I own a 2002 GS 430, with 55.000 miles on the clok. I owned a GS300 before.The GS 430 is becoming a very
quaint car. Irritating. Driven at speed, up to 90 mph, it holds the road
reasonably well , as might be expected, but the steering is too vague and
lacks in sharpness.
Over 90 mph, let us say at 110 mph, the steering lacks precision, the car
seems twitchy , ESP kicks in ( on dry , straight , even roads), braking the
car, and it does not follow a straight track. With moderate wind, it veers
off and shudders, struggling to cope. Tha car suffers from torque steer, as
if the steering can not cope with all the power . I experienced something
similar with another previous car, a rear wheel drive 1986 204 bhp Ford
Sierra Cosworth .
Tyres are fine, camber and caster are fine, there is no imbalance on
either axle. The wheels have been aligned.It has standard Lexus-recommended 235 ZR, s. My dealer is
unhelpful. And this is not about speed, but about roadholding and composure .
Mercedes and BMW´s pass me with infuriating ease at 120 mph, while I am
struggling to keep the damned car on the road. This was made to be an
executive car, with a big engine. So are Mercedes and Audis. And before you
jump to any conclusions on my driving abilities, I have over one million
miles ( 1.600.000 kilometers) under my belt, mostly on fast cars.
My GS 300 was fetter better composed, precise and predictable than this.It
is sorely missed.
Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions? Why is the steering so dead?
. My own brother, with a 2006 GS 300 , complains of the same thing.
Thanks for your time and interest.
I have recently purchased a 2001 GS430 (not the Sport) having fallen in love with Lexus engineering and the car's fabulous engine. In fact I love everything about the car except one thing. The ride quality. I read the reviews before even looking for a 430 and knew that it won't match a Merc or Bemmer. Unsettled would be the best way to describe it. Like a proverbial `cat on a hot tin roof', the car just jumps around over our considerably less than smooth British roads.
The dealer has had it in under warranty and agreed that the front shocks were faulty. This at only 30K miles. So these were replaced and have made a bit of difference, but to my mind ride quality is still very poor.
I have assumed that the setup for the States would be softer, and so was wondering whether it would be possible to replace the shocks with those for the USA market.
Gs430 Ride Quality
in Brakes & Suspension
Posted
Hello everybody
I own a 2002 GS 430, with 55.000 miles on the clok. I owned a GS300 before.The GS 430 is becoming a very
quaint car. Irritating. Driven at speed, up to 90 mph, it holds the road
reasonably well , as might be expected, but the steering is too vague and
lacks in sharpness.
Over 90 mph, let us say at 110 mph, the steering lacks precision, the car
seems twitchy , ESP kicks in ( on dry , straight , even roads), braking the
car, and it does not follow a straight track. With moderate wind, it veers
off and shudders, struggling to cope. Tha car suffers from torque steer, as
if the steering can not cope with all the power . I experienced something
similar with another previous car, a rear wheel drive 1986 204 bhp Ford
Sierra Cosworth .
Tyres are fine, camber and caster are fine, there is no imbalance on
either axle. The wheels have been aligned.It has standard Lexus-recommended 235 ZR, s. My dealer is
unhelpful. And this is not about speed, but about roadholding and composure .
Mercedes and BMW´s pass me with infuriating ease at 120 mph, while I am
struggling to keep the damned car on the road. This was made to be an
executive car, with a big engine. So are Mercedes and Audis. And before you
jump to any conclusions on my driving abilities, I have over one million
miles ( 1.600.000 kilometers) under my belt, mostly on fast cars.
My GS 300 was fetter better composed, precise and predictable than this.It
is sorely missed.
Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions? Why is the steering so dead?
. My own brother, with a 2006 GS 300 , complains of the same thing.
Thanks for your time and interest.