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Sedans Lexus GS Lexus GS AWD - Tires & Wheels
18 messages, Last post on Feb 11, 2009 at 2:32 PM
You are in the Lexus GS Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
I have '06 GS300 AWD w/the 18"wheels & run-flat tires from the GS430 since Feb. with 5500 miles. After about 2-3 weeks of purchase, I noticed the car seems to drift & require a lot of steering wheel correction to prevent the car from drifting out of my lane. Lexus corrected a slight steering wheel mis-alignment during the 5K maintenance & I had an alignment performed also, which seems to improve the tracking, but more times than not, the steering wheel & tracking of the car feels disconnected. The Lexus suspension drove the car & suggested the light feel of the steering wheel is normal & that the run-flat performance all-season tires that came with the 18" wheels may be contributing to the erratic tracking, because the rubber on the corners of the tires are harder than regular tire. He said, it takes time for the rubber to heat up, soften up, thus a smoother ride the longer you drive at a continuous pace vs stop & go traffic. Anyone else having this problem?
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Replying to: evel (Sep 20, 2006 11:17 am)
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Replying to: priorityv6 (Sep 23, 2006 12:05 pm) Thanks for the feedback. I test drove the BMW 530, GS300, & M35xi as part of the 3 cars I considered, the Infiniti handled the closest to the BMW, but none of the GS300 AWD I test drove had the 18" wheels with run flat tires from the GS430. The alignment done last month helped, but it definitely "drifts" on certain "worn" road surfaces. Lexus steering wheels never had the tighter/heavier feel to it like a BMW, thus the reason the Infiniti & Lexus competitors are trying to match (to a degree) the characterics of the 530i. I too, will continue to nag Lexus on this issue until I am satisfied. Hopefully it is just a matter of changing tires & not something inherent in the suspension, which means Lexus will get it right in subsequent GS model releases. Keep me up to date on your attempt to get it corrected & I will do the same. Thanks, Evel
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Replying to: evel (Sep 23, 2006 3:19 pm) The Lexus dealer swears that it's only the bumpy roads where we live, but you are constantly fighting this car on every inch of the road. My family refuses to drive it anymore! I can't believe that Lexus would turn out a product like this. My other Lexus was absolutely the best car I have ever owned, but this one is a complete pain - a complete disappointment. I also use 4 winter snowtires each winter and this makes the problem less troubling but its still an issue. My question is, " Is this just a tire issue or is it a problem Lexus didn't catch?" If it's tires, does anyone have a solution to what would work? Thanks |
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Replying to: towner54 (Nov 12, 2006 9:15 am) It has been about 3 months since I had the alignment done on my car & to date, the car continues to track & handle well, with the exception of one road a have to travel daily which has deep groves/ruts in the asphalt due to heavy use of the road by by dump trucks, cement mixers, & light industrial type trucks. So I believe the combination of the 4-wheel alignment & having the steering wheel aligned has addressed the tracking/drifting problem I experienced during the first 5 months of ownership. I still have the high performance all season run flat tires that came with the 18" wheels from the GS430 model. It should be interesting to see how they handle during the winter months in the Northern Virginia suburb of Washington,D.C. area. Evel
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Is it me or does anyone else believe the trajectory of the lighting on low beam is too low (i.e., does not cast light far enough out in front of you). I find it necessary to use high beams to see what I consider a normal distance on roads that are not lit with street lights. Is this something the Lexus dealership can & will adjust at no charge during the warranty period? Thanks, Evel
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Replying to: evel (Nov 13, 2006 8:10 am) So your dealer cannot legally adjust the headlamps' beam height beyond the factory specification.
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Replying to: wwest (Nov 19, 2006 8:51 am) Thank you for the info & explanation for why the headlamps are angled so low out in front of the car. |
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| I have a 06 GS300 ...almost one year w/ 17,000 miles..and the steering feels like it's disconnected on a variety of road surfaces. Very strange...as my most recent vehicles have been S430 mb...Infiniti G35...Lincoln Navigator...and a Ford Taurus....none of which has had this strange detached feel. Also..the tire noise is the worst of any car I have ever owned. Anyone else w/ similar experience? | |
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I just purchased a "certified" pre-owned Lexus GS about 10 days ago and have complained almost from day one that the tire noise is really bad (worse than my cheap 2001 Chevy Impala). I also complained about the car tending to veer left or right in quick jerks while I am trying to keep the car going straight. I also noticed that the road (minor bumps) can cause the steering wheel to move. It takes too much effort to simply have a relaxing drive -- I have to work too hard keeping the car from going into other lanes. My car also has a problem with a jerky acceleration (below 20 mph) which I was told (a couple of times by JM Lexus technicians) is normal for Lexus. ...since my family (including me) has had many GM cars/trucks, I recognize this feel as a slipping transmission (like when there is low fluid). Now for my Lexus ??!! I am getting more frustrated. 
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