Darting Steering and Tire noise
06-13-01, 10:17 PM
#1
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I have recently purchased a '98 GS4 and have a couple of issues concerning suspension/tires. First, the front end makes a dragging sound at low speed, especially at the end of braking. Also, the car pulls from side to side on uneven pavement. The car is equipped with 17" wheels which I believe were added after delivery by the first owner. The car has Dunlop SP Sport 8000 tires.
The car brakes in a straight line on even pavement and there is no vibration while braking. The dealer service manager has told me the dragging sound is tire noise and is normal. The area around my dealer has newly constructed, smooth streets so I was not able to demonstrate "dartiness".
I had a '90 LS400 and I guess I was spoiled with the ride of that car. Even after 11 years, the car drove like a dream - of course it did not have the performance of this car.
Have others experienced these problems. If so, does anyone know any fixes? Does anyone know if front end alignment specs are different for cars equipped with 16" and 17" wheels?
The car brakes in a straight line on even pavement and there is no vibration while braking. The dealer service manager has told me the dragging sound is tire noise and is normal. The area around my dealer has newly constructed, smooth streets so I was not able to demonstrate "dartiness".
I had a '90 LS400 and I guess I was spoiled with the ride of that car. Even after 11 years, the car drove like a dream - of course it did not have the performance of this car.
Have others experienced these problems. If so, does anyone know any fixes? Does anyone know if front end alignment specs are different for cars equipped with 16" and 17" wheels?
06-17-01, 09:51 PM
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gs400vr,
My car does the exact same thing : pulls to the right or left on unevenly paved roads, but stays straight on smooth roads. Alignment helps a little, but not much. Here's what I chalk it up to:
- 17'' wheels tend to "follow the road" more, therefore the ride isn't as great
- I have low profile tires, and not much tire distance between my rim and the road, this also adds to the annoying pull effect
Hope that helps, you're not alone with this problem.
My car does the exact same thing : pulls to the right or left on unevenly paved roads, but stays straight on smooth roads. Alignment helps a little, but not much. Here's what I chalk it up to:
- 17'' wheels tend to "follow the road" more, therefore the ride isn't as great
- I have low profile tires, and not much tire distance between my rim and the road, this also adds to the annoying pull effect
Hope that helps, you're not alone with this problem.
06-18-01, 03:22 AM
#3
Lexus Champion
gs400vr, sTWO is correct. Generally, the wider and lower profile the tire, the more likely it will exhibit some degree of "tramlining". Tread pattern and tire construction has some effect additionally, so you'll see differences between brands and even between individual models within brand. But I know of no way to predict whether one given tire will be better or worse than another.
The LS had relatively small high profile tires (215-65/15, if memory serves, for the '90) and so was relatively immune. If alignment is out even slightly (and this is somewhat of an Achilles heel for the GX) you will see more of a tracking problem even if smooth road/straight line behavior is acceptable.
As for noise, the Dunlop SP8000 is somewhat of a noisy thing......I liked it's handling on my previous SC, but it was always noisy (relative to what some expect in a Lexus). Your service mgr and/or tech should be willing to ride with you so that you can indicate exactly when you hear noise.
Hope this helps.
The LS had relatively small high profile tires (215-65/15, if memory serves, for the '90) and so was relatively immune. If alignment is out even slightly (and this is somewhat of an Achilles heel for the GX) you will see more of a tracking problem even if smooth road/straight line behavior is acceptable.
As for noise, the Dunlop SP8000 is somewhat of a noisy thing......I liked it's handling on my previous SC, but it was always noisy (relative to what some expect in a Lexus). Your service mgr and/or tech should be willing to ride with you so that you can indicate exactly when you hear noise.
Hope this helps.
06-18-01, 05:41 AM
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Originally posted by mooretorque
Generally, the wider and lower profile the tire, the more likely it will exhibit some degree of "tramlining". Tread pattern and tire construction has some effect additionally, so you'll see differences between brands and even between individual models within brand. But I know of no way to predict whether one given tire will be better or worse than another.
Generally, the wider and lower profile the tire, the more likely it will exhibit some degree of "tramlining". Tread pattern and tire construction has some effect additionally, so you'll see differences between brands and even between individual models within brand. But I know of no way to predict whether one given tire will be better or worse than another.
IME and from what I've been told by several tire stores directional tires will tend to exhibit more tramlining than non-directional tires. And high performance (V and up) rated tires are very often directional. The worst tramlining tire I ever drove was the OEM Bridgestone 030s on my GS 400.
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