utexas112

Hello everyone

Bought a '95 LS 400 in LA yesterday. Car is in pretty good condition. Only cosmetic problem is a slight tear on the drivers seat - something that is easily fixable.

Car has just over 150k and per the lexus service history appears to have been serviced regularly. Color is blue/grey with a tan interoir. I paid just shy of $5,000 so I think I got a pretty good deal.

However, at highway speeds the ride is not "glass smooth" as other LS's that I test drove. Instead, there is a slight shimmy or vibration that occurs pretty consistently over 55 mph.

I already had the wheels balanced and the shop said the tires had some flat spots. Could this be the culprit? They are pretty worn/hard feeling. I plan on replacing the tires.. any suggestions on a brand?

Thanks everyone for your continued input. I'm proud to be a new LS owner.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

car looks great, reminds me of my '95

take car of her, and shel last you forever.


now, the tires are most likely the culprit for the vibrations. is the shimmy coming mainly thru the wheel, the bottom of your seats, or everywhere.

and if ur running stock sizes i reccomend Yokohama AVID V4's in 225/60/16 from TireRack.

LXotic

Congrats on ur new ride man!

utexas112

Thanks guys.

Vibrations/ shimmy come primarily through the wheel but can be felt throughout the car. Any ideas?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

99% chance that its the wheel balance, the UCFXX chassis' are very sensitive to wheel balance.

utexas112

Well, the wheels have been balanced.. but the place said the tires had some flat spots/uneven wear. Likely a result of the car sitting for a while as it was for sale.

I am bringing the car into TLC lexus in San Diego. I will have them inspect everything and will be putting new tires on soon. I hope that cures it.

Seize

Congrats on your LS purchase

GRAND_LS 4

iTrader: (2)

Congrats on the purchase, I've always love that color on the 95-97LS' and wish they offered it in the 98-00 model years.

Wish you years of great motoring

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

oh yea, need any stock parts? ive got some random ish laying around. PM me.

utexas112

Stock parts like what? I guess i'll know more after I visit the mechanic.

I did just order a chrome center cap for my wheel on ebay. I was missing one. It was only $10.

steveski

Welcome and you bought a real nice LS for the money. I had Michelin MXV4 Energy's and got 75,000 miles out of them before upgrading. I now have Nitto tires and they are a nice option to Michelin.

utexas112

Thanks for the reply steve.

I am on a budget so Michelins may not be an option for me.

Anyone have good experiences with Kumho or Yokohama?

I guess 1st priority is a smoothe ride. I am not an aggressive driver.

damon

We have 3 LS models in my family & all have Kumho tires.
Closest model to yours is a 96 & it runs the Kumho Solus in oem size.
Great tire for the money.

My 94 LS is on 18" SPT's from Kumho & I really like them as well. Much sportier handling than 16's.

utexas112

Awesome.. thanks for the info.

To address my shimmy issue.. I will probably first bring it to the mechanic - have him check it all over (was planning on doing this anyway) and see what he thinks may be causing it. From searching I have learned that a consistent highway vibration / shimmy can be caused by the transmission mount.

However, my car idles and drives at slower speeds very smoothly, so I think its probably the tires. After replacing the tires I will also have it aligned.

However, I inspected the struts and they are slightly leaking. The ride on the highway was not overly bouncy though. . . I suppose they could contribute to the vibration??

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

no, vibration almost always means something is loose/out of balance.

they could contribute to a harsher/bouncier ride tho.