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

[eurocarfanatic]

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

Yes. The glass is upgraded, which necessitated the clips. I detailed all that at the top of the thread.

 

[APIOQM]

Great write up. I do wonder what the purpose of those clips is. If they’re pushing the window tighter against the seals, could they possibly reduce some noise intrusion on their own?

 

[eurocarfanatic]

Great write up. I do wonder what the purpose of those clips is. If they’re pushing the window tighter against the seals, could they possibly reduce some noise intrusion on their own?

Possibly. It did seem even quieter when I took it out a couple of hours ago, after the retention clips were installed.

 

[APIOQM]

I have another question for you. Could you tell if the level of tint on the Lexus glass is the same as the Toyota glass? This would be relevant if someone wanted to only replace the driver's side. The only real NVH issue I notice on this vehicle is a wind/whistle noise from the driver's side mirror at higher speeds, which I'm sure everyone is familiar with.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

I have another question for you. Could you tell if the level of tint on the Lexus glass is the same as the Toyota glass? This would be relevant if someone wanted to only replace the driver's side. The only real NVH issue I notice on this vehicle is a wind/whistle noise from the driver's side mirror at higher speeds, which I'm sure everyone is familiar with.

It looked the same to me. That said, my front windows were already tinted and I had the new ones tinted promptly after this retrofit.

 

[fftfk]

I wonder if it would be cheaper to have the glass tinted while it is out of the car vs in? I have my front windows tinted currently. Maybe I could just drop off the new windows prior to installation to have them installed

 

[eurocarfanatic]

I wonder if it would be cheaper to have the glass tinted while it is out of the car vs in? I have my front windows tinted currently. Maybe I could just drop off the new windows prior to installation to have them installed

I wouldn’t imagine it makes too much of a difference to an experienced tint installer. My guys charged me $100 per window for their best, double-layer ceramic tint (which may also contribute nominally to noise mitigation)

 

[TakaraLC]

Possibly. It did seem even quieter when I took it out a couple of hours ago, after the retention clips were installed.

I wonder installing the clips to non-acoustic window would helps with noise. I doubt it would help with wind noise, but it may improve window rattling.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

I wonder installing the clips to non-acoustic window would helps with noise. I doubt it would help with wind noise, but it may improve window rattling.

Possibly.

 

[lar317]

I road in my Daughters Honda Pilot yesterday, noticed it had Lamipane side windows and had clips, I wonder if a shop would do this install work, maybe a dealer ?

 

[Sugarloafer80]

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.

People that hate music bother me...................

 

[TakaraLC]

Possibly.

I will install the clip on with regular windows and report. For only ~$5, it is a cheap test.

I actually found the same part in Toyota (same part number but with a "-"). Toyota part number for the clip is 62367-60030 for anyone interested.

Toyota Door Window Glass Clip #62367-60030 | Autoparts.toyota.com

Genuine Toyota Door Window Glass Clip secures front door glass for smooth window operation, proper fit, and lasting alignment.

autoparts.toyota.com

 

[eurocarfanatic]

People that hate music bother me...................

Who says I hate music?

 

[eurocarfanatic]

I will install the clip on with regular windows and report. For only ~$5, it is a cheap test.

I actually found the same part in Toyota (same part number but with a "-"). Toyota part number for the clip is 62367-60030 for anyone interested.

Toyota Door Window Glass Clip #62367-60030 | Autoparts.toyota.com

Genuine Toyota Door Window Glass Clip secures front door glass for smooth window operation, proper fit, and lasting alignment.

autoparts.toyota.com

It’s the same part for all the Toyota and Lexus vehicles that use that kind of clip. I saw it was even listed as a part for the Toyota Probox, which is a rather utilitarian little thing that certainly wouldn’t have any kind of acoustic side glass.

Yes, do try it and let us know what you think. I suspect it won’t help much—because what I hear is the wind beyond the glass, not the glass itself moving—but it is indeed a cheap experiment.

 

[eurocarfanatic]

I road in my Daughters Honda Pilot yesterday, noticed it had Lamipane side windows and had clips, I wonder if a shop would do this install work, maybe a dealer ?

A Honda Pilot? Impressive. I'm sure a dealer or window replacement shop could do it for you. They'd probably charge an hour of labor.

 

[ultane]

I wonder if it would be cheaper to have the glass tinted while it is out of the car vs in? I have my front windows tinted currently. Maybe I could just drop off the new windows prior to installation to have them installed

I installed Llumar window tint to support my young family in ‘81 and ‘82. Back then, I had to cut out the film with the glass still in the car.

Now, the companies have CNC machines that cut out the film as it comes off of a large roll. So, the only benefit is having the glass at whatever angle you desire to install the new film.. And less mess (very mildly soapy water) to wipe up after installing it with the glass in situ.

Even as much film as I have installed in situ, personally, I would rather have the glass out of the vehicle to apply new film. I only had to do this two or three times in the ‘80’s. Just be aware that you would need to let it cure (‘dry’) for several days before reinstalling the glass into the door. Otherwise, you risk pealing off some small corner of the film while fiddling with it.

 

[GrayBeard]

People that hate music bother me...................

Who says I hate music?

Off topic but...I listen to audio books on my 45 minute commute because I don't get to read as much as I'd like. That being said, music for when other people are in the car or if I'm tired. The audio books can lull me into complacency.

But I think we can all agree that we hate drivers who watch videos while driving. Wish I was joking, but with hours on the road every day, I'm seeing it more and more.

 

[dvtrieu33]

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:

View attachment 57883 View attachment 57884 View attachment 57885

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.

View attachment 57886
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!!)

View attachment 57887 View attachment 57888


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.

Installed these on my LC and I think it makes a huge difference in reducing wind noise as well as eliminating the rattle noise on the front passenger side.

Amazon.com

 

[what_have_they_done]

Lc250 is already pretty quiet, wonder data wise how much quieter that makes it?

 

[juevi]

I thought about doing this since I purchased the LC. Great work and write up. Thank you!