jtwags

Hopefully someone else has come across this issue. I have read through many of the shake/vibration threads but haven't found anyone describe what I am feeling. 2002 sc430 73k miles.

I have a slight steering wobble (not really shaking/vibration) at higher speeds and only when i turn the wheel to the left or right a little (maybe a 1/2 inch). If I am driving straight down the highway it is smooth at any speed 40-90mph no issues. If i move the wheel to the left or right I feel the the wobble in the wheel. If I go back and forth a little, constantly, with the wheel it continuosly wobbles. I had recently addressed some other vibration issues by installing new LCA #2, continental DWS tires, and had the front end aligned (front -.3L and -.5R for camber, Rear -1L and -1R camber, front and rear toe set to -.07, if I recall). I couldn't really remember if I felt this wobble before because the tires and LCA's needed to be done badly. I am not sure if I should replace the struts either since ride feels good.

My steering feels darn good and responsive at low speeds and does not wobble when turning the wheel slightly. I have purchased new oem steering rack bushings but have not installed them yet (purchased as a preventive maintenance part when i had some free time, before I discovered this issue).

I have read a few threads about alignment of the steering rack causing issues if it is not perfectly centered. Not sure if that would cause anything like this.

Any feedback or experience is much appreciated. Love driving the car but the wobble is rather annoying when i turn the wheel a little to change lanes at 75mph. Thanks in Advance!

Dirtyd210

Does Anybody have a response to this question?Starting to have this exact same issue after doing a front brake pad replacement and rear rotor and pad replacement yesterday. Rotors in front are very new. Just wondering what can be causing this issue. I didn't have it prior to the brake service... Thanks

bb430

iTrader: (1)

Wheel bearings.

bacardi11

iTrader: (1)

bb430
could be right on.

mrblister

When you ride with top down can you hear any excessive noise. Have you had the brakes done. Do you know if the wheel bearings were re-packed

jtwags

Thought I would chime back in as well. I still have the issue originally described. Recently had ball joints and LCA bushing 1 replaced as well as motor mounts and full alignement. Still need a strut mount top as right side has funny tin can sound over low speed bumps and mechanic has isolated to top of strut. Everthing else is new and/or tight and checked out. Bearings were checked during last brake job and are good, no excess noise from front bearings with top down. The "wobble" is most pronounced around 50mph. Not a great deal but not smooth when moving wheel left to right. No wobble in straight line. We checked the inner and outer tie rods during alignement and they felt tight. I did go ahead and buy a new set of inner and outer moog tire rods and put them on the shelf for now. Only other thing I can think of it I went for a more tire friendly alignment and took out much of the camber that is usually used by Lexus.

Any tricks to checking bearings besides chekcing for play and noise?

sixonemale

A very obvious thought, but could your tires be out of balance?

jtwags

I actually exchanged the Continental DWS tires for Michelin sport a/s plus due to flat spotting with the DWS tires. Discount did full road force on each tire and they came out great, required very little weight and very low road force numbers. I have no problems with vibration at any speed, accel or decel in a straight line. I have found this car is extremely sensitive to tires and balance but I have more or less ruled out the tires at this point considering the ride is smooth, even on cold mornings. Only parts I haven't replaced yet are shocks w/top mount, upper control arms and inner/outer tie rods. They all checked out but the more I read about the suspension on SCs the more I find people replacing these components around the 80k miles mark. I will replace the shocks w/top mount and tie rods next time I have a free weekend and see if that tightens it up. I am hesitant to replace upper control arms because they are so expensive and appear to be in great shape. All in all it really doesn't detract from my use as I do not use it on the twistys, mostly weekend cruising between cities.

thombiz

Almost sounds like a bent front wheel. If your wheels aren't staggered, try moving a rear to the front and give it a try.

430SILVER

Are rims with run flat tires more likely to get bent? I'm the second owner of my SC 430 and was surprised to see the work history included rim exchange for bent rim. I have the chrome OEM 18" stock rims with the large chrome plastic center cap.

barncat

I think so. Two of the rims on my SC430 were cracked (very slightly but enough to cause an air leak) when I purchased my car. I think the run-flats hit the road hazards without the protection of more cushioning of the regular tires. Just my feeling.