Hi guys I had my 2009 GS 350 AWD for 2 weeks as I was previously driving a 2003 V6 Camry. My only beef with the new GS is that its a bit bumpy on rough roads with that have rivets and bumps and potholes. I've never driven a sports suspension car before so is that the main reason why it's not as smooth as a Camry? Also what are the benefits of sports suspension versus the suspension you get in a ES350/Camry.

 

Only 2 weeks??? Allow yourself some time to break in the car

 

um i dunno know but i thought the suspension was so plush and way too soft!!! have you checked your tires maybe? maybe get thicker ones? no idea why you think its the suspension but then again, youre in nyc...

 

Runflat tires = bumpy ride.

 

Do u have runflats? The GS has 18" wheels on low profile 40 series tires. This will give you more feedback on the road. The 2003 Camry had 15"/16" tires with a 55-65 sidewall!! Big difference!

 

Runflats maybe, because In NY All 350's come with 17s I have only seen a couple of 460's here with 18 inch wheels.

 

The suspension itself on the GS is pretty stiff compare to other Lexus, but the run-flats makes the ride worst.

 

the dealership replaced my tires at 3000 miles and put run-flats on. It had regular tires before and the ride with the runflats way noticeably harsher. I drove these for 20,000 more miles before replacing with michellins that were non-runflats. Made an unbelieveable diff. If I had know at the time they replaced them I would have never have let them put run-flats on.

 

you should definitely change it out to 16" rims and tires.

it will look awkward, but at least you get double life or more on the tires.

 

I am not sure what runflat tires are but the factory gave me 17" Dunlop sport tires. I live in Ontario, Canada. Like I said the ride is good, just when you hit a rough road the car doesn't absorb the bumbs as well as a Camry.

 

aww come on! 2 completely different cars with different designs and purpose! i can tell you that the GS is not designed with comfort in mind..

if you want absolute smoothness that drives like a boat, you would be getting a caddie.

go test drive a bmw, you'll see what it means when they say the car "hugs" the road, you'll feel every bump and cracks

 

as whlkev said, GS and camry are 2 different cars...you are comparing apples to oranges. GS is branded as a "performance luxury sedan", see lexus.ca link below and put your mouse cursor over the GS to show the pop up GS tab:

http://www.lexus.ca/lexus/experience....jsp?series=gs

you will therefore feel the road more in a GS than a camry because the GS is more performance oriented.

now before i open a can of worms for those of you who disagree that the GS is a "performance luxury sedan", i am not comparing the GS to its competitors which are better in the peformance category; i'm just saying that it is branded that way by lexus for the purpose of clarification between a GS and a camry

 

If you have a 2009 GS350 AWD with 17" tire, you have run flats.

 

16s won't even fit over the brakes i believe

anyway, these are two completely different cars, you can't compare the two at all. gs is sport sedan, with stiffer / sportier suspension for FAR SUPERIOR handling compared to the camry. if you want comfort the es should have been the car for comparison. the gs is a lot more fun to drive

 

Trust me, you have the cheap Dunlops and are likely to be runflats. Check them out and get them off the car and put on some decent michelins and your ride will be tons better and smoother and sporty with no compromise. It will ride better than your camry.