park10, I'm sorry to hear you're still not happy with the ride on your '15 RX. Unfortunately I can't make any recommendations beyond what's been posted here. For the past 12 years I've been driving RXs with a sportier ride. That's my personal preference. I wish you luck in finding a happy medium. And I merged your thread with the other as you suggested. Keep us posted. Please don't be ashamed. This is a place where we come to share our experiences and learn.

 

Did Lexus change anything from the '13 to the '15 model that would affect the ride, Or is it primarily a function of the brand of tire and psi??

 

FWIW: If you don't get a solid enough reply from someone, and the answer is important enough to you, you could always get a 2-day pass to TIS ($15) and look up the changes from '13 to '14 and '14 to '15 to be sure. I did that to understand line-by-line detail between '12 and '13 RX back in the day...

 

I know that the FWD 2010-2011 models have shocks and after 2012 the struts became standard for both awd/fwd .

I did an experiment that got a pretty good result
I changed the stabilizer links with a shorter one (because the old ones were worn out and couldnt find the OEM replacement) My mechanic friend found that the links from an Hyundai elantra were almost the same except that is shorter by one inch but it fitted very well. The ride became excellent, firmer, the "floating boat" sensation was gone. At first I thought that is because the old links were bad but I ordered the OEM and installed them last week. and guess what? the boat ride was back...

Maybe I stumbled in the solution??

 

I think it's a shame that all manufacturers often have Sports/S/F trims for sport-tuned suspension but never offer a real comfort-tuned trim. I didn't regret picking the RX because it's the best out there for my needs, but I wish the best were better...

 

Bingo! I feel the exact same way. Sport mode and sport+ on some cars is nice when carving a canyon or spirited driving 30% of the time but when I want to cruise the other 70% I would love to have a comfort mode. On the Lexus LS there is a comfort mode but I wish this was more available across all of lexus models.

I think Lexus feels that sport sells more than comfort because of the fsport trend we are seeing across the board of all Lexus lines. They do not want to be known as grandmas car anymore and to most customers "Comfort" means boring arthritic grandpa mode. I am 33 years old btw and no where near being a grandpa but I want my comfort mode!

 

It's an unfortunate reality that all luxury car makers are gravitating towards sportier ride and journalists seem to love them. In another 25 years we all will be riding cars that have no suspension just the body directly bolted on to wheel axle. Wow the ride is super sporty. .

 

Like this spy shot of the new Porsche SUV ???

Sorry, just can't help myself sometimes LOL

 

I thought evolution would make our cars better but it seems our sporty trend is leading us back to the stone age. The Flintstones anyone? Roflol to your prototype spy photo of Porsche SUV.

 

I am glad the OP stopped back in and is giving my "solution a try. In the mean time, I have been driving around happily with this issue not on my mind. Sure, I would kind of like the ride a bit softer, but the HARSHNESS is gone. FYI I now have 2 50lb pounds of sand in the back as opposed to various sized bags of kitty litter

I may experiment with a 3rd bag but really I do not feel the need at this time.

If I were not 62 I am sure I would like a sedan as the rides can really be soft and sweet. But then where would I put crap from the hardware store, etc.

So, my SUV is a compromise. But still, Lexus, you can do better on this car. This issue is big enough that purchasing a newer RX when it is time is not the slam dunk it should be

OP, I think they pipe special gas into cars during test rides that make us not be able to properly sense the ride. Glad you made it back to the Forum and for sure I feel your pain. It is not an easy decision for some of us, me included.

A friend of mine just bought a Lexus sedan, the entry level, without even test driving it at all! Granted, he was trading in a 3 year car of the same vehicle, but STILL! Holy crap! That is crazy. And guess what? Yup. The jerks at Lexus went ahead and made THAT car ride firmer than the previous years. Car makers are losing their freaking minds.

Good luck with the extra weight. It really helped me.

 

CapeDave and others,

Glad to hear of progress. I was active on this tread in the fall re harsh ride of a newly purchased RX 350 AWD. I subsequently sold it as the ride was too much for my back, something hard to ascertain on the short test drive I took. Like others I relied on Lexus and the RX reputation for a quality ride. Yes the trend is for stiffer rides. Hold on to your old car if you can, that is what I am doing with an older ES. Btw the ES suspension was stiffened stating with the 2013 model, concurrently with the Camry. In another year or so I will be in the market for an LS which hopefully is retaining its superior ride qualities.

As to the added weight helping, note the RX 450h has 100- 150 lbs extra weight in the rear and is reported to have a softer ride (I haven't tested it). Was Lexus lazy or cheep and didn't want different suspension parts for these two RX types?

The quality of this thread's participants is outstanding. It was of great help in understanding my disappointment with the RX. Thanks to all. bob01, SF, CA.

 

I purchased my car because I wanted an SUV that rode like a car. I have owned my 2004 Rx330 for 10 years and it's the best car I've ever owned (better than my 740 Beemer, my Infiniti SUV and my Caddy. BUT now I went and bought the 2010 Lexus Rx350 and like others, test drove and didn't notice the ROUGH RIDE over bumps. I'm so sad I wish I had read all the info here before I purchased. I just want to know if ANYONE had any luck in fixing the suspension problem.... please let me know (ps I do have cats I guess I could purchase tons of kitty litter to keep in the back). I've only had the car 3 weeks and wish I could return it!!!!! But since I can't I guess I'll have to try something. Lexus just lost my love for sure!!!

 

Well, a year later and I posted this today. I purchased my car because I wanted an SUV that rode like a car. I have owned my 2004 Rx330 for 10 years and it's the best car I've ever owned (better than my 740 Beemer, my Infiniti SUV and my Caddy. BUT now I went and bought the 2010 Lexus Rx350 and like others, test drove and didn't notice the ROUGH RIDE over bumps. I'm so sad I wish I had read all the info here before I purchased. I just want to know if ANYONE had any luck in fixing the suspension problem.... please let me know (ps I do have cats I guess I could purchase tons of kitty litter to keep in the back). I've only had the car 3 weeks and wish I could return it!!!!! But since I can't I guess I'll have to try something. Lexus just lost my love for sure!!!

Read more: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...#ixzz3hLLznOTd


Can you tell me what finally happened and if you got any help with your car. Thanks

 

Hi, I've owned an Rx330 (2006) for 10 years and loved it so I purchased an Rx350 (2010). Now I'm so upset because I certainly didn't think Lexus would mess with perfection, but they did! This car rides like a truck and very rough over bumps. It's supposed to be a luxury model ! Any way I found a lot of older posts of other Rx350 owners complaining about the same problem and wanting a smoother ride. The only thing I read that might help is someone said they switched from 19 in to 18 in tires. ?? I really wish I had done some research before I purchased, but never thought to since my Rx330 was perfect!!! : (

 

I have 18 in wheel and I am still not satisfied. I'm going to try 17 in next month, I think that's the minimum size without hitting the brake disc but I could be wrong.