The Definitive guide to lowering OEM Air suspension
06-04-17, 11:29 PM
#1
The Definitive guide to lowering OEM Air suspension
Its pretty sad that a guy like me, has to make a thread on this topic nearly ten years after the 460 came on market.
There has been no support from guys who have done this before, and the threads are all patchy with very little information and even some flawed information.
Anyways the first interesting thing I would like to share is that the OEM factory air ride is 100%, completely , fully adjustable on the stock links.
All the way from fully slammed, rock bottom dumped, riding on the rails, to 4x4 off roading height high, and anything in between, you can do it on the stock links , you DO NOT, need lowering links , its been a scam from day one. ( I have a brand new , unused set for sale for $150 if anyone is interested)
Photo #1 is a side by side comparison of the stock front links and the aftermarket "lowering links" , both are sized down to their smallest adjustment and both are nearly identical and both have the same adjustment capabilities.
I didn't want to completely slam my car so I adjusted the OEM links to about 60-70% of their lowering capabilities and then installed the front left.
Photo #2 is how low I got the car without even getting close to the max adjustment of the stock links, I could of went much further if I wanted too, but it was already undriveable so I don't know why anyone would need too.
I decided for kicks just to see how it rode this low, so I lowered the right front and too it for a drive.....its very crappy, don't do it.
I even raised it up about an inch higher and it still didn't ride properly so I kept increasing the height till I found a spot I was happy with , which was nearly back to stock lol, minus maybe a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch drop up front.
My main issue with my car was that my front left side was very very noticeable higher then my right side (photo #3) , it bothered me a lot from day one so I had to do something about it.
Photo #4 + #5 is the stance now (would be beneficial to measure everything to be more precise), its not very low but ive evened out the left and right side and I'm very happy with the look now.
There has been no support from guys who have done this before, and the threads are all patchy with very little information and even some flawed information.
Anyways the first interesting thing I would like to share is that the OEM factory air ride is 100%, completely , fully adjustable on the stock links.
All the way from fully slammed, rock bottom dumped, riding on the rails, to 4x4 off roading height high, and anything in between, you can do it on the stock links , you DO NOT, need lowering links , its been a scam from day one. ( I have a brand new , unused set for sale for $150 if anyone is interested)
Photo #1 is a side by side comparison of the stock front links and the aftermarket "lowering links" , both are sized down to their smallest adjustment and both are nearly identical and both have the same adjustment capabilities.
I didn't want to completely slam my car so I adjusted the OEM links to about 60-70% of their lowering capabilities and then installed the front left.
Photo #2 is how low I got the car without even getting close to the max adjustment of the stock links, I could of went much further if I wanted too, but it was already undriveable so I don't know why anyone would need too.
I decided for kicks just to see how it rode this low, so I lowered the right front and too it for a drive.....its very crappy, don't do it.
I even raised it up about an inch higher and it still didn't ride properly so I kept increasing the height till I found a spot I was happy with , which was nearly back to stock lol, minus maybe a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch drop up front.
My main issue with my car was that my front left side was very very noticeable higher then my right side (photo #3) , it bothered me a lot from day one so I had to do something about it.
Photo #4 + #5 is the stance now (would be beneficial to measure everything to be more precise), its not very low but ive evened out the left and right side and I'm very happy with the look now.
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crown300 (01-16-24)
06-04-17, 11:50 PM
#2
As for the actual "how to" , that's the easy part.
Once the car is jacked and the wheel is off you need the following tools :
10mm wrench
10 mm ratchet
Yes......that's it
Photo #1 shows the arm that controls the height circled in yellow. The more you lower this arm, the more your car will lower, the more you raise it, the higher your car will go, its as easy as that but becareful because you don't need to move it very much to get results.
The blue circles shows the two bolts that need to come off in order to get the links off, you need the wrench to hold a hidden bolt behind the top one and then use the ratchet to unscrew the visible one, the bottom bolt comes off simply with the ratchet , no need for the wrench.
