Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I'm getting a slight but noticeable vibration in the floorpan/gas pedal area as well as in the steering wheel. This happens between 66-80mph, doesn't matter if I'm accelerating or just coasting.

Did a thorough inspection of all my suspension and wheels. Didn't find any free play, but I found two areas of concern in the front.

1. Half inch rust ring on the insides of both front brake rotors. Not sure if that would cause a vibration, but wouldn't hurt to get them resurfaced.



2. Lower control arm bushings are torn (the circular ones closer to the firewall)
This one is more likely to be the issue and it wouldn't hurt to replace, since the components are damaged anyway.

Passenger Side:



Driver Side:



Here is where I need your help

I can't decide on which brand to buy. I don't want to replace just the bushings as I don't have the time/tools for that. So my options are between aftermarket and factory LCA's.

RockAuto
1. Dorman $45/side
2. MOOG R Series $53/side
3. Mevotech Supreme $54/side

Looking at them, they appear identical. I don't know how to gauge the quality of these parts as there are no reviews to compare.

The only information I could find is people talking about Dorman. Some have mentioned that the bolt holes are a little tight compared to stock. And somebody said the arm is lighter than factory.

Are these parts made from scratch or are they refurbished from factory arms? I noticed the aftermarket arms have extra bolt holes that the ES does not use, possibly for other Toyota cars.

4. Lexus OE $192/side
Obviously the best choice here, but I'm not sure if it's worth the added cost. I have found that certain factory parts are definitely made better (struts, brake rotors), but I don't know if a control arm will matter as much.

Do you guys have any experience with these brands? Which would you choose?

80es300

I recently changed the lower control arms on my 98 es300 and since the ball joints were also old, I went with Beck/Arnley ones on rockauto because they had ball joint included. So check your ball joints.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Ball joints looked good. What did you think of the B&A quality?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Placed an order for Dorman LCA's on Amazon, will see how it goes.

blkdog444

I know you have place an order so this is for other viewers
Review on Beck/ Arnley lower control arms
I have over 4 yrs & 31,000kms or 20.000 miles on them and they have work well for now
they bolted right in place with no issues
( just have to align the rear bushing to the bolt holes first with a screwdriver )
4 hr job
4/10 skill level
Saved over 70% from Dealer and have no regrets so far

Power6

99% of the time a vibration is wheel balance. Those stick on weights fall off so easy. The bushings might be an issue, but it is usually ok for them to tear a bit before it is a problem. Any loose parts might amplify a vibration, but there has to be something to amplify.

If you do still decide to replace the LCAs...and you don't want to do the aftermarket...I have a whole front set of OEM arms and ball joints in the basement. Realistically I will never ever use them, I could get them to you for a good deal, you are always so helpful to everyone here.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I thought about the wheel balance issue, so I swapped the wheels front to back. The vibration stayed the same.

My other concern is the brake rotors, they have a thick layer of corrosion that carved grooves into the pads. Front brakes are 5 years old.

Passenger side rotor.


I took a look at the LCA bushings from underneath and did a one more check pushing and pulling all my front suspension - no free play.

This is a view of the passenger side from below.

Ultramiler

I did just the rear bushings on my control arms and I wish that I had gone with the complete arm. I ordered both the front and rear bushing kit and could not find any possible way to remove the front bushing. Just about every piece of rubber I came across was dry and cracked. I would recommend doing an overhaul on all of your bushings given the age of the car. I also replaced the lateral control arms, the bushings were shot and making a lot of clunking noise as well as giving me a wheel wobble on the highway that was worse when going around a curve. I got a set of all 4 lateral control arms from ebay. I found that I also needed the rear trailing arm bushings, but didn't have them on hand. If you have a lot of miles, your car is old, and it came from a climate like the midwest it probably needs a lot more than you think it needs. The body on my car isn't perfect and the inside was smoked in by the previous owner so I didn't feel like investing in factory parts... I wish I did, I have had a lot of headache from aftermarket crap. Lexus parts are superior, there is no question. If it were a chevy aftermarket parts might be the same or better, but you just can't touch the quality of OEM Lexus parts. They lasted over 100K and 18 years and performed flawlessly until the moment of failure if you plan on keeping your car for a long time, money isn't a huge issue and you don't want a headache go OEM.

HomerJay

I would replace the rotors, they are badly corroded and likely too damaged to be resurfaced. I agree with you, they may be the cause of your vibration.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

So I went ahead an replaced my front brakes. HomerJay, just like you suspected, I had to replace the rotors as well.

My brake calipers started leaking after compressing the pistons, so I replaced those as well. Went with A1 Cardone Ultra from RockAuto. All new brake fluid too.

The good: brakes feel great.
The bad: vibration is still there

Next I dropped the car off for an alignment and a wheel balance.

The salesperson at the shop recommended new tires, due to an uneven wear pattern on mine. The edges are worn more than the middle, and he suggested that it could cause a shimmy on the highway.

The tires have always been at 30-32psi and I've had alignments done once to twice a year.

Not sure how much I trust their word, but I'm willing to try new theories.

After the alignment and wheels balance, the vibration is still there between 60-80mph.

My next test will be to try my winter set of wheels/tires.

fortitude

Sounds like a possible bent rim. You will find out when you change the tire/rims to your winter set.

How does the rear suspension parts look?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

EDIT 8/18/16: Jumped to a conclusion without giving it more time. The winter wheels also vibrate.


Original Post: The rear looks good, no free play.

So the good news: there is no vibration with the winter set.

I'm going to test two summer wheels on the front with two winter wheels in the back. This should tell me which wheel is having issues.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

EDIT 8/18/16: This was a false positive. The wheels are not the issue.

Original Post: Found the culprit - it's one of the wheels.

After multiple wheel changes and test drives, I was able to find the bad wheel.

This is just another reason why having two sets of wheels is great. You can also do this with a spare tire, it will just take a bit longer.

I'm going to stop by the shop again and see if they can tell me why the wheel is bad. Visually I don't see anything obvious.

80es300

Good to hear that you found the culprit. Did you hit a curb or anything like that? Is this one of your new GS rims?
I recently felt vibration on my car when I took it for balancing, that guy was saying... these are old rims and all that BS. Anyways, let us know what you find out about your wheel issue.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Yes, this is one of the GS wheels. This wheel is from the passenger side (directional tires). It has minor curb rash from a year ago, but I didn't have any issues then. I also remember having to patch one of the passenger side tires a few years ago. I don't recall hitting any major potholes recently, but I'm sure it could have happened without me paying attention.

I'm hoping it's the tire and not the rim.