After market, body roll improvement for RX350?
02-20-13, 08:47 AM
#31
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: IL
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
OK, I bit the bullet on the $900 price tag, and had Lexus install the above front dampener on my 13 RX350 FWD, 19" wheels. The part had to be ordered from Japan, as not many F Sport parts are in USA as of yet, 3 week wait.
...
Not sure about the AWD...maybe you would benefit by installing front and rear dampeners.... of course, it would make sense to try the front first, and see how it reacts. Lexus USA certified the install, and it will be part of my warranty as a dealer installed option.... very happy it worked out.
.
...
Not sure about the AWD...maybe you would benefit by installing front and rear dampeners.... of course, it would make sense to try the front first, and see how it reacts. Lexus USA certified the install, and it will be part of my warranty as a dealer installed option.... very happy it worked out.
.
BTW, this sort of dialogue is terrific, and what I'd hoped for from CL!
-Ian
02-28-13, 12:03 PM
#32
Moderator
We should find out if Lexus plans to make the R-Sport anti-sway bars available. Also if the F-Sport struts & shocks are any different from the Sport model struts & shocks. The price is not bad to purchase the struts & shocks however installation labor is the price killer then the required alignment afterward. That will doublethe price.
08-08-13, 08:43 AM
#33
For anybody that's interested, Next Gen Tunning offers a front strut bar from Ultra Racing for the 3rd Gen RX (and other suspension components as well). I might add this in the near future.
http://www.nextgentuning.com/Ultra_R...uct--1747.html
http://www.nextgentuning.com/Ultra_R...uct--1747.html
08-12-13, 12:50 PM
#34
If you really want the dampener in the rear, you can get a different aftermarket hitch and sell the one you currently have. I have an F sport and the dealer tried to tell me that it was impossible to put a hitch back there without removing the dampener. Of course, he was talking about the lexus hitch. On etrailer.com they sell a hitch specifically for F sport models to allow for re-install of the dampener. It only costs $140 or so. Install was 45 minutes, fit perfectly, and the rear dampener is still there.
08-13-13, 04:19 PM
#35
Rookie
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Bayarea, CA
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
OK, I bit the bullet on the $900 price tag... had Lexus install the above front dampener on my 13 RX350 FWD, 19" wheels. The part had to be ordered from Japan, as not many F Sport parts are in USA as of yet, 3 week wait.
The gamble paid off...the difference is VERY noticeable...... I would say it improved body roll 60-70%... of course, it still is not on par with the FSport, as its tighter and more robust shocks and struts reduce body roll even further, but also makes for a rougher ride...this is the exact mix I was hoping to achieve... you feel the road a bit more of course, but car is much more responsive and body roll is now very acceptable...so my one pet peeve with the RX has been solved.
On FWD vehicles, I felt the front dampener alone would be sufficient as all the weight is in the front... and this was proven true, so I saved the expense of doing the same on the rear. In my case, it was not possible for dampeners on the rear, as I have a tow hitch, which is in the same path as the dampener, so it's not an option. Not sure about the AWD...maybe you would benefit by installing front and rear dampeners due to added weight in rear.... of course, it would make sense to try the front first, and see how how you like it. Lexus USA certified the install, and it will be part of my warranty as a dealer installed option.... very happy it worked out.
Thx to the above poster who originally mentioned this possibility.... without his suggestion, I would have been unaware of this as an option.... as this thread was mostly pursuing bushings. Of course, the dealer was dumbfounded, but was willing to research into the details, and like all things being pioneered, it took some time to contact all the right people at Lexus to insure this install would not cause any safety issues. Fortunately, Lexus Engineers blessed the install.
The gamble paid off...the difference is VERY noticeable...... I would say it improved body roll 60-70%... of course, it still is not on par with the FSport, as its tighter and more robust shocks and struts reduce body roll even further, but also makes for a rougher ride...this is the exact mix I was hoping to achieve... you feel the road a bit more of course, but car is much more responsive and body roll is now very acceptable...so my one pet peeve with the RX has been solved.
On FWD vehicles, I felt the front dampener alone would be sufficient as all the weight is in the front... and this was proven true, so I saved the expense of doing the same on the rear. In my case, it was not possible for dampeners on the rear, as I have a tow hitch, which is in the same path as the dampener, so it's not an option. Not sure about the AWD...maybe you would benefit by installing front and rear dampeners due to added weight in rear.... of course, it would make sense to try the front first, and see how how you like it. Lexus USA certified the install, and it will be part of my warranty as a dealer installed option.... very happy it worked out.
