ASE

Conventional wisdom on this forum is that improved handling is all about unsprung weight. With decent shocks, I find that the stiffer sidewall of E-rated tires is a good match for a truck based platform ... improved steering response and overall handling. My wife is an aggressive driver, and totally agrees. With good shocks, for me weight is a secondary consideration.

Rygar470

True.. I have a set of 115T in the 265/70 General Grabber ATX and I too, am aggressive driver and think these tires are great as well. Mind you this isn't a DD. Hence why I asked. Then again, they have about 5k miles since new.
Exactly what you mentioned, in terms of better suspension components, as this is also the reason why I would like to add 5100s or Old Man Emu upgrades.

ASE

For me, springs are springs whether mechanical springs or air-springs. Did not have any issues with air-spring reliability ... plus it is then very easy to lift the front and then match the rear to the preferred stance (rake) by adjusting the neutral height sensor position versus assuming the advertised final lift height with mechanical springs is what you actually end up with ... nothing worse than sinking money and then not being happy with the final stance.

I have since moved on to a GX460 ... and went with a Premium model ... no AVS or Air-Springs. If I could only have the rear air-springs, that would be ideal for height adjustability. For me, AVS is an overly complex solution looking for a problem. Would much rather have high(er) end conventional shocks given the cost of AVS shock replacement is absolutely criminal for what they represent in terms of performance.

Rygar470

Funny, I have been thinking about a GX460 as well. But I would get the Luxury(Premium in the 2010-2013 as you know). Reason being is, I'm looking to give the 470 to my son for his first vehicle, That way I can still keep my Audi and Subie.

trocket

Thanks for all of the responses. I still have a lot to learn about the GX.

If I ditch the OEM shocks, I lose the Comfort-to-Sport settings, correct? Do I lose ride height adjustment? Do I need to worry about eliminating any codes that may appear on the dash panel?

It's not a big deal if I lose the Comfort/Sport and/or Ride Height. I don't tow much or go off-road much. I just really want the stock N ride height with a more capable/performance handling. If I can achieve this with just a good set of rear shocks for now using them with my stock airbags, that would be great. Then, when the time comes, I am sure I will need to either replace rear bags or go to coils sometime in the next 1-3 years.

The front seems fine but I might have the shocks done at the same time as the rear shocks.

Any suggestions on spring / shock combos that would give me N height and more capable handling would be awesome. For this newb, it's dizzying with all the different combos people post about.

ALAN553

ride height controls the rear air bag springs...comfort settings adjust the valving on all four shocks.

ASE

As ALAN said ... the AVS (Comfort/Sport) Mode only changes the shock valving between Soft to Firm (with the difference being negligible) ... the Height Control only adjusts the rear height by changing the pressure in the rear air-springs ... effectively changing the spring rate to compensate for additional cargo weight and/or towing. So to your question ... they are two separate and independent systems.

If you have 90,000+ miles ... do yourself a huge favor and replace all four (4) shocks. Even with "Soccer Mom" usage and no leakage, the AVS shocks start to become tired from that point forward. If installing conventional shocks, cut the mating electrical connector off of the discarded shock and plug back into the wiring harness to maintain a weatherproof seal. Ditching the AVS shocks will not throw an error code ... at least that did not occur in a 2008 model.