J250 Wind Noise, Upgrading to the GX 550's acoustic front door glass (yes, you can!)

[eurocarfanatic]

To make a long story short, I was one of the many folks who was pretty disappointed with the LC's noise at highway speeds. So I pored over the GX 550's catalog to see what was different, and the biggest thing was of course the acoustic (aka laminated or double-pane) front door glass on most versions of the GX, in fact all trims other than the Base and Overtrail. The Land Cruiser does not offer acoustic front door glass on any trim. Oddly, the 4Runner does have acoustic front door glass, for Limited and Platinum trims. There are other differences, too, and I'll get to those at a later time, but I was surprised at just what was common between the GX w/acoustic glass and LC, door-wise. I figured, minimally, the window regulator/motor and window seal were different, but no. Those part numbers are identical.

The GX does list multiple glass versions for the front door, for versions with and without the acoustic package. All parts dealing with the acoustic package are listed as being for the "NV PACKAGE HIGH GRADE" in the Lexus catalog, and that was how I figured it out. Again, it's not just the front door glass, as Lexus took other measures with seals and sound deadening, but the front glass is a good start. You can readily identify the acoustic glass because it says "LAMIPANE", instead of "TEMPERLITE" in the bottom right corner, and of course looking at the edge of the glass, you can see it's two panes sandwiched together.

I must also stress that the GX, like most vehicles that aren't the price of a Rolls-Royce, only has acoustic glass on the front doors, windshield and sunroof. Possibly not even the windshield and pano sunroof, which have to be laminated anyway. The rear door, rear quarter panel and liftgate glass is just regular single-pane tempered stuff, identical to what's in the LC in those places other than that the GX's is labeled "Lexus" instead of "Toyota". But even my prior car, a Range Rover Autobiography costing $140K when new, didn't have acoustic glass aft of the front doors. I guess it's not necessary, since the wind isn't hitting those areas as fiercely.

I test drove a used 2024 GX 550 Luxury+ last week and confirmed that it was indeed much quieter at highway speeds. I looked at it and confirmed where it had acoustic versus tempered glass. Here's what I discovered:

So I felt confident getting the glass, for starters. Here's what I got:

Part No.	Part Desc.	Qty	Unit Price
6810260870	Acoustic Door Glass, Left Front	1	$437.73
6810160870	Acoustic Door Glass, Right Front	1	$475.45

I also noticed that versions of the GX 550 with acoustic glass, including the one I test drove, had these small little retention clips on the leading edges of the window seals. According to my cursory research, these are to hold the thicker acoustic glass in lateral tension and stop it from rattling.

So I ordered one for each side. Those are:

Part No.	Part Desc.	Qty	Unit Price
6236760030	Door Glass Attaching Clips, Left and Right	2	$5.11

Taking the door apart is a pretty simple process (the J250 is dead-simple to disassemble), and the glass transplant was a success. The mechanism isn't behaving any differently with the slightly thicker glass, nor is it binding on the window seals. So, all is good. I haven't figured out how to attach the retention clips, but the car doesn't seem to need them in the short term.

It's not as quiet as the GX 550 Luxury+ I test-drove last week, but it's a ton quieter than it was with just the tempered glass and is already what I would consider acceptable for livability. Like I said, there are some other differences between the GX w/acoustic package and the LC, like some additional seals and sound deadening. I figure the acoustic front door glass combined with tacosupreme___'s comprehensive and amazing sound deadening tutorial would meet or exceed a GX 550 in terms of overall quietness at higher speeds, so I'll pull the panels back apart and try some of those enhancements later. But this is a good start. I will, of course, have to go and get my front windows tinted all over again, though (grr!!)

I'll post a tutorial on exactly what I did soon, although it's straightforward if you know how to replace front door glass in most cars.

 

[b407driver]

Good write up, thanks for documenting. Did you happen to capture any (objective) sound data at highway speeds before/after? Would be super-interesting to see the difference. I perceive most of my noise to come through the sunroof most of the time.

