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My recently purchased Lexus GS300 Mk2 with 40k miles has what can only be described as twitchy steering. I've had the discs replaced on the front and all wheels balanced and the tracking checked but still it twitches. It seems to require a lot more input than I have ever experienced on any other car just to stay in a straight line. The input required isn't excessive it's just a bit irritating. I notice it more around 60-70 mph. Is there anyone who has had this problem and found a solution. Could it be ball joints?

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I'd concur with the above.

From the trackwork i do in the Caterham - which usually dictates i fiddle with the suspension geometry, there are 3 factors that will influence tramlining and steering response on a car:

Toe

Tyre type

tyre pressures

pretty much in that order. Toe adjustment both positive to negative can affect the cars turn-in and straight-line stability, certain tyre types can be more suceptible to tramlining and under-inflated tyres can induce a more sluggish steering response.

I would imagine the front castor and camber are not readily adjustable on a Lexus so it's most likely to be toe. I'd certainly get a second opinion on the tracking setup, preferably as part of a 4-wheel laser-alignment.

Hope this helps.

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I'd concur with the above.

From the trackwork i do in the Caterham - which usually dictates i fiddle with the suspension geometry, there are 3 factors that will influence tramlining and steering response on a car:

Toe

Tyre type

tyre pressures

pretty much in that order. Toe adjustment both positive to negative can affect the cars turn-in and straight-line stability, certain tyre types can be more suceptible to tramlining and under-inflated tyres can induce a more sluggish steering response.

I would imagine the front castor and camber are not readily adjustable on a Lexus so it's most likely to be toe. I'd certainly get a second opinion on the tracking setup, preferably as part of a 4-wheel laser-alignment.

Hope this helps.

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I'm not sure where you are but a guy called Tony Bones has good knowledge of all things like this and can offer good prices to sort the problem out.

His username is wheels-inmotion.co.uk - might be worth dropping him a pm to see if he can help sort you out?

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Thanks for all the tips. I'll try getting the alignment done asap. One thing I have found though:- if I get someone to wobble the steering wheel from side to side, the whole steering rack moves on it's mount due to the rubber surrounding the 2 bolts that hold the rack and pinion housing to the chassis. Is this worn rubber surrounding the bolts or is this normal?

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I would imagine the front castor and camber are not readily adjustable on a Lexus so it's most likely to be toe. I'd certainly get a second opinion on the tracking setup, preferably as part of a 4-wheel laser-alignment.

Hope this helps.

Camber is adjustable and castor is indirectly adjustable.These should be aligned correctly not just the toe.

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  • 3 months later...

I would imagine the front castor and camber are not readily adjustable on a Lexus so it's most likely to be toe. I'd certainly get a second opinion on the tracking setup, preferably as part of a 4-wheel laser-alignment.

Hope this helps.

Camber is adjustable and castor is indirectly adjustable.These should be aligned correctly not just the toe.

I had my tracking done by the agent on the 10/2/05 took 2.5 hrs to do all four wheels and cost £60.00+vat but hey guys worth ever penny, no more twitching about at any speed now.

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I've posted about similar things with my 2000 GS300 (17" rims).

In the end I got the wheels balanced and put the tyres up to the correct pressure.

That's made it a lot better - if you're doing a lot of motorway driving it might be worth putting them up to 34 or 35.

The ride's a little less smooth but the difference it made to the feel of the steering was incredible - having the tyres at 30psi seemed to make the car wallow and drift, especially on motorways.

It still tends to tramline a bit on bumpy roads - you'll sometimes find it seems to have an unnatural affinity for steering itself towards the ditch and you need to actively steer it straight - I put this down to the fat tyres and I reckon it's just something you have to live with.

Hope you get it sorted

Dave

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  • 1 month later...

I would imagine the front castor and camber are not readily adjustable on a Lexus so it's most likely to be toe. I'd certainly get a second opinion on the tracking setup, preferably as part of a 4-wheel laser-alignment.

Hope this helps.

Camber is adjustable and castor is indirectly adjustable.These should be aligned correctly not just the toe.

I had my tracking done by the agent on the 10/2/05 took 2.5 hrs to do all four wheels and cost £60.00+vat but hey guys worth ever penny, no more twitching about at any speed now.

Hey there. do you have the settings they set the wheels to on the car? The before and afters??? I need those settings. Do you know I have had a LS400 for 3 years, then traded it in on my GS400 which i have had for 3 years....i have had over 22 alignments done on the two cars over the 6 years. 4 by lexus, and the rest under the life time alignment by firestone. These f-in cars wander all over the damn road, on the fwy at 60+ mph. I feel like i am steering 24/7....i HATE driving either car because of that problem. 6 years of driftin'...............

Such a shame for such nice cars. I really hate driving the things. My GS has H&R lowering springs with 18" wheels on it, i thinbk 9.5" wide. This thing keeps burning up the inside of the tires after like 12000 miles. to the steel! It handles like a 72 cadillac that has two flat tires. Totally ****ty handling. Almost feels like you are about to lose control if you swerve left to right at 60mph+ gently.

anyone help me????????????????????????????????????????? I am in the US. In california. Email me direct at rescom@megapathdsl.net

i wrote lexus on it directly. They are molasses getting anything done. then they are saying i have to convert it back to the orig rims & tires. (didnt say anything about the lowering though.....)

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I would imagine the front castor and camber are not readily adjustable on a Lexus so it's most likely to be toe. I'd certainly get a second opinion on the tracking setup, preferably as part of a 4-wheel laser-alignment.

Hope this helps.

Camber is adjustable and castor is indirectly adjustable.These should be aligned correctly not just the toe.

I had my tracking done by the agent on the 10/2/05 took 2.5 hrs to do all four wheels and cost £60.00+vat but hey guys worth ever penny, no more twitching about at any speed now.

Hey there. do you have the settings they set the wheels to on the car? The before and afters??? I need those settings. Do you know I have had a LS400 for 3 years, then traded it in on my GS400 which i have had for 3 years....i have had over 22 alignments done on the two cars over the 6 years. 4 by lexus, and the rest under the life time alignment by firestone. These f-in cars wander all over the damn road, on the fwy at 60+ mph. I feel like i am steering 24/7....i HATE driving either car because of that problem. 6 years of driftin'...............

Such a shame for such nice cars. I really hate driving the things. My GS has H&R lowering springs with 18" wheels on it, i thinbk 9.5" wide. This thing keeps burning up the inside of the tires after like 12000 miles. to the steel! It handles like a 72 cadillac that has two flat tires. Totally ****ty handling. Almost feels like you are about to lose control if you swerve left to right at 60mph+ gently.

anyone help me????????????????????????????????????????? I am in the US. In california. Email me direct at rescom@megapathdsl.net

i wrote lexus on it directly. They are molasses getting anything done. then they are saying i have to convert it back to the orig rims & tires. (didnt say anything about the lowering though.....)

Welcome to LOC UK, geometry holds 15 or so angles all with various effects and consequences, add wider wheels, lower the suspension then now the geometry recovery is theoretical and will need to be manufactured, there are so many things to ask that i feel you need to refine the problem a little so we can help, go to www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk hit the site map and read camber/ castor/ kpi basics and if you feel up to it also the theory, the explanations of the angles should give a better insight of the problem from you... in addition do you have any geometry reports that you can display? or email to me @ wheels-inmotion AT ntlworld DOT com

Edited by ScarFace
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