Stu

My car is a 2005 premium with 160,000 miles. I wanted to improve the ride so this past summer I replaced all 4 shocks with new OEM Lexus parts. The ride improved quite a bit, but when driving on lousy city roads there is more noise than there should be that makes it into the cabin. I want to remedy this if I can.
I drive in 17 inch wheels, I have replaced only the front wheel bearing assemblies on both side and 4 steering rack bushings to try an get the car have better road feel/holding at highway speeds.

Had the car 10 years and not too interested in replacing it just yet. Have a great independent mechanic that has not had to do much to this car, but he checked it out when he replaced the shocks and said everything was fine. I know it can be improved !
Car has good Pirelli P7+ tires, and a good alignment, Tie pressures at 33psi

So I would like to ask the group ...... if my objective was to replace bits under the car, what is the order that might yield the best improvement towards a "quieter" in the cabin on lousy city roads and what repairs might tighten up the steering so the car drives down the highway without having to work the steering wheel from side to side.

Thanks and Stay safe !

Striker223

All the suspension arms/bushings and strut mounts/isolators will solve the issue.

Stu

Thanks Striker.
How many suspension arms and bushings in total are involved ?

Is there any particular order this should be done.... so maybe I do the " most likely " first ... and maybe find the problem earlier and get to stop earlier ?

If I end up doing all of them, can you ballpark the cost.

Thanks

Striker223

I would start with the front as a whole, the lower arms rear then front, I also recommend the tie rods and ball joints, then upper arms, then the strut mounts if issues persist unless something is visibly worn/cracked/collapsed then address it if you see it.

Cost if you use lexus parts is brutal for the upper arms and I ended up using beck and arnley instead and have been happy with them so far. Overall cost is around $800 for everything up front and the back end is about $900 since the arms are more expensive

I have no idea on labor since I just did it myself after work one day

pmesfun

I had to replace front struts, front upper control arms, front lower control arm bushings, lower steering shaft u-joint, intermediate u-joint, and re-grease the steering shaft inside the steering column. That got rid of all the clunking in the front end. Only remaining clunking is from the original rear struts.

demark1

This is good information. I have a 2005 ultra lux with around 145k miles. It is not very supple on rough roads, for lack of a better term. I am not going to work on it myself. My question is if a mechanic can see what needs to be done, or if it all or sugnuificantly guesswork and I need to give him a laundry list (control arms/bushings/u-joint, etc.). That sounds expensive fast... Other than 1 air shock replaced due to the mount rusting (under warranty), the only suspension work I have ever had done is 1 front wheel bearing.

Is this kind of improvement something a typical mechanic could tackle? Or could I also need all new shocks/struts? I can't imagine paying for 4 new air shocks on a 16 year old car, so might need to be adding a suspension conversion to the works. The air compressor is audible too now when it goes off. I read here that it has bushings which can be repaired much cheaper than the whole compressor being replaced, but again, how do I discuss that with a mechanic (if I keep the air suspension for now)? Most seem too busy to want to tackle a proper diagnosis...

I love the car and have not had a real issue with it in quite some time (had to throw some emissions parts at it over a year ago, first and only time to date). Such are the woes of having a great but old car and not being your own mechanic. I don't know one one whom I simply trust. I am willing to pay if I know it would make difference, but fixing something clearly broken is one thing; improving a somewhat rough-ish ride on non-highway roads seems tougher to expect a mechanic to solve, or am I wrong? I knew when I got my ultra lux over 11 years go that I would regret it someday, but I *love* the radar cruise and many other aspects of the car. I'd replace the air struts in a heartbeat with non-air if I knew that was the only issue... but I have my doubts.

Paulanth

Stu:
When I purchased my 05 with 85K miles, the rear "swayed" from side to side
(something like a slow hula dance, it drifted left/right/left/right etc.).
I was constantly making slight steering adjustments, especially on the interstate.

First, I replaced all swaybar bushings and all swaybar end links
(end links tie the swaybars ends to the frame/chassie?)

Later, I replaced the steering rack bushings (they had slight play).