 

[Altitude]

Fantastic write up, thanks. I’m very interested.

I’ve had my door cards off several times to do speaker installs; I agree it is very simple. You blew by the effort level to actually install the window glass a little - could you say a little more about that process and what tools you used, etc?

As goes the tint - did you have your OEM windows tinted beyond what they came with from Toyota?

 

[eurocarfanatic]

Good write up, thanks for documenting. Did you happen to capture any (objective) sound data at highway speeds before/after? Would be super-interesting to see the difference. I perceive most of my noise to come through the sunroof most of the time.

I did not, and I wish I had. But it's quite a bit quieter now.
Another difference between the LC and GX with the acoustic package ("NV PACKAGE HIGH GRADE") is a set of seals that go around the leading edges of the front doors, around the hinges. The LC does not have these. They seal up the gap in the forward part of the door when it is closed, and I'm sure that cuts down on wind noise, too.

Part No.	Part Desc.	Qty.	Price
6786660020	Door Seal, Left Front	1	$62.50
6786560020	Door Seal, Right Front	1	$61.29

I have both of these, for left and right, but they are extremely difficult to install, even after unbolting the door checks to get a little extra room. What's more, the LC's door skins lack the middle two holes for these pieces to clip in, and even I draw the line at drilling holes into a brand-new $70K+ car. I haven't figured out how to finagle them into place with the doors installed, so most likely the doors would need to come off to place them. And they'd have to rely upon double-sided tape in the middle, since the holes for the middle two clips are missing on the LC. The upper and lower holes are there, though, and are covered by rubber grommets in the LC.

I neglected to get on top of the Overtrail+ demonstrator at the Lexus dealership and see which sunroof it has (standard or panoramic), and whether the glass is laminated--which would afford some wind noise mitigation--or (as in the LC) tempered. I'll go by and ask later. I didn't see anything denoting "NV PACKAGE HIGH GRADE" for the GX as far as sunroof glass, just two part numbers for standard and panoramic. Still, it's possible the GX's standard sunroof is a higher grade of glass and if so, that's another potential upgrade.

 

[Esquire]

Great research and well written. I assumed acoustic glass was simply a marketing tool which had a minimal effect.

It is strange LC doesn't have it with the Premium Package. However, with the GX Overtrail not having it also, this makes sense as this is the model the LC aligns most closely with.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

Fantastic write up, thanks. I’m very interested.

I’ve had my door cards off several times to do speaker installs; I agree it is very simple. You blew by the effort level to actually install the window glass a little - could you say a little more about that process and what tools you used, etc?

As goes the tint - did you have your OEM windows tinted beyond what they came with from Toyota?

I'll do a full writeup later, but if you've already got the door cards and moisture barrier off, you are 95% of the way to getting the glass off.

The first step at that point is to remove the bottom window seal. This just slots in to the windowsill area and pops right up with no force.

From there, there are two bolts holding the window to the regulator. There's a small grommet on the lower part of the door that comes out, exposing a cavity. You'll roll the window down to the point that the forward bolt for the window is accessible. At the same time, the cavity left by the missing moisture barrier will give you access to the rearward window bolt. Undo those and slide the glass up and toward you, with the leading part angled down, and it comes right out. Like most things, these bolts are 10mm.

The glass comes with the plastic clip that bolts to the regulator already bonded to it, so literally the only thing you need to do this is the glass itself.

Installation is the reverse of disassembly.

As far as my tint, mine came from the dealership with a 20% tint on the front door windows, to match the privacy glass on the rest of the car. Naturally, the glass doesn't come from the factory (either on assembled cars or from the parts warehouse) with any real tint, so I had to have the new Lexus glass tinted. I just got back from doing that. My tint shop said a 15% tint was a better match for the rear glass from the outside, and I think they were right.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

Great research and well written. I assumed acoustic glass was simply a marketing tool which had a minimal effect.

