More evidence why the LX is quieter than the Land Cruiser

[suprarx7nut]

Those numbers are actually very impressive. 8 dB on the highway is huge! Given decibel's non-linear scale 8dB at highway level is a big deal! The LC is already a reasonably quiet highway car so reducing that much extra noise with just some weatherstripping is incredible to me.

I'll put these on my shopping list... Nice work.

 

[hkeller]

When we bought our 2000 LX with about 20,000 on the odometer, the cabin was more quiet than our living room, even when going 70 mph. My 04 is on its third windshield and is not nearly as quite, but still good. In our 2000, you can have a whisper conversation and hear just fine. I've ridden in a lot of nice cars, but none nearly at all as quiet as an LX. It is one reason I bought an LX over an LC on the second purchase.

I am looking hard at relatively new LX 570s right now, but I am not sure they are as quiet as used 2007 LX 470s with factory windshields.

 

[TheForger]

Does anyone have a picture of how that weatherstrip attaches at the bottom of the door? Or anyone with a pre-2002 LX with the weatherstrips? I am considering purchasing them along with the clips (90467-05162-B0) and giving them a shot. It may involve drilling a hole or two but I am very curious as to how well these reduce in-cabin noise now that I have the additional door seals installed.

 

[TheForger]

Well I bit the bullet and purchased those weatherstrips & clips. Once I get them I will see exactly how they mount and will most likely have to drill a hole or two. After I get them completely installed I will do another decibel test and add that to the previous results.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I was telling the wife this weekends LX road trip about this thread and she quickly pointed out a Lexus weakness. -Slight hi-jack- She claimed the LX factory bottle openers suck as she broke the tip of her bottle trying to open it. On inspection the Lexus uses smooth rounded door strikers with plastic caps to cover the unsightly screws. I grab a bottle for my testing and she is spot on they suck. I will be looking to see if I can swap out for some quality Land Cruiser strikers/bottle opener.

 

[SmoothLC]

Well I bit the bullet and purchased those weatherstrips & clips. Once I get them I will see exactly how they mount and will most likely have to drill a hole or two. After I get them completely installed I will do another decibel test and add that to the previous results.

Let us know how it goes. I've got the bottom door weatherstrips waiting for installation on my table, but only ordered the front edge strips sans clips. Still need to order those.

 

[SmoothLC]

So, after driving around with them for a day, I'd give them a 8 out of 10. I was shocked how much more quiet the cabin seems. Just my 2 cents though . . .

 

[TheForger]

So, after driving around with them for a day, I'd give them a 8 out of 10. I was shocked how much more quiet the cabin seems. Just my 2 cents though . . .

Thanks for the feedback I'm glad there is another opinion out there besides my own. Just playing devils advocate here, what keeps you from rating them as 10/10? I have to agree they aren't a 10 but maybe my reasons are different from yours. I look forward to how you like the front edge strip, I might pm you early next week to work out how to install them.

 

[SmoothLC]

The strips for the front edge of the rear doors arrived today. They stick to the edge using an adhesive on the inside of the strip. I'll order the clips tonight and see what I can come up with.

 

[TheForger]

I got around to sticking the front edge strips on but ran out of time to drill the holes so I'll have to do that another time. The adhesive strip seems to work very well in the meantime and it comes with a handy pull tab to easily remove the adhesive backing as you go. First impressions of these strips are very good, the strip is perfectly formed to the curvature of the door edge and even forms around the side molding indentation nicely. Instead of a clip at the bottom there is a ~2" piece of plastic that wraps around the other side of the door that tightly sandwiches the door edge between it and the strip itself. I was only able to get a crappy pic because it was dark by the time I put them on, but after driving around on residential & city streets for 15min they seem to definitely reduce noise inside the cabin.

