SpiceIsleDoc

My '98 GS400 with the 17" low profile tires has always had a serious vibration problem (in my opinion) on minimally uneven roads even at low speeds.
I have had it checked by the dealer and they continue to tell me that that is the way the car rides. I can not believe this, for at high speeds i.e. .90 mph on anything but smooth roads, the vibration through the steering column is so severe, one wonders if the car will shake itself apart.

Is this normal?
I have changed tires three times with no improvement.

Any suggestions.

D-MAN63

Whoever told you that this is how the car rides should be fired! First check to see if you have the correct tire pressure. Then check if any of your rims are bent. If those 2 checks out, then try wheel alignment or speed balancing, using the Hunter Balancer.

I've had some long discussions on here about vibration problems, preferably from speeds at 50-60 mph. I got my alignment done twice and recently I just went and did the Hunter Balancing. The vibration has subsided , not totally but enough.

RealMarty

Diesel's right. Vibration is NOT the norm. I've had two GS4s and both have been smooth as silk with 17s and the stock 235/45 tire sizes when they've been balanced properly (even with the OEM POS Bridgestones).

If you're getting this kind of vibration something is wrong and needs to be fixed.

Is the vibration from the front, back, where? If changing tires didn't help did the vibration move from front to back? I'm wondering if the problem is not with the wheels or tires but rather something in the suspension like a bad shock or a bent or loose component.

If your car is under warranty I'd start with the service manager at the dealer and if he agrees with the idiot that said this is normal I'd move on to another dealer (after voicing a complaint to the Lexus customer service hot line).

If your not under warranty I'd go to the best tire/alignment shop in town and let them take a look at it.

JacobT

Fro most of the '98 GS, there's a TSB for the steering wheel vibration. Talk to your dealer if it's still under warranty. They should replace the steering rack for you to fix it.

KNKGS400

i had the same problem as u, cars virbartes when braking from 60miles down, but from 80-60mph its fine, after point it virbrates,anyways bought it back to the dealership along with my 15k servie, did a balance,and alignment because of the coil overs install earlier, problems was still there, finally went back 1 week later and got new front rotors, pads under warrantly and believe it or not the problem was solve, bascially the tech. told me i had wrap rotors. Hope that helps!@ side note: what is the break in procure again when you have new brakes..thanks in advance.

SpiceIsleDoc

I have tried the high speed balancing but little improvement was seen.
The vibration is totally from the front, and feels like the front tires are bouncing off the pavement and vibrating so much so that at high speeds on mildly uneven pavement while conering I am sometimes afraigd the car would not hold to the road but bounce/vibrate off to the side. The vibration is severe then and can be felt in the stearing.
The car is no longer under warranty but I hav been complaining about it to the dealer since Day 1.

D-MAN63

That is strangely odd. I think you should check the 2 front wheels again and check your springs + shocks. Do you have that crappy potenza's that the dealer puts on?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

SpiceIsleDoc...

Your problems will be a combination of one or more of the following:

1) Tire pressure
2) Uneven tire wear
3) Defective tires (belts moved/uneven, etc.)
4) Damaged rims
5) Suspension alignment

I'd try 1, 5, and 2 first. If that doesn't work, have 4 checked. If that doesn't work, replace your front tires, or try rotating back/fronts first to see if that helps.

TIKTIK11

Have a 99 GS 400, and have changed from those crappy Bridgestones to Michelins and have changed and remanafactured several rims. Everytime i get one pair fixed seems like new hesitations are appearing. Swtiching to Michelins definetly helped. Stay away from POTHOLES.

flm

god....i just bend my rims...2 of them too by going over this giantic pothole!!!

redgs4

I picked up a used 98 -- it came with 17" chrome and Yokos. It had a mild but annoying vibration that picked up at about 60 mph. The dealer (Steven's Creek) told me this was normal, but if I insisted I could pay for an alignment and tire balance.

I brought the car to the Fremont Dealership. First they checked to see if all applicable TSBs had been performed, they had. Then they balanced the tires and rotated front to back (for free!). Problem solved, silky smooth ride...

intimidator3

Don't bother with dealers with respect to this vibration problem, they will do nothing but waste your time. I had a similar problem, not as severe as yours sounds and I finally had success by doing a 4 wheel alignment and tire balancing with the Hunter GSP 9700 Vibration Control System with the road roller at a small high end garage. The Hunter machine is hard to find at smaller garages because of it's cost. Some dealerships have it primarily for SUV's, since they have the most vibration problems with respect to balancing, but they just don't have the personnel to pay attention to the detail needed. I found the garage I used in a friend's Porshce magazine. The owner explained that my problem was that my rear end was out of alignment(but the Lexus dealership had just performed an alignment because of uneven tire wear and said everthing was in specification and they didn't have to change anything) and my tires were out of balance with the Hunter machine, but probably were in with less sophisticated equipment(Lexus dealer just balanced the tires also). The owner of the garage said that the personnel at the dealerships see the equipment show a pass(green) condition and go on to the next thing without paying a bit of attention to what end of the tolerance they are on. So a combination of a high part of the tolerance on one side with a low part of the tolerance on the other side is almost as bad as things being out of tolerance on a car as fussy as a GS. Hope this helps.

dzman

My advice:

1. Never go to the dealer about wheel/tire problems. They don't know jack. You need to go to a specialty tire store

2. Check lug nut torque. It should be 70-70lbs. If it is too high it will cause problems like vibration and shudder when braking.

3. Watch the tire guy do the work. I have chrome rims (17) and 235 45 michelins. I hit a small pothole and got a bubble in the tire. When the guy rebalanced the car I had a vibration that wasn't there before. I took it back and asked for their best guy and stood right there watching him. Problem solved

DZMAN

Litespeeds

One of my best friends works at a Lexus dealership as a mechanic and before I bought my 98 GS400, I asked him if he saw any potential problems with this year car and he mentioned that he has seen a few problems with the RACK AND PINION and actually replaced a few of the older 98's with a new updated rack and pinion part. I didn't notice anyone else mention about this part so I thought I would bring it up to your your attention. Goodluck.

Mark

We should all call Lexus and complain. This is a problem that a $50M car should not have.

We love our Lexus but let not be complacent.

Mark