I am from Dubai, UAE, and i have bought a 2007 LS460 SWB in Sep. 2007. For the first month the car was perfect, but soon after i started to notice a slight vibration coming through the seats, and latter it became very apparent and visual vibration in the passenger seat. By the third month the glovebox started rattling, and i could feel the whole car flex over any broken pavement, this in spite of the dealer changing all four tiers under warranty. i have the 19 inch rims with 245/45R19 tiers and the steel suspension (not air). I have been reading many forums and talking to other owners in the UAE and abroad, with steel suspension or air, 18 and 19 inch rims, and all the three different kinds of tiers, and this is more common than it is appearing in this forum, This is not my first Lexus nor my first premium brand (BMW, Mercedes, among others). I am not disappointed in Lexus as much as the LS, but if Lexus dose not do something to fix the problem soon i will return my car and shop elsewhere.

 

I'm not offering any advice, but after my test drives of the SWB, I've put off buying the car. My only reason was the poor ride quality.

 

I have the Turanzas on my SWB LS.

The ride is silent, smooth, cornering is excellent, tracking at high speed is accurate and very stable.

I would probably replace them with same when they wear out, unless something better comes out.

 

u r right it is very frustrating. ask the dealer to check your rims for any damages or bents. even slight bent rims will do what you r feeling in your car. 19's are easily damaged, specially in a heavy car like lexus.

 

This is so confusing. We have people saying the LS rides rough, we have people saying it's so soft it's floaty, we have people saying it rides beautifully.

Based on my two 1st Gen LS's, I can't believe the car rides rough, unless they've totally abandoned the mission of the car. I mean, could they have somehow forgotten how to make a car ride well? And if so, how can some of them ride well and others ride so poorly?

As someone sizing up the car for purchase, this makes my head hurt.

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Always check the tire pressures of the demo car to see if they are at the appropiate level before you test drive it if you want a good assessment of the ride.

I've heard they put very high pressure on the tires(which affects the ride) during shipping, & sometimes they forget to put the pressure back to normal before they let customers test drive them . . .

 

My mantras: Always take anything I read on the Internet with a grain of salt.

The veracity of the content is proportional to the reputation of the poster.

Once you clear that hurdle, the only thing left is the subjectivity of the individual experience.

 

Absolutely. They do that to protect the alloy wheels over bumps during shipping. But the factory switch to lower-profile 45-series tires on the LS460 (the old LS430 had higher-profile ones), even with the correct pressures, will stiffen the ride up a little anyway.

 

indeed, often times you see over 40psi

 

You are right with your mantra.

Now, this is my second LS (400 & 460) my third Lexus (including my second car the 2007 RX350), I never had such an issue with a Lexus before, but now i do. My car has the Bridgestone Turanzas with a heat rating of 1, and the roads in my town are going through a major expansion, so there are a lot of detours and bad temporary roads.

I have ordered a BMW 330 Convertible once i have that i will try with my dealer for the last time, if they cant fix it i will return it.

 

Anazaz - doesn't your dealer acknowledge the vibration?

If it's not the wheels or tires, one thing to have them check is the driveshaft. An out-of-balance driveshaft, or bad driveshaft bearings, will cause the vibration you are experiencing.

Good luck.

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now iam confused. YOU WILL trade the or RETURN it. Did they give u a special 30day money back or something

 

Mike_TX:
Yes it could be the driveshaft, but then again it could be the suspension alignment, or something else?? i will have them do all that when i go back to them.

rajwany:
The people at the dealer have acknowledged the problem and tried to fix it twice already (changed the 4 tires the second time).

 

good luck. i hope it works out fine 4 u

 

Uhhh ... I think Anazaz is talking about a vibration, not how firm the ride is.

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