I understand you now. OEM shocks are considered to give a factory smooth ride. Any other shock will be different. No can say better for another brand, Better is a subjective term that's different for everyone. Lots of new owners of used LS come here with the intent of improving the car. The LS is excellent the way it is already. Brake pads and rotors are the only thing that come to mind where aftermarket may be preferred because of less dust.

 

That makes sense. I believe I’ll get OEM for the front. I might do KYB on the back if the back needs it later since OEM rears are a good bit higher.

I was going to do all four, but decided to not fix what isn’t broken. I might dump too much money unnecessarily into fixing things out of fear of preventive maintenance. Then I’ll feel like I bought a lemon or a money pit when really it isn’t the cars fault.

 

Is it wise to replace the mounts as well, and does that matter as much for brand?

The driver side has been hitting the bump stop some. I live on a short (less than 1/4 mile) dirt road that isn’t maintained well, so it has big bumps and I drive slow. But that still does a number on old shocks and that’s how I heard the bottoming out on the driver side. All this only transpired over a week or two, so I doubt anything is really damaged. Again 2009 w/ 133k miles for reference.

 

BTW the KYB gas a just were driven on 19 in tires. The ride with those shocks are excellent. The Gas a Just are mono tube design which they say is an improvement over oem twin tube design.

 

I am glad that worked out. I just wish I had a way to test this, or there was a more consistent recommendation for a certain brand that is comparable to the OEM ride. Some love KYB and some hate it. At the same time, some really like sporty rides, so they may "love" that ride. I can't stand the "sporty" ride. New cars have been ruined by reviewers claiming non-sporty rides are boring. Now everything is tuned to be sporty. I loved my 98 Camry, and that ride is what I compare everything else to. I test-drove a 2018 Carmy L and it was awful.

I read the same thing about the mono vs twin tube design, but I didn't know OEM was twin tube. I've already ordered mine from Lexus.

 

I Think the mix up is folks who've had experience with KYB excel G Struts. Those ARE firmer than oem and some people like it and some don't. I actually went with Monroe Oe Spetrum struts for my 2006 Camry since so many, including my family mechanic said the KYB excel G struts were stiff.

Good luck on your installation. Remember to torque the strut rod nut to spec otherwise overtightening it too much causes a knocking noise. (It did on my Camry)

Btw if you love your 1998 Camry, the 2002-2006 Camrys are last and best of the old school Camrys. Toyota fixed alot of the rusting issues. I have the 3.0 V6 and drive smooth as butter with sneaky power . It was supposed to be a beater car 3 years ago but it had become my main car and one of the most stress-free cars I have ever owned! I'm never getting rid of it!!

 

Yes, I was compiling overall opinions of various Lexus models (probably not the best idea). I wasn't always sure which KYB they were referencing. I plan to do KYB on the back if I end up doing those too. I did see conflicting reports even on the LS, but then others say the KYB struts softened up over time or the ppl got used to it. As I said earlier, I wish there was a more consistent opinion of that. I hate the back and forth and wondering what to do. This opinion and that opinion. I'm not a mechanic so I have to weigh it out and try to pick what seems best. A local shop I've used for other things said they have worked on LS 460s some, but they are not normally in the shop. He said he has done both loaded struts and strut replacements and tried to talk me into just getting a loaded set. So confusing lol.

I appreciate the advice, I've not seen that commented anywhere. Do you know the spec on that? The Video I watched showed the guy just making sure several threads were showing above the nut. That was the "spec" check he used lol. I'll ask my brother about it.. He may already know this. He used to work in a local shop for a while before changing to running restaurants. He still surprises me at what he knows.

This is exactly the model I was aiming for when I got the LS. I went to Atlanta with a certified check for an 05 with 118k miles, fresh paint, very clean, etc. The pictures looked great, but it rode too firm. It had aftermarket rims, so my brother and I figured it had aftermarket suspension too since it wasn't what I remembered at all. The dealership was going to let me have it for 8400 total, which at the current market isn't bad for that year/mileage and it being so clean. However, it also ended up having a bad upper motor mount, and some other problems. So that, mixed with the suspension, caused me to pass on it. I went to the next dealership looking at an 06 with 85k miles. We found other issues there too(motor mount, body damage, and possible engine trouble)...so this went on during the day looking at older Camrys and finding more issues than I was comfortable dealing with, or inheriting until I stumbled across this LS 460 at the last dealership. Everything checked out when I got it, but I have now realized it only had around 2500 miles put on it in the last year, so I might be fixing a few things due to it sitting for so long between use. The suspension was great on the 3hr ride home from Atlanta. Now, I have the driver-side strut that needs replacing (doing both to be sure), and I have both HPFPs leaking oil. I have two OEM gasket kits coming from a Lexus dealer on eBay for that job. Still debating if I'm doing it with my brother or letting a local shop do it.

I like this car too much to let it go at the moment, but if I keep finding issues I might just let it go and move on. I didn't know what I was getting into when I got this, tbh. but it is the only car I owe money on so it isn't like I'm in 50k and dumping big money into it.

 

I think your best bet would have been to keep looking for a Camry or go for an ES Lexus model which shares a lot of the Camry parts, A 2007-2012 Model Es350 is alot cheaper and less scarier to own than an LS460. My Ls460 was not hard to work on. I did about 95% of the work , the other 5% required someone using a torch to take something off for me . I think I saved myself over $7K in dealer labor costs over the 2 yrs of ownership. .

My 2006 Camry needed to be sorted out. I bought used oem full struts assembly off of Ebay since the fronts were quick struts which rode like crap. A few motor mounts needed to be replaced and an left half axle shaft. Now my car drives new. Cruises on the highway smooth with no vibration and the V6 power carries the car very well. I paid $4K for it in 2020, and I have offers for $6500. I'm considering moving to a 2010 ES350 but the Camry is so stress free and low profile.

Once you get your Ls460 sorted out. Enjoy it but maybe test the private sale waters in the meantime to see if you can gain or breakeven. There will be other wear and tear stuff to fail like the radiator, Water pump, belt tensioner and lower control arms especially if you are sticking with oem parts.

 

I agree. I have been considering firving this a little while to get some time out of it and then move into the es350 or maybe an rx.

I’m taking it to a local mechanic in the morning to get a second opinion of the suspension. Just to make sure. I did discuss the HPFP gaskets leaking and he said if it was his he’d just drive it and not worry. He said you risk making them fail by messing with the spring in them when you move them. Always another take on thugs.

 

FYI, Lexus parts has a 15% sale on top of normal discounts. OEM struts are only 165 right now for the front. I order from Treasure Coast Lexus in FL. Free shipping and no tax for me in GA. I don't even have the struts yet and they lowered the price almost $30 each, so I called to request a discount to honor the new price.

 

Lexus honored the discount via applying it to the next order. I need the rear struts as well it seems, so I ordered the back and they are going to apply the discount via a refund. So that gets me all OEM struts for $690. KYB would have been around $550, so I feel that was a pretty good deal.

I also found a local mechanic that used to work at a Mersades Benz dealership in Atlanta, as well as a higher end mechanic shop around here. He has his own garage now and works on BMW, Lexus, MB, and about everything it seems. He is a relative of a coworker and my boss actually uses him for his Cars. He doesn't really advertise, so he isn't easy to find. I called and he only charges $75/hr to work on higher end cars. I'm going to let him quote me on this and other stuff.

 

Less than 5000 miles on them from a 2008.

 

I wish I had known a week ago!

 

I bought Lexus OEM front shocks on-sale for $160 each. inside the Lexus packaging box, the shocks have KYB printed on them.