*I failed to get pics of the install process but it is about as straightforward as it gets. Here is my $0.02: I found best results by first perfectly aligning the strip to the curvature of the side molding. Then (using painters tape to hold it in place) work your way down slightly pulling to keep it taut but not stretching it - apply tape as needed - until you get to the plastic piece at the bottom that sandwiches the door edge. Push that all the way on the edge so it's snug and then tape that in place. Next, start from the side-molding and do the same process except work your way upward this time pulling taut and applying tape as needed until you get to the top. After you have confirmed alignment and made any needed adjustments, start from the top by removing the adhesive backing and begin sticking it to the door edge very gently. I say this because if you do it lightly enough you can easily realignment it if you run into issues later on (the adhesive doesn't set properly until a lot of force is applied). Do this all the way down (remember to pull taut every now and then to avoid slack) and then once you're done, re-confirm alignment and make any needed adjustments. Once it meets your OCD requirements you can stick it in place for good. To do this I started at the top and used both hands - one to push the strip rearward so the strip meets flush with the top of the door, and the other to push it downward to set the adhesive. Don't be afraid to push on the entire seal itself (no need to try to get under it to do this you will not damage the seal at all), that is what you will need to do in order to achieve proper adhesion. Like I said I started at the top so once I permanently stuck the top 2-3" of the seal I would stop, remove any tape I applied, pull taut, and then repeat the process all the way down to the bottom making sure to press very firmly first rearward then downward, especially in all of the bends of the side molding. And viola! FYI the strip may look misaligned in certain places but I can guarantee its the perspective and the fact the adhesive ends about 1.5" from the top. Until I drill the hole and insert the clip the top piece will bow back a little bit more than it should. I can assure you if you saw it in person it would look stock I will update once I drill the holes and then run another round of tests to record dBA levels.

 

[TheForger]

So I managed to find a little extra time this evening to drill the holes and install the clips. Overall I am very satisfied with the results and the strips on both sides managed to line up perfectly after installing them as I had hoped and prayed it would. Next up, the dBA test results! To drill the holes I used a 13/64" drill bit and the clip definitely seems pretty snug in it. But for anyone doing this mod, if you happen to have a drill bit size 10, 11, 12, or even a 3/64" (may require you to wallow the hole a bit), I would recommend going with one of those to ensure it never comes out. Once again I know the pic + the fact I used flash since it was dark makes it appear to be misaligned in places, but I can assure you once again its not and both seals lined up perfectly

 

[TheForger]

In the very last pic you can see the "~2" piece of plastic" at the bottom that sandwiches the door I referenced in my last post (failed to take a pic of the fully installed at that angle). I think this goes without saying, but do thoroughly clean the door jamb before installation. That combined with the amount of force you can apply to these strips to permanently seal then will maximize adhesion and longevity.

 

[geanes]

Once again due to the fact I used flash and perspective, it does look misaligned in several places. Its just another one of those pictures doesn't do it justice things. If you close the doors and run your finger along the joint, it's perfectly flush with the tops of both F&R doors. In the very last pic you can see the "~2" piece of plastic" at the bottom that sandwiches the door I referenced in my last post (failed to take a pic of the fully installed at that angle). I think this goes without saying, but do thoroughly clean the door jamb before installation. That combined with the amount of force you can apply to these strips to permanently seal then will maximize adhesion and longevity.

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Very nice. I am following this thread and very eager to hear about any improvement these door seals add. I must admit, my 98 LX is a little wind noisy. Checked the windshield and it's definitely been replaced with Toyota glass. I imagine it's not the same spec as Lexus glass as I understand that to be acoustic deadening glass and much, much more expensive. I know on my Outback, the acoustic deadening glass is a huge difference over the non.

 

[TheForger]

Better pics + data:

While doing these tests I definitely noticed a significant reduction in noise from what I remember it sounding like stock. I figured since this piece is closer to the drivers ear it would have the most noticeable difference, and IMHO it does and works very well. Combined with the strips at the bottom, a -11dBA average noise reduction from stock is pretty impressive and makes for a much quieter and more pleasant driving experience. Now I'm considering do the headliner this summer also....One thing I did notice with this type of mod is now that the front of your truck has gotten quieter, it will emphasize the noises you have in the rear of your truck. Obviously, @SmoothLC you wouldn't have an issue with this considering your extensive Dynamat installation. But other people who haven't done the same will notice noises they either didn't hear before or noises that are more pronounced than they were before.