Thx to the above poster who originally mentioned this possibility.... without his suggestion, I would have been unaware of this as an option.... as this thread was mostly pursuing bushings. Of course, the dealer was dumbfounded, but was willing to research into the details, and like all things being pioneered, it took some time to contact all the right people at Lexus to insure this install would not cause any safety issues. Fortunately, Lexus Engineers blessed the install.
08-14-13, 04:41 AM
#36
Lead Lap
The front sway-bar on these cars is attached to the strut/coil assembly via an end link.
As the car goes thru a turn & wants to lean, vehicle weight will compress one side & unload the opposite side.
The end links transfer the load onto the sway bar & wants to twist it along it's length. Factory sway bar, XXX given size, will twist to a certain degree.
A thicker bar will resist the twisting effect to a great er degree, showing less roll.
The whole idea behind the sway bar is to tie the two sides together & keep them relatively equal.
Put a larger bar on my old Buick & turned it into a relatively good car in the turns vs. the beached whale effect it had as stock.
As the car goes thru a turn & wants to lean, vehicle weight will compress one side & unload the opposite side.
The end links transfer the load onto the sway bar & wants to twist it along it's length. Factory sway bar, XXX given size, will twist to a certain degree.
A thicker bar will resist the twisting effect to a great er degree, showing less roll.
The whole idea behind the sway bar is to tie the two sides together & keep them relatively equal.
Put a larger bar on my old Buick & turned it into a relatively good car in the turns vs. the beached whale effect it had as stock.
Last edited by SteveCraig; 08-14-13 at 06:15 AM. Reason: sp.
08-16-13, 08:30 AM
#37
Pole Position
Thread Starter
> You stated that you feel the road much more, but how much? Am I going to lose the smooth cushy ride a little bit?
No.... in general, the ride quality is the same (except body roll)....there is a few small differences, such as hitting a bump on one wheel only, its a bit more harsh, as it transfers to the other wheel... its a trade off, can't have everything...all cars with stiffer suspensions suffer this...
I only installed the dampener on the front, and that is ALL that was required... I am glad the rear was not required. I have FWD though, maybe AWD might benefit a little more from rear dampener, but I doubt it, as the weight of the RX is primarily over the front axle.
The most noticeable difference in the feel occurs at high speeds, say 45mph+, a quick turn, or an off ramp.... its much tighter.... if you want to experience it, test drive an F Sport.... it won't be that stiff, cause they have stiffer struts in addition to the dampeners, which further reduces body roll... I would say its about 60-70% as effective on body roll at high speeds compared to the F Sport. Considering the relatively high center of gravity of the RX, the "add front dampener" reduces body roll, while keeping the ride relatively plush. It was well worth it for me... body roll has always been a pet peeve of mine, like the big Buick example above... :-)
No.... in general, the ride quality is the same (except body roll)....there is a few small differences, such as hitting a bump on one wheel only, its a bit more harsh, as it transfers to the other wheel... its a trade off, can't have everything...all cars with stiffer suspensions suffer this...
I only installed the dampener on the front, and that is ALL that was required... I am glad the rear was not required. I have FWD though, maybe AWD might benefit a little more from rear dampener, but I doubt it, as the weight of the RX is primarily over the front axle.
The most noticeable difference in the feel occurs at high speeds, say 45mph+, a quick turn, or an off ramp.... its much tighter.... if you want to experience it, test drive an F Sport.... it won't be that stiff, cause they have stiffer struts in addition to the dampeners, which further reduces body roll... I would say its about 60-70% as effective on body roll at high speeds compared to the F Sport. Considering the relatively high center of gravity of the RX, the "add front dampener" reduces body roll, while keeping the ride relatively plush. It was well worth it for me... body roll has always been a pet peeve of mine, like the big Buick example above... :-)
Last edited by Dolphin; 08-29-13 at 10:06 PM. Reason: typo
08-29-13, 09:53 PM
#38
Rookie
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Bayarea, CA
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
> You stated that you feel the road much more, but how much? Am I going to lose the smooth cushy ride a little bit?
No.... in general, the ride quality is the same (except body roll)....there is a few small differences, such as hitting a bump on one wheel only, its a bit more harsh, as it transfers to the other wheel... its a trade off, can't have everything...all cars with stiffer suspensions suffer this...
I only installed the dampener on the front, and that is ALL that was required... I am glad the rear was not required. I have FWD though, maybe AWD might benefit a little more from rear dampener, but I doubt it, as the weight of the RX is primarily over the front axle.
