whitels

I think the real problem is evident in the above statement. See if you can follow me. If it can be made smooth by balancing, even for just 3000 miles at a time, then it suggests that the car's suspension, brake rotors, steering system are not at fault per se. That's because if any of the suspension components have problems, you can never, ever make it smooth regardless of perfect balancing.

Now, assuming that logic for a minute, if balancing appears to fix the problem but the problem eventually returns at 3000 miles, it suggests three things:

1. The car is out of alignment that it wears out rubber unevenly. The resulting uneven tire wear creates an imbalance in the tire and results in vibration. That's why, rebalancing would "band-aid" the problem after 3000 miles. And so on, and so forth.

2. Certain bushings and parts in the suspension, when loose or worn out, would create the same problem as in number 1. This is because it is not always able to hold the tires in the right alignment geometry. This eventually causes the tires to wear unevenly, which leads to imbalance, and then, vibration. Again, rebalancing would "band-aid" the problem.

3. A phenomenon described somewhere here in another post when the tires slide/rotate within the rims. Tire balance is upset when this happens. As recommended in that post, you need to mark the tire's position vis-a-vis the wheel and check later to verify. I suspect, this tire slide phenomenon is more prone to happen right after mounting when the beads are still wet from the soap or whatever solution they put in there. After mounting, I would give it a week, drive the car like grandma, to really dry out and allow the tire and rim to have better contact patch and mate the surfaces before driving the car normally. Do you have chrome rims?


Anyway, sorry it's long, but heck, a long standing problem deserves a long analysis.

whitels

P.S. My GS was manufactured 6/98, I have 17" chromes, and no vibration problems. I have the Dunlop SP 5000s balanced on Hunter 9700.

RON430

As I haven't experienced it yet on the Lex, I have to give responses from my bimmer experience. On the bimmer it was always the tire getting out of balance, and usually out of true. Nothing really changed on alignment unless I let it go for a while. My guess is that the vibrations caused the alignment to go out rather than vice versa. I would have a super balance done and my alignment shop could check and true tires. This would always make it go away and restore that marvelous bimmer steering. 3000 might be a little quick but by 5000 miles, it would normally come back requiring another visit. Before anyone posts, I don't think bimmers are harder on tires than other cars, I just think that with the size of the tire and the bimmer suspension, they were more sensitive to the out of balance. If it is a problem that is induced at certain speeds and not others it is almost always a harmonic from a vibration. A bent rim will usually be felt all the time and get worse with speed. Worn bushes, bearings, etc. also rarely create speed sensitive issues. Seems like CSHFLW and I had this discussion a while back in detail before we bored everyone. Just wish we (or he) could find out what is going on and let us know. Frustrating.

RON430

As for the tire slipping on the rim, I don't think I have ever seen that on a street car. Race cars yes but not street tires. Still hard to believe but the test that was reported looked pretty conclusive. I guess if they really slop on the lubricant, it can happen. Strange.

oldguy

I'm going to add that they told me the '98-'00 have an extreme sensitivity to imbalance. And the '01-'02 do not. I only bought my '01 after being told by the SM and the head tech that NO ONE had complained about their '01, and they did not know what had been changed.
It is strange that whitels has no problem with his '98. Am pleased for him, as I would have liked to have kept my '98, but could not abide this problem. I liked the transmission shifting better. In the search for the gas mileage rating, they dumped the e-shift and reprogrammed the shifting on the '01. My '98 was a mind reader for downshifts. The '01 needs more aggressive pushing.
When I told the general manager of the dealership I was going to pursue the lemon law, he asked for one more chance to fix the car. They flew in a field tech from Chicago, he balanced the tires, and for the first time since the car was new, it was smooth. For 3000 miles. That also coincided with them getting the expensive balance machine.

RON430

I got that screwy new car features book for the 2k1 but I don't have it with me here. I have to go through that thing again to see if it says anything relevant here. The only thing I remember on suspension was the cruddy new shock system and I think they changed some of the mounting hardware for the sways. Try to see if there is anything there.