Once its off you have to shorten the links in order to lower the arm from photo #1, and then re-attach everything.
And that is the most difficult part, adjusting the height. It took me many hours the first night and it still wasn't right , I had to wake up early and go work on it the next morning before work to try to get both sides even.
One thing I noticed, and it was very scary , is that if the car senses that the corners are too far off balance it will try to compensate by doing weird things, like it raised my right rear side like 4 inches , and kept raising the lowering the front left trying to level itself out and at one point it was even hissing , seriously....I think from the compressor I'm not sure.
So don't leave the car too far unbalanced or it will act weird and might cause issues.
Once the car is jacked and the wheel is off you need the following tools :
10mm wrench
10 mm ratchet
Yes......that's it
Photo #1 shows the arm that controls the height circled in yellow. The more you lower this arm, the more your car will lower, the more you raise it, the higher your car will go, its as easy as that but becareful because you don't need to move it very much to get results.
The blue circles shows the two bolts that need to come off in order to get the links off, you need the wrench to hold a hidden bolt behind the top one and then use the ratchet to unscrew the visible one, the bottom bolt comes off simply with the ratchet , no need for the wrench.
Once its off you have to shorten the links in order to lower the arm from photo #1, and then re-attach everything.
And that is the most difficult part, adjusting the height. It took me many hours the first night and it still wasn't right , I had to wake up early and go work on it the next morning before work to try to get both sides even.
One thing I noticed, and it was very scary , is that if the car senses that the corners are too far off balance it will try to compensate by doing weird things, like it raised my right rear side like 4 inches , and kept raising the lowering the front left trying to level itself out and at one point it was even hissing , seriously....I think from the compressor I'm not sure.
So don't leave the car too far unbalanced or it will act weird and might cause issues.
Last edited by 1WILLY1; 06-04-17 at 11:53 PM.
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06-04-17, 11:58 PM
#3
I haven't messed with the rears yet but they are 100x easier then the fronts.
Its only one bolt, and you loosen it and slide the link downwards in the bracket circled in the photo.
With that said the only reason you might need to buy aftermarket links is if your oem links are too far gone due to rust and age. Mine were stuck but after working on them and cleaning they came back to life, you might not be so lucky, and in that case sure, go buy a set of links.
Other then that just be prepared to spend a whole day working out the height and re-edjusting , going for drives and allowing it to settle, then re adjusting again.
I would prefer to have my car about 0.5 inches lower all around, but I'm so worn out that I'm just going to leave it.
Its only one bolt, and you loosen it and slide the link downwards in the bracket circled in the photo.
With that said the only reason you might need to buy aftermarket links is if your oem links are too far gone due to rust and age. Mine were stuck but after working on them and cleaning they came back to life, you might not be so lucky, and in that case sure, go buy a set of links.
Other then that just be prepared to spend a whole day working out the height and re-edjusting , going for drives and allowing it to settle, then re adjusting again.
I would prefer to have my car about 0.5 inches lower all around, but I'm so worn out that I'm just going to leave it.
Last edited by 1WILLY1; 06-05-17 at 12:02 AM.
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ethanetlin (04-17-18),
FreddyG (12-24-18)
12-23-18, 02:48 PM
#6
I do belive this would work for all ls460's from 07-17 and probably even the gen5's
People have been buying lowering links for no reason, and the dealer doesn't even seen to know the height is adjustable, I asked several of them.
I did notice the air ride doesn't like being lowered, at least in my case it rode extremely bad, and I wouldn't recommend lowering more then 1 inch
12-23-18, 04:00 PM
#7
Driver
Would disconnecting the battery while making the adjustments keep the car from trying to adjust the cars height?
Aren't the links designed to be adjusted in place without having to disconnect the bolts? They have threads on both ends and if you loosen the top and bottom nuts and turn the shaft, shouldn’t the length change?
