jeffknet

I've had my RX330 for almost 3K miles - when I first took delivery I noticed it drifting or veering to the right - so I had the vehicle aligned and the tires balanced - but I swear more often then not my vehicle STILL feels like it wants to pull/drift/veer to the right. I notice it more at highway speeds. When I turn the steering wheel slightly to the left it seems to center itself properly, but when I turn slightly to the right it doesn't seem to center itself. My service tech says everything is aligned and balanced properly, he suggests maybe it's just the crown of the road?? My wife's IS300 doesn't have this problem - the steering wheel feels VERY solid and the vehicle goes where it's pointed. I understand an SUV's drivetrain is different, but I don't think this is normal. Could something be warped? Anybody else having this issue?? AM I TAKING CRAZY PILLS??

lamk

I don't know what tires you have in the states. I have no problem with my RX330 but had a major problem with my sienna. The sienna is notorious to pull to the right because of the crappy dunlop toyota put on the minivan. The problem got corrected after I switch to Michelin Harmony.

Lil4X

Might be crown of the road, although several on this forum reported exactly the same problem with the RX300 that was instantly solved by replacing the OEM GY Integrity tires with Michelins or Dunlops. Given that the OEMs on the 330 are superior to those on the 300, this might not be the same problem. The 18" Michelins on my 330 - at about 3,500 miles - have shown no tendancy to pull to one side or the other. I can't imagine how the tires could upset the steering, but the results several on this forum have had speak for themselves. I wonder if rotating (and crossing) the tires would have any effect?

Perhaps your 330 simply can't turn left.

jeffknet

thanks - I've got the Michelin Energy MXV4 S8 on my 18"s... so I dunno...

Lexterious

I would think if it's the crown of the road, then it should pull both ways. When I put on wider tires on previous cars, it did this, but it did it both left and right. If you have a consistent pull to one side, it think it's something else. I'm sure your tech checked, but are your tire pressures ok? And yes a test rotation may help determine the problem.

One comment about alignment, it's hardly an exact science, more like black magic. I once had a tech swear up and down and show me via his instruments that the alignment was "right". But it still either pulled to one side or the car would go straight but the steering wheel was cocked at an angle. It took an "old hand" (an older guy at the same shop) to come in, curse at the tools, bang away at something and bingo, it worked.

By the way, I have the stock 17-in Michelin MX4 tires and they track straight and true and they ride very comfy and quiet on city streets. Very satisfied. I took a long vacation drive recent and it was fine on highway speeds too.

Rock

I have the same Micheline tires like yours Jeff, and I don't have the same issue like yours (probably I have only less than 500 miles on it). I will wait to see if it reach 3k miles.

I was told that my new RX300 has been completely aligned and balanced right before I picked up the vehicle at the dealer. I've heard from the sales and manager at the dealer emphasized about preping the car especially the wheels alignment. At first I thought the car should be aligned before it came out from the manufactory in Japan, and they were doing it again at the dealer just for extra care only.

Jeff, did you receive a free wheels alignment and balanced before you picked it up at the dealer?

eyebike

I dont have the problem either, with my Michelins and 4100 miles.

Have you checked your tire pressures so that they are all equal?

Also, do you get the same effect when you're in the left/passing lane of a multi-lane highway?

jeffknet

thanks for all the ideas / tips - I'm taking my RX330 in for a C-Best setting / ECM callibration tomorrow and I'm gonna have the veering issue reinspected then - tire pressure, balance, alignment etc - I'll keep y'all posted. As for the original alignment, it was done for free - but I had to wait a few days cause they hadn't updated the software in their computers yet.... maybe THAT was the problem - maybe it gave an incorrect reading?? we'll see............

daywalker

I'm glad you posted this problem Jeff because my 330 does the exact same thing you're descibing, but mine pulls left! I have the Goodyear tires though, so I don't know if that could be contributing to the problem. Let me know how your reinspection goes.

jeffknet

turns out my drifting problem was due to uneven tire treads - the svc techs had to move my tires around to find matching treads for front and rear - they also fine tuned the alignment and centered my steering wheel. It felt like I was driving a totally new car on the way home.

Props to Coby McDougal and Sewell Lexus Svc

JRB

Glad to hear this Jeff - steering and vibration problems can be particularly annoying. It's a great relief when they find the source and your car drives like new again.

jeffknet

JRB

agree completely - without sounding snobbish, we pay over 40K for these vehicles, they better not veer - one of the reasons I chose a Lexus for my wife (IS300) was they way the car handled, the way the steering wheel felt in my hands, very solid. Having this issue with the RX330 was really beginning to **** me off but in typical Lexus fashion they did whatever it took to fix the problem and make me happy.

Y'know that recent Consumer Reports article said these 40K LUV's were nice but overpriced when you consider the value. They asked why pay that much when you can get the same quality from a Toyota Highlander for 10K less? What they fail to realize is you can't put a price on the peace of mind I have owning this vehicle, and the level of care and service I receive from my Lexus dealership.

eyebike

Great to hear that it was such a easy fix to implement and that the car is basically sound. The tire tread solution is a new one to me. Kudos to the tech that found the problem.

HiTechRX

As we drove through our first 1000mi, we thought the RX330 pulled a small bit to the right, and the steering wheel pointed slightly to the right as well. It felt like the freeplay on the wheel wasn't exactly centered.

During our 1000mi service appt, we asked Lexus to check the tire pressure and the alignment. After the checkup, which included very minor adjustements to the alignment, we ended up with perfect straightline tracking - no more pulling, the steering wheel was centered, and the freeplay felt fine.

Our RX330 came with the factory Goodyear Eagles, and while I prefer Michelins in general, these Goodyears seem to be doing pretty well. My company car (2003 Jeep Libery Limited) also came with Goodyear Eagles. They're doing fine after ~10,000mi.

- HiTechRX

jeffknet

HiTechRX

sounds like we had VERY similar situations - glad it was basically a simple fix