geoffreyb

geoffreyb · January 7, 2019

Hi I am very new to this site and to lexus, I purchased a 2006 rx400h with 92 thousand miles in really good condition.

on test drive it was droning from around 15mph upwards to 40 and at 55 (that was the fastest because of road type

the droning was getting louder,I was told by the salesman it was a newish stainless steel exhaust system fitted september 2018

so I took his word as it is the first hybrid I had driven. Tocut to the chase I took if to a lexus dealer who ,after being a passenger on a short trip

to get past 40mph. Back at lexus dealership he checked the wheels ant tyres and told me that the wheels were oversize 19 inch and so were the tyres

255 /40 /19 instead of 235 / 55 /18 tyres on 18 standard rims. I have had a quote of £1.000 ponds for a new set of 18 inch wheels and tyres,d.oes anyone out there think I should buy them or have more investigations carried out.Thankyou in anticipation

rich1068 · January 7, 2019

Welcome Geoffrey.

Best year for the 400h 2006

I'm sure someone with more experience than I will be along shortly but I really can't see why putting bigger wheels on would cause what you describe. Plenty of people put bigger wheels on all sorts of vehicles.

If it has had a new exhaust it could be that or if we're still looking at tyres have they been fitted correctly? Are they directional? Are the pressures correct?

Alternatively, check if any of the covers under the front of the car have come loose and are vibrating at speed.

olliesgrandad · January 7, 2019

Some tyres wear in a stepped way (Dunlops for sure) and this gives a droning noise like a worn wheel bearing.

geoffreyb · January 7, 2019

Hi rich 1068,thanks for reply, I forgot to mention that the front tyres are pat their best and feathered on outside edges, the rears are not good quality the tyre guy said budget tyres shouldnt be on top rated motors

Herbie · January 7, 2019

6 minutes ago, geoffreyb said:

the rears are not good quality the tyre guy said budget tyres shouldnt be on top rated motors

I'm with him on that.

When we had our RX300 we had Avon ZX7s all round and they were excellent. We now have the RX450h and I've gone for Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen2 all round and they are truly superb.

geoffreyb · January 7, 2019

Hello ollies grandad, noise is very much like a wheel bearing I only bought the car yesterday Sunday 6th Jan and I have had a well known stainless steel exhaust guy drive it and a trusted mechanic drive it and a lexus guy in it, all of whom didnt think it was exhaust related the lexus guy and the mechanic were leaning more to cheap tyres than wheel bearings As it is my first hybrid I am feeling a little dissapointed

NothernDan · January 7, 2019

Had the exact same issue on a MK5 golf which I eventually part exed as I could not determine what the annoying droning noise was. The new owner got in touch via the V5 about the key code for the radio and I asked him if it still droned and he said no as he had changed the tyres. Grrrr, never even thought of that at that point in my car ownership life!!

I’d bet money on this being the tyres. If they are a V-style tread pattern they will drone more. If they are a linear pattern they will drone less. VW actually acknowledged this when the MK7 came out and stopped specifying the noisy tyres. Dealerships even knew about the noisy tyre issue on given models.

You may get a bit of drone off the exhaust but should only be at motorway speeds. This being the case get your exhaust man to fit an additional central muffler.

geoffreyb · January 7, 2019

2 minutes ago, NothernDan said:

Had the exact same issue on a MK5 golf which I eventually part exed as I could not determine what the annoying droning noise was. The new owner got in touch via the V5 about the key code for the radio and I asked him if it still droned and he said no as he had changed the tyres. Grrrr, never even thought of that at that point in my car ownership life!!

I’d bet money on this being the tyres. If they are a V-style tread pattern they will drone more. If they are a linear pattern they will drone less. VW actually acknowledged this when the MK7 came out and stopped specifying the noisy tyres. Dealerships even knew about the noisy tyre issue on given models.

You may get a bit of drone off the exhaust but should only be at motorway speeds. This being the case get your exhaust man to fit an additional central muffler.

