Hello everyone,

I'm not sure if this question has been asked before and if anyone have a solution. It sounds like most of you, based on forum posts, prefer to lower the ride with springs/shocks/air suspension. I may be asking the wrong question here.

I'm actually looking for the opposite. Living here in the Bay Area with bumpy roads on the highways and the streets have taken a toll on my back. I have been driving my 2015 GS F sport for about 2 months now and most of the time, I'm on ECO mode. I should have done a test drive before purchase but I didn't. The reason I purchased the F sport was because of the leg extender option. I did test drive the ES and was ok with the ride but the seat wasn't comfy (no leg extender option). I also test drove the LS and almost fell asleep because of the comfort.

Why am I writing this post? I got a loaner ES350 today and I notice a drastic difference in ride comfort, not sure if it's because the ES doesn't have the sport plus mode/avs. It seems like the shocks on the ES absorbs most of the shock from the road so my back was rather comfy.

I don't know if there is a setting for the shocks on the GS to make the ride smoother/softer. If not, is it possible to swap out the factory shocks for the LS shocks or LS F sport shocks? Will they fit? I have a feeling the answer might be related to the sport plus/avs.

How about the other owners around here in the Bay Area? Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

Yes, the GS rides stiffer with more feedback from road imperfections than the ES and LS, especially if you have 19" wheels on the GS. You can swap the 19" wheels with 17" wheels with meatier tires which will immediately make the ride softer. But still it will not be as soft as ES or LS.

 

 

Will 18' or 17' rims fit on an F-Sport GS? I thought that the F-Sport package included larger brake discs that would preclude the use of rims smaller than 19'. Not positive about this though.

 

 

perhaps he can place the rotors and brakes of a normal GS on there? Will save him loads on discs and pads in the long run? I to be honest dont understand the need for the fsport change in brakes as the standard GS is already out of this world with brkae feedback and function. He can keep those parts and sell them on with the car again or sell them and more than pay for the standard GS parts... Alternatively. He can buy a standard GS...

 

some coils with the right settings are way more comfortable than stock fsport suspension

 

Bought a car because of the extender leg seat function? Without driving it?

You sir, might consider a different car.

 

Try driving it in Normal mode instead of Eco. The suspension settings in Eco make it softer but as a result cause it to feel under-dampened leading to a lot of floating and body motion. Normal mode does a great job at reducing the body motion for a much flatter ride and copes with the bumps well. The flatter ride characteristics give it a much better "magic carpet" feeling than the constant motion in Eco.

You'll also find steering (since you have a F-Sport with VGRS) becomes quicker to respond and will physically turn the wheels more with less steering input making the whole car feel more responsive and lighter on its feet which translates to a much less laborious driving feel. Eco makes the car feel heavy.

As long as you're responsible with your right foot, you shouldn't notice any difference in fuel economy.

 

Do you have this setup on yours at the moment?

 

Didn't think it was going to be a huge difference since I felt the GS is right behind the flagship LS. It just so happens that during the test drives with the ES and LS, there wasn't really much bumpy roads to test on. Other than the bumpier ride than I prefer, there's really no other complaints about the GS.

 

I'll definitely try this out first before considering coilovers. I assume sport mode would also have a similar effect. Not sure why I thought the Eco setting was the "magic carpet" ride.

 

ECO doesn't alter suspension settings. Only Sport+ makes a difference in an F-Sport car.

 

If I remember correctly, you are correct. Only in sport plus mode is where the shock/spring is highlighted. In the other driving modes, only the engine is highlighted. I hope the shocks aren't going out on me at 32k miles.

 

It honestly sounds like the GS might not be the right car for you.
Both the LS and ES are deliberately softer by design, and the GS is deliberately built for additional road feel.

I drove an LS when upgrading from my 2GS, and I just found it too squishy, but that may be exactly what you want in a car.