 

[geanes]

Impressive results. I'm definitely going to look into this for my 98 LX. Really curious how much of a noise cancellation I'd get if I replace the cheap replacement windshield with the OEM Lexus Insulated windshield (I know it's crazy expensive, but I have a $100 windshield deductible with my insurance).

 

[spaber05]

This is the kind of stuff I love seeing. Simple (1 banana), cheap (couple hundred $$), and effective (11 db!). So your total parts were the 4 under-door seals, 2 front wheel well seals and 2 seals between the doors, correct? If it isn't too much to ask, I'm a comprehensive parts list with costs would be very much appreciated by those of us who are now strongly considering this. IMO this should be in contention to become a sticky.

Thanks @TheForger for putting this together, this just shot up to the top of my to-do list!

 

[SmoothLC]

This is the kind of stuff I love seeing. Simple (1 banana), cheap (couple hundred $$), and effective (11 db!). So your total parts were the 4 under-door seals, 2 front wheel well seals and 2 seals between the doors, correct? If it isn't too much to ask, I'm a comprehensive parts list with costs would be very much appreciated by those of us who are now strongly considering this. IMO this should be in contention to become a sticky.

Thanks @TheForger for putting this together, this just shot up to the top of my to-do list!

Has anyone located the part numbers for the front wheel wells? I think the test results are for the four bottom door seals and the rear door seals.

 

[TheForger]

This is the kind of stuff I love seeing. Simple (1 banana), cheap (couple hundred $$), and effective (11 db!). So your total parts were the 4 under-door seals, 2 front wheel well seals and 2 seals between the doors, correct? If it isn't too much to ask, I'm a comprehensive parts list with costs would be very much appreciated by those of us who are now strongly considering this. IMO this should be in contention to become a sticky.

Thanks @TheForger for putting this together, this just shot up to the top of my to-do list!

Thank you! I've been meaning to put this together anyway. Here's a comprehensive parts list that includes the extra seal under each door and the seal on the leading edge of the rear door. These are what the test results reflect. We have not found a pn for that wheel well seal so I haven't been able to test it but I'm still trying to hunt it down. Hopefully we can find it soon.

Also, if anyone is looking at purchasing these I have the 2 clips that are needed to hold the leading edge strip on. I accidentally ordered 4 total thinking it would be 2 per side but it's actually 2 total with 1 per side. If you cover shipping you can have them.

FRONT DOORS:
Part No.: 67863-60020
WEATHERSTRIP, FR DOOR, RH - $23.27

Part No.: 67864-60020
WEATHERSTRIP, FR DOOR, LH - $23.27

REAR DOORS:
Part No.: 67888-60010
WEATHERSTRIP, RR DOOR, LH - $23.27

Part No.: 67887-60010
WEATHERSTRIP, RR DOOR, RH - $23.27

REAR DOOR LEADING EDGE STRIP:
Part No.:67896-60020
WEATHERSTRIP, RR DOOR, LH - $10.17

Part No.:67895-60020
WEATHERSTRIP, RR DOOR, RH - $10.17

Part No.:90467-05162-B0
CLIP - $0.80 (qty.2)

*All prices are according to www.lexuspartsnow.com, prices may vary depending on the supplier

 

[TheForger]

Let me know what you guys think of this, the way it looks to me is it's the front fender seal we've been looking for but I could be wrong

Possible wheel well seal??:
Part No.: 53867-60060
SEAL, FRONT FENDER TO COWL SIDE, LH - $25.01

Part No.: 53866-60060
SEAL, FRONT FENDER TO COWL SIDE, RH - $25.01

Part No.:90467-10186
CLIP - $1.46 (qty.2)

Part No.:90467-08015-01
CLIP - $0.68 (qty.4)

 

[SmoothLC]

I think you're right @TheForger. Check out the Google Translate of this page.