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put some hub rings on my front wheels after realizing the other day they didnt have any and where just being centered with the lugs. Ive been chasing a vibration since I bought the car. Pretty much gone after a quick drive. I still need a set for the back as I only ordered a 2 pack. I thought maybe only one of the wheels was missing one, but turns out they all are after checking today. Also put in a new cabin filter, the aftermarket one I pulled out almost looked nicer than the OE one. The brand of the one I pulled out was a Premium Guard, ordered the same one from amazon but I got a parts master branded one with the same part number. They don't look the same either. It actually has more pleats than the PG one or the Lexus one. But I'll probably return it, I put the Lexus one in. New air filter as well, it had a K&N in there but I'm not a fan of them. I had to really shake it out when I got the car it was covered in crud.
Today I got my plugs changed at 134k. I purchsed at 130k...timing by was done at 95. Plugs didn't not look original.
Other than plugs, cleaned tb, maf, installed hks super hybrid filter and switched to Mobil 1 syn.
Now she runs like a beast out the cage!
Old plugs!
Replaced with exact plugs in nice toyota/lexus packages. 48$ for 8 from ebay. Coulsnt be happier!
Replaced the engine air filter. Cleaned the MAF. Before, car had a slight vibration at idle. Now absolutely smooth.
TB next on the list. Used ShinEtsu grease on door seals. Went for a drive to enjoy owning a great car.
ordered a full set of Gorilla hub centering rings from Discount tire on monday to get my wheels centered up correctly. They came yesterday and I threw them on today when I got home from work and also put my drivers side front tire on the back since it had worn pretty bad on the inside edge due to the bad lower control arm bushing. OMG it rides so much smoother and steers so much better without the worn tire on the front and the hub rings in place. Smooth no vibrations. I still need a new set of tires but I will probably have Clear Choice here in the woodlands look over the car and see if it needs any more suspension work before I get new tires and get it aligned. Everything else seems pretty solid from what I can tell.
I retorqued the wheels to 76, as I had a state inspection...I don't think they pulled the wheels because the wheel lock was not used, and the nuts were not overtightened, as they usually are when someone puts the wheels back on in a shop.
I also put some coins into the console. Yesterday, I was meeting my wife and son in a toddlers play place, and had zero coins for the parking meters (guess the municipality is a little behind in that they only accept coins, but they do pay police officers 80k+ which is fair but still very excellent pay). I seriously had to drive around until I could mooch off someone else who paid and left, this wasted over 10 min....
ordered a full set of Gorilla hub centering rings from Discount tire on monday to get my wheels centered up correctly. They came yesterday and I threw them on today when I got home from work and also put my drivers side front tire on the back since it had worn pretty bad on the inside edge due to the bad lower control arm bushing. OMG it rides so much smoother and steers so much better without the worn tire on the front and the hub rings in place. Smooth no vibrations. I still need a new set of tires but I will probably have Clear Choice here in the woodlands look over the car and see if it needs any more suspension work before I get new tires and get it aligned. Everything else seems pretty solid from what I can tell.
Gonna' be headed back to Clear Choice next week myself. PO did all of the fluids twice except the rear diff fluid, so I want to get that changed out.
Switched my tires out from a set of Goodyear Assurance Comfortred Touring that were probably 60% worn to a set of Michelin Premier A/S. The Goodyear tires were quiet and handled OK in dry conditions but I didn't like how they performed in the wet. I was originally planning on replacing them next spring but I stumbled on a good deal at Costco last night and decided to pull the trigger this morning. With the $70 instant rebate and free mounting (well OK I lied. It was really 4¢. A penny for each tire), balancing and tire disposal, I paid $703 out the door for a set of 17" H-rated Premiers. Could have picked up the V-rated version for an additional $30 bucks but I'm not planning on driving this car faster than 130 MPH anytime soon so why bother.
I have been giving a lot of thought to switching over to the 18" five spoke wheels over the course of the last year but in the end, I have come to appreciate the conservative styling of the six spoke design that my car came with. That, and the fact that Michelin wants $300 more for a set of the 245/45 R18 Premiers, I just couldn't justify spending an additional $1300 or more for that look. As a side note, I was kind of surprised that my Costco doesn't even carry the 245/45 R18 Premier A/S. At least at my store.
I had plenty of time afterward to try out the new tires in the rain today and I really like them so far. They are nice and quiet, track well in the rain and absorb road bumps with aplomb. We'll see how long they wear. As usual, YMMV...
I spent the afternoon chasing a bunch of IS350s and an IS-F in the Yeti, I was really surprised how well the fat body LS handles the tight as ****** roads we were on, however the transmission really did not like it that much. About 10 miles into the road I could smell hot trans and a trans temp warning flashed on the dash, so that was the end of that spirited drive. The rest carried on while I did a u-turn and plodded back to the main road. There was a slight flare into 3rd gear a couple of times but once cruising on the main road I gave it a chance to cool right off and checked through all the gears and it seems to have come good. I can bet I'll have cooked the trans fluid but that was due for a fluid and filter change anyway
Threw on some 18” 3GS wheels and tinted the windows, 20% solar gard all around
Those look really good. I might have to consider that as an upgrade in the future. I'm assuming those are a direct fit? Where did you find the wheels at?