Good idea NorthernDan, additional muffler should help,my lovely wife Mrs B thinks I should have the tyre guys drive it and see what they say, if it is tyres I will bite the bullet and go with it and have a muffler as well cos the car really is a nice one and Mrs B who drove it today has fell for it so whichever way we go I think it will be a keeper

olliesgrandad · January 7, 2019

2 hours ago, geoffreyb said:

Good idea NorthernDan, additional muffler should help,my lovely wife Mrs B thinks I should have the tyre guys drive it and see what they say, if it is tyres I will bite the bullet and go with it and have a muffler as well cos the car really is a nice one and Mrs B who drove it today has fell for it so whichever way we go I think it will be a keeper

I would just put a decent set of tyres on to start with. I'm now running Michelin Cross Climates which have transformed the car and I drive 500 miles a week.

Herbie · January 7, 2019

3 hours ago, geoffreyb said:

Mrs B thinks I should have the tyre guys drive it and see what they say, if it is tyres I will bite the bullet

You've already said that the tyres aren't up to much so just get new ones on as your first step then take it from there if you need to - although I'll bet it'll be sorted by tyres.

NothernDan · January 8, 2019

10 hours ago, olliesgrandad said:

I would just put a decent set of tyres on to start with. I'm now running Michelin Cross Climates which have transformed the car and I drive 500 miles a week.

I second that motion. Decent tyres all round first. If that doesn’t fix it then try the additional muffler, given what you’ve said I’d be surprised if it’s not the tyres and either way, you need new tyres! 😎😎

rich1068 · January 8, 2019

Whereabouts in Yorkshire are you Geoffrey? I know a very good ex-Lexus specialist just outside Sheffield if you want another mechanic to look.

I'd be interested in a picture of the wheels and tyres if you know how to do that.

Quote

As it is my first hybrid I am feeling a little disappointed

And don't be disheartened with the hybrid. It's almost certainly nothing to do with that.

geoffreyb · January 8, 2019

Hi all, thankyou all for the positive comments,I went round to the tyre fitters this morning, he checked tyres,they do need replacing, also checked wheels, they are not so good either,chipped and one of them has a piece broken off on the inside rim he also found that two others had dents on the rims, so i am going to replace wheels and tyres,on the plus side he will do his best to re-furb them f o c so I should be able to sell them on

royoftherovers · January 8, 2019

19 hours ago, geoffreyb said:

Hi I am very new to this site and to lexus, I purchased a 2006 rx400h with 92 thousand miles in really good condition.

on test drive it was droning from around 15mph upwards to 40 and at 55 (that was the fastest because of road type

the droning was getting louder,I was told by the salesman it was a newish stainless steel exhaust system fitted september 2018

so I took his word as it is the first hybrid I had driven. Tocut to the chase I took if to a lexus dealer who ,after being a passenger on a short trip

to get past 40mph. Back at lexus dealership he checked the wheels ant tyres and told me that the wheels were oversize 19 inch and so were the tyres

255 /40 /19 instead of 235 / 55 /18 tyres on 18 standard rims. I have had a quote of £1.000 ponds for a new set of 18 inch wheels and tyres,d.oes anyone out there think I should buy them or have more investigations carried out.Thankyou in anticipation

Hi Geoff and welcome.

Did you buy privately or from a Dealer ?

Rutlandlex · January 9, 2019

Hi Geoffrey. Oversize wheels can also affect the accuracy of your speedometer too. What you could do is buy some 18" rims from the dealer then get the tyres that you want fitting at your local tyre place. I agree with what the others have said, get the tyres changed first because they are just plain wrong and then take it from there.

As for the exhaust, that should be even easier to diagnose on a hybrid. Just get it up to speed down a hill and lift off the throttle to let it coast. If you turn the heater system off altogether the engine should shut off so if the noise is still there then it is definitely not the exhaust!

rich1068 · January 9, 2019

I'd take this opportunity to go with 18s too. But I'd be looking at eBay for them and then some decent rubber from the tyre fitters. I believe any OEM 18s from an RX 300, 350 and 400h will fit.

I also wouldn't sell on damaged/repaired wheels.

geoffreyb · January 9, 2019

hi all, thanks so much for help and comments , it IS wrong wheels and tyres 19 inch rims with 255/40/19 they should be 235/55/18 so i am buying a new set of wheels and tyres,i have had everything on the car checked out and everything is as it should be so I am now looking forward to thousands of happy motoring miles, once again,thankyou all out there who have helped, case in now at a happy end.