It is strange LC doesn't have it with the Premium Package. However, with the GX Overtrail not having it also, this makes sense as this is the model the LC aligns most closely with.

True. I think my expectations are just higher because I'm used to cars with acoustic front glass, and the J250's boxy profile needs all the help it can get, so Toyota should have included it on at least the nicer ones. I'm also surprised because the newest 4Runner Limited and Platinum, which are less boxy in the first place, have laminated front door glass. So do some other Toyotas, like upper trims of the Sienna, Highlander and Grand Highlander. And the Land Cruiser is still a premium car with a premium price, after all, and it's actually more expensive than all of those.

But it's all relative. My boyfriend--who is a rural mail carrier--drives a RHD '22 Wrangler for work. Compared to that thing, the LC and GX in any guise are practically library-silent for wind noise. He didn't know what I was complaining about when I told him it was driving me crazy on the LC, because he's used to his Wrangler.

I also listen to podcasts and audiobooks more than music during long highway drives, so there's not as much to cover up the wind noise.

 

[munkeeboi]

Great research and well written. I assumed acoustic glass was simply a marketing tool which had a minimal effect.

It is strange LC doesn't have it with the Premium Package. However, with the GX Overtrail not having it also, this makes sense as this is the model the LC aligns most closely with.

The standard Overtrail doesn't have the acoustic glass, but the Overtrail + model DOES have it

 

[eurocarfanatic]

The standard Overtrail doesn't have the acoustic glass, but the Overtrail + model DOES have it

Yes. Overtrail+ does have it. The demonstrator I looked at to confirm a couple of things with the acoustic glass was an Overtrail+. As far as I know, it’s only the Base and Overtrail (non-plus) versions of the GX that lack it.

 

[jedyxu]

wow, you are the lord's work! I'm glad that you made it work. I tried to buy the 550 glass from the lexus dealership but quickly returned them as i found out that it is not laminated for some reason. You must have found the correct part number, but damn those are some expensive glasses. I'm super glad that it is doing a lot though, do you have a roof rack or factory cross bar? if so, does it cut down the wind noise up top as well?

 

[APIOQM]

Great research. Have you been able to find a way to attached the retention clips you mentioned in the original post?

Let us know if you have any luck getting those door seals installed. I think with two mounting points and 3M double sided tape, they would be pretty secure. The new problem is, I think any noise improvement at this point will be so incremental you won't notice it, though safe to assume Toyota engineers are adding these things for good reason.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

wow, you are the lord's work! I'm glad that you made it work. I tried to buy the 550 glass from the lexus dealership but quickly returned them as i found out that it is not laminated for some reason. You must have found the correct part number, but damn those are some expensive glasses. I'm super glad that it is doing a lot though, do you have a roof rack or factory cross bar? if so, does it cut down the wind noise up top as well?

I do have the factory roof rack, and the crossbars. I had removed the crossbars but actually put them back on today, and they’re creating some noise at 70+ MPH, but not as much as the noise that was at ear-level with the non-acoustic tempered glass, so I’m okay with where it’s at now.

The acoustic glass I installed does not help with the noise up top, no.

That said, I still need to see if the non-pano sunroof on the GX has superior glass there.

 

[jbtaco2002]

more money i wasn't planning to spend... but i notice a LOT of wind noise coming from the side mirror. and I get it, it's a giant rectangle, but it also whistles at about 25MPH where the side marker/blinker recess is, i notice this with the window open

great post here OP!

edit, also looks like you may be able to find a bit cheaper:

 

[Esquire]

more money i wasn't planning to spend... but i notice a LOT of wind noise coming from the side mirror. and I get it, it's a giant rectangle, but it also whistles at about 25MPH where the side marker/blinker recess is, i notice this with the window open

great post here OP!

edit, also looks like you may be able to find a bit cheaper:

Are you planning on installing those yourself? That looks like a project that I would make go wrong rather quickly.