Aren't the links designed to be adjusted in place without having to disconnect the bolts? They have threads on both ends and if you loosen the top and bottom nuts and turn the shaft, shouldn’t the length change?
Last edited by maj75; 12-23-18 at 04:06 PM.
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12-23-18, 04:38 PM
#8
Would disconnecting the battery while making the adjustments keep the car from trying to adjust the cars height?
Aren't the links designed to be adjusted in place without having to disconnect the bolts? They have threads on both ends and if you loosen the top and bottom nuts and turn the shaft, shouldn’t the length change?
Aren't the links designed to be adjusted in place without having to disconnect the bolts? They have threads on both ends and if you loosen the top and bottom nuts and turn the shaft, shouldn’t the length change?
the car only adjusts the height once its turned on, I didn't notice anything happening with the car off
12-24-18, 07:00 AM
#9
Lexus Test Driver
I adjusted the suspension on my '08 for days, after rear strut replacement, and yes, the fronts have adjustment links with locknuts. Back off the locknuts, then you can turn the adjuster. It doesn't take much. Oh, and definitely hold the adjustment rod with a wrench on the flats provided for just this purpose! Don't tweak the ball and socket connectors on the frame and LCA by using them as the resistance point.
The rears are a threaded stud in a slot. Super-easy, until the exhaust gets hot.
The engine must be running for the suspension to adjust itself, either adding or removing air.
If you take this on, give yourself a LOT of time, because, to a degree, you're fighting the car's computer, which is trying to compensate for what you're doing. It appears random, initially, but it's not. Might not make sense, but it's a simple computer, the suspension's device, so it can go a little nuts trying to 'fix' what you're doing.
The new rear struts had less travel than OEM, so that was a problem. However, OEM, you can remove over an inch, and still not bottom-out except on the nastiest dips. Hitting the damper switch to 'sport' right before you get to bad pavement helps quite a bit. Yes, it works that quickly.
My new '12 rides so nicely, I'm not touching it for a while...if ever. Plus, we're moving to CO in the next few months (more than likely), so the extra ground clearance is nice to have. Residential roads in the mountains are almost always dirt/gravel, even in neighborhoods of 3/4 million-dollar-and-up houses.
The rears are a threaded stud in a slot. Super-easy, until the exhaust gets hot.
The engine must be running for the suspension to adjust itself, either adding or removing air.
If you take this on, give yourself a LOT of time, because, to a degree, you're fighting the car's computer, which is trying to compensate for what you're doing. It appears random, initially, but it's not. Might not make sense, but it's a simple computer, the suspension's device, so it can go a little nuts trying to 'fix' what you're doing.
The new rear struts had less travel than OEM, so that was a problem. However, OEM, you can remove over an inch, and still not bottom-out except on the nastiest dips. Hitting the damper switch to 'sport' right before you get to bad pavement helps quite a bit. Yes, it works that quickly.
My new '12 rides so nicely, I'm not touching it for a while...if ever. Plus, we're moving to CO in the next few months (more than likely), so the extra ground clearance is nice to have. Residential roads in the mountains are almost always dirt/gravel, even in neighborhoods of 3/4 million-dollar-and-up houses.
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1WILLY1 (01-12-21)
12-24-18, 11:23 AM
#10
Intermediate
I just found this post and have to say Thanks for the info. It's Great to know that if I wanted to decrease the wheel gap a bit, that it could be done so easily.
I found that the good aftermarket air suspensions (Air Ride, Accuair, Ride Tech, etc.) use one of three ways to adjust themselves and I don't know which the LS uses. They work on either height sensors, pressure sensors or a combination of both. The height sensors are what my guess is that our cars use, if it goes crazy when you change things. The bag pressure doesn't change much and ours adjust too quickly to be a pressure based system.
The air suspension setup on our cars is pretty advanced and works very well, but i'd expect no less from Lexus.
Thanks again for the lowering info and for sharing it.
