New to Lexus

[amazighman]

Morning everyone.

I just aquired my 1998 Ls400 yesterday and drove back home for 3 hours.

All seems ok except the steering wheel wobbling when at 60-70 miles per hour.

I thought that wheel balance might need doing , However i noticed that the front  axle has odd tyres on it, they are both good brands with plenty of thread,

Would that be the route of the problem or its fine to run with odd tyres as long as balancing right?

Where do you guys find spare parts , Lexus dealership very expensive and aftermarket options are limited by looks of things

Thanks

[Cotswold Pete]

Running with different tyres, especailly on front will produce all sorts of odd characteristics.  As you say might be balancing, could be in need of proper full re-alignment, that always make a difference to drive, and in past has cured mild high speed vibrations I had.

If rears are identical, then swap to see if it makes a difference.  However even same tyres with different wear can create odd effects, though from my experience well before hitting 60mph.

Might be worth getting full re-alignment done, but you could have Upper Control Arms on way out which can cause this, and some owners have reported drop links going that cause wobble, though generally at lower speeds.

I have had problems with wobble (more like the feeling of driving over rumble strips)  and cured some of them with new shocks on front.

Other possibles, brake blocks moving around though once again usually at lower speeds.

What is mileage of your LS as that might help other members come up with more focussed ideas.

On the spare front, most people would say for runnning gear use LS original parts (for sure £££) but they last a long time.

Some people use Amayama in Japan or Rock Auto in USA for original parts at better price.

In terms of service places, Japex in High Wycombe, or Osaka in Newport (I know Osaka have customers who come down from Stafford way)

I am sure other members will chip in with ideas to help, and maybe find a local garage that has some idea about what old LS suffers as it gently wears out.

[amazighman]

Thanks a lots.

The car has 103k on the clock, i believe it is still on original suspension.

My steering wheel wobble is more prominent on smooth tarmc.

I never liked odd tyres on same axle tbh but again could be the balancing thats out.

I will get detective with a pry bar on all the bushing to see if i can spot anything , I am fairly good with spanners and i enjoy DIY so should not be an issue to replace suspension parts 

 

[Malc]

hi and welcome

103k is a tiny tiny mileage tbh  ...........  most stuff starts wearing out from about 150/170k miles but the engine and gearbox will go on forever with good servicing and cambelt waterpump changed at every 100k miles / 10 years or so

your car might last you forever if you wanted that 😉

see there's a 1998 ? Ls400 on autotrader with 730k miles or so and they have one with 2.3 million miles too

best wishes

Malc

[BigBoomer]

If it's a fast wobble, then it's wheel balance. Having different tyres make this more noticeable.

If it's a slow wobble, then it's steering geometry which normally points to worn/damaged bushes or ball joints.
 

[amazighman]

42 minutes ago, BigBoomer said:

If it's a fast wobble, then it's wheel balance. Having different tyres make this more noticeable.

If it's a slow wobble, then it's steering geometry which normally points to worn/damaged bushes or ball joints.
 

It is a very fast wobble,  Frankly i do not like odd tyres.

My other 3  tyres are Continental premium contact2  225 60 r16 W98 and they have plenty of thread left.

I found a brand new tyre reasonably priced , same make and model on eBay however the speed rating is V instead of W, Is that ok?

 

 

[BigBoomer]

V is up to 149Mph.
W is up to 168Mph.
V is fine unless yer gonna strap JATO rockets to your LS 🙂

[RgrWynne]

7 hours ago, amazighman said:

It is a very fast wobble,  Frankly i do not like odd tyres.

My other 3  tyres are Continental premium contact2  225 60 r16 W98 and they have plenty of thread left.

I found a brand new tyre reasonably priced , same make and model on ebay however the speed rating is V instead of W, Is that ok?

 

 

You need to check what the manufacturer spec is because it could invalidate insurance. Be very careful buying on eBay, particularly tyres. They may well be brand new, but could also be very old, and consequently a death trap.  Often they have been spares. Tyres are so so important. Good luck, cheers, Roger

[RgrWynne]

21 hours ago, BigBoomer said:

V is up to 149Mph.
W is up to 168Mph.
V is fine unless yer gonna strap JATO rockets to your LS 🙂

Hi George it is vital that you fit what is specified by the manufacturer , irrespective of whether you will reach the speed rating. It is also a big no no to fit different rated tyres on the same axel, and is not only and mot failure ( if they notice) but also will invalidate the insurance. In the final analysis , I do not consider it worth taking the risk, Rgds, Roger 

[amazighman]

On 6/27/2019 at 1:21 PM, RgrWynne said:

Hi George it is vital that you fit what is specified by the manufacturer , irrespective of whether you will reach the speed rating. It is also a big no no to fit different rated tyres on the same axel, and is not only and mot failure ( if they notice) but also will invalidate the insurance. In the final analysis , I do not consider it worth taking the risk, Rgds, Roger 

I think i should stick to the manufacturer specs so W rating or above it is 

After a long weekend at work need to order some new rubber but i would like your expert opinion before i proceed.

