LX570 08-11 vs. 13+ for modding

[Markuson]

I was behind an AHC LX last year in Breck and was very impressed with its articulation.

Definitely not deserving of being bashed.

There are a few things that would drive me nuts though. Power lift gates drive me nuts. Too slow going up....too slow going down. Power third row seats mean more electronics that will just end up being yanked anyway. Wood trim ends up looking pretty poor after a while. Adding proper sliders is a much more expensive mod because you have to buy new lower panels for an LC due to integration with the steps. Also...I’m not aware of any seriously heavy duty sliders for the LX. Slee makes a nice one, but it’s not nearly as stout as their LC sliders.

If none of those things bug you, and you like AHC...then the LX is great. Just not for me personally, but I’ve wheeled with a ton of LXs and they are potent wheelers for sure.

 

[Ohnoitsbreaux]

I was behind an AHC LX last year in Breck and was very impressed with its articulation.

Definitely not deserving of being bashed.

There are a few things that would drive me nuts though. Power lift gates drive me nuts. Too slow going up....too slow going down. Power third row seats mean more electronics that will just end up being yanked anyway. Wood trim ends up looking pretty poor after a while. Adding proper sliders is a much more expensive mod because you have to buy new lower panels for an LC due to integration with the steps. Also...I’m not aware of any seriously heavy duty sliders for the LX. Slee makes a nice one, but it’s not nearly as stout as their LC sliders.

If none of those things bug you, and you like AHC...then the LX is great. Just not for me personally, but I’ve wheeled with a ton of LXs and they are potent wheelers for sure.

The power liftgate is a bit slow...I suppose but it can also be turned off (which it is). As far as the third row, I tend to agree, which reminds me I need to remove those soon.

While the slider application isnt ideal, just take it over to @sleeoffroad and have them deal w the headache. I have their sliders and have absolutely abused them with only minor denting and paint scratching. And by abuse, they've fallen onto a rock almost a foot below and carried the weight accordingly.

 

[grinchy]

What wheel and tire combo is that?

Old tundra wheels. Old tundra Michelin ltx. I’m running tundra sized 275/65r18 duratracs on the ground at the moment. They’re “32s” but measure around 31 on the truck.
I got 12 of these wheels plus 4 duratracs and 4 ltx(which are not in good shape,too old) for $500 all told.

 

[blatant]

This LX looks great!

2017 LX 570 w/ 20" wheels & 33" tires - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion

 

[bjorn240]

I sent an email to Budbuilt today asking whether they were any closer to rolling out sliders for the LX. I like the Slee sliders, but wouldn't mind a bit more protection for the AHC modules themselves.

 

[Ohnoitsbreaux]

I sent an email to Budbuilt today asking whether they were any closer to rolling out sliders for the LX. I like the Slee sliders, but wouldn't mind a bit more protection for the AHC modules themselves.

Nice stuff but their wait time is atrocious.

 

[TeCKis300]

I was behind an AHC LX last year in Breck and was very impressed with its articulation.

Definitely not deserving of being bashed.

There are a few things that would drive me nuts though. Power lift gates drive me nuts. Too slow going up....too slow going down. Power third row seats mean more electronics that will just end up being yanked anyway. Wood trim ends up looking pretty poor after a while. Adding proper sliders is a much more expensive mod because you have to buy new lower panels for an LC due to integration with the steps. Also...I’m not aware of any seriously heavy duty sliders for the LX. Slee makes a nice one, but it’s not nearly as stout as their LC sliders.

If none of those things bug you, and you like AHC...then the LX is great. Just not for me personally, but I’ve wheeled with a ton of LXs and they are potent wheelers for sure.

Couple notes:
1) Power liftgate – Some clarification as I don’t think most LC owners know how it works. The “power” part of the liftgate is completely transparent. One can open it manually as if it never existed. And/or close it manually. Optionally, hit the open/close button for power open/closing. I’ve used a dumb Chevy power liftgate, and those are PITA and slow to use. The LX is not like that at all, and you’d never know it’s power unless you choose to hit the power open/close button. So I find it funny to knock a feature that one doesn't have to use at all? It's an awesome thing really, especially with AHC in high, and off camber when not being able to reach the hatch! Or sleeping inside and needing to open the hatch.

That said, it may have a weak hydraulic strut that’s slowing operation down. (The struts wear out ~8yrs). Mine is reasonable quick under power after replacing the struts.

2) Sliders. LX owners have found a way to hack the steps to integrate sliders in an aesthetically pleasing way. No longer is it a requirement for one to buy new lower panels. Also, with AHC jacked up into high, which is basically having the suspension stroked all the way and damping set to sport for less give on touchdown, much less likely to bang up sliders when on stilts. Independent of load weighing down the suspension!

 

[razzyrazz]

Great stuff everyone. So just confirming we bought the LX. 2011 Gray/Tan with 78k miles for 32500 plus TTL. Radar Cruise, DVD, .Mark Levinson, Remote Start. Very clean. Only issue during inspection and test drive was the AHC not fully transitioning to different heights. The indicator would just keep flashing. Was finicky like it hadn't been used in a while. By the time I left it was working fine and hasn't had any issues for 3 days. Had it inspected today at the Lexus Dealer and they said everything looks good. No codes and AHC worked fine for them. They had no recommendations other than continued maintenance of course.

