I would guess it costs a bit more for accoustic.

 

Laminated glass is stronger than tempered glass (consider plywood vs solid wood), which shatters with a relatively small concentrated impact. The reason why it is lighter is the sandwich layer (polyvinyl butyral). Car makers went to laminated initially to prevent occupants from egressing the vehicle in front end collisions. However, this caused more severe head injuries, but that's another topic. Acoustic glass, a more recent evolution of laminated design, was developed to address the following:

While there will always be exceptions, the strength of the windshield is better today than years past. The rake angle of the windshield on the RX is steeper than say, a conventional sedan. I can cite my own experience in a LS600 from last November. I was driving on a local freeway when an oncoming gravel truck lobbed a golf-sized rock in my direction which appeared to have been lodged in his dual rear tires. The rock slammed into my windshield and sounded like a shotgun went off (scared the living daylights out of me - the noise that is). Long story short, the impact, at the lower left corner of the windshield left four barely visible pinhead-sized impressions in the glass. Had this happened in with the RX, it probably would have cracked it. Bottom line though, same company, same glass design, and probably same supplier, however somewhat different applications but still good glass that I bet my life on anyway...

 

Interesting.
So you don't feel the glass is thinner and lighter today causing the windshield to chip and crack easier?
Then why all the chips and cracks compared to vehicles in the past?
The rake of the glass on many models do to aerodynamic design only?
I've heard the loud bang with no chip or crack.Also a small sound that caused a chip.
It depends on how the rock or whatever hits the windshield.If you get hit with the rock or stone pointed end,you have damage,flat part most likely the noise only.

 

Joe, we can't just pull figures out of the air to substantiate a point of view. One man's experience does not apply to all. You can go through life and have rocks pelted at you from all sides, while the guy behind doesn't see any of that. Fate or luck are intangibles that can't be designed into cars, otherwise we'd all be driving Sherman tanks. We apply statistical probability instead based on past experience supported by the strength and durability of materials we have at our disposal, and go with that.

 

Johnny,I agree somewhat.
However,in the last decade,there's been so much more compaints of windshield crack and chip issues.
It's not a new stone on the road.There's a reason for the massive increase in replacement and repaired windshields.
I believe it's the glass quality.

 

All good points in this thread.

While I hate to admit anything negative associated with Lexus, haha, I wouldnt be surprised if the glass was thinner. I think partly it would have to do with cost cutting in the entire automotive world, and not specific to Lexus. I dont think its the weight saving idea, because how much wiould a few millimeters save?

Same company, but flagship versus cute ute based off the camry. Id bet there are differences.

Another theory would be environmental reasons during manufacturing process

 

A couple of pounds here and there does lighten a vehicle more than one may think.
Also,I don't think it's a cost savings move,accoustic glass may cost Lexus a bit more than a regular windshield.

 

There are. The LS doesn't have HUD, nor USB. While the LS does have Brake Hold, I much prefer the Hill-Start Assist system - much simpler. The LS also lacks the Auto High Beam feature. So while the LS is more cushy than the RX, the RX suits my lifestyle much more, and without a doubt is more practical. I ski, fish, golf and love the outdoors, and since I refuse to own two cars, the RX was the right decision. My wife is crazy about it; she finds it much easier to drive and park - even though the LS had APGS, which I used every day.

 

^^ I meant differences in windshield quality, haha, in reference to your story about how strong the LS windshield was.

 

IC, well that's hard to determine, but I doubt they are different. If they were, Lexus would play up that fact. As I said above, the only reason it survived that impact was probably because of the rake angle. The shallower the angle, the more likely projectiles will glance off, and I would hazard to guess even bullets. If you remember your trigonometry, an object traveling on a level plane, encounters a much thicker section of glass than if it was perpendicular, and therefore would have to exert a much greater force to penetrate or even damage that object.

But, we digress from the OP's thread...

 

Lots of rock on Alaska's roads but usually when you get hit by big rock ....you know it. The rock that hit the wifes windshield was not big and this is the immediate result.

 

Cody, you are just having a real bad luck streak, arent you? that looks like a horrible crack. I would fill it before it spreads

 

Theres no fixing that baby, its gonna need a new windshield. I have only once ever had a bullseye with instant distal cracking on a windshield before, and it was a big rock off a semi tire on a gravel road. I could literally see that baby inbound for us, I actually moved my head to avoid it as a reaction, it was so big. The rock that did this was a little one, came off a rear tire from a small older Toyota pick up. Not dinging Lexus on the quality of their windshields, $%^ happens, but it definately was a suprise to see so much damage from a small rock.

 

I hope you aren't planing to fill in a crack that large. Too much of your car's windshield strength has been compromised.
My best friend had a brick hit his car's windshield at eye level last year. The windshield held but he got glass in his eye's and hair. He was driving a Mercedes and his insurance company had tried to talk him into patching his windshield the year before when it crack. His insurance agent agreed his demand of a new windshield probably saved him a lot of hurt and possibly his life.

 

Yes $%^# happens. Last October 9th I was driving on the NY thu-way on a rainy afternoon when a truck tossed up what I thought was a mudball that hit the front of my hood. The mudball turned out to be a rock that went through the clear-bra down to the bare metal.
After getting off the thu-way, the transmission blew !

Dent repair = 450.00
Clear-bra replacement = 100.00
New transmission cost = 0 under warranty

The dent was not turned over to the insurance company with my 500. deductable. I felt I'd be further ahead in the long run paying out-of-pocket.

Of course the real loss was my temporary lack of confidence in Lexus/Toyota products.