StealthAWD

I know that with the snow tires on my car, that because they are softer, the car will have a tendency to float/wander more, but even before I put the snows on my GS300AWD didn't feel stable at 70+ MPH on the highway. Wasn't a solid connected feel to the road. It is like I have to wrestle with the steering wheel to stay perfectly within the lane. Also seems that any sort of cross wind easily drifts my car off course.

Is anyone else experiencing this? I came from an A6 Audi, which had a very solid and stable feel to it, especially at higher speeds. Perhaps this feel on the highway is common with a Lexus?

bearbrick

My GS feels stable at 70+ MPH on the highway, but I do notice that it is hard to keep the car within the lane because it drifts to the left a lot. My 2000 Maxima's steering wheel jerks at speeds above 65MPH. The only car that I didn't feel jerky steering movements and good all around stability at 80+ MPH was my G35 coupe, what a car!

SGT

I don't have winter tires on my car but when I'm doing 110 MPH on the highway it feels absolutely stable and actually feels more like I'm doing 80 MPH. Very solid. However, when I go over the Throgs Neck Bridge, I can feel the wind push the car around.

marshmallo

Interesting. My car is remarkably stable even at 85mph. It almost
feels like it is standing still and asking me to go faster... It feels
more stable than my old GS430, but does not feel as planted
to the ground as the IS250 I test drove.

The cross winds do mess with the car quite a bit more than I
would like.

yon

Nope, my GS3/AWD is rock solid at 80+, and the highways up here usually cruise at 70-80 during commuting hours.

On one commute home I was moving with traffic at 80, when I had an obnoxious SUV start to aggressively tailgate. So I briefly did my, "ok buddy, just how fast is fast enough for you?" maneuver. He was still tailing at 95, so I pulled aside and let him go get a speeding ticket for the rest of us. Car still wasn't breathing hard, even at that speed.

rjjr

I have the exact same problem. Part of it is a learning process. I'm use to a 5 series which was glued to the road and has instant response. . Part of the problem IMO is the variable ratio steering. Seems like you have to move the wheel more to get the same response as my other car. I've also talked to the dealer and we're thinking the run flats having such a stiff sidewall which create a disconnect from the road. They don't feel the road well since there is no flex in the sidewall. I'm having Goodyear F-1's installed next week and hope this helps with the problem.

FlintGS06

I have a GS300 AWD with run flats and it feels very solid on the freeway at 100+

nardeezy

My car feels very solid at high speeds when the road is smooth. However, after lowering it when I drive on rough roads it feels somewhat unstable. I think it's a combo of the VGRS, the dunlop run flats and being lowered. The weird thing is I never looked for it before I lowered the car, so it might have been the same before and I am just more attention to detail because i actually modified the suspension.

FYI, Under 1000 miles I had my car go to the dealer 2x for re-alignments under warranty. The service technician indicated that the AWD models have VGRS and the RWD's don't. Apparently the VGRS has some kind of electronic self correcting steering system.

G Cushing

Over inflated tires will produce the same effect you are describing.

nardeezy

Hmmm... I went on the Lexus website and it doesn't spec that the AWD has VGRS but the RWD's do. That's weird because when I got an alignment under warranty at the dealer they indicated that the VGRS needed some kind of re-calibration to get the steering wheel straight..