Just purchased my 2017 Lexus GX 460 Premium! (1 Viewer)

[re_guderian]

...
- Handling is subpar and I take corners easy, however not as bad as I originally expected and taking corners are not as scary as I thought it would be in a tall SUV (I’m assuming the KDSS is at work here). I also figure that handling will get worse once I put a lift kit on it with bigger tires.

A lift usually is accompanied by stiffer springs (to accomodate extra weight). This usually tightens up nose dive and cornering "wallow", sometimes at the expense of ride quality, but not always.

- Acceleration is snappy off the line (I love that V8 roar!), however I noticed that it likes to shift more quickly and always keep the transmission at a higher gear (possible to save fuel). It’s also quite lazy when I put my foot down on the gas pedal and it doesn’t drop gears unless I’m really putting my foot down. I mean slapping the gear shift to manual mode would solve it, but I usually like to keep the automatic transmission in drive and let the computer do its job. Does anyone with the “Luxury” trim in sport mode have a better time with automatic gear changes?
...

Look into a Pedal Commander. I had my 460 for 3 hours before I installed it...

 

[r2m]

Yes, these are great for road trips and off the beaten trail. I have to agree with everything stated. The only thing I really wish for and hopefully will be fulfilled in this next GX upgrade, would be the infotainment screen. It reminds me of an Etch-a-Sketch, all it needs is the volume and changer knobs just below the screen to be able to move a little cursor around to draw with! My daughter's Rav4 is the SAME year as my Lexus and she has the great screen that shows album art for whatever song is playing, etc.

 

[MrTorgue]

Just did ~750mi this past Friday — Monday and it gobbled up those miles with ease. The passing gear is pretty good and if it wasn’t for the insane winds we had here in Texas the MPG world be better than the 17.5-18.0 I averaged with mostly 75mph and some city driving (Houston area, yuck). While my previous Dodge Charger R/T’s were much better road trip cars I’m impressed how well this heavy brick did. I’m still happy I bought both GX’s. The effortless acceleration is so smooth and is such a treat and why I’ll NEVER get rid of a V8 engine...EVER.

 

[offroad47]

Looks great! What wheels and mods have you done to it so far?

Just the tires so far. My wife and I have had relatives in town . I’m on the fence with what to do next. I’m leaning towards a lift kit before sliders and bumpers at this point. I get to take the rig to the lease for the first time weekend after next. I can’t wait. I will keep you posted . You do the same!

 

[Tex68w]

Just did ~750mi this past Friday — Monday and it gobbled up those miles with ease. The passing gear is pretty good and if it wasn’t for the insane winds we had here in Texas the MPG world be better than the 17.5-18.0 I averaged with mostly 75mph and some city driving (Houston area, yuck). While my previous Dodge Charger R/T’s were much better road trip cars I’m impressed how well this heavy brick did. I’m still happy I bought both GX’s. The effortless acceleration is so smooth and is such a treat and why I’ll NEVER get rid of a V8 engine...EVER.

Shoot I've been lucky to get 15mpg lately with these winds while on the highway. The spring winds are always brutal down here.

 

[Tex68w]

1. For the 3” lift, I’ve been quoted $4K (parts and labor) at a shop for the OME BP 51 kit with Bilstein shocks with KO2’s and method 17” wheels to around $7K for the same tires and wheels but with a King lift kit with reservoirs. I’m new when it comes to the off-road world, so do I need the King’s kit or is the OME and Bilsteins with upper control arms good enough for what I need, which is some sand duning and off road trails in the mountains? Can you recommend a good shop to do this work in Southern California?

Considering that the BP-51 kit without UCA's is $3K there's no way you'd be getting that lift with wheels and tires for $4K installed. You're looking at $3600-3700 before tax just for the lift kit itself with UCA's and then another $500-1000K+ for install and alignment depending on the shop and don't forget the tax. King's with UCA's will be more. You'll need a matching spare tire for these full-time 4WD vehicles so factor that into your wheel and tire package as well. With a standard Method around $250 each and 285/70/17's running $250-ish each you're looking at another $3K+/- for wheels and tires mounted and balanced.

For a daily I wouldn't recommend King's, there's too much maintenance with those for a pavement pounder and if you aren't spending lots of time off-road then I personally don't think that the added expense is worth it.

