Driving Freeway Speeds Cant Go Straight
03-05-18, 12:48 AM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Driving Freeway Speeds Cant Go Straight
I'm about to go crazy and I don't know where to turn to so maybe someone here can help?
I bought an IS250 2014 CPO last April.
Ever since then I noticed the car can't go straight during speeds of 65mph+. While driving 65mmph+ the car likes to go left and right as if it isn't aligned.
But the thing is, the car IS aligned. Lexus Dealership aligned it for me and I have brought up this complaint and their master mechanic has checked it out twice.
Maybe the shocks went bad? So I swapped out stock shocks to F Sport shocks with half down RS-R lowering springs and also installed RR USRS.
After alignment the car still doesn't drive straight! Literally goes left and right inside of the lane like its unaligned. It's a little more than subtle, not major but very noticeable when it goes left and right.
Maybe it was the tires? I replaced them with Michelin Super Sports and it still doesn't drive straight.
Lexus has seen my car 3x already and the master mechanic checked it out twice while I was there.
The Master Mechanic drove my car with me twice in the freeway and was at speeds of around 50-55 in the slow lane and didn't experience what I experienced so everything was "normal".
They won't dig deeper into my problem and I'm not sure where to turn anymore.
Can anyone please chime in their .02 and maybe we can brainstorm to figure this out?
Lexus has checked it and everything is supposedly normal but I drive this thing everyday and I know it isn't normal.
I bought an IS250 2014 CPO last April.
Ever since then I noticed the car can't go straight during speeds of 65mph+. While driving 65mmph+ the car likes to go left and right as if it isn't aligned.
But the thing is, the car IS aligned. Lexus Dealership aligned it for me and I have brought up this complaint and their master mechanic has checked it out twice.
Maybe the shocks went bad? So I swapped out stock shocks to F Sport shocks with half down RS-R lowering springs and also installed RR USRS.
After alignment the car still doesn't drive straight! Literally goes left and right inside of the lane like its unaligned. It's a little more than subtle, not major but very noticeable when it goes left and right.
Maybe it was the tires? I replaced them with Michelin Super Sports and it still doesn't drive straight.
Lexus has seen my car 3x already and the master mechanic checked it out twice while I was there.
The Master Mechanic drove my car with me twice in the freeway and was at speeds of around 50-55 in the slow lane and didn't experience what I experienced so everything was "normal".
They won't dig deeper into my problem and I'm not sure where to turn anymore.
Can anyone please chime in their .02 and maybe we can brainstorm to figure this out?
Lexus has checked it and everything is supposedly normal but I drive this thing everyday and I know it isn't normal.
03-05-18, 05:59 AM
#2
Driver School Candidate
My first guess is that it may have been in an accident that was undocumented before you bought it, but usually that would make it pull to the left OR the right, not both.
03-05-18, 09:25 AM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
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To reiterate what Sharmouta stated above, the vehicle cannot pull/wander left AND right, it has to be one or the other, if it's an alignment issue.
From everything you replaced so far, the tires would have been the most likely cause of what you're describing.
So i think at this point you can eliminate the alignment and tires as possible causes.
There is another thread on here that describes something similar...some suggestions were given to reset the Steering ECU, as if may have been an electronic steering source of the wandering.
As there are many members on here from California, perhaps if you can identify which Freeway you are on, they can comment if they are having, or had, similar issues.
If you have a printout from the last alignment, please post, just in case there is something there that might have been overlooked.
Also, what tire pressures do you have currently set on the vehicle?
From everything you replaced so far, the tires would have been the most likely cause of what you're describing.
So i think at this point you can eliminate the alignment and tires as possible causes.
There is another thread on here that describes something similar...some suggestions were given to reset the Steering ECU, as if may have been an electronic steering source of the wandering.
As there are many members on here from California, perhaps if you can identify which Freeway you are on, they can comment if they are having, or had, similar issues.
If you have a printout from the last alignment, please post, just in case there is something there that might have been overlooked.
Also, what tire pressures do you have currently set on the vehicle?
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l0l0pr (04-13-20)
03-05-18, 09:27 AM
#4
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Here is the link to the thread mentioned above: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-unstable.html
03-05-18, 09:52 AM
#5
I almost have the same setup as you, just without the lowering springs. I had similar "feeling" when I first purchased the car back in 2014. For me it was the difference coming form hydraulic steering vs electric steering. But it was very subtle and felt better in Sport+ mode.
Does your steering feel "floaty" or does it actually move around? Check for leaky shocks since they tend to get blown very quickly with lowering springs, maybe re-tighten your USRS kit, there is a possibility of tramlining with MPSS on rough roads (although I never had this issue on my MPSS but then again I don't drive much on freeway), and what Sanuke said.
Does your steering feel "floaty" or does it actually move around? Check for leaky shocks since they tend to get blown very quickly with lowering springs, maybe re-tighten your USRS kit, there is a possibility of tramlining with MPSS on rough roads (although I never had this issue on my MPSS but then again I don't drive much on freeway), and what Sanuke said.
03-05-18, 10:06 AM
#6
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
To reiterate what Sharmouta stated above, the vehicle cannot pull/wander left AND right, it has to be one or the other, if it's an alignment issue.
From everything you replaced so far, the tires would have been the most likely cause of what you're describing.
So i think at this point you can eliminate the alignment and tires as possible causes.
There is another thread on here that describes something similar...some suggestions were given to reset the Steering ECU, as if may have been an electronic steering source of the wandering.
As there are many members on here from California, perhaps if you can identify which Freeway you are on, they can comment if they are having, or had, similar issues.
If you have a printout from the last alignment, please post, just in case there is something there that might have been overlooked.
Also, what tire pressures do you have currently set on the vehicle?
From everything you replaced so far, the tires would have been the most likely cause of what you're describing.
So i think at this point you can eliminate the alignment and tires as possible causes.
There is another thread on here that describes something similar...some suggestions were given to reset the Steering ECU, as if may have been an electronic steering source of the wandering.
As there are many members on here from California, perhaps if you can identify which Freeway you are on, they can comment if they are having, or had, similar issues.
If you have a printout from the last alignment, please post, just in case there is something there that might have been overlooked.
Also, what tire pressures do you have currently set on the vehicle?
I'll go ahead and give that steering ecu a reset and see if that helps..
I'm in San Diego and any freeway I'm on it doesn't drive straight.
03-05-18, 10:17 AM
#7
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
I almost have the same setup as you, just without the lowering springs. I had similar "feeling" when I first purchased the car back in 2014. For me it was the difference coming form hydraulic steering vs electric steering. But it was very subtle and felt better in Sport+ mode.
Does your steering feel "floaty" or does it actually move around? Check for leaky shocks since they tend to get blown very quickly with lowering springs, maybe re-tighten your USRS kit, there is a possibility of tramlining with MPSS on rough roads (although I never had this issue on my MPSS but then again I don't drive much on freeway), and what Sanuke said.
Does your steering feel "floaty" or does it actually move around? Check for leaky shocks since they tend to get blown very quickly with lowering springs, maybe re-tighten your USRS kit, there is a possibility of tramlining with MPSS on rough roads (although I never had this issue on my MPSS but then again I don't drive much on freeway), and what Sanuke said.
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03-09-18, 04:09 PM
#9
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today I was driving my 17 IS300 AWD on the highway at about 85 and felt the same "floaty" type thing you are speaking about it almost feels like the wind is grabbing you and pulling you around.
03-12-18, 03:32 AM
#10
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
I swear im going crazy, when I went to the dealerships a few times and got a loaner cars they didn't feel like my car getting pulled side to side.
03-15-18, 09:08 PM
#11
Instructor
Tires are the most part that causes wandered and then Bad/damage lower control bushing,excessive caster also makes car shimmy and then along with steering gear linkage and body frame/subframe, sorry to hear you having this problem for so long, i know exactly how you feel when STEERING SYSTEM bothers you, go to other Dealership , i don't think that Master Lexus wants to fix your car, i'm sure he knows exactly what happen to your Lexus IS
03-15-18, 09:46 PM
#12
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
hey roneezy, welcome back LOL the steering issue didn't fix ? now your car is lowered ! if other suggestion didn't fix last year you should reset the steering ECU, but if i were you i just replace the Steering rack, because new tires new shock did everything still don't work, MAster Lexus couldn't replicate now go for expensive one, i don't have your car i can't guaranty but in my mind your Steering linkage/gear has gone wild, go back to dealer tell them to take a look at your steering linkage and gear before the ecu reset, if this still don't work, sorry man i think your car has been in an accident or the Subframe has been dropped, thats why folks always mentioned if a car involved in an accident it will not drive straight like normal.
Tires are the most part that causes wandered and then Bad/damage lower control bushing,excessive caster also makes car shimmy and then along with steering gear linkage and body frame/subframe, sorry to hear you having this problem for so long, i know exactly how you feel when STEERING SYSTEM bothers you, go to other Dealership , i don't think that Master Lexus wants to fix your car, i'm sure he knows exactly what happen to your Lexus IS
Tires are the most part that causes wandered and then Bad/damage lower control bushing,excessive caster also makes car shimmy and then along with steering gear linkage and body frame/subframe, sorry to hear you having this problem for so long, i know exactly how you feel when STEERING SYSTEM bothers you, go to other Dealership , i don't think that Master Lexus wants to fix your car, i'm sure he knows exactly what happen to your Lexus IS
You remember this almost a year ago? lmao wow
I have service coming soon in 1-2 weeks so I'll ask if they can kindly give it a look. The thing I didn't mention in the opening post is that a regular mechanic drove my car after I complained and he acknowledged and felt my problem... Yet when the master mechanic came around and took a look at it again he said it was normal. So yeah they probably don't want to help me out even though this CPO was from this freaking dealership.
We'll see what they have to say in a bit and I'll act on that. Maybe bring it to another dealership before I throw in the towel. I honestly can't take this anymore it's driving me nuts.
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roneezy (03-20-18)
03-20-18, 01:53 PM
#14
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Take a look at this thread I just posted in the general forum section... https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...l#post10147926
Maybe I'll go to another dealership and try to get this resolved there. I just been dealing with it everyday and it sucks.
Where in California are you located?
Last edited by roneezy; 03-20-18 at 02:09 PM.
03-24-18, 09:18 AM
#15
Instructor