Suspension upgrade
11-22-22, 07:20 AM
#16
I have to ask. Is the replacement of trailing arm difficult? I have never done this replacement, I have done the rear shock once already, and depending how long I keep Lexi might do them again. If I do choose to replace again, I might consider this also since I am down there. I would just buy the complete Mevotechs. Obviously, I would start the soak two weeks before for all of those bolts.
11-22-22, 12:16 PM
#17
Moderator
It was a huge pain mostly due to not having a floor lift. Doing them with the car on floor jacks greatly limits your work space and makes for terrible angles and not much room for attacking the old bolts at the other end with breaker bars and they are hard to reach even with an electric impact wrench due to the design causing lack of room.
The 2 bolts next to each other are not hard to remove, it is the 2 bolts at the other end that are a real pain with minimal space to work.
I have years of experience replacing many suspension components and this was not something I would want to do again without a high lift. I recall that I could not even get enough angle to use my torque wrench on some of the bolts/nuts. Plus I have a Lot of tools accumulated over many years from various sources which helped out on this job.
So if rear shocks are your suspension experience and you don't have a lot of tools, then you should hand the rear trailing arms replacement over to a professional. Any local garage can do it with their lifts and power tools etc. It should not take them very long.
Plus you probably have a lot more rust up there in Ontario making this even more difficult.
The 2 bolts next to each other are not hard to remove, it is the 2 bolts at the other end that are a real pain with minimal space to work.
I have years of experience replacing many suspension components and this was not something I would want to do again without a high lift. I recall that I could not even get enough angle to use my torque wrench on some of the bolts/nuts. Plus I have a Lot of tools accumulated over many years from various sources which helped out on this job.
So if rear shocks are your suspension experience and you don't have a lot of tools, then you should hand the rear trailing arms replacement over to a professional. Any local garage can do it with their lifts and power tools etc. It should not take them very long.
Plus you probably have a lot more rust up there in Ontario making this even more difficult.
Last edited by Clutchless; 11-22-22 at 12:24 PM.
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paperthin (11-22-22)
11-23-22, 08:01 AM
#18
I didn't find this to be a difficult job, but I'm not fighting rust.
I used a bottle jack, jack stand and several blocks of wood to do one side at a time.
Extra long combo wrenches and ratchet helped a lot.
First side took about 2 hr with setup, 2nd side was 1 hr.
12-02-22, 12:25 PM
#19
My 2015 RX 350 needs all new struts also.
1. Air suspension install possible?
2. If not, what's the best strut brand for smooth and plush ride? I've heard TRQ, Bilstein, etc...
Thank you.
1. Air suspension install possible?
2. If not, what's the best strut brand for smooth and plush ride? I've heard TRQ, Bilstein, etc...
Thank you.
12-02-22, 02:07 PM
#20
Moderator
Air suspension is not possible unless you pay a fortune for some aftermarket stuff. Very few folks in the US actually got the air suspension.
Bilstein B4 give the best ride but are almost impossible to find. They are not listed for the RX but were designed for the Highlander which shares suspension parts with the RX. I don't have parts numbers but you can search for them on Rock Auto or Shock Warehouse etc using the info below.
The Bilstein fronts that fit the RX are those from the 2008-2013 Highlander.
The Bilstein rears that fit the RX are those from the 2014 -2019 Highlander
The Sachs or TRW (they are twins) are softer than OEM or KYB and can be found on Rock Auto.
There are struts in front and shocks in the back. Be sure to also replace the front struts strut mount bearings.
See this related thread.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...threads-5.html
Bilstein B4 give the best ride but are almost impossible to find. They are not listed for the RX but were designed for the Highlander which shares suspension parts with the RX. I don't have parts numbers but you can search for them on Rock Auto or Shock Warehouse etc using the info below.
The Bilstein fronts that fit the RX are those from the 2008-2013 Highlander.
The Bilstein rears that fit the RX are those from the 2014 -2019 Highlander
The Sachs or TRW (they are twins) are softer than OEM or KYB and can be found on Rock Auto.
There are struts in front and shocks in the back. Be sure to also replace the front struts strut mount bearings.