Murph

I had a vibaration at 65MPH +/- that could not be fixed. We balanced, we rotated the tires. we tightened the steering. It did not go away until I went to L tuned shocks and springs and got a 4 wheel alignment. It is now smooth as glass. So I either had a worn shock, or was out of alignment.

Good luck

Murph

oldguy

Murph
How many miles has it been smooth as glass?

vroman13

I have a 98 GS4 with 17s which has had a problem with tire noise and vibration since I bought as a certified pre-owned from dealer. Dealer told me noise was a problem because of tires. So when Dunlops SPs wore out, I put set of Falkens on. Not a good tire for the car. Ride was very harsh and interior trim pieces were vibrating. Also, tire noise was an issue. Tire store said that noise could be brakes. Took it to dealer and they said that it was bad tires. They put a set of 16s on and the noise was considerably less (but still perceptable). Falken took those back and I got a set of Yoko AVS dB. I noted uneven inside wear on Falkens when removed. The Yokos ride nice but noise was still a problem. Took back to tire place and they said it was likely brakes. Went back to dealer, they said that it was tires. They balanced the tires and it rode better for a few days. I have about 2k on tires now, they howl like crazy (low speed) and have terrible feathering on inside front tires.

Anyone had this problem and have it solved?

I am about to go nuts - I want to sell car it is so annoying. I am going back to tire store and dealer this week. Pray that they can help!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

One of the problems you're dealing with is that the car's engine, transmission, exhaust, and fans, motors etc., are so quiet that road/tire noise become a MUCH bigger part of the equation than on some cars.

When I bought my previous car (an Acura Legend 4 door), it was so much quieter than what I'd had before that I found the windshield wipers (which didn't squeak or anything) to be annoyingly loud when clearing water! This was absurd, but that was my perception.

Low profile tires are NOISY. You either need to go to higher profile tires (smaller wheels, like the 16s you tried), or dynamat the hell out of your car to hide the noise.

The other thing it sounds like you may be dealing with is some alignment or wheel problem, which can cause uneven (even invisible) wear that increases road noise.

Most new tires are quiet when new and get noisy as time goes on. This has happened with every set of tires I've ever owned on every car.

Methinks thou doth protest too much.

RON430

vroman13 - You have given the dealer and a tire store multiple tries to solve the problem and they haven't. Try to find a good alignment/chassis/suspension shop and first make sure it is not something else. There is a fix, I believe, for the 98-00 GS steering that some people have said improves the vibration issue. If the dealer isn't talking about it then you probably need to find another dealer. Vibration issues have been addressed in quite a bit of detail in a number of threads. You should review those and then try to find a good shop with the right equipment. It is amazing what properly trained people with the right equipment can do. I can sympathize with this problem as all the bimmers I have owned have had it and yes they could only be fixed for several thousand miles and then it would come back requiring another visit. My GS is coming up on a year old and I haven't experienced any vibration. The noise I have is due to the stock Michelins. Just can't see replacing them yet but when they go, the AVS db's go on unless there is something better at that time.

BananaGS

my steering vib also, only when braking on uneven road, but I think it's normal, because it does not vibrate on smooth road, it r feels like a go-cart on bad road, i have 18" rim with low profile tires, I can't image what your steering feel like =(

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

That's most likely uneven brake wear or rotor warping.

vroman13

Yes, I think the problem is partially due to how quiet the car is, and maybe I am asking too much. But then again, the tire wear I am noticing is not normal. I have owned many cars from a previous Lexus to Mercedes to VWs and some american cars and none has been as annoying as this one. Though I love everything else on the car!

I doubt if its warped brake rotors as the noise and vibrations are not exasperated when brakes are applied. Except I had a high speed (140+) scare when I applied brakes. Vibrated like crazy. So I cannot rule out completely.

Yes, I will try a good tire/align shop. I hear about a Nate Jones Tires who is supposed to be an expert. It is worth a try. Anybody know of a good shop in Orange County CA?

Thanks guys for your suggestions!

quocman555

iTrader: (2)

I believe some aftermarket suspension parts will help. After I purchased my upper strut-tie bar and TRD lcb the vibrations went down to a miniumum. Got new tires and balance and the problem went away for awhile until some uneven tread wear sunk in. Hope this info helps....