sakataj

iTrader: (182)

first off lighten up, no need to cuss. i never was trying to be rude to you but if you weren't posting info that wasn't true, i wouldn't be trying to correct you. i try to make sure everything i say as accurate as possible but when i dont im open to people critique it for me....think about how easy it would be to find info (and im not referring to you) if people on the internet didnt post info that wasnt true....or they didnt know for a fact. my apologies if you took it as anything other than me trying to help someone else...


second off,had you gone through all the steps to figure this out and it still didnt work i wouldnt have said anything but you didnt and then your telling people it cant be fixed.....there are SEVERAL people in this thread alone that have fixed it and disproved your theory, yeah you may have gotten info from others who haven't fixed it but again did they take all the steps necessary to fix it and still didnt get it fixed?, i doubt it but its possible.

RoboRam12

On a different note, this shake may come down to how big your wheels are. This car is designed around 16 and 17 stock wheels, so if you can't run balanced without the shake on 19s, which would be a +3 off stock, it may be that the suspension geometry has been put in a state of imbalance. So short of redesigning the front suspension yourself, there may not be a solution to the shake if you are running 19+ inch wheels.

I mean, if you look at it, people with this problem, who
switched to stock wheels, no longer have the problem. I wouldn't say this theory is flawless, but it makes sense to me.

krispl

You know what I honestly agree with recefort when it comes to having a solution for this issue because I have seen multiple people complain about this issue throughout the years and whenever someone claimed to fix it at some point they either came back few weeks later stating that the problem came back OR they never reported back to claim any specific success. Maybe I overlooked some of them....I'm not saying that there aren't any but if there are people who fixed it let us know who and what they did.


I myself did a bunch of **** (ball joints, allignment, daizens bushings all over, engine mounts, multiple wheels balancing, brand new tires) and it still shakes.

Just my 0.02.

raceforgt

Thank you, and this is exactly what I'm saying. I'm reading dozens and dozens of testimonies from other members that have done the same thing as me, putting thousands into it and getting absolutely NO result. I'm not the one coming up with the idea of the "uncurable shake", I'm simply supporting it with what I've found. I did a lot more than most people, I'm not talking alignments and balances here. I spent over three grand on a huge shopping list of things: upper/lower control arms, caster arms, ball joints, tie rods, shocks, struts/mounts and every replaceable bushing (not daizen) along with OEM GS450 18s and tires. I basically replaced the complete front end suspension. And speaking of wheels, the shake was exactly the same with the original 16s which were tested 100% straight.. it is NOT the wheels!
After all this the same thing happened here, shake went away for a little while and came right back not a month later. So the biggest question here is, for that time what exactly made the shake go away or was it mind over matter? And if what, why and at what point was the problem culprit reintroduced? If so, what is setting off this part to make it shake the way it does? Its not alignment, I had the same shop that did all this work do another alignment, 0% fix.
I would say if I could change one thing I did, it would be to replace every one of those parts mentioned one by one, single out the problem/fix. Sure it would've probably added another grand in service hours un/reinstalling the same parts over, but I would be that much closer to the solution if there is one.
Honestly after all this, it seems there may have been a flaw in design for the "perfect" car company. For now most of us have to live with it. So I too would like to hear how/if someone has come up with a solution to this mystical problem. Your input would be invaluable.

RoboRam12

Check your steering rack and the rest of the steering system? Maybe a loose sway bar?

Unless it has been a problem since you first got the car, there has to be a solution. A shake can't just magically appear, after not being there for years, and not have a solution.

raceforgt

Well thanks, maybe that's the case and maybe I just hadn't noticed it or it hasn't been as apparent.
Steering rack.. you're talking REALLY big money there, money that I've exhausted on the suspension. Money that I don't have nor want to spend anymore on this car. And at this point, money that could've been a really strong downpayment on a new GS.

DMPesso

actually since putting new wheels on which are only an inch bigger (17"s OZ 35th anniversary 17x8) i still feel slight vibrations sometimes especially when at about 62mph

RoboRam12

Yeah, there are only so many things that can cause a shake, and replacing suspension parts when they might not need to be isn't the way to go. First thing to look at is tire balance, then your ball joints, then check your tie rods, and then the steering rack. Check the dust boots, check to see that nothing is loose there. And these cars also have speed adjusted power steering, so perhaps something isn't working like it should.

dmc_maine

Count me as one of the people that have had this problem 100% solved.

The solution was a tire replacement and this is an expensive solution if you're not already in the market for tires so I understand that everything else is tried before replacing the tires. I lived with the shake until it was finally time to replace my tires.

