most expensive option, easily $1,000 for parts and installation.

Avoid coil overs, they'll all lower your car a bit (which is bad, you'll have less suspension travel to soak up bumps) and they probably can't be as soft as your struts are now. And it takes an expert to tune them correctly. It'd be really expensive and probably won't get you a plusher riding car.

chromedome

I feel like a total idiot for running high pressures. I dropped down from 35 to 33 psi and now I have my old, soft ES back. The car now glides over highway expansion joints, it's a lot quieter and ride on rough roads is nowhere near as crashy as before. The downside is that the steering isn't as sharp but that's fine. Fuel consumption might go up a small bit; I'll just drive slower

My onboard pressure sensors also reads 1 psi high, compared to a few other digital gauges I tried.

lesz

I would like to think that, before I bought a vehicle, I would have known whether the ride quality of that vehicle was going to be to my liking, but, if I did buy a car and subsequently determined that the ride quality was not acceptable to me, I don't think I'd want to start altering suspension components, Instead, I think it would be more practical to accept the fact that I chose the wrong vehicle for me and to take the financial hit associated with replacing the vehicle sooner than I thought I would be doing so. When you start to modify major components of a vehicle, including the suspension system, besides incurring the cost to do so, you are also creating a significant negative impact on the re-sale or trade-in value of that vehicle. The vast majority of used car buyers want a car that is still the way it came from the factory, and some are also going to be apprehensive about the reliability of a vehicle with significant modifications. And, by reducing the pool of potential buyers, the value of the vehicle is going to go down, either with a private sale or with a trade-in.

Also, I suspect that those who think that the ride quality of the current generation ES is too harsh will find that, as has been discussed in this thread, it is much more to their liking if they simply lower the tire pressure to, say, 30 or 31 psi.

SW17LS

The impact of running higher/lower pressure really is shocking huge...