srqGS350

Hi all, first post and my first Lexus. Before the holidays I purchased a '14 GS 350 as a replacement for my BMW 335d that was spending more time at BMW than on the road. The two cars are worlds apart with differences but both have some great characteristics. One of the most difficult items I am trying to get used to with my GS is how easy the car is redirected when rolling over a bump in the road. An example is rolling over a slightly raised section of the road, my car feels like I am rolling off the side of a hill and if not corrected for the car would go in a totally different direction than straight ahead. While on my BMW if the wheel was pointed straight it would go straight regardless of bumps in the road. On cement roads where there are grooves this characteristic is highlighted even more.

My first thought was alignment so I visited the dealer for an alignment, some improvement but not really a difference. I was wondering if what I so poorly described is common or expected with this car and if anyone has overcome the ease of redirection by aggressive alignment or something else.

Appreciate any thoughts or feedback. In the mean time I have been enjoying the car but trying to get over this oddity.

AJLex19

If the alignment seemed to help, I would then go the route of checking wheels to see if they are out of round and if the tires are worn/uneven.

Also: Handling characteristics vary from car to car, but hitting a bump and veering one way seems a bit out of character for any 4GS...indicate wheel/tire/suspension/alignment may be out of sync somehow. Is the car AWD/RWD? F-sport? CPO?

kitra

I have a 2014 AWD F Sport. The car is difficult to drive as it requires constant attention and correction to keep it in the lane. If I look away to view the information center, for example, I can find my car heading for another lane. It drives exactly like a vehicle with zero toe-in on the front wheels. The Lexus hasn't left my driveway close to a month. I too am hoping there is a fix. Maybe it's the Continental tires? DK.

AL13NV8D3R

I can assure you that my Lexus a 2014 RWD GS 350 Luxury package goes straight with both my 19" wheel Michelin Pilot Super Sprorts or 18" Bridgstone Blizzaks LM001. When i hit a bump going 70mph in any tire my car goes straight.
I think this issue has something to do with your specific car and not a characteristic of the Lexus GS in general.

TrevorTran

I have the same issue on my 2013 F sport. Seems like a lot of people have the same issue, but not sure if it is actually an issue for Lexus. I haven't experienced this on any other cars, so I too would like to know if there's a fix or if this is just the way the GS behaves.

AL13NV8D3R

Nope, my cousin has a 2013 Lexus GS 350 RWD Fsport with rear steer and Variable gear ratio steering and I have driven his car in the track and on the road and can assure you his car goes straight as a missile at high speed. Especially considering he has the more sensitive steering due to VGR steering his car does not have this problem people are describing, its just strange other people are having issues?

I own a 2014 GS 350 RWD Luxury package without VGR steering and without Rear steer and i dont have these issues either. My car has well over 90K miles on the odo and my cousin had 60k miles on his and both our cars been rock solid since new.

bclexus

You did not say how fast you are going when you experience this behavior, but it sounds like you're detecting this unfamiliar movement when going relatively slowly as you "roll" over bumps and uneven pavement.

It might just be the case where you are not familiar with cars that have firm, tight suspensions with very little body roll. If so, I would say that your car is simply following the uneven road surface with its firm suspension, which will customarily as-a-rule give you a 'twitchy' ride. Your GS 350's firm suspension is providing you a better feel of the uneven road surface compared to the mushy, soft, cushioned ride that a normal (non-performance sport) sedan provides.

kitra

Could it be something that just affects the AWD models? I had my SAAB aligned several years ago at an independent shop. The Guy took forever to get it finished and afterwards, the car drove like new. Tires are wearing perfectly evenly. I think I'll take it over there and let them give it a try. Now the odd of that Tech still being there is probably low.

DallasDave

iTrader: (1)

I'd recommend have the tires rotated - back to front and front to back. Perhaps there is some uneven wear and/or a strange issue with a tire (separated belt, etc.). Sometimes a tire can easily pass a visual inspection, but actually has a problem. Hopefully you'll find out a tire is to blame.