See this related thread.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...threads-5.html
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WolfyLS460 (12-02-22)
12-02-22, 05:59 PM
#22
Moderator
As I wrote before only the fronts for the 2013 work on the RX. Also the B6 model is the stiffer sport model for an F-Sport stiffer ride. You will not like them if you want a smoother ride. You need the B4 model.
The 2013 Highlander has a completely different rear suspension that takes struts as opposed to the RX that takes shocks and the 2013 rear struts will not fit. You need rear shocks from a 2014-2019 Highlander.
The Bilstein B4 fronts that fit the RX are those from the 2008-2013 Highlander.
The Bilstein B4 rears that fit the RX are those from the 2014 -2019 Highlander.
B4 are standard ride quality and B6 are sporty stiffer riding better handling ones.
The 2013 Highlander has a completely different rear suspension that takes struts as opposed to the RX that takes shocks and the 2013 rear struts will not fit. You need rear shocks from a 2014-2019 Highlander.
The Bilstein B4 fronts that fit the RX are those from the 2008-2013 Highlander.
The Bilstein B4 rears that fit the RX are those from the 2014 -2019 Highlander.
B4 are standard ride quality and B6 are sporty stiffer riding better handling ones.
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WolfyLS460 (12-02-22)
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carguy75 (01-15-23)
12-03-22, 04:44 AM
#24
Moderator
Only struts (the ones in front) have mounts. The rear shocks are simply held in place by a bolt at the top and a bolt at the bottom. Any mechanic can replace both in less than an hour.
The strut mounts are very specific in design for each model. You have to be careful how they are lined up during installation to protect your alignment, which still needs to be done after installation. I prefer OEM ones. However at 82k miles I doubt your mounts need replacement. Just get the bearings.
The mounts rarely fail but the bearings wear out, just get the bearing s. Be sure to get Toyota ones. The part number is:
Toyota/Lexus OEM Factory Front Strut Mount Bearing 90903-63014 they are about $40 -$50 each. Many sellers on eBay and most are Toyota dealers! You need 2.
The bearing replacement on the front strut mounts takes 20 seconds when they are replacing your struts and have them compressed on the spring compressor (which is why you should pay a shop to do this work based on your questions), A compressed spring has a lot of pent up energy that can kill or maim you if something goes wrong.
Also:
I'd at least replace the front strut piston nuts as they're meant to be a single-use nyloc nut
PN: 90080-17217 x2
Any good independent shop can do a front strut and rear shock replacement. Struts are used on millions of cars from every manufacturer. All shops have a commercial grade spring compressor that can safely compress the spring in a minute. All have done many of these jobs and are experts at it.
The strut mounts are very specific in design for each model. You have to be careful how they are lined up during installation to protect your alignment, which still needs to be done after installation. I prefer OEM ones. However at 82k miles I doubt your mounts need replacement. Just get the bearings.
The mounts rarely fail but the bearings wear out, just get the bearing s. Be sure to get Toyota ones. The part number is:
Toyota/Lexus OEM Factory Front Strut Mount Bearing 90903-63014 they are about $40 -$50 each. Many sellers on eBay and most are Toyota dealers! You need 2.
The bearing replacement on the front strut mounts takes 20 seconds when they are replacing your struts and have them compressed on the spring compressor (which is why you should pay a shop to do this work based on your questions), A compressed spring has a lot of pent up energy that can kill or maim you if something goes wrong.
Also:
I'd at least replace the front strut piston nuts as they're meant to be a single-use nyloc nut
PN: 90080-17217 x2
Any good independent shop can do a front strut and rear shock replacement. Struts are used on millions of cars from every manufacturer. All shops have a commercial grade spring compressor that can safely compress the spring in a minute. All have done many of these jobs and are experts at it.
Last edited by Clutchless; 12-03-22 at 04:49 AM.
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WolfyLS460 (12-03-22)
12-03-22, 07:37 AM
#27
It's bumpy and noisy over rough pavement, and we have really bad roads in Los Angeles. I took it to an indie shop in downtown Pasadena yesterday and they recommended replacing the struts and shocks. The car is otherwise "very clean", no timing chain cover oil leak.
12-03-22, 08:00 AM
#28
Moderator
Are you going to use the Pasadena shop to install your new Bilstein struts and shocks?
12-03-22, 08:06 AM
#29
12-03-22, 10:34 AM
#30
Moderator
