I have a 2002 RX300 FWD. 75K miles. Do I need to change the struts or shocks? How would I know if and when they need changing? Also, anyone recommend a decent set of tires instead of the stock Integrity's?Thx.

 

Welcome to the Club.

The answer is it depends.

First, if you are keeping the air pressure in your tires at normal (some like to keep for mpg reasons), then you might just notice some creaking or some noise coming from the struts or shocks. Struts or shocks aren't something you replace at a certain mileage interval, but just go bad due to the treatment the vehicle got. If you don't believe me, ask me about how it was in Mexico City and the pounding those shocks took. However, on U.S. roads it's going to be a largely different story.

I dumped the Integritys about 5 months after I got my RX300 and went with Michelin Cross Terrains, the 235-70-16 size (works fine even though 225-70-16 is the stock size) and I've been running them since July 2002 (though a few sets since then) and they work perfectly in Mexico.

 

You shouldn't need new shocks at 75,000 miles unless the car has been abused or you got real unlucky.

 

I'd vote for Michelin LTX M/S, stock size. They do pretty well on snow, wet pavement or dry conditions. Look for a sale on Michelin at Costco and for the free lifetime warranty (the package comes with other free extra perks, like free 5k miles rotation, free flat repair etc.). I drove my car, with these tires on, in temperatures ranging from -40F to 110F and they performed perfectly for the last 30k miles. They still look like they have another 50k miles on them.
Regarding the struts and shocks, you already have the best and true opinion above: it all depends on the roads and the abuse your car got or will get. Local example: if you drive mostly on I-95 or similar, you might never need to change them, but if you drive on bad roads, similar to those in the City, then... fuhgeddaboudit, you'll end up changing them (and some other parts) at 100k, just like I did.

 

Just put on Kuhmo Solus KR21's on the RX. Very nice tire. Quieter and smoother than the X-Terrains (now discontinued) at 1/2 the price. Went with the stock 225-70R-16 size. I would highly recommend these tires for any RX. They are a very good tire, and I don't think you will find anything better for the price.

 

Thanks. I just had Firestone destination LE's put on. Ride seems quite already but we'll see I guess. I think I do need struts as the car bounces a little on braking....I had the alignment done too but the steering wheel is still off centre very slightly and is annoying. Anyone know how to remove the steering wheel and re-align it so it's straight? Will doing this affect the airbag light on the cluster?

 

Take it back to where you got it aligned if it hasn't been 90 days yet and they should take care of the problem.

My RX's steering wheel is off center by a tad , but the car still tracks straight. I don't want to spend $65 to just get the steering wheel straight.

 

I second the Kuhmo's. Inexpensive, they but wear and handle well. $300 for a set + shipping from Tirerack.

 

had the alignment adjusted second time in one week but the car still veers to the left on the highway..doesn't matter which lane or which highway. The alignment is supposedly okay as is the balancing. Any ideas? I drive a couple of hundered miles up the highway every day so it's really annoying to constantly pull the steering to the right.

 

Post your alignment results here. It may be OK and you may be experiencing "road crown drift".

 

My 2001 rx300 has 123k shocks and struts have not been replaced yet.. should i replace them now? if so what do people recommend?

 

Unless some is really noticeable with those shocks and you are feeling it, avoid doing this...that was the gist of my advice above. In Mexico City where I used to live, I felt when something was wrong really quickly, but on these nice flat roads I have in South Florida...nada.

I went with the KYB GR2 shocks when I did change over, though.

 

Well I live in California San Francisco specifically and mostly on flat road but kinda want a smoother ride not having the car react to small bumps... I found the rx350 to be somewhat smoother ride with it's suspension. Anything I can get or do to not have to feel every little bump when driving?

 

There's nothing that's quite going to do that. It's not just shocks, but also tires that can also produce a better response. I've had a somewhat better ride ever since I started using nitrogen in my tires in Mexico, but it's not a panacea to every little bump either.

 

Last year I replaced tires...Went with Goodyear Assurance, WAY better than Integrity and highly rated. Considered Kumho, but didn't want to deal with Sears!