Kumho Ecsta

Matador Hectorra 2

Sailun Atrezzo Elite...

I know the Sailun is Chinese but it got some fairly positive reviews plus i can get if fitted for 63 pounds a corner.

Cheers

 

 

[Malc]

why not go for a tyre that anyone / everyone's heard of  ??

they are all ' new ' to me for sure

Those four bits of rubber connecting you to the ground will be your lifesaver at some point

Malc

[amazighman]

Surely someone on the forum might have heard about one of the above, 

 

 

[amazighman]

I booked it in tomorrow and i am going with Falkens.

[Vlady]

4 hours ago, amazighman said:

Surely someone on the forum might have heard about one of the above, 

 

 

I had Kumhos on my bmw e60, was very happy with them, I think they are very good for a price, however I noticed they are getting more and more expensive.

Kumho is tyre No 2 in Korea after Hankook, I think, this is what tai driver told me in Seoul once. 🙂

Falkens are alright too, had them years ago on my BMW e36, for our everyday driving they will be more than fine. Good Luck!

[Malc]

36 minutes ago, amazighman said:

I booked it in tomorrow and i am going with Falkens.

Brilliant choice

I had Falkens for many many years and only stopped when my size 265/60/16 simply became unavailable in the UK ( so it seemed )

I'm on All Seasons Maxxis now and they seem good too

Malc

[BigBoomer]

I have a Sailun front right on my LS430, and I'm not impressed.
It replaced a punctured Avon ZZ5 and it's way noisier and wasn't much cheaper.
I asked for a ZZ5 but they didn't have any in stock in my size, and I needed the tyre.
Now just waiting for it to wear out, or for the noise to wear me out.

[amazighman]

Thanks all for your inputs.

New falkens fitted , was very good price plus the steering wheel vibration is now gone.

[Malc]

1 hour ago, amazighman said:

New falkens fitted , was very good price

can you share the tyre size and the " all up "  price please .....  and where they came from too

Thanks

Malc

[amazighman]

 

54 minutes ago, Malc said:

can you share the tyre size and the " all up "  price please .....  and where they came from too

Thanks

Malc

https://www.protyre.co.uk/tyres/car-tyres/falken/ziex-ze310-ecorun/#/car/225/60/16/98/W/all

 

Had mine replaced in Swadlincote  branch 82 quid a corner minus 10 pounds discount on the pair.

[Malc]

well well well, that's absolutely brilliant then ...........  must be a new tyre I guess and the price is great too

The Falken main agent I dealt with last October ( and prior ) def confirmed that Falken had ( then ) stopped producing our size tyre

I had many many years and changes using Falkens, found them very robust and good on the road with quite some longevity too

Can you let us ( me ) know your ongoing experience of them with road noise, grip etc please

Thanks

Malc

Sorry i got the size wrong earlier 

[Newbie1]

Had the Kumho Ecstas on my LS400 and two other cars. Brilliant tyres in the wet but not the quietest. Just had the Falkans above installed on my Celsior and they are very quiet. Made in Turkey unlike the Falkans on my Soarer which are made in Japan.

[Malc]

3 hours ago, Newbie1 said:

Made in Turkey unlike the Falkans on my Soarer which are made in Japan.

Oh right, wonder if they are made to the prior ' exacting ' standards !

Malc

[Newbie1]

Thought about that but then every product I buy from my local Turkish store is of good quality. I'll give them a pass!

[Malc]

and i think we don't often understand how good Turkish  is

My business happily puts pax on Turkish Airlines, been going about 86 years, a fantastic nigh non-accident record and is the biggest carrier worldwide with more destinations than any other airline ....... it's good !

Malc

[amazighman]

On 7/4/2019 at 9:22 AM, Malc said:

well well well, that's absolutely brilliant then ...........  must be a new tyre I guess and the price is great too

The Falken main agent I dealt with last October ( and prior ) def confirmed that Falken had ( then ) stopped producing our size tyre

I had many many years and changes using Falkens, found them very robust and good on the road with quite some longevity too

Can you let us ( me ) know your ongoing experience of them with road noise, grip etc please

Thanks

Malc

Sorry i got the size wrong earlier 

I didn't drive that much on them , only did 20 miles, first impressions are very good indeed...very quiet and make the car handle better , much better that my odd premium tyres.

I am not sure where they were made, i will check the side wall later...