SC430 - 2nd Gen (2001-2010)

Car pulling left and right when going over slightly bumpy roads

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Old 07-18-05, 12:34 AM
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KevsSC
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Default Car pulling left and right when going over slightly bumpy roads

I have a 05 and have the runflats. I was thinking of bringing it in to Lexus because when ever I hit a slight bump in the road, or uneven roads, the car pulls to one side of the road. And when Im going fast and want to brake fast, the car pulls. I have 500 miles on the car so far. I only drive the car on the weekends. I wouldnt think it needs wheel alignment since its a brand new car. I have read all the posts on these runflats. Is this pulling common?I looked at my rear tires and it looks slightly cambered. I have read all the negative things about these runflats but is it supposed to be this bad? My car is 100% stock.
Old 07-18-05, 01:52 AM
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rominl
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no it's not common. i got over 6000 miles on my car andi have no issue on pulling

i think you really need to check on the alignment, specially when you said that the car pulls when you go fast and brake fast. it's like one wheel is in better contact with the gnd and stops faster or something?
Old 07-18-05, 01:58 AM
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KevsSC
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When I look at my car from the rear, the rear wheels look like the car is lowered. But the car is stock. You know like that butterfly wheel look when cars are lowered. Also when I go around 40mph and have to brake kinda fast (not like an emergency brake) the whole car pulls to one side of the road, and its hard to control it. As soon as I took my car out of the Lexus lot on the day I bought it, I noticed that the car does that. I thought to myself this must be normal because its a brand new car. So today my friend pointed out my rear tires dont make full contact with the ground. Then I told him about the car pulling. And he said its not supposed to be like that.
Old 07-18-05, 02:18 AM
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rominl
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the "butterfly" you talk about, that's normcal. that's camber, menaing that the wheels are like this, right?

/ \

that's normal. a lot of cars out of factory are like that, especially sporty cars. that's for handling purpose. you do NOT want zero camber, that's stupid for handling, and you will actually get more outside tire wear.

about the pulling, i guess still bring the car in for alignment check and talk to lexus about it (the problem from day 1)
Old 07-18-05, 02:32 AM
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KevsSC
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Yes thats what the rear looks like. I am going to bring down the car to Lexus this week to let them check it out. I wanted to be sure first that this was a problem and not just the runflats. Thanks rominl !!
Old 07-18-05, 02:42 AM
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hey Kev, first of all, congratulations on the new car. Now then , this is the reason for warranties . You shouldnt have any issues with a car with 500 miles really. But if you do, for 5 or 7 yrs or whatever the period is , its the dealerships obligation to take care of it. But they need to know theres a problem. Im sure its something minor, Call the dealer in the morning and have them take care of you.
Good luck
Old 07-18-05, 02:47 AM
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KevsSC
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Thanks guys for all your help.!!
Old 08-01-05, 06:31 PM
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KevsSC
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Well Guys I thought I update. Took in my car this morning to Lexus and they checked it out on the road and said nothing is wrong with the car or the alignment. They said its probably pulling because of the uneven grounds. Oh well I think its time for some suspension.
Old 08-02-05, 08:09 AM
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lkirchner
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Originally Posted by KevsSC
Well Guys I thought I update. Took in my car this morning to Lexus and they checked it out on the road and said nothing is wrong with the car or the alignment. They said its probably pulling because of the uneven grounds. Oh well I think its time for some suspension.
AH yes right from page 16 of the service advisors handbook--"Nothing Wrong" or "They all do it". With the suspension on this car I find it hard to believe that uneven ground would cause it to pull. This is not a Yugo!!!!!!
Old 08-02-05, 07:34 PM
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bt430
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I had exactly the same pulling issues with my car. It was so bad in some caes I had to hold the wheel as tight and straight as I could to keep the car from changing lanes. I took the car to the dealer and got the same reaction you did. My solution was runflats off, Tein coilovers and Daizen sways installed, sudden lane change problems solved.

bt
Old 08-02-05, 07:59 PM
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KevsSC
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Yes in some cases I have to hold the wheel hard to keep my car from jumping lanes when stopping kinda hard. Im waiting to pull out a loan so I can buy everything at once.(coilovers,rims,swaybars, kit)
Old 08-03-05, 02:41 AM
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LeslieRC
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Originally Posted by KevsSC
Well Guys I thought I update. Took in my car this morning to Lexus and they checked it out on the road and said nothing is wrong with the car or the alignment. They said its probably pulling because of the uneven grounds. Oh well I think its time for some suspension.
Have you tried running non run-flat tyres? When I switched to the Michelin Pilots handling - including bumps and stopping - became noticeably better.
Old 08-03-05, 07:11 AM
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Carpe Diem
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Sounds to me like tram-lining. Try adding 4 or 5 psi to each tire and see if that solves the problem. If not, try staying away from rough roads and train tracks until you get rid of the RFT.

George
Old 08-03-05, 10:50 AM
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KevsSC
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I am going to get rims soon so I will see if that changes things. In the meantime I will try filling the tires up 5 more psi. Thanks guys
Old 08-06-05, 07:44 AM
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lenkb
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KEVSC - In my humble opinion your problem is totally due to the runflats. I bought my car used and had the exact same problem. It felt like I was about to lose control of the car. After 4 weeks I changed to Yokahama non-runflats and the problem disappeared. It was like a different car.
The runfltas were fine over smooth road, but hit any groove and it was miserable driving.


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