dfkd, I appreciate the offer, and but it really won't help much unless you want to switch cars, lol

I have sold the 18" wheels and am looking to sell the Continentals now .... I am going to use 17 inch wheels and tires because the car drives much better on 17s

 

Update : I am buying 17 inch wheels

I'll likely buy 17 inch V-rated Michelin tires in 225 / 55 / 17 - and wondering I get staggard wheels, will it
improve the car's efforts to drive straight,
have no effect on the wandering, or
( heaven forbid ) make the car's wandering worse.

I found some BBS wheels that have these widths and offsets.
2 front wheels are 17x8 +33 and the 2 rear wheels are - 17x9 +30

My question .... will using staggard 8" and 9" wide wheels have any impact on the car's tendency to "wander "




Thanks for all your help

 

I'd like to see what those wheels look like on the car.

 

they didn't fit .... the front brake caliper is too big and it touched the inside of the spokes !

too bad, they were beautiful wheels.

 

Just wanted to throw my "2 cents" worth in on the wandering issue. This is something I definitely noticed on my 2001 UL. I put a new set of tires on the car - Michelin Primacy MX V4 225/55 R17-(only because the old ones were worn out) and there was no change. I have since traded for a 2004 LS430 UL and the "on center" feel is much better. My guess is that it is an engineering issue and not a tire/balance/alignment thing.

 

Was the alignment ever checked and diagnosed at all?

In general, if everyone that had an 01 had that issue, there would definitely be more than just a couple people complaining about it on CL...

If the car is wandering, there is a mechanical reason for it that can be repaired by bringing the vehicle back to OEM spec, whether it is an alignment issue or if it is because of a worn bushing somewhere...

 

i didn't read every page, but my best guess to take care of the problem is to get your toe a little closer to zero. not at zero, but you only need a very small amount of toe in. maybe half of what you have or somewhere close to that. wandering is mostly caused by toe problems, and the tires (including compound, section width, and sidewall hight) that you have. but of course there are many other things that could cause problems, such as sloppy ball joints, tie rods, bushings, or anything else that moves with the suspension.

 

I have a 2001 LS430 and although the car does not wander, it does require some very slight steering wheel adjustments while driving on the highway to keep the car straight. I have primacys and the alignment is right on. I assumed this was due to the nature of the car. I would not call the steering sloppy, but not the precise feel I have with my Infiniti G35 or a BMW. There are no wear issues on my tires. We are talking about driving a boat here and I would think it is not going to have precise dead on steering found in a sports car. Am I wrong to feel this way? By the way.....There is zero play in the steering standing still and turning the wheel side to side. The front end was inspected with no issues.

 

This is very similar to the experience I was having with my 2001 LS and was pretty sure there were no tire/alignment/suspension issues. When I got my 2004 LS, I noticed marked improvement in the on-center/tracking of the car as compared to the 2001 model. I know there were engineering changes beginning with the 2004 model, so I just assumed what I was noticing was one of them.

 

I agree completely.

The toe was deliberately set that way to help the car track straighter - it helped, it wears the tires faster - but I had to do something !

An LS will never steer like a BMW or an Audi or any sports car, but it should be fairly effortless to drive long highway drives. Mine isn't yet. I sold my 18 inch wheels because the car wandered worse on them, and am buying ( probably) 17s with Michelin Primacy v-rated 225/55/17s in a couple of months

I'm sure in my case, there are some worn parts somewhere, and thanks to some suggestions earlier in this long thread, and the PMs rec'd, I will get a few things checked, again, and hope this gets fixed.

If I can live with the car after, I will keep it, if not ..... sadly, its gone. Sad only because I waited 20 years to buy this car.

 

i just put my stock (17") wheels/tires back on in a random order and i really notice some wandering for the first time ever. hopefully once my tires start to get used to their current their positioning this will improve.

 

UPDATE

Firstly, thanks to EVERYONE who posted here to help me with my problem. I appreciate it very much.

Today the snows came off and I put on new 17 X 7.5 inch wheels with a 40 offset and 4 new Michelin Primacy V-rated 225/55 tires. Car drives properly now, no wandering at all, very smooth and quiet.

As many of you thought, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires were the problem.
I'll be driving on Michelin tires for as long as I own this car.

Thanks again everyone !

 

tire pressure, bad tire, uneven wear, road crown, tie rod, sway bar/bushings, other suspension parts should be checked.

 

wow really, just the tires huh?

Thank you for letting us know the conclusion of the source of your problem

The DWS you had was probably a bad batch, because I drive on the cheapest tire I can find and have no issue.

 

I had the issue of high speed float...after I put new tires on my 06 LS430 Sport. The tire store did a bad job of balancing them. The car's extremely smooth ride would mask the issue around town but at highway speeds, it translated into a scary floating of the car. I did not know until I brought it back to the tire store and complained. I suggested they might be over inflated. An hour later, the car was ready to go with a diagnosis of "out of balance" and an apology. The Goodyear Assurance Comfort Touring V rated tires have been flawless for a year now with no other issues. I have attained highway speeds in excess of 90 with out a hint of wander. Before that I was terrified to go over 70.