SJCguy

All, I sold my 2008 RX 400h after a long time (a quite and very comfortable running car) and bought a good used fully dealer serviced 2015 RX 350. Wow...it was a rude awakening. Went from a comfortable car to the one that drives like a German cart where i could feel every small bump or a small pot hole. It is very painful to drive this. What's wrong with this picture. Previously I had 2001 RX 300 and a 1998 ES 300 and both drove very smoothly. Am I missing something? This is not a sports version. Appreciate any help. Thank you.

MattRX

They're all like that - every single one I have driven. Too fat, bloated and tall so they have stiff springs to accommodate for that. That's the way of the mainstream modern SUVs sadly. Best you can do is run 17" and Bilstein B4 or Sachs struts and shocks.

Clutchless

First check tire pressure, then replace the rear shocks with Bilstein B4 shocks as they affect the ride the most. This is the part number. FYI they are officially listed for the Toyota Highlander but many of us are using them as it shares the same rear suspension. They will make it ride much better. The Sachs shocks are even softer than the Bilsteins but do not appear to be available right now.

Bilstein B4 rear shocks, 19282862 - Rock Auto usually has them, or some of the other online sources. Same part number for both sides. This is an easy 2 bolt replacement job any local repair shop can do. They are around $60 - 80 each.

Bilstein B4 front struts[2], L, 22282668; R, 22282675 These are struts and are more complicated to install, but any shop can do it as struts are the same on every vehicle.

Get new strut mount bearings if doing this. It is no extra labor to replace them at the same time. Or new strut mounts. Only get Toyota/Lexus for the strut mount bearings or mounts. They are much more durable.

Remember when ordering Bilsteins:
​​​​​​
The Bilstein front struts that fit the RX are those from the 2008-2013 Highlander.
The Bilstein rear shocks that fit the RX are those from the 2014 -2019 Highlander.

RX in NC

Bilsteins will indeed help, but there is simply no getting around the fact that these things are essentially land barges. My wife loves hers. I do not.

Yahmei

Aren't the Bilstein B4s the "direct" replacement for the non-f-sport RX while the B6s are for F-Sport? OP mentioned that they don't have an F-sport, so wouldn't it mean that they have the regular suspension? We have a 2011 pre-facelift where f-sports weren't ever an option so I never had to go down that rabbit hole.

We've got B4 fronts and KYB 349203 rears and it rides the same as OEM imo.

Brownd3max

(The Bilstein rear shocks that fit the RX are those from the 2014 -2019 Highlander.[/QUOTE]_
Wow- how timely is this thread? I just received my new pair of B4's for the rear of my newly acquired '15 Rx350. I've also replaced the 18" tires w/ (highly-rated for comfort/noise)TALLER Pirelli AS+3s, and run 'em w/ 31psi. Anything to maximize ride comfort, LOL.

703

Why did you downgrade from a hybrid to petrol only?

SJCguy

Financial. I drive 7500 miles/year and I had to pay 4k more for a hybrid that gives 3.5 miles/gallon more. The return on my $4k would be more than 10 years.

SJCguy

I am a product manager and we design the product based on the user profile. The user for RX350 is not a 22 year old. It is 35+ with family. One of their main concern is comfort. Based on my previous ownership experience I always thought Lexus = Comfort. By making the suv drive like a cart they are alienating the traditional RX350 driver. What a mistake. I will never buy a lexus again.

I think I know why they made it hard - to increase the mpg of a heavy and a big car (as compared to the previous generation RX). Make the tire hard, make the struts hard so it won't bounce off, Those are the two things I can think off.

SJCguy

How much will all this cost - parts and labor. It is sad that we have to go buy OEM parts to replace the one that comes with the car - that means we need to spend more. It does not make sense.

Clutchless

How many miles are on the 2015 RX?

The Bilstein rear shocks are about $80 each online or from local auto parts stores. (I just Googled the part number) and the front struts are about $125 each.

Genuine Toyota / Lexus Front Suspension Strut Mount Bearing 9090363014 OEM. You need 2 of them and they are about $50 each. https://www.ebay.com/itm/26665923095...Bk9SR6jlvOHAYw

So about $510 plus tax and shipping for parts. Then probably $400 to $600 labor. Plus you usually need an alignment afterward.

You can call around to local car repair shops and ask if they will install them if you supply the parts and how much. They should be able to give a quote as they have done hundreds of these as it is the same on almost every Toyota and Lexus (and almost every other vehicle with struts).
Also you may need to replace the front sway bar links as they often are rusted on and have to be cut off. But let the shop doing the work make that determination. They can get the sway bar links from their usual supplier as it does not matter what brand one uses.

Clutchless

The only suspension difference between the F Sport and regular RX are the shocks & struts and some lower chassis stiffeners that do not do much of anything.
All have the same springs and sway bars.

Brownd3max

Outa the 9 previous Toyota/Lexus vehicles I've owned, (see signature) only TWO rode like a "dream" or "cloud-like"- the '98 ES300, and the '07 ES350, I guess "ES..." is code for "Extra Squishy"? And the "R" in 'RX'... is code for "Rigid", LOL...

SJCguy

If that is the case MDX is much better.

Droid13

That's funny, I always found my RX to be super smooth and that was with the lower profile 19" tires. I used to almost daily sail over a set of railroad tracks and heard them, but never felt them. One day my brother in law came to show me his new Toyota 86 (back a few years ago) and wanted me to take it for a spin. Not thinking, I took it over the same railroad tracks at my customary speed. If I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt my head would have hit the roof and snapped my neck. Ouch, now there's a car that that's perfect for the S&M crowd. My teeth still hurt thinking about that day. But that said, the last couple years I had the RX the suspension was getting noticeably worn out and had lost much of its smoothness. My RX replacement, a '23 NX is substantially firmer that my RX ever was. People say NX is not a sparts car, but compared with my RX it is.