I've had my 2015 GS350 for several months and came from BMW (5 series). My GS does not ride/track as well as my past BMW(s). I'm not saying the GS is bad, it's just different. It has taken me quite a while to get acclimated to it (I've complained about the ride quality in other posts). You may be experiencing the same. My Lexus Dealer was kind enough to allow me to take other GS350 vehicles for long drives and even accompany me on a few excursions. It does NOT seem to be a problem with MY car, just a difference in what I was used to (ie., they all rode basically the same way).

Good luck and welcome to the club!

LXGXSAM1

If your GS is an AWD (2013+), and driving slow on uneven road surface, the front wheels will turn according to the level of the road. If you have an AWD, just expect that when you see the road in front of you have holes or waves, you just have to point the car where you want it to move.
What I do myself is let to just hold the wheels kind'a lightly and allow the wheels to follow the road imperfections (this is only when driving below 15mph or heading to a stop sign/light), and as long as I am staying on my lane, I just let the front wheels move to where they want to move within my lane.
I feel that when I do this I am not putting undue pressure on the wheel/suspension mechanisms by trying to force them to go where I want them to go (again, only when driving slow).

As far as high speed driving goes, I have never experienced my GS to sway left or right - Never!
Everybody knows what it means when the wheels go left or right - the wheel alignment is off, or there is a/are bad suspension item/s somewhere down there.

Lowering the vehicle or running over a huge pothole or driving on a rough road high speed will destroy the GS' Awesome AWD system!

JDR76

I have not experienced this in my AWD GS.

kitra

DallasDave me be right regarding the way the Lexus steers with respect to a European car. I'm used to cars that track very well down the road. Our roads are badly worn here due to idiots using studded tires 5 months a year. The road condition isn't helping but even out on the highway, it takes constant attention to keep a perfect line. My 14 year old SAAB, 2011 Jeep GC, and 2016 Hyundai Sonata we recently rented all tracked beautifully where I can literally let go of the steering wheel for up to 1/2 mile on the highway with no corrections. I got to drive my neighbors 2012 BMW 335 M-Sport and it tracks amazingly down the road, like it's on rails. He drove my 2014 GS so I could at least solicit his opinion and he thought the steering was so numb and did not track well. After a 20+ mile test drive, he said for me to "sell it". Talk about making me feel really bad! I'd hate to part with my $60K vehicle. Well, probably now worth 1/2 that now.

Bartman619

...I also experienced the same thing when I got my 2014 GSF. I came from a BMW e90 sedan, and it had a hydraulic power steering instead of electric power steering like on the GSF. The electric power steering is more sensitive to input, road imperfections, etc...it also has the tendency to wander more when you drive fast. I don't know how many times I was in stop and go traffic in the GSF when I noticed that if I nudged the gas pedal to move forward without any hands on the steering wheel, the steering wheel would steer to the right and I would have to correct it right away. I've never had this problem with my older BMW e90 or any other car with hydraulic operated power steering system. It's true what they say, you can feel the road better with a hydraulic power steering. Electric power steering has a numb and disconnected feeling compared to the hydraulic system.

srqGS350

All, appreciate the feedback. From what I gather, people get used to it. Just a bit strange for me. Most of my driving is 60-100 on the highway but I have noticed it regardless of speed. The largest highlight of the redirection is when shifting lanes across the highway in areas where there are slight ruts and the raised areas of the road are the lane stripes and middle of the lane, when coming across at a decent pace the wheel wants to turn heavily in the direction I am going but over compensating forcing me to correct in the opposite direction. I feel like a police office tailing me would think I was drunk not able to switch lanes without weaving.

The car felt like this with the original tires on it and I just threw on a new set of Pilot MXM4's and nothing has changed (save for a little quieter ride).

It is a great car but I've never experienced anything like this and my last few/current cars span a wide range from BMW 335d, 550i, Infiniti G37, Porsche Carrera, Honda Pilot, and Chevy Tahoe. All of these went "straight".

Dkp1111

I would say in your case is the suspension is too soft for your taste. Get stronger spring to stop the oversteering problem.