I Bought a 2019 GX Lux last Fall with 67K miles. It came with newer Advanta tires but I switched to Continental Cross Contact tires for a smoother ride. Now, just 3,500 miles later I have noticeable tread wear on the outside of the right front tire. I am not an aggressive driver, and the tire pressure is spot on 32 psi. I checked the KDSS Leans to the Right service bulletin: my lean is .25", not the .79"+ stated for coil replacement. Has anyone else had this situation? I'd like some advice before I go back to the tire dealer. Can this be easily remedied with a wheel alignment? Or does the suspension need to be addressed? Thoughts? Thanks for your help!

 

I'd have the alignment checked, for sure. The seller could have put new tires on it to cover up an issue (e.g. bent control arm), or the alignment may just be out of spec.

This is somewhat personal preference, but I'd bump the tire pressure up, too. At least with my 19" wheels and stock size tires, 36psi is about right.

Mark

 

Update: I went back to the tire dealer who did a SAI alignment (Steering Axis Inclination). The control arm was out of spec, leading to the belief the control arm was bent. Tire dealer said they would only touch this by doing all of the control arm, spindle, and both struts, and said my better option may be going to a body shop to identify only what was needed. They offered to try to get SAI adjusted as best they could to give me time to figure out what to do. Lo and behold the SAI adjustment came back within specs. Tire dealer is not sure how this could happen, and it could be a temporary thing.

At this point, I'm going to watch the tire over the next 1,000 miles. We are 80 y/o and this is our only vehicle, and we love it. If it does need fixing, I'm thinking of the Lexus dealer, paying more for the work but getting a loaner, and some peace of mind. I truly don't know how you find the right body shop. Any comments and advice is appreciated. Thanks ScaldedDog.

 

I have a hard time believing this as SAI is not an adjustable parameter, it is "built into" the geometry. If you are having tire wear on the outer edge, is is most likely that the camber angle is not in spec or the toe in . Both of these are adjustable parameters. If they gave you the read out of the alignment numbers, please post them.

 

... tire dealer ... will not use OEM parts ... and upcharge as if they did (pure profit) ... plus, why shocks ? Any of this ... if necessary ... IMHO should be performed at a dealership.

^ agree ... where are the alignment numbers that their conclusion was based on ? +1 on Camber being out-of-spec.

 

You might consider getting the name of the body shop your Lexus dealer (and the local BMW and Audi dealers) use, before you talk to the Lexus dealer about doing the work. Most dealerships farm out body work these days, usually to the place in town that works on the "nice" cars. It doesn't hurt to have that name in your pocket.

That said, this is really suspension work, so the dealer will probably handle it in house. They won't be the cheapest option, but they probably are the best chance you have of getting it done right, if anything needs to be done, at all. As you no doubt know, ageism is a thing. If you aren't comfortable, take a younger, knowledgeable male relative or friend in with you to make sure you aren't taken advantage of. I hate to have to say that, but I do.

Let us know how it works out, and if we can help!!

Mark

 

I did get alignment numbers. The tech took pics and sent to manager's email. So the pictures may be a bit hard to read. The "Before" was the preliminary measurements. The "Before SAI" shows SAI measurements before adjustment. The "After" shows after adjustment measurements, and all these numbers are in "green", meaning in spec. There was no "After SAI" alignment numbers page, as evidently their printer went down. Tire dealer said since all the "after" numbers were in spec, this makes the SAI measurements all in spec; that is, between 11.6 and 12.6 degrees. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!



Preliminary numbers

 

Based on the before numbers, the right side tire wear was caused by excessive toe in. The left side did not show wear due to the negative camber. Also based on the camber and caster angles, the vehicle should have has a right pull.

The after numbers are better but not perfect, IMO. The pull will be gone however but I would like to have to numbers right on spec with the SM. The reason why everything is in "green" is that the SM gives a wide tolerance. I would have adjusted the left camber to .1° and adjust the toe to the spec of .07°.

 

Anyone know what the ideal angles/ranges are for even wear and straight tracking on the GX?

 

Here are the specs, below. In order to compensate for road crown, the left side caster angle should be ~0.5° less then the right side caster angle.

 

Thanks, Mike, for the information. However, I have not experienced any pull to the right. Could it be the tire dealer's alignment equipment is off? I wonder if it needs re-calibration every so often. How long will this recent adjustment last? Maybe I do indeed have a suspension issue that's causing the right front outside tread wear. Sorry this sounds like high drama, but that's my thinking. Bottom line is I'll keep watching tread wear over the next 2,000 miles or so, and see how it goes. Once this is resolved, I'll post the outcome. Thanks to all for the advice and information!

 

It could be calibration of the equipment, but since the original numbers point to the observed tire wear, I think it is not that. Tires themselves can cause a pull or lead, and it maybe the cause were the tire lead cancelled out the alignment right pull. When I first bought my GX it had a very hard right pull. It turned out most of the pull was caused by the tires, which needed replacement anyway.

The alignment will last a long time assuming there is no excessively worn parts, but it is a good idea to have the alignment checked every 20k miles or.

 

I'm with Mike on this one. Excessive toe in.

 

The somewhat excessive tire wear (compared to the others) could be a defective tire, such as a separated belt, etc. Do you notice any unusual vibrations when turning corners or at highway speeds. Any bulges on the sidewall or tread??

 

Update: Just got back from Lexus dealer. The lower left control arm has a seized adjuster so it will not hold completely tight, meaning an adjustment will not hold. Looks like rust may be in play (its prior life was in Nebraska). I'm not sure how this relates to RF tire wear, but it is something that needs to be replaced. I've got a loaner until next Wednesday when it will be ready. Service adviser says this wasn't on his bingo card (not that common on the GX), and that all other suspension components are good.