azkaty

We have had our 2002 SC for 6 days...has new 245/45R-18 96W BSW Goodyear Eagle GT's with about 4,000 miles...tires were purchased by the original owner in Feb of this year from Discount Tire...when we purchased the car, noticed that had vibration from 56-59m mph...he had also purchased the road hazard and balance/rotation warranty which was/is transferable !!! took the car to Discount this afternoon, had the tires re-balanced (3 were out of balance), fronts were cupped a little, and had rotated. Set tire pressures to 37 PSI per recommendation from the Lexus store...the vibration is still there...but I believe has moved from the front tires to the rear...tires were rotated from front to back. The front wheels ( now on the rear)have curb rash...and they are the original "plate" design...do these wheels have a propensity for getting bent or out of round? Curb rash is not excessive..but do not have any way to research. It is better...but not right. Will purchase new wheels if need be, but do not know if tires are possibly out of round, and need to be siped...your experience and recommendations are ..once again...very appreciated...Bob in Mesa, Az

TooCoolSC

Seems like if the wheels/tires had any big problem, the people at DT would have let you know about it, especially since they balanced them. Any big problem should have shown up then. I never have done that "sipe" thing DT offers. I always thought it was a little gimmicky, but I don't know enough about it to say.

I had the pie plates when I bought my car and got rid of them as fast as I could.....not because anything was wrong with them, but simply because a better looking wheel does wonders for the overall look of the car.

Before I bought my car, the salesman had the minor "curb rash" on the wheels repaired, so if you like your wheels, you might just consider fixing the "rash," as it would definitely be cheaper. If you decide you want new wheels, you can sell your old "pie plate" wheels on craigslist to offset some of the cost of the new rims.

azkaty

My same thought....I will call them today and see if they can make another pass at the problem. Definitely improved, but also moved to the rear when the tires were rotated....wondered if there was a problem with the pie-plates as they seem so unpopular...no, not as neat as some of the new wheels...but I can have the road rash removed for $125/wheel (only 2 need it)....also for anyone reading this that is looking for a paintless dent repair guy in the Phoenix area...I have the guy for you!! Removed (absolutely, flawlessly) 9 supermarket dings, including a ding around the wheel arch, and a small 1" crease in the hood...very reasonable, and incredible work. Bob

intdiamond

iTrader: (2)

It's not just the pie-plate wheels... vibrations felt between 50-60mph are very common when there's a balance issue.... could be the wheel, tire, both, or even a brake-rotor. With non-factory wheels it can also be caused by missing hub rings, but that's not an issue for you. It's very difficult to nail down sometimes, as you are probably well aware of by now.... GL and hopefully you'll get it smoothed out quickly.

azkaty

Called DT....they are glad to check out again, but suggested that since there was some cupping on the fronts before they were rotated and re-balanced, to drive it for a while and see if diminishes....we will see. They have always been good to work with. Since the vibration moved to the rear, it rules out the rotors, and is definitely a wheel/tire issue. When I worked for GM (in another lifetime, in another Galaxy, far, far away)...I was a troubleshooter for them on unique problem cars...might also be a tire out of round, or even a dimple in the sidewall...I have read that the suspension on the SC is very sensitive....thanks to all for their feedback...my main concern was/is a wheel problem...we will see. Bob

TooCoolSC

If you ever do wind up getting new wheels, sewellpartsonline still has their stuff for 10% off for CL members, I believe. Just enter the code, "CL911M" in the box when ordering. A hundred bucks is a hundred bucks....might as well take advantage of it.

http://www.sewellpartsonline.com

farkas

iTrader: (5)

Had a very similar problem and had DT rebalance 2-3 times.NO LUCK... The only way I could get it fixed was to take it to the dealer who had a road force balancer. They aligned the car and balanced the tires and I was good to go. Do not fix the wheels....Buy a new set of take offs from Sewell! You can get better looking wheels for about the same price and if one of the wheels is your culprit....It will be gone.

tromly

+1 TooCool, Sewells is simply the best, everyone can use a hundred bucks

jimmer!

I didn't read any recommendation to 'road-force alignment.'
not all tire shops have this specific alignment equipment, but it's definitely state-of-the art.
I had the same problem (+50 vibration), when to a Big O tire shop, balanced, rotated, aligned all four, but the problem was still there (although better). They didn't have the road-force alignment equipment.
Trusting that something was missed, I found an independent shop with the equipment and bye-bye vibration.
Months later, I upgraded to new GS Lexus wheels, new Michelin Piot Sports and have had no problems ever since. Great, firm sports ride.
So, don't give up. A great SC430 ride is out there (no thanks to Lexus and some tire shops).

azkaty

Thank all of you for your input...seems like the "stats" are beginning to line up..the original owner had nothing but problems with the run flats...and the service record bears this out...however, he replaced them when down to the cords...and always had a 4-wheel alignment done....except for the last time when he took the car to DT for the GT's. He drove the car in town...and not on the highway, so probably did not know it had the vibration problem....for how long?.... The only tire that did not need re-balancing was the rf...now the rr...and that is the wheel that has the worst curb rash....the car tracks straight...no pull to either side...and the vibration is definitely better....but still there. After all of your feedback..spending $ on the special equipment shops (including Lexus) I am leaning towards getting a set of Tourmalines from Sewell...rather than going through a process that may lead me to the same conclusion...another thought...I am thinking to get the swap done at Lexus ($200) rather than DT...your thoughts? Also, do the lug nuts from the pie plates fit the Tourmaline wheels? Bob

farkas

iTrader: (5)

Thats is exactly what I did and it cured my problem. Wheels from Sewell, install done by dealer with alignment and my car was smooth as silk!

TooCoolSC

Same here. I even got the Tourmalines. Don't forget to use the code to save some money. And yes, the lug nuts will work.

BTW, I don't think I've ever seen the Tourmaline wheels on a red SC 430. Be sure and post pics after you get them put on.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

If I remember your other posts, it seems that your SC has been a bit of a garage queen, meaning that it probably has sat for a while, right?

My 2002 SC had only 3k miles on its tires and started to cup as well on the inside of the tires in the front, and since I had a staggered set up (bigger in the back) I could not rotate front to back, only side to side.

So...it is possible that the cupping will not go away, and I tried some tricks that might help you...

I constantly deflated and re-inflated my tires, hoping to stretch and shrink the tires as well as ran them high and lower on different air pressures hoping to make the cupping even out. I also bought nitrogen and this really helped the most.

Finally, I would watch your tire pressure like a hawk. I noticed running a little high in the summer time after I would drive would add about 3-4 psi to the tires in the heat.

Some things to think about in my similar experiences. I bet the wobbling will go away, but then come back. You may want to get new wheels/tires for about $1200 total (lots of great deals on eBay) and sell your pie plates and tires on eBay as well for about $500 and recoup some of the costs. Someone may want for winter wheels/tires or who has an older SC or even an ES (someone in my neighborhood put SC wheels on their ES!!!).