offandongu

Hello all,

My wife has a '99 GS300, still has the stock 16" wheels on it, and since its the wife's car its going to stay that way for awhile (no rims). when we bought it, it had new Goodyear's on it, Assurances I think. The car was shaky around 80 MPH so I took it to the Lexus dealership (buddy's dad is a mastertech) and he told me one of the rear tires was bad, he tried to balance it the best he could but it still sucked at highway speeds. Then my wife got a nail in the one rear tire that was ok so she's been driving around with the full size spare on for about a month now. Now the car shakes very bad from 65 MPH up.

Sooo

What tires should I get? I'm planning on replacing all 4 and we live in Florida so we need good wet/dry traction, car will never see snow. Right now the Goodyear's are 215/60R16's. I don't know much about tires but after reviewing some threads on here I'm leaning towards the General Exclaim UHP. I want to spend less than $100 per tire and have good tread life, low tire noise, smooth ride, and pretty good cornering ability. I've read that the sidewalls on the UHP are a little soft but I'm not sure if they're too soft to not meet my criteria.

My main question is what size should I get this tire in and why since I'm a noob to this stuff. I saw people suggesting 225/55 16's instead of the stock size, could you guys explain why this would be better? And feel free to throw out some more tire suggestions. Thanks in advance.
Justin

offandongu

Nobody can tell me why 225 55 would be better? And does anyone have any experience with General Exclaim UHP's?
Justin

dcz

I had the same problem. When I purchased my car from Iowa (I live in ga) I had the wheels and tires balanced before I drove home. When began my drive home after having that done, I was ticked to find out the car still did it. When I got home, I had the chain do my tires again and it was still shaky. Since then, I bought a new suspension, new rims, new tires, and my car is still shaking. There are many people on here that encounter the same problem that I do, but they insist it is either a worn suspension, tires, or brake rotors. The only thing that I have not replaced are my rear rotors and I honestly believe that is where my vibration is occurring. Thats just my 2cents, though. Do a search and see if the problems you are having match up with others. I would almost bet you're having the same problem as me and everyone else.

It may be your tires because they are worn, but I'd check into other options before buying new tires....

offandongu

DcZ, thanks for your response. The only reason I'm replacing the tires is because my buddy's dad, the Lexus Master Tech, had all of my tires and wheels on the machine and said one was bad. Then on the only good rear tire we had, my wife got a flat, it was fixable but she drove a little ways on it, and now the side wall is warped. So the vibration is worse now then ever because I have two bad tires.

I've read that most people have vibrations issues around the mid 60's. I do now with the addition of 2 bad tires, but before when it was just one it was silky smooth till 80. So hopefully this will fix everything. I wish I had read about the highway shake problems before I bought the car though, didn't expect that from a Lexus.
Justin

808DRFTR

If your having tire problems it could be heavy spots in the tire causing it to be hard to balance which what it sounds like. I would personally stay away from the general tires. Usually people who get the cheaper/generic brand tires end up complaining more about vibrations or tire pulls. Best tires I recommend when people come in to the shop I work at are Michelins, though pricey they are good overall.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

There are a lot of options much better than the Generals out there... IMO, it is a decent entry level tire, but they leave much to be desired...

I've sold tires for a long long time, and in your price range, these would be some others I would look into:

225/55VR-16
Bridgestone RE760: $112 (and $50 back with 4 tire purchase)
Firestone WideOval: $108
Yokohama S Drive: $102
BFGoodrich Traction T/A V: $107
Yokohama Avid V4s: $104

All of these tires will outperform the Generals in all ways...

As far as tire size, the 225/55-16 is a little bit wider and therefore offers a little more performance in comparison to the 215/60-16...

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

the rotors would have to be OMG out of spec to cause any noticeable vibration unless the brake pedal was applied...

offandongu

Hey guys I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Mitsuguy I will check out those tires you listed. I didn't realize that the General's were more of an entry level tire, guess I should have for the price and the fact I had never heard of them before! Thanks again,
Justin

DanozLS430

iTrader: (1)

I had a 2000 GS300 which did the shakes at 55-60mph. My tire guy told me it needed balancing which I did and it still shook like crazy. Another tire guy said to have the car aligned which I did with no luck also. I did adjust the steering adjustment screw which made the steering a little tighter. Did not solve the problem though. Finally I read more about the GS shaking problems on Club Lex and finally ended up changing the Control Arm Bushings from Daizen along with the ball joints from which I ordered online at http://www.tmengineering.net/ I researched who in my area could install them which recommends a hydraulic press to remove and install the bushings. I found a shop which could do the joband this solved the problem. The car ran like new again and the shake went away finally.

How the shake felt:
The shake felt like the front tires were wobbling at highway speeds and were like the nits were loose. You can really feel it in the steering wheel also. If I slowed down to 25-35mph, the shaking would stop.

I hope this helps.

DanozLS430..