Steering Pulling But Wheel Alignment Ok - Help!

[GlennHardie]

Hi,

I've had a 2005 GS430 for about a year now which has very vague steering and pulls down the camber of the road.

Now I know that these cars don't have accurate steering but this is very hard to live with and worse then the other cars I drive (including a 250,000km 14year old Commodore!)

The car is very sensitive to cambers on the road during braking and generally feels nervous.

I've had several wheel alignments and the car is within spec on each.

I've played with tyre pressures and swapping them around.

I just recently had new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres fitted without any major change.

The last alignment guys I went to agreed that the car is pulling and stated that it is because these cars are configured to drive straight for markets where the car is on the right side of the road (USA).

This model does not have caster or camber adjustment so I am thinking about getting eccentric adjuster for the front upper control arm to get some adjustment in the system.

My question:

Has anyone else had these problems?

How did they fix it?

Thanks for any feedback

Glenn

[tchen]

Could it be its a directional tyre just a thought.

[ilv1004s]

Hi,

I've had a 2005 GS430 for about a year now which has very vague steering and pulls down the camber of the road.

Now I know that these cars don't have accurate steering but this is very hard to live with and worse then the other cars I drive (including a 250,000km 14year old Commodore!)

The car is very sensitive to cambers on the road during braking and generally feels nervous.

I've had several wheel alignments and the car is within spec on each.

I've played with tyre pressures and swapping them around.

I just recently had new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres fitted without any major change.

The last alignment guys I went to agreed that the car is pulling and stated that it is because these cars are configured to drive straight for markets where the car is on the right side of the road (USA).

This model does not have caster or camber adjustment so I am thinking about getting eccentric adjuster for the front upper control arm to get some adjustment in the system.

My question:

Has anyone else had these problems?

How did they fix it?

Thanks for any feedback

Glenn

that is a load of bull

no car is configured for a certain market only

all the cars that come into australia has to comply with australian standards

its your wheel aligment

the wheel aligment person that you went to probably is not good with the GS

also it is important to reset the electronic steering wheel once the wheel aligment is done and not many shops has this capability

[whatafeeling]

sounds like tramlining to me, I have got the same issue and solved by lowering the tyre pressure/change tyres, maybe check your lower control bushes? or check if there is any recalls for your power steering system

[Mihanicos]

Check for any play in all the suspension bushes. Use a small craw bar to lever gently the various members while watching for excessive wear and play.

Check for any play in the wheel bearings. Eliminate by replacing the respective pair [ both front and both rear ]

My advise is not to interfere with the manufacturer's design until you solve the problem. If you do, you will introduce another variable and things will get very complicated and cost you a lot of money in steering geometry adjustments.

These cars have exceptional road holding and drive straight for long distances.

Try turning the steering fully to the right and then fully to the left and then drive for a short distance with the steering wheel straight in the straight ahead position.

This applies to the GS 450H model when the car pulls to one side.

For sharper steering response and better road holding, inflate the tires to the highest speed specified by Lexus.

I do hope this is of help to you.

Kindest regards,

Chris.