We purchased a 2009 GS350 new. All the bells and whistles. Since day 1 I've disliked the way the car steers - so much so I just won't drive it. Car drifts all over and requires "work" when driving long distances. Always pulls to the right as well. Unlike the newer Lexus cars this one does not feel planted on the road. I've talked with Lexus numerous times about it and it is always blamed on the stock low profile tires / wheels. We are considering trading for another Lexus. The new ES and seemingly all of their new cars feel so much more planted. I've wondered if since day 1 this was just our car or "the nature of the beast". Its had many alignments, new tires, etc.. Nothing changes it. Is this the nature of the beast? If so, is there a way to modify the front end so it feels more like their newer cars? Any help appreciated. I'm still pissed about this.

 

I have no such issues with my 2008 but I do have a staggered set up with 245 tires on the front and 275s on the rear. The car understeers (feels like it is plowing through a turn) but that is kind of the nature of the beast with a car that was not designed to be a sports sedan.

 

Mine seems relatively planted, I guess it just depends what you are comparing to, I am pretty sure if I was to give you a lincoln town car to drive long distance you would of said GS is so much more planted.

 

I know what you mean, I have found that a good alignment usually cures the drifting feeling.

 

I have an '09 running on Conti DWS's but have none of the complaints you describe. I wasn't happy with the understeer and body roll so I installed F-sport sways (front and back) and lowering springs and the car's handling has been greatly improved. Honestly, I can't imagine a new ES having better feel than a GS. Last time I drove an ES I felt completely detached from the road, little to no feedback. I'd say go test drive one and rethink your strategy.

 

Tires make a huge difference on these cars. I've had two different 3GSs. My 2006 AWD felt so much more connected to the road than my 2010 RWD, and I thought it was the steering rack or something that was different. Then for the snow season, I changed tires on the 2006 from summer sport tires (Falken) to Continental sport winter tires (not cheap tires at all). Of course I didn't expect it to feel as good on the winter tires, but what I found was that it steered/handled very much like my 2010 does on the all-season runflats. Basically, the tires made ALL the difference.

On the summer tires, the 2006 steering was sharp, crisp, and much firmer. I also thought the sway bars on my 2006 was the main difference. It was a factor, but not as much as the tires. Put some nice rubber on your GS and it will transform the feeling. I remember thinking something was wrong with one of the cars because the difference between steering feel was so dramatic. I thought maybe the rack on my 2006 must have been going bad since steering so much firmer.

If you search my post history (don't waste your time doing that ), you'll see threads where I talked about how great the steering feel was on my 2006. When I switched tires, much of that firmness was gone. It still feels ok, but definitely not as "sporty".

 

Considered f sport springs and sway bars?

 

well if you have aftermarket wheels, it could be just your tires that are causing this or a bad alignment.

 

My father has the new ES and I can say without a doubt its worse than the GS you have. The new GS is planted but the ES acts the same way not as bad as the older ES but it still has some sway when driving on the highway. All you really need is to get a sway bar and lowering springs so that way the car is lower to the ground. Better on the highway, I had the same problem when I had the 3GS is was always drifting, but when I lowered it and added the sway the car was a whole other beast, less stress on holding the steering wheel in place.

 

I felt the same way OP. in addition to many 5.0 mustangs, recent/ current vehicles are 2001 SVT Lightning-no steering rack etc. lowered with stock bilsteins. truck rides and handles on rails. 06 mazda 3, well it's ok, but my 2002 SVT Focus handled a lot better then the mazda, and just better then the GS, but that's comparing apples to oranges. I just installed F sport sway bars and it has helped a lot. i'm going to lower the front with 30mm RCA blocks and get an alignment cuz the front drifts just a bit to the right. but of course I live in OC, so some of the streets are bad as I mostly drive on street currently. Highway is so much better.

 

Thanks all for your comments. Still thinking through strategy. We put a softer tire with taller sidewall on a few years back and that briefly helped. But the car seems to revert back to its "old behavior" quickly. We live in San Diego where the roads aren't great. But it is amazing how jumpy the steering feels at slow speeds, and at high speeds sometimes as well. I just don't experience any of that in their newer models. Will look into the F Sway bars and other solutions noted here. We've been testing a new ES and while it may be detached the steering is a hell of a lot better than our '09 GS. That said, the ES is lighter and less HP and that just doesn't give me any satisfaction either.

 

I am surprised to hear of that kind of problem - it would make me hate the car. My '06 is one of the "most planted feeling" vehicles I've owned, and I've owned 150+ (lost count a while ago LOL)

I think the steering is fantastic, but I know some others have issues with it. Maybe it's car-to-car, dunno.

FWIW mine is on fairly new Michelins in the stock 17" size (225/50).