LS500h Air Suspension Question

SH20 · November 30, 2023

I'm guessing the dealer will be able to clarify this question when I collect the LS tomorrow but I like to sense check against members knowledge as often they know more than dealers.

Does the air suspension fitted to this car require to be put into a jacking mode before lifting any corner of the car or when all 4 wheels are lifted off the ground on a 2 post lift when the wheels hang down unsupported. I ask because one of my previous vehicles had to be put into jack Mode before it was lifted into the air. If you didn't the ECU's controlling the suspension would fail to recognise the change the air struts were in and when it was lowered on the floor the ride hide went bonkers and the struts would no longer do their job. In fact the suspension went rock hard.

I will check the handbook if I get a vague answer from the dealer but maybe someone has an opinion.

I also did a little research on the run flat tyres the car has and imagined it was some sort of lubricant that was released when the tyre went flat, a bit like the old Denovo tyres that existed decades ago. I was pleased to see that run flat tyres today rely on a very strong reinforced sidewall which will support the weight of the car when flat or losing pressure. This then allows for a conventional vulcanised puncture repair but the car can run for up to 50 miles at approx 50 mph. I have taken out a 3 year tyre insurance policy with the dealer for £275 which allows for unlimited puncture repairs and 5 new tyres if a tyre can't be repaired but with a £300 limit per tyre. Seems like a reasonably priced option to me.

cruisermark · November 30, 2023

According to this manual yes

Replacing The Tire; Before Jacking Up The Vehicle - Lexus LS500 Owner's Manual [Page 405] | ManualsLib

hockeyedwards · November 30, 2023

Yes, I believe someone on the FB group had this exact issue and was unaware that the 'height control system' needed to be disabled. Also watched a rebuild channel put an RS6 on a 4 post lift without disabling the air ride. Fun to watch, not so much when you're in that position!

SH20 · November 30, 2023

Thanks Mark and Kieran, although the online 2017 LS500h manual could only be be viewed on my laptop but wouldn't save to my laptop I could read the height control disable process which appears to be via the steering wheel function controls in settings.

So I'm glad I now know you have to switch it off if you want or need to take a wheel off. It would appear it automatically reverts back to normal operation once the car reaches over 19 mph. Should I assume the technicians know all about this as I've arranged to have a look at the underside of the car on a lift which is likely to be a 2 post lift. Let's hope so.

hockeyedwards · November 30, 2023

Just ask the question when you go to see it, can't hurt and hopefully they'll just confirm that they knew what they were doing as they'll likely have a book time that comes with instruction. Plus once you have the confirmation, if there are any problems you've had their word and it has atleast been to a dealer rather than independent/ other.

scythe · December 1, 2023

Hi Steve,

If you've got the manual in a window in your browser, the downward arrow at the right hand side will save the file to your downloads ...

... next to my red arrow

: o )

scythe · December 1, 2023

Oh! and as you'll have runflats, you'll only have 4 tyres, not 5. There will not be a spare!

: o )

8 hours ago, SH20 said:

unlimited puncture repairs and 5 new tyres if a tyre can't be repaired

cruisermark · December 1, 2023

7 hours ago, scythe said:

Oh! and as you'll have runflats, you'll only have 4 tyres, not 5. There will not be a spare!

: o )

He is used to that ! 😁

SH20 · December 2, 2023

Collected car on the 1st Dec and saw the car on a 4 post ride on lift, all ok underneath, no scuffs or broken/damaged undertrays etc. It looks like a tank underneath and the jacking points are a work of art, solid aluminum castings in each corner unlike other Lexus cars which rely on the sill flange seam to support the car. I guess the weight of the car requires a bit more support/strength when it's raised.

The car was riding high as it was driven on the ramp and asking the technician if they de activate the air suspension if they use a two post lift which would allow the 4 wheels to hang down he said no, it just sorts itself out he said so clearly they do not not. Prior to taking the car home it settled down to a normal height and access to turning it off is via the settings which you access via the steering wheel buttons so it can be deactivated and will auto reset to active as soon as the car drives off. When the wheels come for cleaning I will de active the system as per the handbook.

Prior to looking into what a modern run flat tyre was I had considered keeping my space saver wheel out of my ES but doesn't seem to be much point. I paid for the tyre insurance policy before I left as a back up. Must find the locking wheel nut as I don't remember seeing it. The only tool in the boot is a tow eye. I have a couple of weeks detailing the car ahead of me and waiting on half a litre of Swissvax leather cleaner to arrive from Switzerland, the best cleaner out there.