The most noticeable difference in the feel occurs at high speeds, say 45mph+, a quick turn, or an off ramp.... its much tighter.... if you want to experience it, test drive an F Sport.... it won't be that stiff, cause they have stiffer struts in addition to the dampeners, which further reduces body roll... I would say its about 60-70% as effective on body roll at high speeds, vs. F Sport. Considering the relatively high center of gravity of the RX, the "add front dampener" reduces body roll, while keeping the ride relatively plush. It was well worth it for me... body roll has always been a pet peeve of mine, like the big Buick example above... :-)
No.... in general, the ride quality is the same (except body roll)....there is a few small differences, such as hitting a bump on one wheel only, its a bit more harsh, as it transfers to the other wheel... its a trade off, can't have everything...all cars with stiffer suspensions suffer this...
I only installed the dampener on the front, and that is ALL that was required... I am glad the rear was not required. I have FWD though, maybe AWD might benefit a little more from rear dampener, but I doubt it, as the weight of the RX is primarily over the front axle.
The most noticeable difference in the feel occurs at high speeds, say 45mph+, a quick turn, or an off ramp.... its much tighter.... if you want to experience it, test drive an F Sport.... it won't be that stiff, cause they have stiffer struts in addition to the dampeners, which further reduces body roll... I would say its about 60-70% as effective on body roll at high speeds, vs. F Sport. Considering the relatively high center of gravity of the RX, the "add front dampener" reduces body roll, while keeping the ride relatively plush. It was well worth it for me... body roll has always been a pet peeve of mine, like the big Buick example above... :-)
08-29-13, 10:04 PM
#39
Pole Position
Thread Starter
I was curious why no one ever tried this trick.... I was so desperate to rid the body roll, I was willing to roll the dice on the upgrade... glad your experience was the same... makes the RX a keeper in my book....
What was the cost of the dampener...where did you buy it?
I have the Factory hitch, so I can not install the rear dampener... in a thread (maybe this one), it was mentioned how a 3rd party hitch would allow for the rear dampener installation. Wish I knew that when I ordered my RX....
do you have AWD? If so, I think the rear dampener will make a bigger difference as you have more rear end weight, vs. my FWD... my guess is, the front dampener will provide 70% of the reward.
If you go for it, pls keep us posted on your findings...
What was the cost of the dampener...where did you buy it?
I have the Factory hitch, so I can not install the rear dampener... in a thread (maybe this one), it was mentioned how a 3rd party hitch would allow for the rear dampener installation. Wish I knew that when I ordered my RX....
do you have AWD? If so, I think the rear dampener will make a bigger difference as you have more rear end weight, vs. my FWD... my guess is, the front dampener will provide 70% of the reward.
If you go for it, pls keep us posted on your findings...
08-29-13, 10:25 PM
#40
Rookie
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Bayarea, CA
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was curious why no one ever tried this trick.... I was so desperate to rid the body roll, I was willing to roll the dice on the upgrade... glad your experience was the same... makes the RX a keeper in my book....
What was the cost of the dampener...where did you buy it?
I have the Factory hitch, so I can not install the rear dampener... in a thread (maybe this one), it was mentioned how a 3rd party hitch would allow for the rear dampener installation. Wish I knew that when I ordered my RX....
do you have AWD? If so, I think the rear dampener will make a bigger difference as you have more rear end weight, vs. my FWD... my guess is, the front dampener will provide 70% of the reward.
If you go for it, pls keep us posted on your findings...
What was the cost of the dampener...where did you buy it?
I have the Factory hitch, so I can not install the rear dampener... in a thread (maybe this one), it was mentioned how a 3rd party hitch would allow for the rear dampener installation. Wish I knew that when I ordered my RX....
do you have AWD? If so, I think the rear dampener will make a bigger difference as you have more rear end weight, vs. my FWD... my guess is, the front dampener will provide 70% of the reward.
If you go for it, pls keep us posted on your findings...
I have a FWD.
Will keep you all posted on my findings. Thanks again!
08-30-13, 09:55 AM
#41
Pole Position
Thread Starter
> I have a FWD.
Ahhh, now I am very interested to learn of the benefits of the rear dampener. Nice to hand the baton to a fellow CL'er.... :-)
and thx for the pricing information as well...
how long, and how difficult was the install?
btw, sorry for some of my repetitive statements.... this is an old thread, so when I re visit it for a quick response to someone, I forget I mentioned stuff many months ago...and sometimes to lazy to re read the entire thread....
special thx to Viperdoc, the poster who mentioned 3rd party hitch. As if the rear dampener makes a substantial improvement, I will prob. install it, and replace my factory Lexus hitch for the 3rd party hitch...of course, it's amazing no dealer is wise enough to offer important info like this.... hence the amazing value of an internet forums...
