leisinjp

I wish I would have driven both before I pulled the trigger on my Ultra Luxury but I wanted to share my findings with all of you as I know this would have helped me tremendously when I was searching for my 3rd gen LS.

Story:

My LS 430 Ultra Luxury (Air Suspension)
I own a 2005 LS 430 Ultra Luxury with the air suspension with 72,000 miles on it. I bought it from an older gentlemen who garaged it and serviced it regularly. It is in better shape than most 4 year old cars. No tears or anything on the interior, looks brand new. Exterior doesn't even have rock chips. It has one very small scratch on the rear end corner that is only visible if I point it out. Basically the car is as perfect as it can be for a used car. I spent months searching for it.

Craigslist 2005 LS 430 Base (Regular shock and strut)
I test drove a 2005 LS 430 Base with no air suspension the other day. The car had 247,000 miles on it. The exterior was pretty beat up and the interior was missing buttons and the telescoping wheel didn't work. It was in rough condition. I test drove it to see how it would compare with my very good condition LS.

To make a long story short, the craigslist base model with over 3 times the amount of miles drove smoother and handled bumps better than mine. I'm really kicking myself as I spent 5 times more money on mine as he was asking for his. Now I know I could never drive around in a car as beat up as this one, but if I closed my eyes and had to pick a car based off of road feel. It would definitely be the non air suspension model.

I have driven two LS430's with out air suspension and one LS430 with air suspension and both of the non air LS's felt and rode better. I have had my LS inspected by the local Lexus dealer as well as a local Japanese specialist mechanic and both said my suspension and everything looked good and nothing needed replaced. Only thing was that one of my rear struts was leaking a little but he said it didn't affect the ride at all and doesn't need to be replaced.

I'm not sure how many of you have driven both the air and non air suspension LS's but is this normal? I specifically bought and searched for the Ultra Luxury thinking that the air ride would be even better. So far, I was wrong.

Dave144239

You know, that beat up car with 247k miles is probably riding on worn out springs and shocks. It might feel good for a short test drive, but it could be pretty clapped out. Also, you need to make sure you're running the same tire pressures in both cars in order to properly compare them.

I'm not that familiar with the 430, but there are some 460 drivers who've owned both air and non-air suspension cars, and they all say the air suspension rides better. I stayed away from the air suspension just because I don't want to have to fix it

TriC

leinsinjp, is there a noticeable difference between the suspension settings on your car?

LS430inDE.

Several variables as Dave mentioned.

You'd first have to ensure the tire pressures are equal to make make a fair aka equal comparison on how the air suspension feels versus conventional shocks/coils.
Second, you'd need to ensure the tire/rim diameter was the same. Our generation had 17" and 18" as options.
Third, you'd need to know if/how the cars were "loaded" as far as weight. Does one car carry a full size spare and possibly a case of water and box of kitty liter in the back and another vehicle is missing the spare tire completely and has no added weight in the car?

I guess the ride is "subjective" as well. I very much LIKE the ride in my 2005 LS. I have the 18" tires and the OEM size 245/45/18 rubber. I prefer a FIRMER ride, not floaty. There are others who can notice the difference of riding on 17's and think it's smoother and less harsh. The stock 17's were 225/55/17. Those are skinnier and taller of a tire, which will not transmit as much bumps and road feel and gravel etc to the cabin, but you're not going to enter/exit off ramps and take curves on roads as confidently as the 18's.

We've had identical discussions on tires. When folks ask, "What's the best tire", does the person mean best price, best longevity, best treadlife warranty, best speed rating, best snow traction, best dry braking, best noise reducing, best to do smoky burnouts with, etc! What's "best"!?

I read your post 2x and was unable to tell if your preference on the ride/suspension is for a more planted/firm/less body roll type of ride, or your preferences is for a floaty/soft/more American like an Oldsmobile type of ride?

What exactly does "felt and rode better" mean in your opinion and post?

