gte819s

I did a search and did not find a comprehensive answer.

I have a 2010 LS460 RWD sport with the adjustable air suspension at 53000 miles. Since the shocks run $1K a piece I am gearing up to be prepared for any potential issues.

How long does the original air shocks last before needing replacement? I have seen some people state high mileage up to 175K and some low at 10K. What is the typical experience?

Right now suncore is the only coil over replacement option that I have found. At $3K a set I feel as if they are priced just because the only other option is OE at $4K+.

Has any one here replaced OE air with LS coiled replacements? A KYB plus coil would be about 25% or less than the air bags. The joke is I have never used the adjustable height setting and I cannot feel any difference in sport or comfort.

Would i need just the springs and shocks to for a normal SWB LS460?

dlbuckls10

The life of a shock varies. I had to replace my '10 RR shock and actuator ($1600) at 49K miles but it was covered under warranty. You should be able to tell the difference between sport (steering feels stiffer and suspension taut) and comfort settings when driving your LS. Try your height button to make sure it is working and If not you may have some suspension problems.

gte819s

The height seems to work fine. Overall the car drives fine, just a little rough from the 19's.

How did you know that the shock was out?

dlbuckls10

I could hear a soft thumping sound coming from my trunk when I drove over a bump or rough surface and the ride wasn't as smooth. Everything in my trunk was tight. Also my driver side headlight beam was bouncing or shaking on rough roads. I went by the dealership and they told me what was my problem and fixed it. The silky smooth ride returned, the thumping noise was gone along with the bouncing headlight beam. Your situation may be different.

Chuckwagon

The air shocks on my 2007 L lasted to around 90,000 miles, then started getting less comfortable. The right rear developed a slight rattle you could hear at low speeds over rough pavement. Then I had the bushings/control arms replaced (under warranty, otherwise I'd have only done the bushings) and the lack of dampening in the shocks became much more obvious. Going over bumps at non-residential speeds felt like the tires were bouncing. So I bit the bullet, imported rear shocks from Dubai and had them installed by an independent mechanic. (With shipping and import duties the total cost for two shocks and two control modules was $1,498.60 + $280 to install. The dealer wanted ~3500 to do the job. So I was able to get it done for about half of that.) The ride improved greatly. I can feel a bit of sloppiness from the front end now when going over bumps, so I'm guessing they've about had it too. But the rear end is nice and smooth. Everything went smoothly enough that I'm going to repeat the process for the front end.

I don't know if shocks (either air or non-air) lasting 90k miles is typical or not, but it doesn't seem too terrible to me. I do wish they weren't so blasted expensive though.

Charles

Kbueno

I also have a 2010 sport. Had 1 replaced under warranty at 50k for a rattle, but the rattle turned out to be something else. I wouldn't worry too much until after 100k. Someone posted a link to get them cheaper than the dealer outrageous price...I think it was through a Japan distributor.

As far as the selectable suspension settings...if you can't tell a difference then something is wrong or check your butt nerve (LOL). Comfort setting is like a sponge and sport adds considerable tautness.

gte819s

90K-100K would be acceptable. I would hope for 150K but its better than issues at 50K!

I just went through this exercise on an escalade but the shocks cost $800 for all four corners @75K miles. Active/air in rear and active/coil in front.

I have talked to lexus regarding the sport/comfort and i was told by them that it is a subtle change. I dont know if they are BSing me or not. Im still under CPO warranty for a few more months so maybe the story will change when its on my dime. I drive like an old man most the time and notice road imperfections feel the same. I assume that the roughness i feel is just the dominating traits of 19 inch wheels and low sidewall.

Higgie

There is a way to check the suspension (even everything on the car):
Go to the dealer and make a testdrive in the same model you have.
But make sure the tires are the same, you can't compare 19 and 24 inch, the 19's are much smoother.
I did this last year in a 2013 model, and it feels about the same as my 2009 model.

GregCon

Well, my 2007 LS460L has the dreaded failure of the rear air struts. The originals failed at 40K miles and the second set failed at 97K miles. Pretty disappointing (Lexus WTF?) for a Lexus that is babied.

Anyway, I have tried calling Suncore for some replacements and it appears they are out of business. Their phones don't work, not does their fax, and their website is out of date. Does anyone know more about Suncore's current state of affairs?

gte819s

Yikes that sucks. Suncore was option #3 for me.

I found some options that work or the L and Base:

There are several "racing shocks" options. No idea on the compliance for a nice ride but you can go full coil over for 700-1500 for all four corners and air setup is about 3K for all four corners.

Another option is to roll the dice on ebay for about 600 per corner on a used strut and bag.

GregCon

Thanks. Can you tell me who offers the aftermarket options?

No way would I buy a used strut....even new, they hardly hold up.

I'm curious why a 'normal' strut wouldn't work. Are the air strut suspensions really that different?

gte819s

Suncore was the only new option that i have found that would sell air shocks as singles and pairs for less than OEM. They were "remanufactured" though and that can be a sneaky deal, who knows what that means. You could get a new bag on an old core trade so the damping may die before the bags does.

The other option is to go with a standard coil set or aftermarket air bags but you would have to replace all four shocks at the same time and lose the functionality of adjustable height and damping from the switches on the center console. Going this way would save 2K or more if you assume that all air bags would fail while the coils would last until you sold the car.

GregCon

Suncore clearly seems to be defunct, or at least something shady is going on to the point I'm not going to deal with them (that is, if they ever answered their phone).

What interests me is knowing just why an air car can't be fitted with 'standard' LS460 struts. Did Lexus modify the car's frame or suspension control arms such that they don't fit?

While I think I like the air suspension (I have never driven a non-air LS 460 to compare it to), I get pretty upset with any product I buy that is unreliable - especially on Lexus' top of the line car. The rear of my car needs its third set of struts after just 98,000 miles. If I drove the car, I could maybe see that. But I am the guy who avoids potholes and rough pavement like the plague and creeps over speed bumps. I don't hit curbs. I don't drive hard in any manner.

Even that wouldn't bother me if there were reasonably priced repair alternatives. But at $1K per corner (if you shop around enough) it's just an example of poor behavior.

I'm currently not convinced there are any 'conversion kits' available. If anyone is selling one (and can actually deliver it to my door) I don't know who.

gte819s

D2 racing, br racing, megan racing, and Ksport offer coilover kits for the LS460. Try contacting them to see if it applies to the Ls460L and not just the SWB. There are other manufacturers that offer coil over kits.

MellonC00

I'm shopping for a 12 LS Sport Package right now and feel the same way as you. There needs to be a credible alternative to air suspension systems that don't really last. BTW. MB and BMW systems aren't any better. I think it's the allure of the initial ride/handling that manufacturers like a lot. Also in their minds, 75K miles is a "life time" for a car. For example, Lexus doesn't even require transmission oil change forever. but we know that it needs to be replaced at least once every 90K miles if not 60K miles.