I think the car drives great for what it is. Not a car you haul ass thru canyons with but it's very comfortable and has good power. Drove 200 miles to get it and on the way home the kids were knocked out watching DVD's. Impressed by the Mark Levinson system. The DVD's sounded awesome. For music we've been streaming Tidal with an aux cable for quality until I search these forums for a better streaming solution. First items we will be adding are a roof rack plus wheels and tires. Long list of things we want to do but those are the 2 priorities. We are very excited and we feel this will be a great car for our family for many years.

Lastly, want to say I am very glad these forums exist because it aided us in our decision. Reading thru these forums for the last month, digesting as much as I could originally about Land Cruisers,which is what I had originally narrowed it down to along with a newer Expedition. Then learning the LX was nearly identical and researching the differences between LC and LX. Both vehicles have pros and cons but with the current pricing in the used market and our family's needs, I truly believe this was the best choice for us.

 

[Reckless]

Congratulations, these are epic vehicles in a league of their own.

 

[Chocolate]

2) Sliders. LX owners have found a way to hack the steps to integrate sliders in an aesthetically pleasing way. No longer is it a requirement for one to buy new lower panels.

For LXs, the LC rocker panel is not a necessary part. It's just for looks. For $500, I don't see the need.

Instead of cutting up the side steps, I just removed them, they're collecting dust along with the original wheels, for the next owner. (Total weight of both steps with hardware: 27 pounds) I have blacked out the part of the body where the original step covered. It has much more clearance than it had with the side steps and looks more like an offroad vehicle.

 

[Shaunrazz]

Yeah The LX suspension is way superior, the LX is way more bang for the buck you’d be crazy to buy a Land Cruiser unless you’re going to go modify it for rock crawling if you’re going to do that you’re better off getting some hiking boots

Exactly how we felt. I've only rock crawled one time. While I can see why people like it i didnt enjoy it as much as I thought I would. All of our offroading is to get to locations away from everyone else for family camping trips. We will eventually put bumpers and sliders on after tires and a rack, but in dozens of trips I've only banged sliders on our vehicles one time. I guess that one time paid for itself, plus it looks cool imo.

 

[Ali FJ80]

For LXs, the LC rocker panel is not a necessary part. It's just for looks. For $500, I don't see the need.

Instead of cutting up the side steps, I just removed them, they're collecting dust along with the original wheels, for the next owner. (Total weight of both steps with hardware: 27 pounds) I have blacked out the part of the body where the original step covered. It has much more clearance than it had with the side steps and looks more like an offroad vehicle.
The Slee sliders could be installed without them.

Do you have pics of your setup with the steps removed? Thanks.

 

[SWUtah]

Good deal congratulations

 

[TeCKis300]

@Chocolate , would love to see pics of how it turned out.

 

[grinchy]

There is the possibility to cut about 10” of trim plastic and keep the trim but not the steps. It is in the pic above of my truck. The full procedure is about 2 hours for both sides. Link in my sig to the thread,

 

[Chocolate]

Do you have pics of your setup with the steps removed? Thanks.

@Chocolate , would love to see pics of how it turned out.

This weekend, weather permitting I'll probably go over the rockers again with gloss black to see how that looks.

Interestingly, the Lexus fender is different than the LC fender, and only used on the Lexus, but it still has Toyota stamped on its side.

While the center of the rear bumper is very close to the frame, the sides of the rear bumper also sit too low. I recently modified it to sit flush with the frame. At the moment, spare is currently riding in cargo area. Need to fabricate a cover for the small opening left behind the rear wheel wells.

I also relocated the towing connector to sit higher inside the frame. Now the rear tow hook is the lowest point on the right side. I plan on replacing that with a straight tow hook.


When you remove the side steps, you instantly see why they are standard equipment for the mass market because the step in height is changed. However, the door sill is a more stable place to stand than the side steps.

These are in normal height.

 

[Ali FJ80]

This weekend, weather permitting I'll probably go over the rockers again with gloss black to see how that looks.

Interestingly, the Lexus fender is different than the LC fender, and only used on the Lexus, but it still has Toyota stamped on its side.

While the center of the rear bumper is very close to the frame, the sides of the rear bumper also sit too low. I recently modified it to sit flush with the frame. At the moment, spare is currently riding in cargo area. Need to fabricate a cover for the small opening left behind the rear wheel wells. I also relocated the towing connector to sit higher inside the frame.


When you remove the side steps, you instantly see why they are standard equipment for the mass market because the step in height is changed. However, the door sill is a more stable place to stand than the side steps.

These are in normal height.

View attachment 1818005

View attachment 1818006

Work in progress - 6 x 34s are in the shopping cart, thread forthcoming.

Thanks, looking forward to seeing it on 34s

 

[Jprat]

Here’s a 305/60/20 with a bit offsetting...

 

[1shot1kill]

I painted my 80 khaki and somehow I think if she was a Lexus I would have been more reluctant to paint her and later rattle can her. That was 20 years ago. I plan on painting the 200 khaki in a couple of years or sooner. It is all in our heads.

 

[tbisaacs]

The whole Lexus is a shiny/chick/girly/whatever car is so played out. And offensive. If you need a specific badge on your truck to affirm your manliness, you’ve got problems.