Struts & AHC on LX570 (1 Viewer)

[chipsterguy]

They perform both functions- actuators and dampening. Front and rear.

Side note: purchased an "extended warranty" from the dealer when I purchased the vehicle a couple weeks ago. I was aware of the leaky front strut. The warranty I purchased supposedly covered struts and ahc. However, it does not cover "shocks". The actuator actually is described as a shock in the Lexus description of the part. So the warranty claim was denied. Fortunately i was still within the first 30 days, so I dropped the policy like a cold turd and got a full refund.

 

[LCHardriver_02]

Good for you on dropping that... sucks though that they see those as just a wear item.

 

[bjowett]

The shocks are fairly simple... Essentially they are remote reservoir mono tube shocks. Some of the damping takes place in adjustable valves up by the accumulators. That is what makes running a secondary/dual shock system so attractive.

 

[LCHardriver_02]

I'll be interested in the system you come up with bjowett. I am guessing that it will be a complete removal of the AHC system.

 

[bjowett]

No, the idea is the leave the AHC in tact, but remove the main damping valve stack from the inside of the AHC shocks. This leaves the hydraulic spring feature and partial damping of the driver adjustable electronic valve up by the accumulator alive and well. The damping that is lost from the main piston would be taken over the second/dual shock. This will reduce the load on the AHC... Especially heat created by the now removed main valve stack, and place it in the second shock. Some slightly stiffer coils springs or small spacers (to increase preload) could also reduce load on the hydraulic spring. Longer life and more Offroad beating ability all in one.

 

[LCHardriver_02]

To quote Chevy Chase....

I LIKE IT!

 

[chipsterguy]

No, the idea is the leave the AHC in tact, but remove the main damping valve stack from the inside of the AHC shocks. This leaves the hydraulic spring feature and partial damping of the driver adjustable electronic valve up by the accumulator alive and well. The damping that is lost from the main piston would be taken over the second/dual shock. This will reduce the load on the AHC... Especially heat created by the now removed main valve stack, and place it in the second shock. Some slightly stiffer coils springs or small spacers (to increase preload) could also reduce load on the hydraulic spring. Longer life and more Offroad beating ability all in one.

I am definitely interested to see what you come up with. I know the team at my local LC shop (TORFAB) would also be interested in options to modify the AHC suspension systems to solve for various scenarios (lift, articulation, reliability, etc.)

From what I understand, there are markets around the world where AHC is an option on the LC. So has someone else come up with a solution?

I suppose that we are somewhat unique here in the USA in that there are that many more AHC configured vehicles for a given model year due to the LX base configurations, and the fact that so many more LX's are sold here compared to LC's. so I imagine there would be enough demand here to justify someone investing some time and research into a "hack" that builds on the strengths of the AHC system.

 

[EODTam]

Subscribed! I'm definitely interested if there is a better and beefier alternative.

 

[aznxfactor]

The shocks are fairly simple... Essentially they are remote reservoir mono tube shocks. Some of the damping takes place in adjustable valves up by the accumulators. That is what makes running a secondary/dual shock system so attractive.

Hey anyway you can create a coilover conversion for the lx570? Im planning on purchasing a 2010 lx570 because its about 10-18k less than LC200. I think if you did than it would open the floodgates because you can put legit lift on lx570, add bigger tires like 35s, and put a supercharger for 500+hP and torque.

metaltech does a conversion kit for gx470.

My mechanic friend told me to just get it and we can just strip it down and swap over to LC200 oem parts. Sounds tempting as I believe that I'm 98% sold on buying one. haha.

 

[aznxfactor]

No, the idea is the leave the AHC in tact, but remove the main damping valve stack from the inside of the AHC shocks. This leaves the hydraulic spring feature and partial damping of the driver adjustable electronic valve up by the accumulator alive and well. The damping that is lost from the main piston would be taken over the second/dual shock. This will reduce the load on the AHC... Especially heat created by the now removed main valve stack, and place it in the second shock. Some slightly stiffer coils springs or small spacers (to increase preload) could also reduce load on the hydraulic spring. Longer life and more Offroad beating ability all in one.

sign me up!

 

[SnoViking]

Digging back up an older thread and revisiting:

What have people been doing for shock/strut/actuator replacements?

It looks like you can pick up the front units for about $250/piece and the rears for about $50. In terms of Toyota OEM quality parts, that's not that bad.

Im at about 135k miles so I will probably be replacing my setup within the next year or so. The ride is still decent and I do not have any leaks but 135K on shocks is still a lot of mileage.

