I have a CPO 04 LS430 UL with 25K miles. It has brand new Bridgestone Serenity 17" Tires. Over the past few months, my steering wheel would shake a little at 55-60 mph. I had taken it to Bridgestone and they road force balanced the tires, however, the problem stayed. I then went to my local Toyota dealer (as the closest lexus dealer is 250 miles away). They balanced the tires again and the shake went away. However, two days later the steering started to shake again. I was back at the Toyota dealer and they balanced the tires again. However, this time, the shake stayed even with the tire balanced.

Based on the Toyota dealer, the rims are not bent and tires are good. Also, all the suspension components are ok. No issue with air suspension.

I have called Lexus dealer to see what can be done as I can not bear the steering shake any more.

 

This is usually a very difficult problem to diagnose. Some tires will not work with your Lexus, maybe you have found such a combo. You didn't mention if they did a rotation one side at a time. That might help isolate the left or right tire since a bad one in back should not shake the steering wheel. A tire with a bubble in the tread or sidewall can be balanced but it will still cause vibration, same with a shifted belt. A competent tire guy can put the tire on the balance machine and turn it slowly to check for imperfections in the "roundness" of the tire. Did you hit a curb or pothole?

 

Your tires could have flat spots or be out of round. It would be so slight, that you would only notice it at high speeds.

 

If you found someone to balance the tires on the car, you would know with certainty if it a balancing issue. I also had a stubborn shake with new primacy's in the morning when cold at 55-60mph. After the on car balance it is gone. It is expensive though, twice the price of a regular balance and takes a fair amount of time as well.

 

Check tires and make sure lugs are tight. Sounds like bad tires or maybe suspension problem

 

The Toyota dealer did not rotate the tire. Also, the tires were out of balance within 2 days. The front driver side was the worst (2.5oz off). The techinician did not know what could cause the tires be off balance in two days. I did not hit any potholes/curb and also none of the weights fell off. Lexus at San Antonio suggested wheel alignment, but the toyota techinician said that wheel alignment had nothing to do with vibration. I am sure it is a tire issue since the shake is only at speeds b/w 50-60 mph.

 

Did you have the same problem with the tires you replaced.

 

Alignment? Too little toe-in and you can get shake at those speeds. It usually goes away if you speed up another 10 mph from where it starts if it's a toe-in problem. It can also be due to a too-soft or worn out suspension part that is allowing the toe-in to turn out too much.

 

Thanks to all for the responses. The vehicle was bought certified in Apr 2010 with Bridgestone Serenity on them.

1. The rear two tires were replaced with new tires (Bridgestone Serenity) in May 2010 by Lexus in San Antonio. They found that the tires were out of round.
2. The front tires were replaced by Bridgestone as I had some flat spotting issue.

So, all 4 tires are new and have been road force balanced.

My steering shake does not go away after some time of driving. So, I guess it is not flat spotting issue. What could cause the tires off balance within a few weeks. The technician thought that the debris stuck in the tires groove could contribute to the off balance.

I am not sure if the Lexus dealer will replace these tires with Michelin Primacy MXV4. I have a phone call with the Lexus Service Rep tomorrow morning to see what can be done.

 

Nothing. I'd be thinking suspension issues. Period.

 

I didn't see it mentioned so I'll ask if they've taken the two front tires and moved them to the rear to see if the vibration moves with them?

 

I asked the Toyota technician to rotate the tires, but he said that since the front tires are new, he would not advise to rotate the tires. Basically, Toyota is doing all this work on behalf of Lexus (as the dealer is almost 250 miles away). If this issue is not fixed, I am driving to Lexus and leaving the car till it is fixed.

 

From a diagnostic perspective, they need to move both front's to the the rear so you can see if the problem moves with the tires. If the problem does move to the rear and the steering wheel smooths out, you've unequivocally determined it's a problem with one of those front tires and not some other suspension or alignment issue that they can try and hang their hat on.

 

How about if you rotate the rear tires to the front (both sides) and see if it still has the shake. Best would be if you knew someone with a LS or GS and swapped wheels for a test drive. That would definitively determine if it was the wheel/tire combo or something else.

I have Bridgestone Serenity EL42's (4 new tires when I bought the car CPO last Sept) and I have no issues (tested up to 90mph). My wife's LX has new Michelin LTX2's (previous was Bridgestone Dueler HT's). One thing I immediately noticed was the Michelins hardly required any weight to balance the big 32" SUV tires while the Bridgestones had weights all over them.

 

I fully agree with all of you to get the tires rotated to see if the problem moves with the tires. Quick question. If I rotate the tires and the steering vibration goes away, can I leave the bad tires in the back or would I get any vibration with the bad tires on the back?