Rx300 ride height

[Nickyt211]

Hello

i brought my rx300 a few weeks ago now as helped by you all in my previous post. I'm now looking into the adjustable coilovers it has fitted. I'm sure that at the minute it is set too low. I'm going to be taking it to a garage this week so I wanted to ask, Does anyone know what the standard ride height should be for a 2004 rx300? So that I can tell them. The other question is is it something I could do myself or is a professional advised.

thanks guys

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, Nickyt211 said:

Hello

i brought my rx300 a few weeks ago now as helped by you all in my previous post. I'm now looking into the adjustable coilovers it has fitted. I'm sure that at the minute it is set too low. I'm going to be taking it to a garage this week so I wanted to ask, Does anyone know what the standard ride height should be for a 2004 rx300? So that I can tell them. The other question is is it something I could do myself or is a professional advised.

thanks guys

The ground clearance for a 2nd Generation Lexus RX is exactly 7.09 inches which is 180mm 

I'd be letting a professional do that unless you know how to work a jack and have axle stands so it doesn't fall on you

[NemesisUK]

The suspension geometry will need checking and probably correcting once the ride height is changed.

[Nickyt211]

Noted I'll get it done properly. Is that measurement from the floor or the wheel? 

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, Nickyt211 said:

Noted I'll get it done properly. Is that measurement from the floor or the wheel? 

It's the ground clearance so will be from the floor to the lowest part of the car at any point - good mechanic will know what you mean 

[sorcerer]

2 hours ago, rayaans said:

The ground clearance for a 2nd Generation Lexus RX is exactly 7.09 inches which is 180mm 

I'd be letting a professional do that unless you know how to work a jack and have axle stands so it doesn't fall on you

Rayann is correct to say 180mm but I just wanted to point out that that is the minimum clearance, so presumably it can be higher if so desired. I have no idea what the consequences of that would be, whether it would give a better or worse ride, whether it would be safer or not, I don't know - it just strikes me that as they spec it as a minimum, then there must be room for manoeuvre as it were.

 

[NemesisUK]

Ride height is from the floor to a specific point on the suspension mounting crossmember but as Rayaans says, a knowledgeable mechanic should know. 

Try and find an alignment specialist. I used Wheels in Motion might be a bit far for you but they are the gurus where suspension geometry is concerned. They set up my lowered coil-over setup on my Mercedes. 

[Nickyt211]

My husband has measured and at the minute it's measuring from the floor to the lowest part which is the sill. 185mm so just above minimum. On a website we found specified that from the centre of wheel hub to the highest point of the arch it should be 45cm on the front and 47cm on the back which sounds right as mine is running 2-3cm lower than that they seem all over the place 

[rayaans]

2 hours ago, Nickyt211 said:

My husband has measured and at the minute it's measuring from the floor to the lowest part which is the sill. 185mm so just above minimum. On a website we found specified that from the centre of wheel hub to the highest point of the arch it should be 45cm on the front and 47cm on the back which sounds right as mine is running 2-3cm lower than that they seem all over the place 

The lowest part of the vehicle includes any components which aren't supposed to touch the ground. Id check underneath the car as from memory there are components lower than the sill. I think it may be one of the pipes for the exhaust or the space saver carriage. 

In my 450h the lowest part is an exhaust pipe in the mid section which is lower than the sill.

[Silversalmon]

13 hours ago, rayaans said:

The lowest part of the vehicle includes any components which aren't supposed to touch the ground. Id check underneath the car as from memory there are components lower than the sill. I think it may be one of the pipes for the exhaust or the space saver carriage. 

In my 450h the lowest part is an exhaust pipe in the mid section which is lower than the sill.

That's a very pertinent point, well observed. Yes, having had a peek under mine there are certainly items lower than the sill.

[Nickyt211]

I assumed it meant the sill as surely the underbody parts wouldn't change height massively as the wheel height won't change with the suspension. I.e all the axels transmission etc. 

[NemesisUK]

Stub axles are the only parts that don't change height above the road. All other bits of the car are supported by the springs and they determine the ride height.