 

[RyanR]

No, the idea is the leave the AHC in tact, but remove the main damping valve stack from the inside of the AHC shocks. This leaves the hydraulic spring feature and partial damping of the driver adjustable electronic valve up by the accumulator alive and well. The damping that is lost from the main piston would be taken over the second/dual shock. This will reduce the load on the AHC... Especially heat created by the now removed main valve stack, and place it in the second shock. Some slightly stiffer coils springs or small spacers (to increase preload) could also reduce load on the hydraulic spring. Longer life and more Offroad beating ability all in one.

Since this thread got brought back from the dead, did you ever get anywhere with this project? Sounds like a very interesting option for us LX570 owners.

 

[TeCKis300]

Digging back up an older thread and revisiting:

What have people been doing for shock/strut/actuator replacements?

It looks like you can pick up the front units for about $250/piece and the rears for about $50. In terms of Toyota OEM quality parts, that's not that bad.

Im at about 135k miles so I will probably be replacing my setup within the next year or so. The ride is still decent and I do not have any leaks but 135K on shocks is still a lot of mileage.

AHC suspension doesn't wear in the way that a normal shock wears. There's no need to replace anything until there is an actual failure. Damping isn't controlled in the same way via stacked shims, hard working seals, sensitive valves, tuned orifices, and non-exchangeable/pre-pressurized fluid.

The damping force controllers are mechanically durable digitally controlled orifices. There's no pressurized fluid to leak down and wear as there's active pumps to pressurize the system.

The beauty of AHC, is that you can refresh and restore suspension performance with a simple on-board flush with fresh AHC fluid. Far easier than pulling 4 coilovers every 30-50k and sending it in for a rebuild. I reserve that for my fun cars.

The only breakdowns, very very few at that, I have read about are leaks in hydraulic lines due to living in the rust best. And weaping hydraulic struts which are cheaply replaced as noted in an above post.

Flush and enjoy! 200k and beyond, easy.

 

[bjowett]

It's been a while since I viewed the info on the system, but I'm fairly certain there are valve stacks in the main shock bodies. The damping duty is split between them and the upstream apparatus in the AHC.

Nothing has been done with this. No one has dropped off an LX and said have at it.

 

[RyanR]

It's been a while since I viewed the info on the system, but I'm fairly certain there are valve stacks in the main shock bodies. The damping duty is split between them and the upstream apparatus in the AHC.

Nothing has been done with this. No one has dropped off an LX and said have at it.

Well if you would only undertake the minor task of relocating yourself, shop, tools vendors and family to Denver I'd happily loan you mine lol

 

[koretex]

So the answer of where to buy OEM replacements, besides your dealership, still hasn't been answered.

My front passenger side is leaking so I'm going to replace both front and do a full system flush. My local Lexus dealership quoted me $800 to replace both front and do a full fluid flush, which I honestly thought was a pretty good deal, but I'd still rather save a few hundred and do it myself.

 

[TeCKis300]

It's been a while since I viewed the info on the system, but I'm fairly certain there are valve stacks in the main shock bodies. The damping duty is split between them and the upstream apparatus in the AHC.

Nothing has been done with this. No one has dropped off an LX and said have at it.

This got me curious enough to do some research.

While no direct info on the LX570 shocks, there has been disassembly of the the 100-series AHC shocks. Or should I say destructive teardown.

I stand corrected that there does look to be some very minimal shim stack within the shock itself. It has an incredibly beefy piston body to displace fluid for the remote components, which is still the primary suspension controls.

Who's going to be the first to tear down a 200-series shock?

AHC shock replacement source...NOT conversion as the search engine suggests

Looking for a good source to replace the leaking DS front shock. Thanks

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[richxd87]

LX570 AHC height modifications (lift it!)

Lift does not provide more tire size clearance. It only changes the starting point where the suspension starts cycling from. There are some minor exceptions to this and that is when you use the adjustable UCA's and bottom eccentrics to move the wheel position forward or backswards in the...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Forerunner]

Subscribed for future updates. Interested to see what secondary market solutions become available as these vehicles age. Also with the possibility of Toyota importing only the Lx in the future to the US market, I've got to think secondary support for the Lx is going to increase dramatically in the future.

 

[tbisaacs]

So the answer of where to buy OEM replacements, besides your dealership, still hasn't been answered.

My front passenger side is leaking so I'm going to replace both front and do a full system flush. My local Lexus dealership quoted me $800 to replace both front and do a full fluid flush, which I honestly thought was a pretty good deal, but I'd still rather save a few hundred and do it myself.

I bought mine on lexuspartsnow.com. They are not expensive.