TXFM

I've had a slight shake in my steering wheel in the morning for a while, and I've been attributing it to cold tires in the morning being a little out of balance until they warm up.

Just had the car serviced, and, at 116.5K miles, was advised that I needed new lower front ball joints. Strangely, this did correct my "shake" problem! Duh....

So, if you're racking up high milage and are experiencing this problem, you might want to have your Ball Joints inspected for wear.

talwang

iTrader: (4)

Had you had the front wheels rebalanced first before you changed the ball joints?

Everytime I take off the front wheels for cleaning or even a brake job, they need to be rebalanced because 55-60 mph vibration will come back for some reason.

intdiamond

iTrader: (2)

That's funny; I have the same issue @ 55-60mph too.... I have 35K miles.

TXFM

Yes, several times over the last few months.

It could be that the addition of bigger sway bars, stiffer springs & shocks, and bigger rotors has put more force on the ball joints.

How many miles on yours?

talwang

iTrader: (4)

Mine has 70k miles and the ball joints look fine.

I used to have a very hard time finding the right shop to balance my after market wheels correctly, but most Discount tire shops can do the job right now.

TXFM

Yes, I use Discount tire, too, and they do a good job for me.

Peter_Klim

You guys wanna hear something funny??

Peter_Klim

Mine does it from 50-60. Annoying as hell!

But why would it ONLY happen from shuch a small speed range? Doesn't seem to make sense...

rclab1

how much does the Dealership charge to change the "Ball Joints"????

is it covered under warranty?

TXFM

I don't use the dealership. I use a group that was Lexus trained and only does Lusus repair.

Around $475.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

55-65 is the sweet spot for most cars in terms of vibration.

1NEAT_SC

That's kind of Weird. Mine does it sometimes, but not all the time or everytime. Not bad though. Only I can feel it. The steering wheel shakes just a little. Again, it doesn't happen all the time just sometimes. When I speed up to 65....it's gone.

lar

Baby ///M3

What's even more funny is that I have the same problem on my car as well.

My SC430 loves to wear re-balanced shoes.

Jon

intdiamond

iTrader: (2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_Klim
You guys wanna hear something funny??

I'll tell you what's funny... it doesn't matter which wheels I've had, on all my cars.... they've all shook a little at around 55-60mph

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

Tie rods, ball joints, and control arms can all contribute to vibration. None of my cars have any type of vibration (30-110 degrees, does not matter). My SC had a little not too long ago which was alleviated with a new control arm.
Early GS400's had severe issues which required new suspension components. Road Force balancing will really assist trouble childs.