Bon

Wow, it's been a long time coming. My '06 has been a project since I got her. I began chasing the shakes several years ago. Lots of balancing, tire changes and component changes. Over time I'd make some progress and things would get a little better but things would deteriorate over not-so-many-miles and I'd be back looking for the culprit. At one point I replaced the tie rods and installed Daizen polyurethane bushings in the front. When that didn't help much I began to go back and replace the components with Lexus OEM parts. The lower ball joints made a big difference with steering stability but alignments still didn't last long and I ate up some expensive tires in the process. Before putting on some new rubber I decided to replace the lower control arm #2 (LCA #2) with OEM stuff instead of the old arms with the polyurethane bushings. Wow, what a difference. Now, I know that many run with poly bushings but, for me, the LCA #2 isn't a good candidate for poly. I now have OEM everything except the steering rack bushings which are still poly. I don't have a hint of wiggle, shimmy or shakes at any speed up to 85 mph but I haven't gone faster - yet. The steering is true and there's no kickback in the steering wheel. I have to say that my SC finally drives like a Lexus. That's all I every asked for! I took it out today for a romp in some whoop-de-doo's around a local lake and the car hung in without effort. Now, I need to learn to relax my white knuckle driving technique. I find myself finding reasons to go out at just drive her. It's like having a new car without the payments. My love affair with this car is just beginning six years after purchasing this car.

Oh, the tires I got are Continental ExtremeContact DWS's.

Taysdad

Bon,

Congratulations! Thank you very much for sharing. I think this will help many of us with now older SC430s who want to return the car to its prime. I think I am a year or two away from replacing the entire suspension and steering in mine. I will begin to save up and budget for this expense. Did you do turn the wrench yourself or take it to a mechanic? Do you mind sharing the total costs of the parts and labor to replace all these components?

Michael
PS - what part of KC are you from? I am in Ohio but I grew up in KC and lived there until I was 22. Go Royals. Go Chiefs (this one seems less likely).

KingReyes

From this part, right?

Bon

I do all my own wrenching on my cars and motorcycles. So my costs are parts only, excepting alignments, but I can get pretty close on alignments for test driving purposes. The LCA's were $290 for the pair. I don't recall the lower ball joint or upper control arm (with ball joint) prices. I used to buy many of my parts from SewellParts.com but that's not an option anymore. To get the best prices you've got to cast a wide net and shop eBay, Amazon, every Lexus online dealer etc. to save a few bucks. Ramps, a couple of floor jacks (one small one large), an air impact wrench, a couple of jack stands and miscellaneous other tools are the minimum that I'd have on hand to get it all done.

Michael, your LCA #2 is toast! Look carefully at the LCA and you'll see how carefully designed the rubber bushings are. The fully symmetrical poly bushings don't even try to emulate the engineering that goes into them. Lexus/Toyota uses the same bushing design on many of its cars for good reasons. Road forces on the tires push the suspension backwards and it's up to the LCA to resist (and give into) the forces just the right amount to maintain the proper toe-in at all speeds. There's also a twisting action on the LCA as the suspension moves up and down. My alignment guys didn't know that my LCA was poly (or even aftermarket) and they would do a great job only to see me coming back with the alignment all out-of-sorts and the tires scrubbed heavily. I'm going to de-grease the old LCA's and inspect the poly bushings to see if they have deteriorated in any way but I really don't expect to see or feel anything.

By the way, I'm in Blue Springs, MO. I've been here since 1995. I love the town, the seasons and the friendly people here. I even had George Brett sign a wall in my basement when he stopped by several years ago. Just one of the perks of being in KC!

KingReyes

Were you referring to my picture? Lol I found this out 2 weeks ago after driving hard in the canyons. I'm ordering a set now

Harold57

Great to know Bon, also glad to know that you got the shakes eliminated.
Congratulations and thanks for the insight.

rlp1949

Bon, it's been nearly a year since you bought the Continental tires. Are you happy with the purchase?

kevin3344

Love these tires! I have the DWS's on my GS and the DWS06's on my SC...both are smooth as butter and I hardly see any wear on my GS after a year. They came with a 50,000 mile tread life warranty and I have no worry they will last at least that long.

I just got the SC a few months ago and the previous owner had them installed Fall 2016. When checking out the photos of the car before purchase I was really happy to see these tires. They literally don't wear out and I already know the ride is smooth. Since it's my weekend vehicle I expect them to last a long time.

Bon

Yes, I am. The ride is exactly what I like. Still, no shimmy or shake going on! Flat spotting is minimal and their traction and responsivness is great. If anything isn't perfect it is that the tires are a bit noisier than I'd like them to be, but no biggie. They're wearing great as well.

rlp1949

Thanks! It's helpful to read such positive reviews. I'm trying to improve the handling in my SC. I have been convinced to try new shocks. They've been ordered and are on the way. If the shocks don't get the job done, I'm going to replace my tires. I have narrowed the list down to the Continentals or Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. The price is about the same (Costco has a great deal on the Michelins).

Bon

I had the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on my LS430 and couldn't wait to get them off. I often run Michelin's and have had generally good luck with them but the A/S was a disappointment for me. Lots of tread/pavement noise and to hear that coming through the LS interior is certainly not expected.

FergzSC430

I have been unable to determine why my steering wheel shakes when I reach speeds above 55 and when I step on the brake. Typically when I initially start driving the car at higher speeds it levels out. Unfortunately, it always shake when I step on the brake. Any ideas on why this is happening? The brakes are good and I recently had a wheel alignment to rule both of those items out.

doodles714

iTrader: (1)

Bgw70

sixonemale

I assume when you had the alignment done that the wheels were balanced. I also assumed they checked for any irregular tread wear on all of the tires, especially a cupped pattern that could cause vibration. Lastly, I'm in the same camp as Bgw70 regarding the vibration when applying the brakes, sounds like warped rotors.