vibration at frewway speed?
 

any idea what could be causing this? its a higher mile car. could it be the mechanics? or is it a wheel balance problem? we got new tires recently balanced? any thoughts or feedback on whats causing this???

I think I may have this vibration too elclassico...does your steering wheel vibrate along with the shifter in the center? That's what mine does. I know it's not the wheels on mine since I recently had them balanced and just checked the tire pressures. I have a little over 130,000 miles. I have no idea what may be causing this, but would like to figure it out sometime. Anyone else encountered this vibration?
Earl!

sounds very similar
 

i wonder whats up?

I used to have the same problem with my 99 GS400, and the vibration started soon after I purchased the car new. Many GS4 owners have complained about the vibration, which Lexus just can't seem to get fixed to owner's satisfaction. I've been told that Lexus suspensions are extremely sensitive and that it is a common problem with most models. It could be that your older suspension is starting to wear out and may need some replacement parts. You may want to have a good mechanic that you trust do a thorough inspection of your front suspension and steering rack to see if anything can be done.

Guys, the problem with vibration could either wheel balance or a mount. I had the same problem with mine and it turned out to be the tranny mount, yes believe it or not! In your cases I would have every thing checked by a good mech... Your wheels could be balanced with brand new tires, if your mounts and also your bushings are bad you will still feel vibrations. Once you've changed everything your Lex will feel like brand new.

Hey Lexozz,

Could you please elaborate on the tranny mount thing, for example, what is that? I can do car audio stuff myself easy, but I let my mechanic do engine stuff! So basically, I would like to hear more about what these mount and brushings are, hmmm what? I have read about the brushings before, but no one has ever explained what they are exactly or what they do, I would like to know!?!? Thanks guys,
Earl!

I'd ask your dealer about tghe steering dampner. There was a case of vibration on one of the cars on here. Whats up with that tranny mount thing?

The tranny mount absorbs some on the vibration from the engine, just as the engine mounts do. It sits under the tranny towards the back, its a metal bracket with rubber inside. Maybe some one else can elaborate a little bit more!

Out of round tires/wheels
 

Do you feel the vibration at idle too? If your car have a smooth idling, I don't think that your mounts are bad. Bad mount vibrations usually showed at idle (in park/stop at red light) thought they get worse at low speed but then get better at high speed (RPM) do the constant stress against them.
I suggest that you do the usual check on the tire wear pattern, balance, bushings, & control arms looseness, front struts etc first. If those check out OK but the vibration is still there, it will be likely that your tire/s and/or wheel/s is/are out of round. You can check this out by jacking up your front tires, one at the time, and turn them by hand. Try to look for high/low spots. If you notice a bad tire or wheel, you can rotate it out with another one. Very often, in fact too often, vibrations are caused by "perfectly balanced" out of round tire/wheel. Good luck and cheer.

Thanks for all the great info guys. Now I should be able to get this fixed fairly easily. I just had my front upper control arms and front struts replaced, expensive...need to sell my other car for some $ before I do any more Lex repairs!

Once you get read of this problem post the reason please. This "magic" vibration has not yet been determined yet.

new observations
 

thanx to all who have posted. i guess im not the only one. this vibration occurs at higher freeway speed. 60+ i remeber when it was smooth sailing at 80. anyways i notced something odd about my particular vibration. it seem sto happen in waves. how do i explain this...at about a steady 68 mph, even with cruise control on, you can feel the car vibrating. but it goes away for about 3 sec. rides fairly smooth and then starts vibrating again. like waves? it could just be me. but it seems that way? i dont think its the tires? any thoughts?

YES! elclassico, you have described my problem perfectly. PLEASE tell me what you did to resolve it? That is exactly my problem. At between 30 and 40, and then again between 60 and 80 mph, the vibration comes in waves. Doesn't seem like wheel balance to me because of the way it goes in and out of phase.

Lemme know what has worked.

There's a remote chance it could be a bent rim from a big pothole or running up against a curb. (this is different from being out of round. )

Guys ............

If I may ................ the kind of vibration that comes in "waves" is called a "Beat Frequency". It occurs when two or more vibrating / rotating components interact. The vibrations alternately combine "constructively" and then "destructively" to produce a fluctuating vibration.

It takes two or more items “out-of-balance” to produce this. The most likely culprits are the tires followed by axles and drive shaft. Start with a full four-wheel balance and also check for “Lateral Run-out” of the tires and or rims, which can produce vibration as well. Also, confirm proper air pressure in all four tires.

It can be frustrating but it can be solved with a systematic approach.

98