ride comfort
#16
#17
^^^ I suspect most of the difference you noticed is the tire setup. Here are some stats:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...jsp?type=CSTAS
Tires can really make big differences. The Michelin Latitude Tour HP's should have been noticeably better. Top ranked tires will be even better than the Michelins. I think I will put a little money aside for a few months and just pull the Dunlops off of my car. The Bridgestone's are in this table if people are wondering about them.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...y.jsp?type=HAS
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...jsp?type=CSTAS
Tires can really make big differences. The Michelin Latitude Tour HP's should have been noticeably better. Top ranked tires will be even better than the Michelins. I think I will put a little money aside for a few months and just pull the Dunlops off of my car. The Bridgestone's are in this table if people are wondering about them.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...y.jsp?type=HAS
Last edited by UCSB; 06-11-12 at 02:24 AM.
#18
Driver School Candidate
I can tell you after driving a loaner 2012 RX for a whole week while my '10 RX is being repaired, there is a noticeable difference, to me anyway, in how these two cars drive. The 2012 RX has been so much nicer than my '10 RX, as far as soaking up imperfections in the road, and bumps and such; along with being more quiet as far as road noise. And the loaner RX has the 19-inch wheels, so it can't be that. I thought originally that that might be the problem when I drove a loaner a while back that had 18's on it. But this loaner with the 19's proved me wrong. Drives like night and day from my vehicle.
#19
Driver School Candidate
I just went to the tire table posted by UCSB and see the Pirelli's rank the highest. OK, scratch the Dunlops and give me the Pirellis next time. Thanks for the tire table.
#20
Do a research on Toyo Versado CUV tires. I swapped junky Bridgestones last November with these, and this made a huge difference. Tire rack does not carry Toyos for some reason, but TR reviews are not the deciding factor for me. IMO, these should be standard on RX, as they were clearly built specifically with RX in mind.
#21
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
I can tell you after driving a loaner 2012 RX for a whole week while my '10 RX is being repaired, there is a noticeable difference, to me anyway, in how these two cars drive. The 2012 RX has been so much nicer than my '10 RX, as far as soaking up imperfections in the road, and bumps and such; along with being more quiet as far as road noise. And the loaner RX has the 19-inch wheels, so it can't be that. I thought originally that that might be the problem when I drove a loaner a while back that had 18's on it. But this loaner with the 19's proved me wrong. Drives like night and day from my vehicle.
#22
I'm pretty sure the suspension in the '10 thru '13 are the same. I had an '07 (same as the '09) which had rear struts. I had a '10 and now a '12 which have a wishbone suspension. In my opinion, the ride comfort from the '07 to the '10 and '12 was noticeably better. Granted, I've never driven a Rolls, but for me, the lexus has been the most comfortable car I've ever been in.
#23
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
I'm pretty sure the suspension in the '10 thru '13 are the same. I had an '07 (same as the '09) which had rear struts. I had a '10 and now a '12 which have a wishbone suspension. In my opinion, the ride comfort from the '07 to the '10 and '12 was noticeably better. Granted, I've never driven a Rolls, but for me, the lexus has been the most comfortable car I've ever been in.
#24
Racer
You may want to check out this thread. Some of us believe there are differences in at least the 2012 and 2013s to the springs (but we're still working out specifics) for those with 19" wheels to improve the ride.
#25
#27
'10 RX in July of 2010. One of my issues right from the getgo was the bumpy ride compared to my '07 RX, not to mention how the '10 RX exhaust note was somewhat louder and, to me personally, annoying. I figured Lexus was trying to give the RX a little more sport, but it never really worked for me. So could it be the tires? Could it be the 2010's had firmer springs? The mystery continues. Now, this 2012 loaner RX that I'm driving(still haven't gotten my '10 RX back, the part is still on back order) has been a pleasure to drive, kind of reminding me of my '07 RX a little bit as far as ride quality, not as much road noise, a little more quiet on the exhaust note. I kinda don't want to give it back when the time comes.
On a somewhat lighter note, I find it a little funny that if I was driving any lesser make or model of a vehicle, such as a Nissan or Chevrolet and had to be without my car going on over a week, I'd probably be going nutty, 'cause they would have probably stuck me with some cheap little rental car to get by. But, alas, I'm just going about my merry way driving an RX loaner that seems to be even nicer than my own Lexus; no having to miss time from work to deal with these issues. My Service Advisor just tells me to keep the loaner until my car is ready. (LOL!) I guess you can't really beat that.
#28
EMS, I would look into a tire change. Not only do the Michelins handle better and last much longer (according to Tirerack), but many seem to feel that they ride better. My '10 came with Dunlops, but I got the dealer to swap them out for Michelins and I made sure my '12 had Michelins. Just a thought...
#29
I only can tell my experience. Comparing old and new RX, the new RX suspension is harder, but give me a sense of security and comfort. My wife loves it too. On the hightway, the new RX is surprising quiet too.
#30
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
ride comfort
Ok i tested drove the 2009 2010 2012 all for 10 mins each over bumps in road and manholes.Then i drove them all over again.The 2009 is much softer and thats what iam going to buy.I did not notice difference between 2010 and 2012 both seemed too ruff for me.Thanks for everyone thoughts,i just cant see how people think the new model is softer?Also how come there is no site that test ride comfort?All these sites and magazines test performance.Then you get guys opinion on ride.