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My 2008 RX350 just turned over 200k and is in need of new struts.The ride has slowly being getting harsher, and road noise has increased.
Will New struts bring the ride quality back to original (or pretty close)? Will it help decrease road noise??
Right now it rides like a used Toyota, not like a Lexus. Will New struts bring back the original ride?
I’ve replaced my struts/mounts/boots with KYB’s (kept OE springs), sway bar links/bushings, trailing arms, and rear knuckle bushings. Each part replaced helped restore the ride but definitely not to original ride quality. Still gotta replace rear lateral arms, front lower control arms, motor/tranny mounts. I’m in Midwest so my underside is pretty rusty and all rubber bushings are shot. Definitely try to keep up on maintenance and replacing clearly degraded parts, I’ve been working down the backlog after a few years of being unable to afford it. Good luck!
Thanks for such a clear and informative response! I'm in Colorado, so no rust issues, but will definitely have another look at what else might help. Much appreciate your response from experience.
I also replaced my original struts with KYB struts, oem strut bearings, Febest strut bellows(ebay) and kept original springs too on the front and I did Monroe Quick Struts on back.
The Monroe Quick Struts on the rear were a breeze to install but having a helper is great to position them in place.
Very pleased- Restored the new car ride feel and but what impressed me the most is it tightened it up quite a bit. RX330 $150k miles.
How much do you want to spend? KYB parts will be less expensive than OEM, but there are some Lexus dealers on ebay that are much better than a brick and mortar dealer. The shocks might be less than $800 for all four. If you replace the shocks, I would consider replacing everything such as the shock mounts, etc.
Check the:
* bushings on the lower control arms
* ball joints
You can buy an $85 spring compressor on Amazon that uses a single bolt to compress/uncompress the springs. It should be easier to use than the 2-clamp spring compressor systems. If your parts are not rusted together, it is not that difficult of a job.
Thanks for the advice. Gollow-up question.
Do you need a lift to replace the struts? The quick struts sound like a good option - certainly better than the $1200-1300 I have been quoted at privateers around town. The dealer was cheerfully double that.
Thanks for the advice. Gollow-up question.
Do you need a lift to replace the struts? The quick struts sound like a good option - certainly better than the $1200-1300 I have been quoted at privateers around town. The dealer was cheerfully double that.
Do I need to find a lift I can rent?
No you don't need a rack, but it makes it easier. I've done suspension parts swaps on varies vehicles w/ & w/o a rack. While your swapping out the front struts, I'd also swap out the A-arms while your there. Really best to get the complete arms being cost & time effective. Also don't forget to get a alignment after done, basically setting the front & rear toes.....
A while ago I invested in this DJ3000 jack from Harbor Freight and it's a beast and I really like it- and the handle serves well for a breaker bar extender too. lol
Also, I never work under any hydraulic jack because it is never safe- I only use it to lift the car up onto the jack stands.
I use 2 jack stands for one wheel and 4 jack stands if lifting 2 wheels.
A while ago I invested in this DJ3000 jack from Harbor Freight and it's a beast and I really like it- and the handle serves well for a breaker bar extender too. lol
Also, I never work under any hydraulic jack because it is never safe- I only use it to lift the car up onto the jack stands.
I use 2 jack stands for one wheel and 4 jack stands if lifting 2 wheels.
BTW, if you remove both front struts (they are not as heavy as they look), easy enough on jackstands, you are about 1/3 of the way to removing the windshield cowling, which is a good part of the way towards replacing those rear spark plugs/coils.
New struts = New ride?
