416tt

iTrader: (1)

Hi guys,

so I know this has been addressed before but I really just want to get rid of this, otherwise i may have to just replace my car or get rid of it :/

so when I first got my car, not knowing much about requirements of aftermarket wheels and also extended thread lug nuts, I ended up getting ARP extended studs installed which obviously everyone knows are too long. So i got my 20" wheels mounted by a shop who did not warn me about getting hub rings. Drove the car around for a while with a slight shake which later became worst so I changed alot of suspension parts like ball joints, tie rod, upper control arms.. Then finally found out about hub rings which made everything better but seemed like the wobble/shake was planted in there.

Later I ended up getting daizen front end + steering rack bushing kit and new tires..which narrowed the shake down but i feel it more since poly are stiff. Now as for the shake/wobble, it feels like the whole hub is very weak and is not able to handle big wheels, feels like the ball joints are loose again and sometimes wobbles or shakes like the wheels gonna come off which feels super crappy. I mean the car sometimes rides amazing, i find it rides pretty good between 80 to 90 kph or 120 +..

on a very smooth new road, it shakes up and down like something is bent and is mostly on the right side. Now I do know my wheels are fine and im even getting the extended studs taken out shortly because there too long and I think slightly bent, maybe causing balance issues as hub spins.. but I dont know what else to do? change ball joints again?

I have checked many other suspension designs and noticed that cars over 3500 lbs do have more then one ball joint for comfort/weight purposes but still have few small components holding on to the hub from behind so there isnt much play, where as compared to the SC430 which only has 1 ball joint above and below with tie rods which are holding the wheels from twisting in or out and thats it :O. I mean if alot of people are experiencing this issue maybe lexus can be liable?

anyhow im not sure what to do :/ I dont want to waste anymore money on the car as I would rather replace it or get something new but after doing so much I really wish It could just be fixed. Im in love with the way this car looks but same time really dissapointed with the drive . If anyone else does have similar issues please address it here and let me know if anything helped you!


*** oh and otherguys with aftermarket wheels on, do you experience any problems?

Dawa

iTrader: (5)

i wonder whats going on, if anything, with your bearings.

but i will tell you that having studs that are too long wont hurt you one bit.
if anything theyll just stick out and be unsightly.

momssc

I have an 02 with 35k miles and have had this since day one. Seems to be common but I only have it at first take off in morning or whenever. After a few miles it disappears 99%. Others have described the same. Really don't know if anyone has discovered what the problem is. There are other mysteries about this car also unsolved but as long as the shakes goes away after a few miles, I live with it.

You need to put your car back to stock then work on the problem, after fixed install your rims and then go from there. Let us know if you discover the problem.

BTW I bought a NEW 2009 Tacoma that the dealer OR the factory never was able to take bad shakes out of the truck that were diffrent than the SC430 so I had to dump the truck at a used car dealer because I couldn't live with it and the Tacoma forums all had problems with the shakes in the Tacomas and I read some about Camrys with the same problem. When TOYOTA says all is NORMAL, just give up because I don't have enough hair or teeth to pull out!

SexCoupe

iTrader: (6)

jack up the car take off your wheels calipers and rotors and spin the hub listen for grinding and resistance if thats fine then get stock wheels and report back

Harold57

Two suggestions:
>> Drive it for 20 minutes or so and see if the shaking goes away or lessens. If this is the case, you have flat spots on your tires from it sitting around. Some makes of tires are worse than others with this issue.
>> Have your tires road force ballanced.

If neither of those rectifies the situation, try going back to stock like momssc recommends. In the past, those that got rid of the major shakes with the larger wheels had high quality wheels and simply road force ballanced them. (A few had some other suspension issues that needed to be repaired also.)

Yes

If I had to guess, it's probably your wheels. What brand are they? A lot of less expensive wheels result in vibrations and steering wheel wobble. I've never heard of anyone with high quality JDM wheels having this problem. I have Works and they run perfectly smooth at any speed.

416tt

iTrader: (1)

@ ProperD
I think you are right, When I didnt have hub rings i realize all the force is on your bearings and wouldnt be surprised if something is bent also.. I just never thought about the bearing becoming loose?

@ momssc
Sorry to hear that you experience similar. It seems to be the suspension design in most toyota/lexus cars. I consider it "Not Sturdy Enough" for the size and weight of these cars, its why the bushings and ball joints go bad so fast.

We have a camry which slightly does the same but still isnt bad at all. Also a 2012 Lexus GX460 with only 23,000 km.. and the right side was just horrible, the car does have warranty but obviously the dealer tries to avoid spending, recently they rotated the tires which made it alot better, but its dissapointing how even a new car can do that. I mean my previous bmw 330i which i use to really push got a slight vibration after 280,000km and I replaced the LCA bushing and it was as new again. but the ride in this car has become annoying lol what makes it worse is that I think people can probably see my wheel shaking, not crazy but slightly atleast :/

@Sexcoupe
There is a grinding noise for sure and the car is same with the stock wheels unfortunately :/

@ Harold57
It does get better but then worst, i noticed it really depends on the road, on a very smooth new road the car sort of hops slightly. But as soon as there is an uneven road there is a loose feeling and shake like tha wheel isnt spinning straight, like its moving slightly in and out from above and below. Whats the different between road force and regular balancing? is it the same machines that do it?

@ LiquidSC
They are 20" Donz Bonanno's .. first I thought it was the wheels too but I got them checked and the guys at the shop claimed it was the chinese tires and pointed out how the tires were uneven. So i bought brand new hankooks..and unfortunately the car does same with stock wheels


*****
From what I feel, I have damaged the bearings when i drove it for a while without the hub rings but I just never thought the hub would start to feel loose.

Im going to change the studs to 50 mm ones as the ARP are too long and lugs nuts becomes a problem. But I think I definately need bearings, anyone know how much the costs?. But other then that im posting the car up for sale, if it sells fast I may just look at another SC with lower mileage but unfortunately I dont see great color combos :/

Oh and Thankyou everyone for your help !!!!

416tt

iTrader: (1)

Alright guys so I was told that bearings usually make alot of humming noise if they are really bad... mines dont really make much, just sometimes.. Now im wondering what it could be, mechanic asked me how the camber was if I got allignment, from what I remember it was alright but will have to check again. He says something may be bent, but cant tell until I bring the car.. would you guys think the hub is damaged? I mean is there anyone who experiences a loose wheel wobble,, its not always bad but just sometimes it can be very annoying, it moves to the point where im sure people can see my wheel not spinning straight.

this is the the feeling I get, sometimes the feeling of the wheel going in and out from top and bottom then sometimes from front and back, really wierd.