timallen31

Hi all,

I have been pondering making my 2016 GX460 into a better off-road vehicle (nothing serious just looking for a bit more confidence when driving to camp sites) and from reading this and other forums I see that raising it up a bit would be helpful.
However, I see that most lifts require doing away with the rear air-bag that allows one to lift or lower the vehicle.

So my question is - what's the point of variable height functionality?
I get that lowering it is supposed to make it easier to load the car - but it's only slightly more than an inch of lowering. That seems pretty insignificant. We have had it for two years and never even thought of lowering it to load the SUV.

I think that raising it only raises the rear end of the vehicle. The lowest part is in the front, so raising it does not affect ground clearance.
Along the same lines, even if you raise the SUV, the rear axle does not rise any. So again, the ground clearance is not affected.

I do think that raising the rear would help a tiny bit when going over a hill so you don't hit the center of the vehicle when the two axles are on opposite sides of the crest.
Also, I think the rear air bag helps to maintain the SUV's height when towing or carrying something heavy.
So are these last two the main benefits of the ability to adjust the height?

And if any of my premises are wrong here, please correct me.

PS. I have searched on line and all I can really find is the Lexus Video that says something like raising the height is for going over rough or bumpy roads. This did not really help me understand the point of the ability.

Nickk6

Its great for load leveling, but $100 set of air bags can take care of this without all the expensive maintenance of the oem system.

cc4sc

I am not an expert but I do have a bit of personal experience. In short, don't do it! Don't do it because it will mess up your ride and drivability of a really smooth driving vehicle.

There are 2 options when it comes to lifts: a body lift and a suspension lift. A body lift is done by placing spacers in to support the raise of the body. All this does is that it would allow room for larger tires...with perhaps a slight benefit from a higher ground clearance. That's about it. From personal experience with a Toyota Tacoma 4x4, you ride will suffer...a lot! I definitely would NOT do it again.

A suspension lift would be what you want if your primary usage would be for off-roading. I can't speak from personal experience but can imagine such drastic alteration of a fine vehicle could only lead to negative effects. Good luck!

timallen31

Nickk6,
So am I reading your response correctly? That the main point of the rear lifting airbag is to level the auto when there is a heavy load in the back?
That makes sense. Though it does then beg the question of why Lexus says to put it in "High" mode when driving over bumpy roads.
Also, does this leveling come into play (even in a minor way) when I have the back filled with camping gear or just when hauling something truly heavy like a boat (which I have never done but like having the option)?
Finally, can you clarify what you mean by "$100 set of air bags." Sorry, probably a dumb question but I don't know much about cars.

cc4sc,
What you say does make sense. I get that the engineers who designed the vehicle probably did a great job and any changes will only degrade the work they did. But there are plenty of people who have posted on this site who disagree. So maybe, while some changes will degrade one feature, they will make another stronger. ie, smoothness of ride vs off road capability.
But yes, I was thinking of the suspension lift - not the body lift. Everything I read says that's the way to go. Hopefully, and change I make, if I make any, would not be "drastic." Just looking for some improvements to give me more confidence when camping without noticeably degrading the on-road comfort/safety.

But I think all suspension lifts start with removing that height adjust-ability - and I am trying to understand what I would be giving up.

timallen31

Nickk6,
Okay, after a bit more googling, I think I know what you mean by "air bags."
You mean something like this, right?
https://www.airliftcompany.com/works...-springs-work/

This leads me to two more questions:
1. If this is what you mean by "$100 air bags," then how is what is already in the GX416 luxury different from what's in that link?
2. Would I be able to raise the entire vehicle up with a suspension lift while keeping the current functionality? (the ability to adjust the ride stiffness, adjust the height, and level the auto when under load.)

Thanks!

Nickk6

@timallen31, The upgraded models only have air bags in the rear, but the front and rear suspension can adjust to make itself more firm for sport or soft for plush ride.
The difference between factory and the $100 airlift bags, is the factory works automatically and you don't have to deal with anything. The aftermarket bags need to be manually inflated or you can install a compressor, more work and more money. I've used them on my last truck and they were great, I only needed them once a month, so it was easy to air them up manually.

We don't have any aftermarket lifts with electronically adjustable valves that can be controlled from inside the vehicle. I think some king or fox suspension may have the dampening manually adjusted, again I've not looked into it, so I am not sure. As far as a lift ruining the ride, anytime you mess with factory setup, there will always be some issue. Engineers spent a long time developing a vehicle at a certain ride height, when you go messing with this you throw off all the geometry. But if you need the additional clearance for regular use, you may not mind the trade off.

joindy

I understand the benefit of rear air bags when towing, but I have also heard that weight distribution systems is better, as it actually shirts weight to front axle, not only reducing rear sagging, but provides better stability when towing...and if anti sway incorporated in the WD system, also controls that.
Is this a correct assumption? Also, the GX has anti sway, is that as good as separate system in the WD hitch?

Craigyyy

The impression I get is that it's only really for hooking up a trailer and load leveling while towing, and possibly loading or unloading passengers. As others said, it's only in the rear. You'll gain a slight advantage of departure angle, maybe a degree of breakover, but as we know, the lowest point seems to be the front of the vehicle.

If I'm picking up grandma I might drop it down, and when I've forded through some water I raised it up. I might have lowered it a couple times unloading luggage or something, but it doesn't make a whole lot of difference so I usually don't bother. Highest to lowest is a few very noticeable inches, might be 4" or so, you can feel the truck lifting up and down.

What is strange about the feature is that it seems like whoever wrote the manual and designed the switches wants to act like it's a four-wheel lift, which again, obviously isn't the case. I've been in other vehicles like the Merc S-class which lifts all four corners and the entire car lifts up or squats down, and this isn't it. A handful of people do tow with their GX, and to them it's probably very important, but personally I could do without.

Craigyyy

As cc4sc mentioned, if it's just for getting around campsites, I'd probably keep it stock. The GX is probably one of the most capable luxury SUVs you can buy, and one of the most capable SUVs you can buy, period.

If you find yourself at campsites where the only campers are in lifted Jeeps and the like, perhaps it's worth pursuing, but if you're talking about some dirt and shell roads with a few hills and ruts here and there, a few puddles, the stock GX is probably more than enough, just watch that front bumper on anything particularly steep. Otherwise you'll be spending a lot of money and it may or may not ruin the on-road performance of your GX.

That said, I saw this video awhile back and the mods the owner did seemed tasteful: