kickin8

iTrader: (1)

check your alignment also.....

FiveOhNine

yup, they said alignment was within 'specs'

Irishman06

Its definitely a tire issue. Get some PS2s, RE050A PPs, or something along those lines.

javyLSU

iTrader: (21)

This is exactly why I didn't mention springs, coilovers, or any other suspension mods for you. Believe me, switching to a good set of tires will make a world of difference insofar as what you mentioned.

Javier

llamaboiz

Hehe nope your not the first, this is a topic that comes up every so often, not as often thou as fogs/drl/brake dust/rattles and some others but it does come up

FiveOhNine

Yep, I think I'll try some nice rubber first, and go from there.

Thanks everyone!

100plus

What others are recommended? I didnt realize turanzas are this crappy. I have them also, and my car tends to steer itself on uneven surfaces. And being in NY its like Offroading on tarmac.

FiveOhNine

You can do a quick search for tire recommendations on the forum. It really depends on what you are looking for (performance vs. durability).

I am going to upgrade to Michelin PS2, Goodyear GSD3 or maybe Continental CSC3s because I am more interested in the performance aspect. If you wanted longer life or better all weather handling, then you would want to look elsewhere.

If you don't find useful info here, you can always check tirerack review section.

sincityIS

If you have the money don't waste your time on anything other than the
PS2's.

FiveOhNine

I'm very torn between PS2 and GSD3....money isn't really a concern.

I will have new info on the suspension problems by way of the dealer tomorrow....will post as soon as I know more: preview: i'm not crazy....they replaced something.

DrShoe

PS2 is the only way to go really since money is of no concern....

javyLSU

iTrader: (21)

Javier

FiveOhNine

Ok, so here's the update:

A wonderful shop foreman took a drive with me after the techs proclaimed my IS 'within spec'; what we discovered is that there seems to have been a problem with the rack and pinion. What seems to have been happening was that the steering mechanism was getting 'stuck' in position, which was causing tramlining to be much worse: When the tires encountered road irregularities causing small variations in the wheel orientation (tramlining), the stuck rack and pinion was exaggerating this problem.

So, they replaced the rack and pinion, did an alignment and recalibrated the steering torque sensors.

I haven't had a chance to get it over 60 yet, but so far so GREAT! The car still tramlines due to the tires, but it tracks much straighter and corrections are easy and accurate. As an added perk, the steering weight seems to be much heavier (somewhere between normal Lexus and BMW.....just right in my book), and I am loving it.

I was told they are sending the extracted parts back to Lexus to investigate the cause and/or correct the manufacturing fault going forward. Apparently, on a very few number of 06/07 GS models, this same problem occured.

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions and advice.....I may still follow most of it

EDIT: I took my car out on highways with terrible conditions, lots of construction and narrow lanes and have zero trouble getting it to cooperate with one hand. As far as I am concerned, this problem is fixed, and then some.

now time to start shopping for some new shoes.

Irishman06

This does make some sense, since you said your steering was light and mine is anything but. However, you should still get rid of the turanzas.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

^+1. Turanzas should not be on an IS. Sometimes Toyota's tire decisions amaze me. I'm very happy with my RE050A PP after more than 12k miles.