Bob04

I really couldn't tell much difference between the two, so I've stayed away from the ultra luxury model. To me, some of the other items exclusive to the ultra luxury are more desirable. My ideal is the custom luxury, but it still doesn't have everything. Unfortunately, they are harder to find.

cydalLS

I mean we could make a trade if you really want non air.. haha

BigBoomer

Also, at 247k miles I very much doubt it was on OEM shocks, so what was fitted and how old were they? To compare fairly ya need to compare like with like.

jonathanz

iTrader: (2)

maybe you can sell it back in market and search for another one.

BCT

Not only tire pressure and tire/rim diameter. Same tire pressure and size, but different brand will produce different ride. Some generic $50/tire will not ride as smooth as $200 Michelin. It is just too many variables when one is trying to compare two 15 yr old used car. Also you mentioned that one of your strut is leaking, could that be a problem?

While I never ride in brand new LS430 with air suspension, I think brand new air should have better ride than brand new regular shocks. Regular shocks is not bad though, mine has pretty much brand new shocks (not OEM) when I bought it last year. Wife and I are amazed how the car ride, especially on the highway.

leisinjp

According to the owner, he bought it from the original owner who drove it the first 200k. So I'm assuming they were replaced somewhere along the line. Obviously I didn't check the tire pressure before we drove his but the tires looked fine and were Yokohama's while I have Michelin's. I was planning on replacing my air suspension with the normal shock and strut once mine went out. After driving his I'm inclined to do it sooner rather than later.

Not that I was aware of. His setting was on normal, not sport or snow mode. I have the option for high and normal mode and normal rides the same as his normal mode.

I've played with the air pressure on my car and I haven't been able to tell a difference.

Both his car and mine have the 18's. His were Yokohama's and mine are Michelin's.

His trunk was empty along with nothing in the back seat. I drive with a car seat in the back of mine. But even when I drive by myself or with 3 passengers in the car, I don't feel a big difference in ride.

I definitely prefer a planted ride that doesn't sway all over the road but can handle bumps and road imperfections with ease. Mine seems to float more and jolts over bumps. His was more planted AND handled the bumps better.

I've been looking for a custom luxury so that I can get most of the things my Ultra has without the air suspension. Not easy to find.

What you got!?

I'm not sure if they were OEM or not. He said the previous owner said he took it only to Lexus for services so I'm assuming they were OEM. But can't verify. They rode very smooth though.

I've honestly already started looking. But at the same time my car is almost perfect. So I've thought about just replacing the air with regular shocks and struts and calling it a day.

Yeah, I wish I would have done this test before I bought the car! Regular shocks and struts seem to ride pretty nice on the LS.

tiger02

The air suspension in my case got worse with age. Felt harsher and not as pliant after 11 years of driving it. I did the swap to Lexus coil springs and am very happy with the ride except for the sway. Maybe one day I will switch out to the sport sway bar.

leisinjp

Did you have the dealership or an independent mechanic replace your suspension? What did they charge?

TriC

leisinjp, I think we are confusing matters. A non-air car has no suspension adjustability - it is the transmission that can be put into "snow mode." The suspension on an air LS 430 can be adjusted as to height (normal/high) and firmness (comfort/sport/normal). Like a non-air car, the transmission can be put into "snow mode."

My earlier question to you was whether you can tell a difference between the firmness settings (comfort/normal/sport) in your car.

leisinjp

I have tested both. I believe my LS has the sport mode, normal mode, and high mode. I'm not aware of a comfort mode.

I can't tell a difference between sport and normal. I have driven the same stretch of highway and back roads and have put it in both settings. I am coming from an ISF so sport mode on the LS doesn't mean much to me.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

My experience has been the opposite, although when I converted my LS Ultra Air suspension I picked the LS Sport suspension setup which might be the difference (should have selected the standard). My old air suspension when working normally had a ride the many folks who rode in it commented on "there is something special about the ride in this car". Don't get that with the spring model any longer. Definitely likely the sport version which is lower/stiffer is a factor but if I had to do it over again, I'd have gotten the 'normal' setup to convert to. I did also add the sport sway.