Ok the colder it is the worse it is. It feels like its comming from the driver side front wheel. When its cold out side its worse, but after I drive for a while it goes away. I have changed rotors and pads and new tires road force balanced and aligned. I have 98 gs400 with the factory 17's on it. I was thinking that it is a wheel bearing going out. What do you all think?

 

Have you tried swapping the front tires? Maybe its a slightly out of round tire that softens up as it warms up. Just a thought. You can also check it for side wall bubbles and tread separation while swapping them.

 

it did it with old tires as well. so i dont think its that, but thanks for the input

 

I'm having the same problem on my GS4 - a noticeable steering vibration when cold. Not sure what is causing it but my DS wheel bearing is making a loud clicking noise during a right turn and I'll be replacing it soon.

At first I thought it might be loose steering rack bushings but I have no theory as to why they would be worse cold.

I'll let you know if the problem is fixed by replacing the frt wheel bearing.

 

thanks. thats what i was thinking as well. im going to change my steering rack bushing for danzen kit if that doesnt work on yours.

 

nobody has any suggestions

 

so how did changing out wheel bearing turn out

 

Mine did that when it was cold as well. I sucked out the power steering reservoir and filled it with lucas power steering conditioner. It helped a little, but still shook when cold so I did it again and it helped drastically. Awhile later the whole front end started shaking at all temperatures, but varied with speed. I replaced the rack bushings and outer tie rods. Everything else seems tight. I've had all suspension components checked out at numerous shops and they all say everything looks and feels tight. I'm baffled. I think it's in the rack, but don't want to replace it. I may try tightening the pre-tensioner a little bit more. (I did that already too). good luck

 

engine mounts maybe?

 

Another theory is that the tires are temporarily flatspotting during cooldown. Driving on them the next morning warms the tread causing the the flatspots to vanish. Easy to verify by jacking the front wheels off the ground overnight and seeing of the vibe is gone. Seems crazy but worth a shot.

 

I second the possibility your tires are "flatspotting". When I had W rated and Z rated tires (very soft) on my GS in the past, I had this problem in the cold for a couple miles, till they warmed up.

I have Yoko 520s (H rated) on the car now and they don't flat spot like my previous tires. I can't drive over 130 mph now (lol) but I do like the fact they stay round in the cold. Can't have everything, right?

It's a common issue with high performance tires, and your prob sounds just like what I experienced.

 

Yup tires are flatspotting if only happens during cold and goes away with 3-5 minutes. What kinda tires do you have. You can call the tire company, have a rep come out and verify the issue and they will swap out the tire depending on how much mileage you have on the tire.

 

kuhmo ecsta asx. seemed like it did it with my old tires as well

 

Have you learned anything more about your cold vibration?

I have 2000 GS300, 90K miles. I get high frequency vibration when car is cold and temp below 30F. Goes away after 10-20 miles. I noticed it at 60-70K miles and it did not do it earlier in life. It is NOT front suspension or wheel balance or flat spots...too high a frequency. Feels like engine firing frequency. When I slow to a stop, it seems like the vibration does away when the torque converter unlocks right before coming to a stop.

It isn't an alarming problem, but it is there none the less.