Each item's replacement incrementally tightened up the steering,
and they improved the car's control - particularly
in eliminating the swaying.
Bought parts from RockAuto, best to get the high quality parts.

Cost to purchase & have installed was not expensive, and was well worth it.
Also, all the work was not done at the same time; so, depending on your budget,
you can stagger the upgrades.

I am not a mechanic; but, I have always done some work on my cars.
You mentioned steering in your original post.
Hope this helps, good luck, & enjoy.

Stu

Thank you all for your input.
I appreciate your sharing these insights because I really want to continue enjoying the car. I know its an old car now ..... but I'm not ready to replace it.

I am going to definately get some stuff done and hope it puts a big smile on my face.

Stay safe and happy motoring !

StanVanDam

If you ever take out your rear seats to extract your subwoofer, you'll see that you can add B-Quiet (a lot cheaper than Dynamat, I got B-Quiet Ultimate in 2013 for $63 for 12sq.ft) to much of the metal floor under the seats and on the entire rear tray where the subwoofer sits. I'm sure you can soundproof under the front seats if you remove them too, but I've never had to remove them. The sticky rubber tar on the soundproof mat needs to be touching your car metal for maximum sound deadening and vibration decoupling. If you are really crazy about sound deadening, apply this stuff inside all your doors, trunk lid, and under the trunk floor.

Another big improvement for having a quiet ride - reconditioning or replacing your door and window seals. I used dielectric grease but don't recommend it. It seems to condition the seals, but makes them squeaky, which takes many months to go away, and is a mess if you brush against your door seals getting in and out. Honda'a Shin-Etsu grease is purpose-made for seal reconditioning, but I've never tried it, so not sure it's as squeaky as dielectric grease.

Next most important to make your ride quiet is your tires. Generally, 17s are quieter than 18s, and 16s are quieter than 17s. Quiet tires in a H-rating or lower are even quieter. BFGoodrich Advantage were tested against 12 top tires and had the lowest cabin noise in testing, 61.2dB. The loudest tire was 62.3dB. For reference, 10dB is approximately twice as loud.

If quiet and ride comfort is your top priority, you want the BFGoodrich Advantage in 17" or even better, in 16", with a H speed rating or lower. Higher speed rating = more noise and worse comfort.
If you want tires that are also decent at wet and dry grip, get the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2, rated 2nd to the BFGoodrich Advantage in noise.

Source: test results of 12 top tires at https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Articl...-Tyre-Test.htm
Alternative source: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/featur...sults-category shows that the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 was the quietest of the 8 they tested.

Two years ago, I replaced my front and rear stabilizer bar bushings due to squeaking, not due to any perceived loss of performance. Didn't notice any handling improvements after. If the inside diameter of the bushings have expanded from wear and tear, then you will definitely notice improved stabilizer bar performance. Mine were holding tight, but the rubber was just dry from being 16 years old.

A few months ago, for a noticeable suspension refresh that I will do within the next 1-4 years, I picked up set of RC-F/GS-F lower control arm brackets that already have the bushings pressed in, $26USD each, 4 original steering rack bushings (2 round, 2 oval), 2 rear stabilizer bar end links, and 2 front stabilizer bar end links.

If your car sees as much salted winter roads as mine, you'll want to cut out your Y-pipe heat shields as well as your front O2 sensor heat shields. The shields and the clamps are guaranteed to rust out and squeak, if not rattle around entirely, causing the opposite of a quiet smooth ride.

Stu

Paulanth, thanks ! I am going to do this first.

Even though this post was about suspension, the steering issue is BY FAR my biggest complaint about my car. If this fixes it I will be absolutely thrilled !

Stu

SteveVan, I always read what you write twice. Thanks for your input !

white_lx

At 394,000 km the only front suspension parts I replaced were the outer tie-rod ends (fixed wandering at around 320,000 km) and the caster bushings (fixed clunks at around 310,000 km). I got the parts from Partsouq. Everything else is original. Not sure if it matters, but this is air suspension of a 2002 UL.

At around 180,000 km the front wheel bearings were replaced (and recently again at 360,000 on the mark). If you have never replaced those, that may be something to look at as well.