I found that the good aftermarket air suspensions (Air Ride, Accuair, Ride Tech, etc.) use one of three ways to adjust themselves and I don't know which the LS uses. They work on either height sensors, pressure sensors or a combination of both. The height sensors are what my guess is that our cars use, if it goes crazy when you change things. The bag pressure doesn't change much and ours adjust too quickly to be a pressure based system.
The air suspension setup on our cars is pretty advanced and works very well, but i'd expect no less from Lexus.
Thanks again for the lowering info and for sharing it.
The following users liked this post:
1WILLY1 (01-12-21)
The following users liked this post:
1WILLY1 (01-12-21)
05-23-20, 04:37 AM
#12
Driver School Candidate
Its pretty sad that a guy like me, has to make a thread on this topic nearly ten years after the 460 came on market.
There has been no support from guys who have done this before, and the threads are all patchy with very little information and even some flawed information.
Anyways the first interesting thing I would like to share is that the OEM factory air ride is 100%, completely , fully adjustable on the stock links.
All the way from fully slammed, rock bottom dumped, riding on the rails, to 4x4 off roading height high, and anything in between, you can do it on the stock links , you DO NOT, need lowering links , its been a scam from day one. ( I have a brand new , unused set for sale for $150 if anyone is interested)
Photo #1 is a side by side comparison of the stock front links and the aftermarket "lowering links" , both are sized down to their smallest adjustment and both are nearly identical and both have the same adjustment capabilities.
I didn't want to completely slam my car so I adjusted the OEM links to about 60-70% of their lowering capabilities and then installed the front left.
Photo #2 is how low I got the car without even getting close to the max adjustment of the stock links, I could of went much further if I wanted too, but it was already undriveable so I don't know why anyone would need too.
I decided for kicks just to see how it rode this low, so I lowered the right front and too it for a drive.....its very crappy, don't do it.
I even raised it up about an inch higher and it still didn't ride properly so I kept increasing the height till I found a spot I was happy with , which was nearly back to stock lol, minus maybe a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch drop up front.
My main issue with my car was that my front left side was very very noticeable higher then my right side (photo #3) , it bothered me a lot from day one so I had to do something about it.
Photo #4 + #5 is the stance now (would be beneficial to measure everything to be more precise), its not very low but ive evened out the left and right side and I'm very happy with the look now.
There has been no support from guys who have done this before, and the threads are all patchy with very little information and even some flawed information.
Anyways the first interesting thing I would like to share is that the OEM factory air ride is 100%, completely , fully adjustable on the stock links.
All the way from fully slammed, rock bottom dumped, riding on the rails, to 4x4 off roading height high, and anything in between, you can do it on the stock links , you DO NOT, need lowering links , its been a scam from day one. ( I have a brand new , unused set for sale for $150 if anyone is interested)
Photo #1 is a side by side comparison of the stock front links and the aftermarket "lowering links" , both are sized down to their smallest adjustment and both are nearly identical and both have the same adjustment capabilities.
I didn't want to completely slam my car so I adjusted the OEM links to about 60-70% of their lowering capabilities and then installed the front left.
Photo #2 is how low I got the car without even getting close to the max adjustment of the stock links, I could of went much further if I wanted too, but it was already undriveable so I don't know why anyone would need too.
I decided for kicks just to see how it rode this low, so I lowered the right front and too it for a drive.....its very crappy, don't do it.
I even raised it up about an inch higher and it still didn't ride properly so I kept increasing the height till I found a spot I was happy with , which was nearly back to stock lol, minus maybe a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch drop up front.
My main issue with my car was that my front left side was very very noticeable higher then my right side (photo #3) , it bothered me a lot from day one so I had to do something about it.
Photo #4 + #5 is the stance now (would be beneficial to measure everything to be more precise), its not very low but ive evened out the left and right side and I'm very happy with the look now.
05-24-20, 05:31 AM
#15
Driver School Candidate