I recently got my wheels balanced, and any shaking i may have had from 65-72 mph went away. However, I drove in heavy rain on highway for the first time. I noticed a bit of shaking in steering wheel around 60mph. Is this water collecting in the rims?

 

yes thats what happened to my current GS and my Accord, becuz the water slash on the rims too hard

 

Yes depending on the wheel design. Here's a thread with a detailed explanation

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...nd-wobble.html

 

Geeze.. Not an issue I was counting on with this car. It doesnt appear to be common with GS owners from what I've seen in the GS forum, are our wheels generally designed to be susceptible?

 

I probably should have asked... Do you have OEM wheels or aftermarket 3 piece-type design? If OEM probably not a big issue with the design (as in the thread I linked above) but it sounds like since you had a dry shaking issue previously that was balanced out the issue with your particular GS is only lessened by the balance and the added water weight might bring it back.

Looking at your profile, you've got a 2008 AWD, couple of other thoughts... there is a thread regarding AWD wobbling (linked here) and you might also consider that a wheel on your GS might be slightly bent by the previous owner which can cause this symptom. Balancing can get most of it out if its minor, but as the tire wears it comes back.

 

Hi Dave,

At the balancing this weekend I was told I had a slight bend in the rim. They did not offer to repair it because they said that the road force balance was able to get it back in spec.

 

If you can, find out which rim it is and mark it somehow so you don't lose track (paint pen on the inside or keep a note somewhere in the car and if you rotate make sure to mark the tire and update your note). Keep an eye on the Club Lexus classifieds to find a replacement, or check salvage yards, etc. Or think about a set of new aftermarket rims

From personal experience, a bent rim is a constant annoyance. Makes for a rough ride and causes driving to be less enjoyable. There are places that can fix them as well you might want to consider, but most will require shipping your wheel off unless you are lucky enough to live closeby.

 

As it turns out, there is a wheel repair shop one town over with one-hour service! Is rim repair just as good as a new one, or are you better off just springing for a new one?

 

Really depends on how bad the bend is (and how good the shop is). If your bend isn't visible and it can be mitigated by balance, might be worth a shot as its likely minor.

One other thing to consider that I'm not sure is an option for the 3GS since I don't know how it's configured.... is your spare tire/wheel a full size? If it matches the rest, rotate it in and use the bent one as your spare.