SH20 · December 5, 2023

Turned off the access mode for the air suspension, not sure why 40mm difference getting in and out of the car helps, in fact the pump would be working during these up and down movements for little real advantage. There is only 2 parking heights, normal and high and in the high position the car looks silly when parked up. I can see a benefit in snow conditions when you activate it and I assume in Sport mode or Sport mode + the car hunkers down automatically anyway. Makes sense to deactivate if a wheel is removed for any reason.

b4u2 · December 5, 2023

@SH20

Hi Steve,

are you one of the only people in the country with the ls500h?

they are very rare and hardly see any.

PS. I travel a lot so that's saying something.

scythe · December 5, 2023

Hi Steve, don't be so harsh about your suspension! The car has three height positions, one is the low position - that's it's standard ride height, and the low parking height. The high position is when you raise the car when driving, or park it high. The access height is to help the elderly get in and particularly out of the car. For me, it is an improvement. It lines my hip and knee up so I can get out of the car more easily. If you're young or fit, then it may well not be of importance to you.

Compared to your old 460SEL (I had one too, which I directly swapped for my LS500h) the seat and the driving position are different. The seat is totally adjustable - it can be moulded to your body, and is a lot more comfortable. You sit lower in the 500, with your legs more stretched out. This improves ride comfort and body comfort. But these things could have made it harder for someone older, taller, and more rigid (me!) to get in and out, especially as the door aperture is about 10 cm smaller than before.

Incidentally, it was a while before I realised that the way to access and leave the car wasn't to let the steering wheel move away towards the dashboard. This just slightly trapped my legs behind it. Instead, I've set the auto-slide option. When you power down the car, and undo your seatbelt, the driver's seat is now automatically set to slide back, to a position where my head doesn't interfere with the top of the door aperture. When the seatbelt is done up the seat moves forwards.

The 460 was different. It also had three height positions. It could go high, but it's default position was medium. It did go low, but only when the speed reached 60mph, at which point the ride became noticeably better.

They haven't got everything right, but Lexus do seem to have seriously considered the ergonomics of this new car.

SH20 · December 6, 2023

I believe b4u2 that there are about 100 LS sales a year in this country so yes not surprised that they not so common on the roads in the UK. This car was one of those models that I had always thought was out of reach because in this country we get taken to the cleaners when it comes to list pricing. I understand fully that the USA are Toyota's biggest market and the yanks just won't pay sky high prices but car makers know in the UK they can charge what they like. A $100,000 car in the States will be a £130,000 in this country for the very same vehicle, nothing really to do with transport costs or exchange rates, they just know we have always been a soft touch.

Moving on, this car was older than my trade in, a 2022 ES300h with Premium Pack but the LS feels and drives like a much younger car and the specification is off the charts for sure. I would think the difference in model, age and spec in monetary terms was about £10K approx in 2023. This will likely be a keeper, my sixth Lexus and under the Lexus Relax warranty scheme should be very reliable. Although Lexus have now dropped the word Relax from their sales pitch and just say a 10 year warranty based on servicing the car once a year or every 10,000 miles up to 100,000 miles. I did add the LS to the My Lexus App on my phone and noticed in the service history it had a fuel pump in the last six years, just one fuel pump in all that time under warranty. No wonder dealers say they wouldn't mind doing more warranty work if they could get it as it's very profitable I'm told. I bet Jaguar Land Rover would just love the warranty rate numbers Lexus have. Today I am going to clean specifically the driver's seat and although black leather masks dirt well I can assure you after six years it will looked transformed using Swissvax leather cleaner the best leather cleaner there is. I'll post a picture.

cruisermark · December 6, 2023

Looking forward to pictures . . .

SH20 · December 6, 2023

Kevin, I bow to your superior knowledge and benefits of the LS500's air suspension. I consider myself an older person and reasonably fit and healthy and from memory don't ever remember using the air suspension in the LS460 SE-L I had back in 2015. I knew it existed but rarely used it but as you say the technical differences are significant in the LS500 in terms of access and seat/steering wheel positioning etc. I have to assume the suspension goes low in Sport and Sport + due to the way the car responds to throttle imputs but actually can't see it from my seat or even get a sense it has gone lower. The only thing I would have liked to have been able to do would have been to lift off the rear screens on the front seats which will get no real use from me. But as they are fixed that's not possible. The wife does love the otterman though especially when the massage function is on and the spot heat is activated.

scythe · December 6, 2023

It does all take a while to get through the user manual! The car's lowest height is its lowest height - it has no further room to drop down in sport modes.

What the sport mode does is to give you sharper engine/motor/gearbox responses, whilst tightening up the suspension. Sport + mode tightens the suspension up even more, but you're already in the best power settings.

In the end, you'll start to look at the custom settings menu. Mine is set to normal air conditioning, normal suspension, sport power setting.

Have fun!

: o )