Texashills

I am having two handling problems with my LS430 whenever the roadway is wet. When accelerating from a dead stop the car will fishtail or the rear wheels will "chatter" or jump as though the car had a solid axle and the pair of wheels were simultaneiously bouncing. The second problem is the rear end "breaking loose" or fishtailing on curves when driving at a safe highway speed or entering a highway from a side road. The Lexus mechanic has been in the car ith me when this has happened but he has no explanation and could only suggest that I replace the Dunlop tires; which I did with Michelin V series. There was no improvement. Has anyone had a similar problem and was it correctible?

Lvangundy

I'm not sure on that..Is your traction control engaging? Tires to have a big part in the cars handling. About that chatter or jump across the entire rear end, mine does that also.

My guess is that it's the nature of RWD. I have a 90 LS and I love driving it in the rain. I peel out across intersections, ;-)

Cornering and handling in the LS isn't super great anyway. But I'm sure 10 years later it's been much improved. Maybe some of the other 2001+ owners will have some input on this.

E55AMG

That's just part and parcel of owning a rear-wheel drive car with plenty of power. Nevertheless, I think VSC should take care of all those issues, no? At least it does on my MB (called ESP/ASR in our lexicon); turn the thing off, though, and I can make my car fishtail.

I suppose all I can suggest is don't be too aggressive on the throttle while turning. Straighten out and accelerate, and you shoul dbe just fine.

Texashills

I am babying the LS430 and absolutely do not accelerate rapidly in wet weather and I have the VSC ON. The fishtailing on curves includes normal speeds with traffic and the curves are not severe. I have owned BMW 7 Series up to now and never had a worry about handling. The fishtailing feels like being on a bad tires that are aquaplaning - but this car did it fom the time of delivery with Dunlops and still does it with the new Michelins.

SW03ES

Well I've never driven the 430 in rain, but I have logged many miles in my father's LS400 in both rain and snow, and haven't seen that as a problem, especially on fresh tires. Do you have the 17 inch tires?

Texashills

Yes, I have 17" tires. The handling problems happen whenever the ground is wet.

E55AMG

Is your trunk loaded up with anything, other than the standard equipment, i.e., car stereo subwoofer enclosures, luggage, etc.? I do know that in my RWD car, loading up the trunk made a *substantial* difference in handling; it could get downright dangerous depending on how loaded it was. Not to say it is loaded, but just another step in the differential diagnosis.

Texashills

Our trunk only has the standard items in it and the mechanics haven't been able to point to anything that can explain the handling, other than the recommendation to change to Michelin tires.

SW03ES

The only thing I can think of is its the difference between the 16 inch tires on my father's LS400 and the 17s on your 430. What air pressure do you run?

As for the loading of the trunk, I've always heard a loaded trunk improves traction on a RWD car

JBrady

This is very strange and something I do not experience in my 99 LS400. The VSC should completely stop wheel hop, spinning, lockup, etc. If the car is exhibiting these things I would be very suspicious that the VSC is functioning.

As far as lack of directional stability and or lightness of the rear in normal driving in wet weather... the only time I have seen this happen is if the rear alignment is off. A friend of mine with an old Infiniti Q45 with 4 wheel steering had the rear bushings get worn and create misalignment. On dry pavement it was not easily noticeable although tire wear was. On wet pavement it was nearly catastrophic. I cannot imagine yours being worn out but an out of align wheel would cause problems. I would demand the dealer resolve this. Go test drive another 430 in the wet to get a comparision. Yours does NOT sound normal or acceptable.

SW03ES

I've driven the 98 with the VSC off just for fun and still haven't noticed anything like he describes.

Something is definately amiss, get a second opinion, maybe from a mechanic instead of the dealer?

E55AMG

A loaded trunk does put more weight over the rear-wheels and thus should give more straight-line traction.

However, during cornering, (which seems to be a significant part of what TexasHills appears to be complaining of) especially in limited-traction situations, a heavy tail can cause the rear to break loose. I remember this from a Car and Driver letter to the editor wherein a reader asked about loading up the trunk with sandbags during the winter to improve traction. It can work ... but you may find your tail kicking out easily.

Edit: my LS430 is supposed to be arriving this week; the first time it rains, I'll try to get the tires loose and see what happens. Maybe it's the same across all LS430s, or just yours, we'll find out.

Milk_man430

hello

i have LS430 2002 and its okay with me ... but after doing 40,000 M on it ... i start to be a bit carefull on wet roads but as soon as i get new one i;ll go back to my old way of driveing ......

LS430-Cda

I seemed to have similar problem like your second one. I did not have Lexus mechnics with me but two friends. We all felt the rear end wasn't too stable when braking semi-hard in a wet condition before a stop sign. I tried several times and it behaved the same. I did not complain this problem since I did not know if this was a problem. I have a bigger issue than this, i.e., many accessories, such as gas gauge sound control, light control, hi/lo beam, trunk control.... all went dead in a rainy day. I am not sure if airbags, ABS are also affected. Lexus refuses to answer the questions. Looks like I have to take them to court.

LS430-Cda

Can you try your LS430 in wet condition for a couple of hours, at highway speed, and see if you lose hi/lo beam control, panel light control (always in full intensity), sound volume control, trunk release (only key works), seat memory, gas gauge (went dead). These problems will be cleared after engine restart, and may persist for few days after the "moisture" is out of the system. I am concerned if airbags, ABS etc are affected under this defective condition. If LS430 has this "rainy day syndrome" as I call it, then they should recall the car.

I also have the rear braking problem in wet condition as well but wasn't sure if it was normal for a rear-wheel drive car and did not complain about it.