How to make the ride smoother (1 Viewer)

[KAR120C]

Geez, now I am worried. I know my wife commented on how rough she thought the ride on the GX550 OT was…..

And if that’s the better of the two….

I wonder if you feel much difference in ride quality after a few thousand miles?”.

It all comes down to your expectations. The body-on-frame nature of the vehicle will probably never be as smooth as a unibody vehicle. But, after getting the pressure set to my liking and playing with the suspension options, the ride is fine. I leave it on the Normal setting which isn't bad at all. I'll drop to Comfort if the road is really rough. Seems to do the trick.

I'm used to a firm ride with my sports cars so I don't find a little road feel to be irritating. Oddly, the little imperfections from the road can be felt while the bigger bumps are soaked up really well.

 

[DJ’s Sled]

I have a 2024 Overtrail.
I may receive some grief here..but I’m running significantly lower cold pressure (as checked by 3 different gauges, measured on my cold-floor garage) on the tires I switched to over a month ago.
Those are the Nitto Terra Grappler G3, 275/70 R18 (a SL version).
The combination of a slightly taller sidewall and lower pressure has fixed the majority of the jiggling vibration I felt with the OE version of the Toyo Overtrail tire.
I believe the G3 is built very well. It’s a 44 psi max cold tire.
Even after just a few minutes of my local slower roads they come up to 34 psi as shown on the TPMS.
At local highway speeds such as 65 mph or higher they will reach 35-36 psi, and again I’m experiencing way less, and less frequent vibration.
Once I begin towing I’ll start with 41 or 42 back, and maybe 38-39 front. And adjust from there.

 

[DaveK]

Which wheels are you running? I noticed a huge difference in ride going from an OE 20" rim with all weather tires that came with my Prem+ to OE 18" OT rims with Toyo A/T's.

I have a set of 18" OT with the Toyo's AND a set of the Lux + 22" as well the 20" that came with my Premium. I am very SURPRISED to hear that you feel the Toyo AT's are a better ride simply because they are AT tires and way more dirt aggressive than the 20 or 22"s. BUT.... I haven't actually tried any of the others yet. But looking forward to.

On my 2024 Jeep Rubicon X.... there is road whine, that HUMMMMMMM of the AT tires so assumed the GX550 OT wheels and tires would perform the same as my Rubicon tires. Again, all assumptions at this stage of the game for me.

 

[nonamex]

The OEM Toyo tires did not exhibit any pronounced humming, whirring noise. The Toyo 285/75R17 ones are a different matter. The road noise was terrible when the car was not aligned properly after suspension upgrade. The noise factor improved after alignment but the humming was still present.

 

[jfalabrino]

The rough ride is not because the GX550 is a body on frame design. If that were the case the last 4 GX's I've had would have also been a rough ride. The 460 and 470 were also a body on frame and were much smoother than the 550. If you've had the older GX, 460 or 470 you would have noticed the excessive lean when turning in a driveway, going off road and around street corners. When I switched the older GX' to the off road suspension setting they also road somewhat rough. They built the 550 to eliminate that excessive lean and rocking with a stiffer suspension.
I keep it on either comfort or normal and the ride is acceptable.

 

[hikerneil]

When I got my car in November I was coming from an Audi Q7. I HATED the ride of the GX550 - I felt any bumps in the road, and I missed the plush ride of my Q7. Fast forward 6000 miles and several months and I love my GX. I suppose it's a combination of forgetting how the Audi rode and also appreciating what offroad abilities this car has. I've been on miles and miles of soft sand, washboard, dirt and rock roads - all places that I could not have been to in my Q7. My advice is - give yourself a few months, you will love this truck and its slightly harsh ride.

 

[Jesse H]

I had a RX350 as a loaner car the other day while my brakes got replaced on the OT+.
It was like floating on a cloud compared to the GX.

Running at 34/35 psi on 18's - the GX is still quite rough.

We had a new RX as a loaner as well and wife made similar comments. She's aware that she's driving something fundamentally similar to my Tacoma.

 

[greenspacemarine]

It all comes down to your expectations. The body-on-frame nature of the vehicle will probably never be as smooth as a unibody vehicle. But, after getting the pressure set to my liking and playing with the suspension options, the ride is fine. I leave it on the Normal setting which isn't bad at all. I'll drop to Comfort if the road is really rough. Seems to do the trick.

I'm used to a firm ride with my sports cars so I don't find a little road feel to be irritating. Oddly, the little imperfections from the road can be felt while the bigger bumps are soaked up really well.

I'm not "all in" on chalking this up to a body on frame issue. The previous 460 offered a smoother, albeit floaty/boaty ride. My current LC 200 is also BOF and is great at soaking up bumps and imperfections, again with rather sloppy handling. During my two test drives of a 550 (one base and one OT) I'd say the handling characteristics such as steering, throttle, and braking have all improved drastically but the ride quality leaves something to be desired along with some other nitpicks I have. I'm still on my local dealers waitlist but am expecting my name to be called sometime this year. Just not sure if I'm going to actually go thru with it...

 

[KAR120C]

I'm not "all in" on chalking this up to a body on frame issue. The previous 460 offered a smoother, albeit floaty/boaty ride. My current LC 200 is also BOF and is great at soaking up bumps and imperfections, again with rather sloppy handling. During my two test drives of a 550 (one base and one OT) I'd say the handling characteristics such as steering, throttle, and braking have all improved drastically but the ride quality leaves something to be desired along with some other nitpicks I have. I'm still on my local dealers waitlist but am expecting my name to be called sometime this year. Just not sure if I'm going to actually go thru with it...

