Hello

I have a 2015 model with Only 37000 miles. Luv the car but it does not ride as smooth or comfortable as when it’s was new. Besides replacing the tires what else can I do? I thought about bringing it in to my mechanic and ask about replacing shocks and/or bushings? Not exactly sure that is the cause or would make a difference. Anyone have experience in this area?

thanks

 

Welcome to CL. This has been discussed on several threads and I linked them below. However the short answer is to get Bilstein B4 struts and shocks which will GREATLY improve the ride on your RX.
However at your low mileage, your struts and shocks ought to be okay. First check for leaking rear shocks as that has been a problem on earlier RXs and may be your issue. If the lower half of the rear shocks are wet & darker looking, they are or have been leaking and need replacement.

​​​​​​FYI many of us have used Bilstein struts and shocks as they are vastly better than the OEM or KYB or Monroe stuff. The B4 model line is equal to the base model that most have, the B6 model line is equal to the F-Sport line in that it is stiffer and handles better but still rides much better than any other F-Sport strut or shock. Sometimes inventory is scarce as they are imported. Here is my post from another thread that is linked below:

​​​​​​Bilstein B4 rear shocks, 19282862 - Rock Auto usually has them, or some of the other online sources. Same part number for both sides. This is an easy 2 bolt replacement job any local repair shop can do. They are around $60 - 80 each. FYI these are not officially listed for the RX but are for the 2013+ Toyota Highlander which shares the front suspension with the RX. Bilstein just did not test them on the RX so did not list it.

Bilstein B4 front struts[2], L, 22282668; R, 22282675 These are struts and are more complicated to install, but any shop can do it as struts are the same on every vehicle. These are officially listed for the 2008+ Highlander and same as above were not listed for the RX because Bilstein did not test them on the RX. Many members have installed these and think they are great and much better than OEM.

Get new strut mount bearings if doing this. It is no extra labor to replace them at the same time. Or new strut mounts. Only get Toyota/Lexus for the strut mount bearings or mounts. They are much more durable.

​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...to-toyota.html
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...d-threads.html
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...d-threads.html
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...d-threads.html

 

I am personally going to change out the front struts and rear shocks on my 2015 Rx350 AWD with the KYB gas strut/shock brand. I was going to go with the Bilstein brand, but they do not make a quick strut(complete unit with preinstalled spring) for the front struts on my RX350. I do not want to deal with a spring compressor to install my old front coil spring on my new struts. The KYB units are just a simple bolt-on swap and are good performing gas charged units as well.

The KYB ride stiffness is a bit more than the stock base model and maybe less than the Bilstein B6 performance version I believe.

Bilsteins B6 shocks are my first choice if I really need to improve my rides performance, but I have had good results with KYB as well. I thought about mix and matching the KYB front quick struts with Bilstein B6 rear shocks on my RX350, but just decided to use a matching KYB set to prevent any weird handling in my RX350.

 

The KYB springs are not nearly as good as the Lexus springs and it will be stiffer.
You could pull your struts and take them to a shop to do the spring compression and strut swap over. Call around and you will find a shop that will do it for a reasonable price. I did this once and found several shops interested in the work as it does not take them very long because they have better equipment and much more experience.

 

Do tires first, use Tirerack to select the properties you are seeking, then decide......
you may likely find the car will ride closer to what you are looking for.....especially if your tires are at the end of their lifespan.....

 

Do you have any proof that the KYB springs are less quality or will be worst riding than the OEM springs on my 2015 Rx350 which are about 10 years old?

KYB make and supply OEM suspension for many make and models. I doubt that the company makes subpar suspension springs that will have worst ride quality than 10 year old springs. The RX350 in stock form was never an great riding or great handling CUV even when new. Not bad, but not as good as the other luxury models with air suspension. I am sure the new KYB suspension setup will perform just as good as new stock if not better since my stock suspension setup is 10 years old.

Springs do not perform better with age; therefore I would never swap over old worn springs into new struts.

 

My opinion is based on the reports of many CL members over several years regarding their experiences with KYB Quick Struts. Not only on this RX forum, but also on the ES forum.
How many miles are on your RX Carguy75?
In the end it is a personal decision and we are entitled to our opinions regarding struts and springs for our vehicles.