 

[r2m]

Considering that the BP-51 kit without UCA's is $3K there's no way you'd be getting that lift with wheels and tires for $4K installed. You're looking at $3600-3700 before tax just for the lift kit itself with UCA's and then another $500-1000K+ for install and alignment depending on the shop and don't forget the tax. King's with UCA's will be more. You'll need a matching spare tire for these full-time 4WD vehicles so factor that into your wheel and tire package as well. With a standard Method around $250 each and 285/70/17's running $250-ish each you're looking at another $3K+/- for wheels and tires mounted and balanced.

For a daily I wouldn't recommend King's, there's too much maintenance with those for a pavement pounder and if you aren't spending lots of time off-road then I personally don't think that the added expense is worth it.

Boy.... Talking about being brutally honest!
Ouch! Do I really have that much in mine??? But, heck, it's only money!

 

[Tex68w]

Boy.... Talking about being brutally honest!
Ouch! Do I really have that much in mine??? But, heck, it's only money!

Those numbers just didn't line up and I wanted him to be properly informed on what to expect to spend for that particular setup haha. Unless there's a shop sitting on a lightly used kit or an older one sitting around gathering dust that they need to move at a massive loss it's just not possible for those quotes.

 

[offroad47]

Big boy toys ! I spent 5k for less than 60 min of racing more times than I want to see listed. I should have built one of these during those years I would have a lot more money now.

 

[ben7]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I’m not sure why it looks cheaper than what it’s supposed to be as that was what I was quoted.

Nevertheless I’m looking to buy a decent suspension and the more I’m thinking about it, I’m thinking of the Fox suspension upgrade, but I’ll be doing more research as I think I’ll want to do the suspension and wheels/tires upgrade in the summer.

 

[ben7]

Hey everyone, I haven’t posted for a while as I’ve been really busy but here are some updates on my GX 460 in the last little while:

Fixed a dent - *sigh* I opened my driver’s side door while filling gas and slightly bumped a concrete pole which left a small but visible dent. So I checked my local area and there was a fantastic mobile dent repair service with good reviews, so he fixed it and it looks like new again!

Cost - $75

I bought a Lexus cargo mat that goes over the third row which looks pretty durable (for the strollers and stuff we carry in the trunk) plus it matches my GX 460’s Ecru theme. It also fits great!

Cost - around $80

I now have Apple CarPlay in my car as I got the Grom VLine installed and wow it brings this ancient infotainment back to 2021! lol

I also purchased two DVD screens with HDMI inputs and Bluetooth headphones from Amazon and got them hard wired into the GX 460’s power source so my kids can watch movies without having to charge them. The HDMI inputs are great if I want to plug in a Chromecast or Apple TV.

The whole setup looks pretty clean and almost factory-like and one screen can act as the main unit and send it’s feed to the second screen if my kids want to watch the same thing.

Cost - Grom VLine (around $650 with the Bluetooth keyboard and additional wiring) and the rear entertainment screens (around $300). Installation for both (around six hours of labor) cost approximately $500.

The Grom VLine has it’s ups and downs. I’m going to make another thread about that, but at least now the cabin infotainment and entertainment is up to spec.

The parts and labor cost me almost $1,500 which is quite pricey to what it really should have come with (i.e. Apple CarPlay), but it’s a once and done thing and now we have an infotainment and entertainment system that’s modern.

Next up in updates on my GX 460 will be red vinyls for the tail lights and third brake light (to make it red) along with some other decals.

After that, I think I’ll be good with updates until the summer when I want to do the suspension and wheels/tires upgrade.

 

[MrTorgue]

Hey everyone, I haven’t posted for a while as I’ve been really busy but here are some updates on my GX 460 in the last little while:

Fixed a dent - *sigh* I opened my driver’s side door while filling gas and slightly bumped a concrete pole which left a small but visible dent. So I checked my local area and there was a fantastic mobile dent repair service with good reviews, so he fixed it and it looks like new again!

Cost - $75

I bought a Lexus cargo mat that goes over the third row which looks pretty durable (for the strollers and stuff we carry in the trunk) plus it matches my GX 460’s Ecru theme. It also fits great!


View attachment 2647800
View attachment 2647801

Cost - around $80

I now have Apple CarPlay in my car as I got the Grom VLine installed and wow it brings this ancient infotainment back to 2021! lol

View attachment 2647806
View attachment 2647807

I also purchased two DVD screens with HDMI inputs and Bluetooth headphones from Amazon and got them hard wired into the GX 460’s power source so my kids can watch movies without having to charge them. The HDMI inputs are great if I want to plug in a Chromecast or Apple TV.