 

[jbtaco2002]

Are you planning on installing those yourself? That looks like a project that I would make go wrong rather quickly.

if, and that's a big if, i were to buy this glass, absolutely would install myself! super easy, just don't drop it on the concrete! lol

 

[ultane]

if, and that's a big if, i were to buy this glass, absolutely would install myself! super easy, just don't drop it on the concrete! lol

Me too. Though it’s been 40+ years since I have done this.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

Are you planning on installing those yourself? That looks like a project that I would make go wrong rather quickly.

It's super easy, and this is coming from someone who is a clutz. The J250 in general is much easier to disassemble than the British and German cars I'm used to.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

RE the Sunroof Glass

I went back to the Lexus dealership and looked at their GX 550 Overtrail+ demonstrator with the acoustic glass. Sure enough, it had the non-panoramic roof, and the glass was merely tempered.

With that final bit of info, here's what we now definitively know about the GX glass for units with the acoustic package:

Type	Description	Areas of J250 GX 550 w/ Acoustic Glass Package	Areas of J250 Land Cruiser Prado
LAMIPANE	Double-pane glass with a thicker vinyl layer between the panes, mainly for noise mitigation	Front Doors
LAMISAFE	Double-pane glass with a thinner vinyl layer between the panes; has some noise mitigation, but is mostly for safety	Windshield, Sunroof (if Panoramic)	Windshield
TEMPERLITE	Ordinary automotive-grade tempered glass; has little to no noise mitigation	Rear Doors, Rear Quarter Panels, Liftgate, Sunroof (if Standard)	Front Doors, Rear Doors, Rear Quarter Panels, Liftgate, Sunroof

So we can surmise that there's nothing to gain by upgrading the sunroof glass to that of the standard/non-pano glass on the GX. It's probably the exact same thing apart from the Lexus logo. Possibly the GX's sunroof cover is doing some additional noise mitigation versus the LC's, and if so, that's an easy fix.

RE the Glass Retention Clips

I wasn't comfortable asking someone if I could pull apart their GX to see how the clips were in, but I took another crack at it in the waning daylight and figured it out. Once again, the part numbers for the retaining clips are:

Part No.	Part Desc.	Qty	Unit Price
6236760030	Door Glass Attaching Clips, Left and Right	2	$5.11

Once you've rolled down the window and have the window rubber on the leading edge of the door peeled back, you can see a little hole about halfway down the A-pillar. There are three holes in the metal part of the retaining clip. I lined up the middle hole with the hole in the door and pressed in until it snapped into place. The hole in the door isn't threaded and I'm sure a pin goes in there, but I couldn't find that pin in the catalog and the clip stays just fine with tension. All you have to do from there is just put back the window seal and roll the window up. The edge of the clip sits right against the window, keeping it in place.

So the easiest tell-tale for a GX with acoustic glass, short of walking up to it and reading the labels on the front door glass, is to look for those little retaining clips. Again, only the Base (Premium) and Overtrail trims lack the acoustic glass, so the rest of them should have it.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

more money i wasn't planning to spend... but i notice a LOT of wind noise coming from the side mirror. and I get it, it's a giant rectangle, but it also whistles at about 25MPH where the side marker/blinker recess is, i notice this with the window open

great post here OP!

edit, also looks like you may be able to find a bit cheaper:

Yeah, it really varies by area. I ordered from my second-nearest dealer, Lexus of Tulsa (Oklahoma), and just drove the hour and a half to pick everything up yesterday evening. Wherever you order from, it goes to the Lexus dealer's parts dept first, and then they either ship it to you or you pick it up. So while I could have bought from the dealership you mentioned in Florida and saved quite a bit, I'd have been waiting a while for them to turn around and ship everything to me.

 

[TakaraLC]

Did you upgrade glass as well, or only added clips?