way2late

I have had my 2008 LS460 SWB for about 6 weeks and absolutely love the car, except for one thing. The suspension is more stiffly sprung than I had expected and even feels quite harsh. Would appreciate some opinions on this from other SWB owners. Also, does anyone know how the ride of the SWB compares to the air suspension ride in the LWB? That is, is the SWB suspension stiffness equivalent to the LWB air suspension in the sport mode or the comfort mode or is there no correlation?

jlawr

I have a 2008 LS 460 SWB with Michelin Pilot MXM4 97W (MSPN 91426) tires and the ride and handling are great -- better than Bridgestone Turanza EL42. What tires do you have?

encore888

Yeah my first thought was the tires...hope that perhaps adjusting those will be the trick, as others have mentioned.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

agree, check on the tires

while i can't comment that much on the swb, i drove both before (back to back) and i could tell that air suspension was smoother right the way

ghmundt

I am on my second SWB LS460. The first had the Bridgestones which provided an adequate ride. The second car had Dunlaps and I swore it felt like the ride quality of my SC430 when it had run flats. Lexus agreed to swap out my Dunlaps because the ride was so jarring.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

if possible, try to ask for michelin (i believe they use all 3 brand of tires). the michelin probably has the best ride

2007es350

More important than the brand of tire, you should check the tire pressure. When delivered by the dealer, my car was at 38 psi cold. I quickly lowered the pressure to 33 psi cold (the factory recommended pressure), and my ride was much improved.

USLEX

I have the Turanza EL42s on mine which I bought less than a month ago and I find the ride quality just as good as my '03 LS430. The performance of the Turanzas and the tread life are not good IMHO.

nblexus15

Have you had the tires "road balanced"? I too thought my swb was riding a bit rough. I took it into the dealership and the svc mgr agreed that it did seem to ride bumpier (if there is such a word) compared with another swb that we both drove to compare the ride. They performed a "road balance" instead of a standard balance....it now rides awesome.

I've not had the opportunity to try out the lwb with air suspension, but now my swb drives smooth. Whenever anyone new is in the car they remark on the smoothness of the ride. I just love it!!

way2late

Thanks for all your inputs. My SWB came came with the Turanza EL 42s. The tire pressure has always been right on at 33 psi. I have not heard of Road Balancing the tires as nblexus15 suggested. I will mention it to the dealership on my next visit.

Craig B

You should ask for a road force balance. You can do a goolge search for the road force machine.

Craig

Craig B

I also have Dunlops on my car and would rather have Michelin's. They aren't bad enough to swap out. The ride is only stiff going over uneven roads, or bumps. When they wear out, I will switch to Michelin's...

Craig

way2late

After cheking with Mr. Google I have concluded that Road Force Balancing is a process to correct an out of balance tire/wheel system that produces vibration. My situation is one of a stiff suspension that results in a harsh ride, not a vibration. Running on a perfectly smooth road, my ride is smooth as silk, but when I hit a bump in the road it can be more jarring than I would expect from a Lexus LS. So, I do not think that rebalancing, no matter how sophisticated the process, will help. I believe that the spring/shock system is just a little too stiff. Am I alone in this opinion or are there any other LS460 SWB owners out there that think their ride should be smoother?

ghmundt

Mine way way too stiff with the Dunlaps but is now acceptable with the free replacement Bridgestones. They lowered air pressure in the Dunlaps which helped some, but not enough. You might ask them to replace yours with Michelins which are the best riding of the tires.

gs400jon

I have to say the ride on my LS with EL42's is very smooth.