In the meantime I also had all the usual front end suspects checked to eliminate every possible culprit. It really helps to have a good relationship with a great mechanic. We're very fortunate in Portland to have an independent Lexus shop, LexConnection, that does outstanding work.

I bought my GS400 used (stock 17" wheels) but it had cheap "new" tires on it, as is often the case with people trying to sell a used car - they cheap out when they replace the tires on a car they're getting rid of.
Living in Maine it helps to have good tires and now that I have the ContiExtremeContact tires it's made all the difference in ride quality and grip.

Do your due diligence and check everything but don't be too surprised if it turns out that your tires are to blame.

Good luck to everyone that has to deal with this issue.

joshoowa

iTrader: (1)

Road force balance is what you need if you on big rims.

Solo_D33A

Instead of arguing and bickering about, can't we set a lawsuit or something to Lexus and Toyota about it?

Och

iTrader: (3)

First of all, the claim that wheel shake cannot be fixed on the GS is complete and utter nonsense. My 2GS is 10 years old with roughly 130k on the clock, and the only suspension part that have ever been replaced are ball joints about 4 years ago. In the summer I run it on 235/55/17 and in the winter on 215/65/16, and it rides absolutely silky smooth with not even a hint of any shakes on either set of wheels.

1) Verify that your rims are not bent. Wheels with low profile tires are very easy to bend, and will typically be out of round the very first time you hit a large pothole. Once that happens, you will get shakes no matter what you do. I bent (7) seven 17" rims with 45 series tires on NYC roads in three years, and switched to 55 series tires, and everything has been fine ever since. Many people are ignorant or in denial that their brand new oversized rims might be out of round. Man up and get them checked out. Bring it to a shop that has Hunter 9700 machine and a technician that know what he's doing - they can check your rims.

2) Get proper balance. Ideally, you need lug centric balance. Most tire shops do hub centric balance, which is usually fine for OEM rims, since they are high quality and generallly with those hub center and lug center will be at exactly the same spot. However that is not always guaranteed. If you're running aftermarket rims, definitely get lug centric balance. Not many shops are actually able to do these, most of them do hub centric balance, but it will be worthless once you put the rims on the car and they center on the lugs.

Lexus, and pretty much most other makers, actually require their dealerships to do lug centric balance, but most dealerships simply don't follow it. Like I said before, on most OEM rims lug and hub centers are equal, so dealerships get away with doing hub centric balance and its fine for OEM rims. Both of my 17 and 16 rim sets are OEM, and both received hub centric balance, and there are no shaking issues. But don't count on that with aftermarket rims. Find a tire shop that has Haweeka lug centric adapter for their balancing machine and your problems will be solved.

Och

iTrader: (3)

P.S.

With aftermarket rims, even if you get lug centric balance, you're still not guaranteed smooth ride. If these rims were designed as hub centric, with not particular attention being paid to the lugs center, you may not even be able to get lug centric balance on them. If it is possible to get the lug center balanced, you'll probably also need new lug nuts, specifically made to fit the holes on those rims - OEM lugs will not work properly.

Another option is to use hub centric rings with those rims, and get them hub center balanced, but then its important to make sure that lug nuts are way smaller in diameter than the lug holes in the rims, this way the center wont get shifted once you tighten the lug nuts. But that solution isn't very good, these hub centric rings easily deform and dont last.

All in all, its best to avoid aftermarket rims, especially if they are cheap, and weren't made specifically for your car following all factory specs.

tither777

iTrader: (4)

thanks for this thread….. my 20"shake and my stock ride like butter….. NOT A LEXUS FLAW……. i will also try this all out one at a time and tell you all when mine goes away…. i was told by some very knowledgeable people that these cars have VERY complex suspension design not made for the extra weight and force of bigger rims…. BUT some work out and some dont. its not a issue to sue over for sure. if it didnt shake the first year with stock fresh components…. it can get to a no shake zone again… we are talking about 8-10+ year old cars that WHO knows what they have really been through… lol im believing i will get my 20's back on!!!!!! with NO SHAKE!!! thanks again for all the helpful insight!!!!

DMPesso

I had stock 16s on my 99 GS3 with tires that were worn out in the front and the shake was horrible, i switched to 17x8 OZ 35th anniversary rims with brand new 225/50/17 falken tires and the shake is only noticeable around 62-68 mph and isnt as bad as before but still there. I highly doubt getting conti tires will make all the difference? or maybe the rims account for the slight shake and the tires were counting for the bad shake on the stocks