tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

I've seen Ed's old tie rods and all i can say guys is that thing was ate up.. We shouldn't wait that much longer since alot of us are coming up to 60 - 70k on our cars...

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

thats right tony i did show you the tir rod ends and do you remember the busted drivers side ball joint that was ready to fall apart





jeff

the stealership will rape you like theres no tomm on this .. goto to a high end independant shop that knows japanses cars and let them give you a deal .. the dealer will charge by the book and hit you up for around 6-8hrs at around $90-100 a hr

its easy work once you have the right tools and air tools is a must on this project

sputniknyc

iTrader: (2)

right after I got my front end overhauled, I still notice some shakes from 55-65mph. Took the car in for a real true wheel balance and presto. I'm still grinning.
I still feel MINIMAL shake and will put in hubcentric hubs and will torque all wheels this weekend.
Yes I AM ****

car has been in texas till 55k
55k-60k its been in NYC

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

bro you never get 100% with aftermarket wheels and tires .. i have driven jags that shimmy like theres no tomm and i have driven a brand new 745 and vibrates like hell imagaine that for $110k and brand new

but you can decrease the feeling by 98% in my book i am happier driver now as well in fact i look for reasons to run to the store now

Lexis11

Ok I am going to have my shop that does my work do this for me. Now should I let them get the parts or should I get them direct from Lexus?
Also Ed if it isnt to much to ask, could you just list everything I need to ask for. Thanks bro.

sputniknyc

iTrader: (2)

definately buy the parts yourself.
www.lexus-parts.com is cheapest

control arms
castor arms
ball joints
outter tie rods

Sorry I dont have part numbers

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

my pleasure jeff

yes get the parts as a deal with steve i am sure he will hook you up

lower ball joints left and right

outer tie rod ends left and right

castor arms left and right

lower front control arms left and right

i paid total about 825 in parts for all the above

Lexis11

Thanks bro, i really appreciate all the help. Hopefully and I really mean hopefully this will solve most of my problem.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I would have your wheels checks to see if there's ANY bend in them. Even a very slight one can cause problems. Also, are the iForged ones you have on your car hubcentric or did they come with rings to put inside or on your hubs? If they're not hub centric I think balance and vibration will always be a challenge.

For what it's worth I have 58K on my GS400 - I've beaten the snot out of the suspension (stock, then L-Tuned, now Tein Flex coilovers) and am not aware of any damage to ball joints, bushings, tie rods, etc., although that doesn't mean they're not damaged. I'm running 19s and the car is low (barely any fender to tire gap) and I have NO vibration at any speed, except when the tires are stone cold and have been sitting for a couple of days, then I'll have the usual 'flat spot' that goes away after about a mile or two of driving depending upon the temperature outside.

My rims are hubcentric (HRE) and the car was balanced with on car high speed tests (up to 130mph I believe).

So hang in there... you'll get it figured out. I know it's frustrating!

Lexis11

See Bit this is what I mean. I am convinced it is the suspension and what not but then people say it HAS to be the wheels. This is what aggravates me is that there is no set answer for my problem. I think I am going to have someone inspect the whole front end and see what they say.

IF in fact it is a wheel issue I am going to be severely disappointed.

NoS

Friend its not the car but the road. Some highways here make my lexus bump like crazy and other portion make it smooth as butter.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

lexis11, with my other thread on the bushings coming out, why still spend the money to get all the new arms? just curious

Lexis11

Rom,
Nah man if your solution works then I am defenitley going to do that. I think if I do the ball joints(cheap) and the bushings that may help and save some money at the same time.
Do you have an idea of when they will be available?

DoubleWhoosh

Just for your'all's reference, you can get a good idea of where vibration is coming from in this way:

If the steering wheel is shaking or vibrating, it is something to do with the front suspension. If it is only under braking, most likely it is something to do with the brakes (but not always).

If your butt or the seat or the floor is vibrating, it is usually the rear suspension or something towards the back.

If it is a vibration within a certain window (like say 60 to 75) then a cyclic problem like that is usually something out of round, or not lined up properly (such as with wheels that do not have their hub centering rings, or also out of round tires). There is also the possibility of driveline problems, those show up around 60 or so, and disappear around 70-75. These are definitely cyclic raar raar raar raar vibrations, and these are VERY bad! They can damage your transmission, engine, rear end, everything. This problem is usually caused by a bent or damaged or out of balance driveshaft. Or with these IRS cars, a misaligned driveline can be the case, as the engine/transmission, driveshaft and rear end must be perfectly in line with each other - they don't have u-joints the way a straight axle car does so they are not as able to operate in misaligned situations very well.

The driveshaft has some shims on the center carrier bearing, sometimes a mechanic may forget to put these back in, or may mistake them as washers and put them on under the bolt rather then between the carrier bearing and the body! Also the rubber items holding the rear end or rear subframe can deteriorate, causing the same problem.

These problems are not easy to diagnose without a lot of experience, so beyond this info it's hard to give any more tips on what the problem might be.

Hope this helps though!

TM Engineering

Lexis11

Todd thanks man, it's Jeff from Mass. I havent talked to you in a while but will be calling you today or tomm bro.