Originally Posted by LuckXus

Hi Clutchless;

I want to thank you for suggesting the Bilsten, My 14" - 450h rides harsh and going over bad roads is crashy, harsh, feels too stiff as if not much damping, even on slighty uneven roads & over minor cracks it didnt feel good. The wife did complain it didnt ride 'nice' & 'comfy' at all for a Lexus, I also felt something was off with the suspension but it was not boucy or leaking, just very stiff !

I replaced all the original shocks & struts (Tokico) with the Bilstein B4 together with the top mount bearings, stabilizer links, bar bush, ball joints.

Fresh out of the shop I intentionally & slowly drove to a bad road littered with pot holes and puddles, wow those B4 really soaked up much of the bumps/humps, I can feel the 'cushoning' with the B4, going over humps and minor road imperfection feel much more dampen. Driving on some smoother roads I dont know how to say it, but feels more cushioned, well damped but not floaty boatlike at all. The wife test drove it and wow, she immediately notice the huge difference, it drives well and comfy!

I can't belive how these new B4s can totally transform my RX ride quality (in my own experience). Maybe my original 90K Miles Tokico were 'bad'?

I chose the B4 since i dont drive fast or do hard cornering, We wanted the comfortable ride & since the roads where we live are not great either.

Thanks Clutchless & other CL members who had shared their experience with their Bilstein.

Originally Posted by afpj

The 2010 rx350 that we handed down to one of our college kids had to have the fronts struts replaced. They were the originals at 155k+ miles, and one of them was leaking. After reading this thread, and considering other factors like my 2 jobs, lack of access to "permanent" spring compressor, and short time for winter break, my spouse decided to take it to a independent Lexus tech that has good reviews as well as good word of mouth. After a couple of days I was able to finally inspect the work that was done and was disappointed to find that they used duralast loaded strut assemblies. The kid, who's been driving it mostly, doesn't notice any real change, more importantly it's not any worse. Maybe rides a little smoother. Except for maybe the dealer, it looks like many small independents are going to the quick struts type setup, at least around here.

Curious if anyone has any experience with the duralast struts? Heck, I could have done it in 4 hours if I wanted to just get a quick strut type setup. I've taken the cowl off before for spark plug change, that was the most annoying part but once that is done, struts are easy to get to. At least the ride seems to be okay according to the kid, just wondering how long these will last. Thanks for your time.

Originally Posted by Alexbenz

are the Bilsteins front's not bolt in?

Originally Posted by Clutchless

OEM strut top mount bearings are recommended for their high quality. You can find them on eBay from various Toyota dealers as this part is used in about 20 different models.
​​​​​​BEARING
Part Number: 9090363014
Supersession(s): 9008036070; 90903-63014; 9090363002

Pay attention to the alignment of the strut mount when removing it as you want to replace in the same position as this affects vehicle alignment. Mark the position or take a photo.

For the sway bar or stabilizer links, there are aftermarket ones that are superior than OEM in the design of the attachment bolts as the OEM has an internal hex fitting that is easily stripped when trying to remove it. I had to cut mine off due to rust and stripping out of the hex fitting when attempting removal. Otherwise they are similar in durability most of the time. Stick to a brand name.

Originally Posted by Clutchless

KYB struts are usually 10% stiffer than stock. However, if yours are worn, they may improve the ride. Note that the OEM shocks and struts are actually less expensive than KYB from sites such as http://www.lexuspartsnow.com/

I know Monroe makes front struts for the RX because they are the same as the Highlander. However, Monroe does not make the rear shocks. The Highlander has rear struts vs our shocks (which give us more room inside). I guess Monroe does not think there is enough potential sales volume. Too bad as their new design is supposed to be quite good. http://www.monroe.com/en-US/e-catalog

Finally, for more minutia, from 2010 to 2012 there was the rarely seen Sport Package which only differed from the regular suspension by having stiffer shocks and struts, VDIM and 19 inch wheels. You can find those OEM stiffer struts and shocks at lexuspartsnow and they cost the same and ought to bolt in the same. I need to replace my leaking rear shocks and think I will get the Sport Suspension Ones. These are apparently different from the later F-Sport Suspension shocks that were even stiffer.

Originally Posted by LuckXus

Hi AlexBenz, I bought & use OEM bearings too & reuse the original tophats, they will fit fine.

Originally Posted by Enz

Yup. Oem tophats will fit the BS, Tok, and other AM shocks meant for our vehicles
Don't forget to check and get replacement runber boots last they are probably torn