I guess a clarification would be that to achieve a higher level of handling and control that an ultra-rigid unibody usually provides, the BOF suspension needs to be firmer. That firmness makes the ride rougher. It can be made softer, as you say, but you’ll have to accept more wallow in the ride.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I don't believe BOF or Unibody is the issue. I think it's more about spring and damping rates, and tire spring rates. Look back at cars of the 60s. The Cadillacs were all BOF and had cushy rides, albeit boat-like handling. Modern BOF frames are much stiffer than yesteryear. But the tire trend has been to higher and higher spring rates of the tire itself.

I've been thinking of getting a set of GX OT 18" wheels for just that reason; to lower the tire spring rates.

 

[KAR120C]

I don't believe BOF or Unibody is the issue. I think it's more about spring and damping rates, and tire spring rates. Look back at cars of the 60s. The Cadillacs were all BOF and had cushy rides, albeit boat-like handling. Modern BOF frames are much stiffer than yesteryear. But the tire trend has been to higher and higher spring rates of the tire itself.

I've been thinking of getting a set of GX OT 18" wheels for just that reason; to lower the tire spring rates.

I tested both an OT and a Premium before buying. I personally thought the OT had a much better ride. I think it was a combination of the taller sidewalls and the adjustable suspension. For me, the adjustable suspension is a game changer. On long interstate rides on concrete slabs, or really bumpy roads, it's great to be able to dial out a lot of the roughness transferred to the cabin.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I tested both an OT and a Premium before buying. I personally thought the OT had a much better ride. I think it was a combination of the taller sidewalls and the adjustable suspension. For me, the adjustable suspension is a game changer. On long interstate rides on concrete slabs, or really bumpy roads, it's great to be able to dial out a lot of the roughness transferred to the cabin.

We had an opportunity to buy a OT in the color she wanted (white) before a P+ became available. We drove it and liked it, almost bought it, but she didn't want the black plastic trim. But, yeah, it rode better than this P+. My 14 GMC crewcab 4x4 rides better than this Lexus. Who'd a thunk?

 

[cmfhsu]

I have a 2025 Luxury+ and I installed genuine 18 inch OT wheels & tires.

It does considerably improve the ride for small, high frequency impacts like small potholes & broken pavement, but it doesn't transform the car, IMO. This car seems to have been designed for a sportier, less boaty characteristic, and that kind of is ideal for me - I love it. The LX is still available for anybody who wants the cushier ride, but I think a lot of buyers nowadays prefer stability & less body roll in favor of magic carpet boatiness.

I will call out that it feels like Lexus considerably stiffened the anti-roll bars, causing some occasional head toss while crossing really jagged, crumpled pavement, but I love the significantly reduced body roll. Nothing dampens my mood more than feeling like I'm going to tip over changing lanes.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I have a 2025 Luxury+ and I installed genuine 18 inch OT wheels & tires.

It does considerably improve the ride for small, high frequency impacts like small potholes & broken pavement, but it doesn't transform the car, IMO. This car seems to have been designed for a sportier, less boaty characteristic, and that kind of is ideal for me - I love it. The LX is still available for anybody who wants the cushier ride, but I think a lot of buyers nowadays prefer stability & less body roll in favor of magic carpet boatiness.

I will call out that it feels like Lexus considerably stiffened the anti-roll bars, causing some occasional head toss while crossing really jagged, crumpled pavement, but I love the significantly reduced body roll. Nothing dampens my mood more than feeling like I'm going to tip over changing lanes.

I agree. I would rather have a firmer ride and good handling than boat-like ride and feel that body roll on those vineyard roads in Sonoma.

 

[cmfhsu]

I have no aspirations of hitting twisties with this car, but I think Lexus struck a good balance between comfort and body roll. Our roads tend to be decently well-maintained, though, so I empathize with anybody who has to drive through torn up roads frequently.

 

[bronco21]

I guess we all have different expectations for a vehicle that was made to go off road.
My 4yo granddaughter rode in my OT the first day I brought it home. She said this isn't as bumpy as the Bronco. I agree.

 

[jps8460]

For me the slightly harsh ride presents mostly in the rear. I believe this was likely a compromise between unloaded comfort and the damping and spring needed in the rear to accommodate the payload and tow ratings that it has. I find that putting it in comfort mode makes a big difference. For those of us that have AVS, I'd recommend trying that. I'm not sure what package you have @Jennburton but it may be worth a try.

 

[RPMSTL]

You state that putting it in comfort mode makes a big difference. On my OT+ I can’t tell it does anything at all. Can you define more of what big difference means?

 

[jps8460]

You state that putting it in comfort mode makes a big difference. On my OT+ I can’t tell it does anything at all. Can you define more of what big difference means?

It definitely makes the rear suspension more supple. A demonstration point would be to do this in a parking lot with large speed bumps. Slow roll the speed bumps in different modes.

I spend an inordinate amount of time driving in bumpy and off-road conditions so it's also possible that my perception is a bit different than yours.

Suffice to say that the conditions have to enable you to feel the difference. if you're on a relatively flat and smooth road you probably won't notice any difference between drive modes.

 

[incognito.gx]

You really have to give these trucks time, replace the tires or both. My OT drives smooth as butter at 10k miles but it didn’t start that way. Insanely jittery ride until Lexus replaced the original rubber gratis. If you feel something isn’t right, call your dealer. If they say it’s “normal” call Lexus NA. I’ve done all of the above and my OT is now better for it.