The whole setup looks pretty clean and almost factory-like and one screen can act as the main unit and send it’s feed to the second screen if my kids want to watch the same thing.

View attachment 2647809

Cost - Grom VLine (around $650 with the Bluetooth keyboard and additional wiring) and the rear entertainment screens (around $300). Installation for both (around six hours of labor) cost approximately $500.

The Grom VLine has it’s ups and downs. I’m going to make another thread about that, but at least now the cabin infotainment and entertainment is up to spec.

The parts and labor cost me almost $1,500 which is quite pricey to what it really should have come with (i.e. Apple CarPlay), but it’s a once and done thing and now we have an infotainment and entertainment system that’s modern.

Next up in updates on my GX 460 will be red vinyls for the tail lights and third brake light (to make it red) along with some other decals.

After that, I think I’ll be good with updates until the summer when I want to do the suspension and wheels/tires upgrade.

Awesome stuff! Link to those head rest screens? I’m thinking about that exact idea for my 460.

 

[savetherobots]

The Grom VLine has it’s ups and downs. I’m going to make another thread about that, but at least now the cabin infotainment and entertainment is up to spec.

The parts and labor cost me almost $1,500 which is quite pricey to what it really should have come with (i.e. Apple CarPlay), but it’s a once and done thing and now we have an infotainment and entertainment system that’s modern.

Looking forward to hearing your feedback on the Grom VLine... still debating if it's worth the hiccups that others report

 

[r2m]

Next up in updates on my GX 460 will be red vinyls for the tail lights and third brake light (to make it red) along with some other decals.

After that, I think I’ll be good with updates until the summer when I want to do the suspension and wheels/tires upgrade.

Or when the wife lets you have access to your bank account again!!!
On the serious side, how hard was it to install just the Carplay? I read that it took you 6 hours, but what was the difficulty level?

 

[FJCowboy]

Hey everyone, I haven’t posted for a while as I’ve been really busy but here are some updates on my GX 460 in the last little while:

I now have Apple CarPlay in my car as I got the Grom VLine installed and wow it brings this ancient infotainment back to 2021! lol


View attachment 2647807

Cost - Grom VLine (around $650 with the Bluetooth keyboard and additional wiring) and the rear entertainment screens (around $300). Installation for both (around six hours of labor) cost approximately $500.

The Grom VLine has it’s ups and downs. I’m going to make another thread about that, but at least now the cabin infotainment and entertainment is up to spec.

The parts and labor cost me almost $1,500 which is quite pricey to what it really should have come with (i.e. Apple CarPlay), but it’s a once and done thing and now we have an infotainment and entertainment system that’s modern.

Yes, definitely want more info on the Grom VLine...let us know if/when you make the new thread.

 

[ben7]

Awesome stuff! Link to those head rest screens? I’m thinking about that exact idea for my 460.

Here’s the link to purchase the screens: https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...widwJ-Tp4jwAhWJr54KHWEoC7UQwg96BAgBECk&adurl=

 

[ben7]

Looking forward to hearing your feedback on the Grom VLine... still debating if it's worth the hiccups that others report

Lol well, it’s a mixed bag really, I’ll be posting my detailed thoughts in a new thread about this as soon as I get a chance.

 

[ben7]

Or when the wife lets you have access to your bank account again!!!
On the serious side, how hard was it to install just the Carplay? I read that it took you 6 hours, but what was the difficulty level?

Haha I’m blessed to have a wife that allows me to spend at times on my cars.

I recently modified my STi this year so I had my “fun allowance” spent lol, but on a serious note, both my wife and I were waiting for Apple CarPlay after trying the ancient navigation system a few times so this purchase was justified. lol

I’m now waiting to replenish my “fun allowance” fund so that I can do the suspension plus wheels/tires upgrade on the GX 460 hehe.

Also, I didn’t install it myself as I didn’t want to break anything lol so I had the install done at a reputed local audio shop and it took them four hours for the Grom VLine install and two hours to hardwire and connect the rear entertainment screens.

 

[ben7]

Yes, definitely want more info on the Grom VLine...let us know if/when you make the new thread.

I’ll be making a new thread about this soon, but I’m also thinking to do a video on this and post it on my automotive YouTube channel as well.

 

[FJCowboy]

I’ll be making a new thread about this soon, but I’m also thinking to do a video on this and post it on my automotive YouTube channel as well.

What is your channel so I can subscribe? Thanks