ff_

My 06 IS250 and ES330 both feel unstable on the highway, even at 70 MPH. Soft bushings, soft...everything. Both cars needlessly drift all over the place. And they become very unstable when you hit any sort of uneven pavement. The sensation is not unlike rolling over uneven pavement in a vehicle with solid axles (i.e. like a Jeep). The body twists/rotates uncomfortably as each corner of the car does something different. High speed stability is about more than just aerodynamics.

STIG

Are you serious bro?

I think that's a little exaggeration to say your IS250 is unstable and drift all over the place. Come on.

Ramon

ff has a vendetta against Lexus, and the IS in particular judging by his posting history. I dont even know why he owns one. Anyone who claims any new car is unstable at 70mph needs driving lessons. Period.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Perhaps you definition of "unstable" is different from mine, which is most likely the case here. When I say "unstable", I do not mean my whole front end is unpredictable, and that the car steers left and right by itself to the point where I can't keep it on the road. When there is a large turning point on the freeway, my car has to be slowed down (to ~65mph) in order to turn otherwise the body would roll too much. That to me is unstable.

When driving down the freeway at 80mph (socal traffic), my car bounces up and down. The steering is way too soft for highway runs. The light disconnected steering feel coupled with a car that float on the road isn't exactly what I call stable either, if the car is not as predictable. That to me is unstable.

Most cars that i've driven, then steering wheel tends to stiffen up the faster you drive to prevent accidental turning. In a Camry, or my GS, the steering wheel is just as soft as in the city. Most other cars require more force to turn the steering wheel at that speed where as my GS will definitely turn with with little force. That to me is unstable.

Granted I worded my statement incorrectly about lexus' offering, what I meant to say is that they are not as stable relative to other brands.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

I believe he meant at high speeds above 90, the vehicle does not give the driver a sense of security. A Lincoln Town Car will feel great at 100 mph on a smooth straight road, heck any car would. Add some curves and imperfections in the mix and hang on. Stock vs stock I have to say the BMW has one up on many if not all Japanese manufactures when it comes to high speed stability. These vehicles were bred to carve the roads. Seriously, with Lexus, speeds above 120, you do not have that sense of security..You are on pins and needles hoping the car does not lose control. Brakes don't fail me now.. In a BMW, it begs the driver to push it to the limits. At speeds of 120, the car seems to plant itself to the road and feels like a solid piece of granite. True car enthusiasts should recall the famed BMW 850I. When you take that car above 100mph, the windows automatically roll up. Amazing.... Lexus really has to address driving dynamics which is the hallmark of a true luxury sports tourer/sports sedan. No brand favoritism on my part. I have both.

Ramon

While I agree that Lexus vehicles may not be as "composed" at high speeds then say their German counterparts, I think "unstable" is a bit of a stretch at speeds being debated over here. Especially claiming instability at 70mph... I guess maybe if you were going over a series of speed bumps at that speed I could see that. But just to indulge I took my IS all the way up to a whopping 70mph on the way to work today. Being the risk taker that I am and living life on the edge, I decided to go to 80mph (crazy, I know) Suprisingly enough it felt just fine.

EDIT: at 120, instability does start to make an appearance. IMO

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

There is a video of Hans Stuck in a last gen x5 on the Nurburgring on Youtube. This was an x5 exquipped with the E39 M5 v8. No alteration done to the suspension. It carved the ring like a knife

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

A big factor here is a road quality. In the U.S. most interstates and highways still have LOADS of bumps, dips, bad joints, holes, trash, and more. European highways are usually MUCH better.

The dips and bumps alone unsettle MANY otherwise 'stable' cars at any speed above 60, but particularly those with soft suspensions.

Any time I took the GS400 I used to have (with all the good suspension mods) to 90 or above I wasn't totally comfortable, but I think a lot of that was due to road quality.

ff_

Unstable might be a rather harsh term, but the car does drift all over the place, and does act very unpredictably when going over even slightly uneven pavement. The steering is sharp/responsive, but it's still quite hard to get the car to track in a straight line. And it's not tramlining, because it reacts this way regardless of the road surface that you're on. We have a long stretch of I-75 here in FL that is all relatively new pavement. Perfectly smooth. The car is all over the place. There could be something wrong with the alignment, but it's not like the dealer is going to spend the effort to diagnose and fix it, if there is.


Anyone who claims that a new car couldn't be unstable at 70 MPH needs a serious reality check. Or needs to come drive my IS.

doug_999

My 2003 GS430 felt very unstable over 80. Worse it always got loose when a semi was nearby or passing and I was doing 60-70ish.

Almost like the rear spoiler was picking up the vortexes from the truck or something. Very scary - especially in the winter with snow and ice around.

Gojirra99

Please get back on topic, the BMW X5, or this thread will be closed.

doug_999

I think the new X5 is really nice.. but...
Some of the nice features will not be available until March 2007 and the price is in the stratosphere. You can't even think about giving the RX competition when your 6-cyl is costing $50K

vraa

iTrader: (2)

What are you comparing it to?
If you're comparing the LS to the Chevy, yeah I'd think they'd be more stable.

I'm comparing our cars to the X5. The X5 is a fricken rock at high speeds. It's incredible, very impressive.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

It should be, it's as heavy as one.