LS430Lexus

On my '02 LS430 w/ 50k, I have always driven in the "normal" mode. I tried "sport" and prefer the firmer ride. Just curious about the preferences of others on this forum.

Also, any tips to prolong the life of the air suspension would be appreciated. Is it better to keep it at your preferred setting or to vary it, etc?

GLIDESUL

I personally perfer high setting in the city and sport on freeway. The streets here are terrible. in the 3 years or so i had this car I've drove like 60% sport(freeway) 30% high(city) and 20% normal mode. I'm switchin setting all the time no problems it well over 140,xxx

sojah

iTrader: (1)

when my UL was on stock air susp i drove around on sport 100% of the time and it felt great to me, then i lowered it a bunch and the air eventually went out on me so now i am on coilovers and still in sport mode

monrovea

Is it just me? I have a difficult time telling the difference.

Bon

Normal and Sport modes only affect the shock settings. There are electrical actuators on top of each shock that rotate to change the dampening action of each shock. The computer can do this to optimize the handling characteristics according to the road conditions and/or the preferences of the driver i.e., Normal or Sport settings. If you gut the air shock system and replace with metal springs this function is gone with the shocks.

waijai

iTrader: (9)

It's like a Lexus factory version of Tein EDFC. I can tell the car bounces less, still very soft but more firm over Normal.

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

Does it adjust all 4 dampers or just the rear? I was under the impression it only changed the rears.

Bon

All four corners have the electronic damper adjusters.

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

Is that for all years?

Bon

Mine is a 2001. I checked Sewell Lexus parts and the 2006 has the same setup so they should all be the same.

thinkin

I LOVE the air suspension for its adjustability to suit my mood. I also love how it dynamically adjusts to driving input. I often ride around in "HIGH" mode in the city too, I thought I was the only one! I like the improved ride quality and pretending I'm in a high rider with that extra inch or so of height.

Bon

Sadly, two of my shocks were leaking at 85k miles and I faced the tough decision. You can't just replace the shocks by themselves. The air bladder suspension is integral with the shock. It's all or nothing. OEM List price is around $1,500 per wheel + labor. Ugh!! Double ugh!! You can find them for closer to $1,000 on the 'net. I reluctantly switched over to OEM metal springs and OEM shocks. Parts were around $1,500 total; my labor. On a scale of 1-10 this job is an 8 in my opinion and I don't like compressing springs. I went with standard springs and shocks versus sport. I'm happy with the ride and only miss the adjustability when I think about it. I love my LS but I just couldn't justify the investment of $6K+ in an '01. I don't think that there is anything you can do to extend the life of the air suspension. R.I.P.

Marklouis

what is the main reason for the air suspension failing in these cars? is it internal seals? or external weather/road grime wear?

Bon

The two reasons I hear about are air bag leaks and shock leaks. Time, weather, grit, ozone and road conditions all play into the eventual demise of these parts. I've not yet heard of an LS air pump failing. Both the shock seals and the air bags are made of a rubber compound. Rubber parts just have a relatively short lifetime when compared to their metal counterparts. The air bags and shock seals are designed to be up and out of the way as possible from debris but they still live a dirty life and they're very difficult to get to for cleaning. And, it might do more harm than good when done with a high pressure sprayer.