Lexus GX 2004-09 :: Ride Not Smooth - Rears Bottom Out

The GX did not ride as smooth and hit hard on dips and bumps like a speed bump.

Air bags fill properly. Shock are damp around pistons, but definitely not blown out. My vehicle has 188,000 miles on it.

Dealer looked at and drove with me two times: Report: All working proper. The recommendation to put the air level control to high and then back to normal did improve the condition but not like when new.

Vehicle rode better with a load in the back, and or people in back seats. So I read where someone had a theory that the height sensors might degrade over time, and the normal position might have drifted out of range.

I adjusted the height sensors to ride a little higher (as I could see on the rear axle the rubber bump stops had been making contact a lot- it was all clean and shiny).

Raised the rear about 1/2" on each side. Did a lot of measurements from ground to bottom of wheel opening (not the best reference point, but at least I had one).

Result: Raising the ride height, thus increasing the travel to the bump stops totally brought back the good ride it had when newer. I also believe the increased height means the air bags have more pressure, thus more spring rate. So it takes more force to compress and travel to the bump stops.