andree

Im in the market for used GX. How can I know if the gx I look at comes with kdss and is it worth it to have. is there any difference on not having it. pls advice any one thanks.

tigmd99

It is mainly an off-road technology...it improves wheel articulation (aka more flex to your suspension). Because the anti-roll (sway) bars can be disconnected/loosened off-road, Lexus has made the anti-roll bars thicker than on regular GX470. This is good because this will improve on-road handling (thicker bars = less body roll around corners).

Bad? Well, there are more stuff hanging around the axle...thus, slightly greater chance of rubbing against rocks and getting damaged. This is a minor concern giving the many plus it provides off-road. The other problem is that rocksliders (steel tubes to protect rocker panel) that normally fit 4runner/GX470 will not fit GX with KDSS. Thus, you will need to spend $$ to customize rocksliders to fit.

So, it is primarily an off-road tool (a great one at that!), but it will also improve on-road cornering. In other words, it is worth every penny!

Hope this helps.

lakerholic

I have a similar question: I am looking at an 07 GX470, at an independent dealer (I'll make sure to have it inspected before I buy!) and it's Silver on Black with BLACK birdseye trim with silver accents.

Does this mean it automatically comes with the Sport Package (and, thus KDSS)? Or was BLACK birdseye trim an option for 07s, with or without Sport?

The G Man

I think the sport package comes with the KDSS. To be sure, you can look for the KDSS light when you start up the car.

lakerholic

Thank you. I was also wondering if the Black Birds-Eye trim was only available on the Sport Package models.

Do you know?

LexGX

iTrader: (1)

I wish i would have gotten the black interior.

GrdnRxR

The black only comes on the sport package.......

The G Man

Yes, the sport package has the black wood, KDSS, chrome tip, black out headlights and the silver trims.

andree

thanks, great help. To my lack of knowledge I passed a good deal on a 2006 with kdss for $29k with 21k miles. I will keep looking.

The G Man

That almost sounds too cheap.

GGGXXX

have had it for 3 years now (2006 GX)- worth every penny - and I never off road so my experience is purely on-the-road driving....the vehicle is far more stable on curves, at highway speed, on/off ramps due to the thicker sway bars and best of all comfort is not compromised. (I have driven non KDSS and simply too floaty and boat like)

You can get KDSS without sports package if you don't like the black interior trim. I got the sports package only to get KDSS (bought in winter 2005 ....hardly any KDSS available at that time) ..actually prefer aluminum (vs wood) interior as well....

KDSS visible when you switch on the car you will see "KDSS" in the instrument cluster for a few seconds or you can look undercarriage - see thick sway bars especially in the front

I think KDSS is now standard on Toyota Land Cruiser...

tigmd99

GGGXXX, you're right...KDSS is standard now on the new Land Cruiser.

kutsyy

I would highly disagree with this statement.

KDSS anti-roll bar is 50mm which is twice thicker than non KDSS. Thicker anti-roll bar means less body roll on highway, on the turn, etc. Car manufactures want to put as thick anti-roll as possible, but thick anti-roll bar would highly limit off road (even bad road) ride. As a result it is usually a trade off between on and off road performance. KDSS removes this trade off, so Toyota can put thick anti-roll bar and have better off road performance (when bar is disconnected) and highly reduced body roll on the road. I would recommend to take KDSS and non KDSS truck, and make turn at slightly higher speed, you will see huge difference .

Now I completely agree

So to answer original question. I personally don't see a reason to even consider not KDSS car. KDSS will add additional complexity to the car, but so does any other option you may choose .

PS: I also see not reason to consider GX if you are not planing to use it off-road or for towing

tigmd99

KDSS takes origin from off-road rally racing. Thus, it is primarily an off-road tool with a side benefit of reducing body roll around corners. Some may not like KDSS because KDSS does increase ride stiffness or make it more "bumpy" over bumps due to the larger anti-roll bars.

Remember, ride comfort is another important reason why car manufacturers do not put on the biggest anti-roll bar as possible. It isn't just off-road capability that limits size of anti-roll bars. Remember, thicker anti-roll bars equal less suspension travel over bumpy surfaces. (Good thing Lexus has KDSS to disconnect/relax them off-road for improve suspension travel...but this relaxation ONLY happens off-road at slow speeds...on-road, you will feel the thicker anti-roll bars all the time whether you're turning a corner or going down poor pavement.)

Thus, between KDSS and non-KDSS, one will notice less body roll around corners on KDSS GX while ride is a bit bumpier.

Complexity at the suspension area is not always desirable. For example, air/hydraulic suspension can fail with age. LX470's shocks/accumulator are known to need "re-tuning" every 60k miles...one or two shocks on my friend's (TEXGX on this forum) KDSS GX failed at less than 50k miles...bad luck? KDSS is a fine technology, but it does have extra hardware hanging down below axle height which can be susceptible to rock damage (if you take it off the beaten path)...in addition, it is operated electronically, which can fail in theory. Of course, the good thing is that electronic reliability is Lexus/Toyota's strong point.

Overall, yes, i would get GX with KDSS simply because i do off-road. However, if one does not off-road (but tows or just crawl around malls), then i think that a regular GX is just perfect. Remember, you should drive at reasonable speed around corners because the GX is still a 4700 lbs tall SUV, not a sports car or even a crossover.

kutsyy

Depends on your definition of ride comfort. For me M3 has very very good ride comfort, Cadillac has very bad one