Ahhh, now I am very interested to learn of the benefits of the rear dampener. Nice to hand the baton to a fellow CL'er.... :-)
and thx for the pricing information as well...
how long, and how difficult was the install?
btw, sorry for some of my repetitive statements.... this is an old thread, so when I re visit it for a quick response to someone, I forget I mentioned stuff many months ago...and sometimes to lazy to re read the entire thread....
special thx to Viperdoc, the poster who mentioned 3rd party hitch. As if the rear dampener makes a substantial improvement, I will prob. install it, and replace my factory Lexus hitch for the 3rd party hitch...of course, it's amazing no dealer is wise enough to offer important info like this.... hence the amazing value of an internet forums...
Last edited by Dolphin; 08-30-13 at 10:05 AM.
08-30-13, 10:18 AM
#42
Here are the Lexus Dampener Part #'s
4869148010 - Front Dampener
4869148020 - Rear Dampener
Cost per Dampener
lexussouthatlantaparts.com - $473.69
lexus.sewellparts.com - $680.96
lexuspartsnow.com - $539.49
oemlexusparts.com - $510.72
lexus.dealerdirectparts.com - $573.15
4869148010 - Front Dampener
4869148020 - Rear Dampener
Cost per Dampener
lexussouthatlantaparts.com - $473.69
lexus.sewellparts.com - $680.96
lexuspartsnow.com - $539.49
oemlexusparts.com - $510.72
lexus.dealerdirectparts.com - $573.15
08-30-13, 10:54 AM
#43
Here are the Lexus Dampener Part #'s
4869148010 - Front Dampener
4869148020 - Rear Dampener
Cost per Dampener
lexussouthatlantaparts.com - $473.69
lexus.sewellparts.com - $680.96
lexuspartsnow.com - $539.49
oemlexusparts.com - $510.72
lexus.dealerdirectparts.com - $573.15
4869148010 - Front Dampener
4869148020 - Rear Dampener
Cost per Dampener
lexussouthatlantaparts.com - $473.69
lexus.sewellparts.com - $680.96
lexuspartsnow.com - $539.49
oemlexusparts.com - $510.72
lexus.dealerdirectparts.com - $573.15
Last edited by dctex99; 08-30-13 at 10:56 AM. Reason: add
08-30-13, 02:55 PM
#44
Rookie
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Bayarea, CA
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Interesting that Sewell is so much higher than everyone else; I thought they were the bargain people??? Yes, you never know prices; everyone has their own high profit items and NOT so high profit. I had fun this week pricing the battery for my remote...Local dealer with insane prices on vehicles was $4.31 for battery,,,,LA dealer that saves you thousands on a new Lexus, 6.95 for one battery; pricing is all a game.
08-30-13, 03:10 PM
#45
Rookie
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Bayarea, CA
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
> I have a FWD.
Ahhh, now I am very interested to learn of the benefits of the rear dampener. Nice to hand the baton to a fellow CL'er.... :-)
and thx for the pricing information as well...
how long, and how difficult was the install?
btw, sorry for some of my repetitive statements.... this is an old thread, so when I re visit it for a quick response to someone, I forget I mentioned stuff many months ago...and sometimes to lazy to re read the entire thread....
special thx to Viperdoc, the poster who mentioned 3rd party hitch. As if the rear dampener makes a substantial improvement, I will prob. install it, and replace my factory Lexus hitch for the 3rd party hitch...of course, it's amazing no dealer is wise enough to offer important info like this.... hence the amazing value of an internet forums...
Ahhh, now I am very interested to learn of the benefits of the rear dampener. Nice to hand the baton to a fellow CL'er.... :-)
and thx for the pricing information as well...
how long, and how difficult was the install?
btw, sorry for some of my repetitive statements.... this is an old thread, so when I re visit it for a quick response to someone, I forget I mentioned stuff many months ago...and sometimes to lazy to re read the entire thread....
special thx to Viperdoc, the poster who mentioned 3rd party hitch. As if the rear dampener makes a substantial improvement, I will prob. install it, and replace my factory Lexus hitch for the 3rd party hitch...of course, it's amazing no dealer is wise enough to offer important info like this.... hence the amazing value of an internet forums...
Installation was easy, just remove the bottom engine cover and pop the damper in and tighten it. I took my time installing it while my dog was supervising, but installation should not take more than 25min.
Just got back from a hr ride and it just handles so much better. The RX is more planted on the ground and its fun to drive, if that can be said about this SUV.
Last edited by lexus_ls; 08-30-13 at 03:16 PM.
