ls430lover

hi all another thread i was thinking that might help all of us
my 2002 has 125k with original struts. the car rides good but with the 17's and the primacy mxv4 still doesn't ride like new. i was going to proactively change the shock/struts and was wondering if it will stiffen or soften the ride. there is no play in the vehicle if i push to check if the shocks are worn. there is a small leak in the front left one that was documented by lexus dealer
with all the ul that have been converted to stock strut suspension i was wondering how the ride is..
and i am only looking to stick to oem ky2 not aftermarket
thank you for sharing

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

KYB's are closer to the oem sport springs settings. The difference is rather minor. It's the valving in the shock apparently. You'll notice a pretty big change is your shocks are worn going to new ones.

ls430lover

appreciate it lauverisho what i am trying to decide is if they are worn based on the experience of ls owners when there not looking worn or when i bounce the car there isn't a lot of play they look like there good. my ride is a little rough changed the front strut arm bushing and ball joints are original. i know the 16 inch tires would ride smoother but i like my 17 and the michelins. if anyone has changed the front shocks with a change in ride quality for better or for worse with oem equipment let me know
have a nice day

Stu

I have changed shocks before on previous cars with this mileage, and the ride improved noticeably on rough roads and it handled potholes way better, but driving on normal decent roads made no difference at all. I concluded my shocks were worn ( as was every other suspension part on the car ) but not "needing" to be replaced. I have also replaced blown shocks too and trust me, if a shock is blown, you'd know.

I am at 90,000 miles and feel my car would ride better with new shocks. In the 3 years I have driven it, its definitely not as smooth as it was. But since its a pretty expensive job, I will make sure I plan to keep the car long enough to bother. So now I just lower my speed a bit on rough roads .... and keep the money.

If the repair cost is not a concern, or you are keeping the car, I'll bet you'd enjoy some new shocks. The LS is a heavy car and shocks wear out long before they fail completely.

warminwisc

I traded my 04 with 197k miles for an 04 with 62 k miles with 18's versus 17's. I did not notice a considerable difference considering the extra miles. Good luck.

warminwisc

the 197k was mostly hwy miles.

BradTank

I doubt it will make it a smoother ride, in fact, usually as shocks/struts wear they get softer. The difference is if they're blown and you're bouncing after you've gone over something rough.

If anything, I would think it would be a slightly stiffer ride when you replace them, at least at first, but it will be better controlled.

It's difficult to sometimes predict what will happen, the shocks may be more blown than you realize and the ride will "feel" a lot better with new OEM struts. But usually, when people replace their struts, if there's a complaint, it's that their new struts ride stiffer than their old ones, especially if they go aftermarket.

You might want to look at other parts of your suspension like your control arm bushings.