However the OP's vehicle only has 37,000 miles! I wonder if his ride issues are really caused by leaking rear shocks? Which has been an issue on earlier model years.
Or bad tires?
The original struts and shocks, unless leaking, should be perfectly fine at only 37,000 miles. The springs will be just fine at that low a mileage. No reason to replace them.

 

I had great success with KYB quick struts on my 2008 ES, ride height is not higher, ride is not harsher. ride is perfect! You can email KYB and ask them what specs they design them to. They are experts at this. Here is my account of using KYB's and also rebuilding entire suspension, which is holding up nicely. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...y-options.html

 

I wonder how old the OP's tires are, what brand and model they are, and at what PSI he is running them. At just 37,000 miles on his factory suspension parts, that is what I would be checking first.

And I agree that his rear shocks could have leaked out although Lexus supposedly fixed that issue by the 2014 model year.

 

Opinions I respect, but I do not like it when members post information as fact that are not verified such as the comment you made about the KYB springs not being as good as the OEM springs. Yes, the aftermarket quick-strut springs are maybe stiffer to account for worm bushings and other aged suspension parts to help improve an older car's ride, but that do not mean the springs are of lesser quality.

My 2015 RX350 has about 190k miles on it, so my suspension is very worn. I will also replace my control arms, sway bar links and outer tie rod ends.

Tip: Always take a car that had the front struts replaced to an wheel alignment shop to properly adjust the camber which can be messed up when removing front struts knuckle bolts; which will affect ride quality as well. You will be amazed at how many cars had the front struts replaced but never taken to the wheel alignment shop afterwards to adjust the camber properly among the wheels and then the owners blame the new shocks for the bad ride.

 

I replaced 4 KYB shocks . As I wrote above, the front spring is thinner. Low arms. sway bar links .wheel alignment 18 wheel . It rides well but on small bumps car jumps and does not smooth out the impacts. I have second RX with orig front shocks 170 000km not a big difference to drive.

 

Still waiting for the OP to respond...

 

My discussions with KYB concerning the 2008 ES confirm that KYB designs everything to factory specifications. KYB does not account for a worn suspension - that would be an impossible mission, as each level of wear is different. Worn suspensions SHOULD be fixed while installing new struts, however, many of the posts I see on these boards do not address their worn suspensions, they simply replace their struts. If you have 150K miles on your car, you have a worn suspension. Like it or not. I could not tell you if KYB designs 3rd GEN RX to factory, I haven't asked them. YET.

If you install new quick struts on a worn suspension, doesn't it stand to reason that the strut is now doing more work than it should, and will wear out earlier? The new struts are not designed for a worn suspension, they are designed to factory specs.

 

I am not sure it was KYB or not, but one of the suspension companies stated in a product video that their strut/shock products are designed to account for other worn suspension parts to still give near factory ride and control on older cars. Make sense to tweak the shocks/struts a bit since new struts/shocks alone will not improve a older car performance or control to how it was when new.

Either way, I will just install the KYB shock/struts and new control arms, tie rods ends, and sway bay links in my RX350. I actually prefer a stiffer more controlled ride over soft suspensions, so if the KYB ride is stiffer than I will good with it.

 

Just email KYB and ask them, then you will know. They answer pretty quick. https://www.kyb.com/contact/technical-support/

If you are going to the trouble of front control arms, you may as well add to your list ball joints and sway bar bushings. Once you have control arms out, sway bar bushing easier to access. You will need to lower the subframe while holding up the motor to get the front control arms off - they are a pain. I would highly consider the rear suspension as well, much easier to do than front. Rear does a lot more than people think, for one, its responsible for your car tracking straight down the road, if something is loose back there, an attentive driver will feel it. get it all done at once so you only need to make one trip to the alignment machine.

BTW - if I recall correctly, the front axles need to be popped out when doing this job. That would be the time to address CV joint boots. If there is one part the after market doesn't address, it would be the Lexus axles - so keep those boots in good order. After market doesn't have the vibration dampeners, but not really noticeable. To me anyway.

BTW - where did you get your Techstream s/w from, I see them floating around on Ebay? Does the Techstream s/w also include the TIS?