FLM99

I purchased a 2015 F-Sport in the spring of 2015 after 14 years in a 2001 Silversport. I don't think the quality of the 2015 is anywhere near that on the 2001 - rattles, vibrations, clunks, and an 8-speed transmission that cannot decide what gear to be in. Plus, the HVAC system starts out in recirc mode and never switches to outside air. Gets clammy inside quickly. According to the dealer, 'they all do that' or 'we see no problem'.
However, my real complaint is the rough ride in the F-Sport. Is it possible to put regular RX springs/shocks on their car to make it a bit more comfortable? Any advice will be greatly appreciated..

realkrs

The first advice will be to be sure that your tires aren't overinflated.

I'm not sure but I think that the ride results more from the large wheel diameter/short sidewall tires combo than from spring stiffness. The F springs do seem to be a little more firm than on the non-F car but I'm finding in road tests that the non-F with 19 inch wheels is stiffer than the same car with 18 inchers, and both are stiffer than an older car using 17 inch wheels.

Although I know the benefit of short sidewalls for a competition car I think the style trend which is dictating that manufactrers provide the large wheel look for a car intended for general family use is a mistake. The racing benefit of short stiff sidewalls will never be realized on an SUV or large sedan but the comfort level can be severely impacted by their use on such cars.

charley95

You didn't notice the ride quality when you first bought it? Did you test drive it before you purchased it? I have the standard 14 RX and have riden in a 15 RX-F and didn't notice much difference between the two.

FLM99

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I test drove both versions of the RX, and no, at the time, the ride didn't seem that different. It was after spending time in the car on typical northeastern U.S. roads (generally bad) that the situation became annoying, particularly with 4 people in the car. The tires are not overinflated. Our other car for the last 15 years has been an Audi A6, the last being a 2015 model. Even with low profile tires and a sport suspension, it is more tolerant of not-so-great roads. I never expected sports car handling, but I did expect a reasonably comfortable ride from an RX. I'm still wondering if there is a significant difference in the springs/struts between the F-Sport and the standard models. If not, I expect to have a low mileage F-Sport to sell soon.

JT4

You're right, the F Sport definitely rides much rougher than a non- F-Sport.

It will be two years this coming September that we bought our 15 F Sport. I did a lot of research beforehand so I was aware of the rougher ride that a lot of people and reviewers were talking about. So me and my wife test drove it for 35 mins over smooth and rough roads to get an idea of what we were in for.

I focused on finding rough roads and drove it over those primarily. On smooth roads it rode great, but on rough road surfaces it definitely rode rougher than a non- F-Sport, but we were ok with it. It's my wife's vehicle and the F-Sport sporty looks is what sold her on it. Went back the next day drove it again and bought it.

While I agree with you in regards to the rough ride (sometimes I wonder if Lexus needed to make it so rough), in our case in the almost two years of driving it, I have not experienced any of the clunks, rattles or trans issues you have explained. Even with the rough ride the interior is surprisingly quiet and rattle free.

Sorry to hear about your displeasure, hopefully you will get things worked out.

11bravo

The most common complaints I've seen on this forum in the short time I've been on here involves ride quality. Almost without exception, the complaints come from people who went from a high-quality sedan to the RX. There is very little comparison between an LS or an Audi A6, and an RX. You cannot spend 15 years or more in a luxury sedan, even a sporty one like the A6, and get into an RX and not feel quite a difference in ride quality. If you start changing out suspension components, you can run into unintended issues, besides spending a whole lot of money

Two things you can do which are fairly easy. Check out tire options on Tirerack.com. Read the detailed user reviews of several different tires. You might be riding on a brand of tire that is known for stiffness, whereas another tire brand/model would be more soft. There is a huge difference in ride between tire brands. If you are getting close to replacing tires, that would be a good move.

The second thing that would help, though not as much, would be to convert to 18" Lexus RX wheels with the correct tire to equal the overall height of your current tires/wheels. A smaller diameter wheel, but in a slightly taller tire, will mean a taller tire sidewall, which translates to a softer ride.

I hope you can find some help, and really begin to enjoy your RX.

kingdave

I thought it was just me.

Over the years, the dealership has provided us with several RXs as service loaners. Although I always hated how the vehicle looked I loved the ride. A few days ago, I bought a 2013 RX 350 and so far, I've been keenly aware of the difference in ride between it and the "regular" RX 350. Overall the ride seems a bit rougher and a tad bit noisier than what I remember from the loaners.

