I finally got rid of my 99 RX300 AWD (with 301k) and got the wife a newer winter vehicle. We drove a few 350s and 2 400hs, and in the end picked the 400 with less miles. It's just for winter driving, but we go to NY pretty often so the lower miles won out.

My question, this RX has the towing prep package, and from what I have found when I searched on here is that the cooling (radiator and transmission cooler) have been upgraded. Then in the Hybrid Tech section I read that the suspension is also upgraded, I however did not feel a difference in ride between this one and any of the others. I do seem to get a little more road noise. So is the suspension stiffer?

I just put my two company vehicles to bed for the winter (I am from TX so I have to hide my demo trucks from the salt so it does not ruin the aftermarket components) and I like the ride in teh RX enough that it may see some summer travel also.

 

Yep, just a slight upgrade!

Congrats!

 

Congrats on the new ride. I have an 06 RX400h AWD and all 06 AWD seem to have the tow prep package. For mine the towing package includes a small transmission cooler below the drivers fog light and half the needed wiring for the trailer. The spring part #s are the same for all AWDs and they are stiff to handle the weight of the batteries. My boat has a 300+ lb tongue weight and it barely pushed the rear end down. Road noise is probably the tires. What brand do you have?

 

Thank you.

It has Bridgestone Duellers right now, since I am sponsored by Cooper Tires, I will swap them for a higher silicate compound tire soon. You are probably correct about them being the cause of the road noise.

 

I just ordered an Optima starting battery for it, is there anything else anyone would recommend I do to it as a new owner.....?

 

Congrats, I personally found the RX400h a significant upgrade. The power, steering radius, and technology are a great upgrade. The seat leather is however of less quality. By the way the battery you replaced only turns on the electronics, the hybrid batteries start the vehicle. As for the noise, beware that wheel bearings on this generation are known to fail, requiring replacement for quiet. If the tires don't do it, than you have a bearing going. I too owned previously the 1999 RX300...So I know where you come from.....

 

Great information, thank you. I did notice the turning radius was MUCH better than my 300. The 300 took more room to turn around than my 4Runners. I know the 12V battery does not do much work, but I cannot help myself when it comes to upgrading the battery to an Optima. 5 of our seven vehicles have an optima.

We are getting new tires next week (waiting to hear back from Timberland Tires) if the noise persists I will have a look at the bearings and see if there is any play in them.

One thing i miss from my 300 is the "SNOW" button.. I have no idea what it did when I pushed it, but it made me feel like I instantly gained a super power..lol

Also, (I should have checked before the purchase) the bluetooth only works for hands free, not to play music....

 

Give it a good check for coolant leaks. Radiator, water pump and transmission are areas to look for pink crust.

 

You can add an aftermarket interface if you really want bluetooth audio.

 

I just looked into this, I don't think its worth that much to me.


I did however get my new battery in and installed, not out of necessity, but out of peace of mind.

 

What size Optima battery fits the 400h?

 

D51R

51 series Deep Cycle reverse post Part Number 8073-167-FFP

here is a link to them for 150 Shipped if you want to save $100. However Amazon is not an authorized dealer, so you will not have a warranty.

 

I have the same battery and it was the best thing I ever bought for the car.

 

Good to know, I had to justify it in my mind...... now I can justify it to my wife..

 

Well if you want to justify it more....I had a Lexus battery in my car that was less than a year old and it would always run down and die. I had to jump my car at least once a month. The tiny battery can handle a prius but there are too many electronics in the RX that stay on a while after the car is off for the tiny battery to handle. I also have added quite a few extra things that put a little more strain on the baby battery. I had that battery tested a couple times because I figured a new battery shouldn't be doing that. Each time it was tested it passed. It even died once when I went to pick up my car from Lexus after an oil change. I paid my bill and got in the car and it was dead right there in the service driveway in front of all the service advisors and they still said there was nothing wrong with the battery. To wrap up my story....I bought the yellow top 4 or 5 months ago and not once have I had a dead battery.