ravenuer

I know a couple of people with 2016s and none have drones or any other noises.

777rx400h

Its all how you focus on it. Lexus incorporated an 8 speed transmission than is programmed to hit the highest gear ASAP to save fuel and push their EPA ratings. Well of course! the engine will LUG in 5th gear at 25 MPH and you will feel/hear it. Nature of the beast.

dibl

Exactly, PLUS they de-tuned the 2GR-FKS engine by lowering the compression ratio, using VVT-iW on the intake cam, to prevent spark knock under load, when burning 87 octane gas. This makes a great selling point ("It runs on regular!"), but doesn't help smooth acceleration.

777rx400h

Having read through the lengthy 4th Gen Drone/vibration post, I decided to try and narrow down exactly what symptoms I have on my 2022 AWD RX350. After purchasing the 2022 I was surprised at how loud the vehicle was when cold started in my garage. The city driving exhaust note seemed abnormal for a Lexus. Here is what I confirmed on my 2022. I do not have a drone/vibration at highway speeds, my abnormal exhaust sound/slight vibration is at cold start and under the following condition: When engine RPM is at 1000. I confirmed it over and over. After the vehicle is fully warmed up, If I slowly accelerate to 25MPH, (the transmission will be in 5th gear-crazy right?) and then let the vehicle coast,..... once it gets to 20 MPH the engine RPM will be at 1000 and the exhaust will drone/vibrate. The transmission will be in 4th gear at this point and will stay in 4th and continuously drone/ vibrate at 1000 rpm until 15MPH when the Transmission drops to 3rd and the tach drop below 1000. This vehicle LOVES to be 4th gear at that 1000 RPM and hang there. Frustrating city driving for sure. Next I selected SPORT and did same test. Transmission was in 3rd gear at 25MPH and smoothly drops to 1000 RPM at 12MPH with slight momentary drone/vibration but RPM's do not hang there and drop. GREATLY IMPROVED. Final test to reduce drone/vibration: I Hung a Toyota exhaust damper forward of converter...No change at all. Drive this car in SPORT and enjoy it.

My .002 , YMMV.

mikemu30

Been doing that for five years now.

777rx400h

The Toyota Highlander forum has numerous owners that claim their drone/vibration issue is caused by the exhaust being clamped to the engine block near the oil pan. Several owners have removed the bracket & clamp and claim great improvement. Some just left them off, others supported the exhaust without it being attached to the engine block. I tested this theory out on my 2022 RX350 and while it did slightly reduce the noise level of drone while driving it did not reduce the associated vibration or cold start drone. It wasn't worth the small amount of difference to leave off when Lexus designed that area of Y-Pipe exhaust to be supported.

GSFRX350

I've always thought the vibration came from there, engine vibrates, transfers to pipe and hence the noise/vibration. I wouldn't remove that support at engine, long term may result in fatigue elsewhere. A damper works well, removes most of the issue.

J123rx350

I have a 2021 rx350 with 6000 miles on it. I have complained twice about feeling the engine vibration and they continue to tell me it's normal. They said they test drove it and all looked good which got me angry because I specifically told them while not moving you feel it. My question to all of you is am I being to critical ? I feel zero vibration thru the shifter, only the steering wheel and center console. Please advise, I look forward to hearing if I am crazy...John

777rx400h

You are not being critical. Vibration in Steering wheel and accelerator/brake pedal for me along with exhaust drone. You can sift through the forum to see how others feel about it and attempts to mitigate it. Some successful, some not. Dealership will always say normal. Doesn't bother most people or they just accept it. Like you, I find it extremely annoying (especially in town driving) as my 3 previous Lexus vehicles were smooth as silk.

GSFRX350

It appears this issue varies greatly between the cars, some are hardly noticeable while others seem to have vibrations through the wheel, seat, centre console, footrest. Although the differences maybe more the person, some are more critical than others. For example my wife had no idea about the vibrations, felt fantastic to her, whereas I can feel it sometimes and sometimes it annoys me, but mostly doesn't. Also the temperature seems to make it worse, cold worse than hotter, so again people in the north of the country may feel it more than southern states.

Have a look through this thread, there are a few solutions involving installing a damper, which I think a 2021 would have BUT you could try another damper further along the exhaust pipe. Mines a 2016, Japan built, the vibrations were only mild, in fact I never really thought about them until I read this thread, but I made up my own damper by using the head off a rubber mallet and bolting it to the exhaust pipe. Very crude looking but has removed any sign of vibrations.

Just something else, any car overtime can start to feel "not right", maybe you notice a noise here or there, a squeak, a rattle, a vibration, etc and as these cars are quiet you notice those things more. I had to drive a rental recently, Kia Stonic, and THAT was crude in comparison. After 5 weeks in that I came back to the RX and it just felt sublime, so, so smooth, quiet, absolutely a gem.

J123rx350

I agree with you with regards to how this issue can be analyzed. Like many of you we all have expectations of how a car should feel. I guess what is frustrating is every time I stop at a stop sign or red light I feel the engine vibration in my hands. I would describe it as when we drove older cars and could feel this vibration and most often it was a result of the engine not running smooth due to simple things like timing, plugs, carb or simply an idle adjustment of the engine. I guess my expectations are that this vehicle being a Lexus should at a minimum run smoother than the previous cars I have owned which it does not. I have looked through previous posts and may try a few of the ideas mentioned and will let you know if I make progress.
I appreciate the responses very much...thanks, John

777rx400h

oh you have to post a photo of the rubber mallet fix.

J123rx350

After looking through this thread and speaking to Lexus I am still a bit confused. But, one thing I did try which surprised me was to switch from eco to normal and then to sport mode. After switching between modes several times it appears to have reduced the amount of vibration I feel in the steering wheel. I also watched a 3/4 full bottle of water in the cup holder and noticed that after doing this there was close to zero movement in the water now. I can't explain why it appears to have improved. There is still a very small amount of vibration in the steering wheel which follows the tac needle which at this point I may just accept it. Normal mode appears to be the best.

777rx400h

Not possible. Just a different vehicle position/rpm/etc.

GSFRX350

I would highly doubt switching between the modes like that will improve the problem, yes in each mode it maybe different because of the different revs the engine is doing but if you mean switching between the modes and than back to normal it reduces the vibration......no.

I suspect that something else is going on there, ambient temperature or the engine would have warmed up more after switching between the modes. The different modes are purely different programmes to change when the engine changes gear, it doesn't change he fact the engine vibrates and transfers that vibration to the exhaust. There may also be a placebo effect going on.

I "think" mine feels better if I let it warm up for a couple of minutes before driving off in the morning, that's often my felling but not always, again the mind can play tricks on you.

You said normal feels best, a little surprising as I feel Sport is best, keeps the engine in a higher rev range more often where the vibration is not as bad. Also if the engine isn't labouring as much the vibration won't be as bad.