JT4

The F Sport is known to ride much firmer / rougher than a regular RX. The suspension is tuned to provide better handling, but of course the tradeoff is a rougher ride.

Did you buy an RX F Sport? I am asking because it sounds like you bought an F Sport without giving it a good test drive. Hopefully you didn't purchase an F Sport based on your experience driving a regular RX loaner, because if you did, IMO you may never be happy with it.

lexus114

replace the rear shocks on your f sport with non f sport shocks and you will be pleased. the f sport rear shocks are the cause more than anything.

FLM99

Thanks for the replies. As I said in my first post, we drove a 2001 RX300 SilverSport for 14 years. It came with a 'more sporty' suspension than the regular RX and it was fine. I just never figured on such a stiff suspension on an RX, 'sporty' or not. Tightening it up a bit to improve corner sway and floaty ride is one thing - a buckboard ride is another. And I certainly don't think that the stiffer suspension contributes to better handling. Encountering a rough patch in the middle of a curve tends to lessen the tire contact with the road as the suspension is just not compliant enough. I can drive the same stretch of road at a normal pace in the Lexus, then in the Audi with the shocks set to sport (firmest setting) and the ride in the Lexus is more jarring. When we demo'd an F-Sport before buying one, we drove it for about 25 miles, on both smooth and rough roads, freeway and city, and did not experience the level of rough ride that our car exhibits. Live and learn. I will look into replacing the shocks as suggested.

vfr700f2

Car & Driver's review of the F said any ride difference _or_ handling difference was barely noticeable from the standard model. I've never driven any RX other than ours, so I can't compare.

Is your dealer cooperative? Maybe they'd swap a set of 18" wheels off a used RX onto yours so you can try it out for an hour. Ride quality may still be more dependent on tire brand/model than on wheel size, but that's the easiest thing to try, as long as the dealer is willing.

FLM99

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I doubt the dealer will be very responsive to the tire/wheel swap. I can't say they are uncaring, but they really aren't into spending time or effort on problems that aren't 'in the book'. I asked them to look into some of the rattles/vibrations in the car soon after I purchased it, and the general response was "things are normal". So, I don't bother them anymore. Too much like spitting into the wind. BTW, a couple of the annoyances have been fixed - a vibrating under tray was the most annoying. The dealer didn't find it. A local mechanic did - in about 20 minutes.

m1964

I drive Rx350, my wife drives Q5. Recently, her Q5 had a gas leak that was fixed (cracked fuel pump housing). My wife thought she still smelled gas even after the problem was fixed so I started driving her Q5 to make sure it was fixed properly. I find that Q5 is a lot more pleasure to drive even that it has (supposedly) firmer suspension. Q5 does not wobble and rolls as the RX350 does when turning, it is quieter then our RX even it is 2 y. older, and even on rough roads it does not feel any worse than the RX- feels different but not worse.
However, the reliability of the RX is better- only one trip to the dealer in 4 years.

kingdave

That's exactly what I did. I figured that the F-Sport would be a tradeoff between the reliability of the Lexus and the sportiness of something like an X5 or a Q5. It's not that I'm unhappy with it, it's just that it's just that I hadn't anticipated it. In time I'll get used to it. Besides, given the number of RXs that I see rolling around I suspect that as the miles roll on, I'll think it was the right decision.

MellonC00

Let's call a spade a spade. Lexus is not known for ride/handling balance. In my case, I hated my first Lexus so much that I sold it within 3 months after purchasing it. It was like a land boat. Once I was going down a hill on a highway and noticed that I was going to miss my exit (wasn't paying attention), I tried to make a last minute lane change but decided not to. In Mrs. MellonC's car at the time (BMW 5 series non-sport option), there would have been nothing to speak of. In that old Lexus, it almost lost it and rear end stepped out. it took a couple of jolts on the steering wheel to straighten it out. Of course, the VSC kicked in a whole second later in mid-course correction which made things even more weird. The worst offenders are the older model GX and ES cars.

I bought the RX Silversport 2001 model as a result and thought that was an OK compromise. It still leaned way too much and 4 passenger ride was never that good but it was a good car with bullet proof reliability. It's gonna be decades until they catch up to the Germans on ride/handling balance.

IMHO, you should swaps the 19s for 18s. And change out the tires to Michelin LTX M/S preferably something with H rated or less. and stay away from antynig that says run flat technology. Also reduce the tire pressure to 30 psi.