Tires Wearing Out On The Inseam Of All 4 Wheels...

[JerWong]

Hi i recently purchased a preowned lexus gs430 from a guy :D . the car seemed great when i got it. but i started to feel the car vibrate a little at high speeds (80+). i went to the lexus dealer today and i found out the very inside of all four of my tire threads are worn out! they said i should replace all four tires, but it seems like its not worth replacing (considering the cost is $235 a tire) <_< . what should i do? thanks for viewing!!!! :)

[anewname]

That's weird that it's only the inseam... It sounds like a case of waaaay too much negative camber all around, to me. If the guy lowered it improperly then that is your problem. You're looking at retooling the suspension to get proper traction and tire wear.

For an extreme example of this phenomenon check out the cartoon (The Adventures of Riceboy) on riceboypage.com . An educational site that teaches us not to cut our springs, especially not with a blowtorch because that's just extra dumb.

If that's not your problem, well then I have no idea. Good luck.

[SKperformance]

i might say the car jsut needs a good alignment

are you or was the previous owner heavier than 225 lbs

as it may need you to be in the drivers seat while it gets aligned as this will cause the suspension to go down thus changing all the values ,which is a good reason for chamber wear

which is what you have

[JerWong]

hey, all those advice seems great. but the car wasn't lowered before or the previous owner OR me don't weigh nearly 225. the previous owner looks like he weigh about 150 and i weigh about 165. do you think lexus will warranty that? or must i bring it to a local shop to get it aligned? thanks for reading again, guys. plz reply.. :)

[anewname]

I'm not too sure about an alignment problem affecting the back tires that much... Get it aligned anyway - it couldn't hurt.

[BA.]

MY guess is that there's a good possibility that you simply need a front end alignment and that the REAR tires look that way because the previous owner ROTATED the tires front to back and didn't fix the real problem!

Some cars these days have a bit uneven wear on the inside like you see because that negative camber helps in cornering......BUT, I doubt your car should be THAT bad! :)

I'd say, get the tires replaced since you'll have to do it anyway.

You should also get the car aligned. Some shops like Firestone, Goodyear, etc, maybe even ProCare all say they offer 4-wheel alignments too.

If you were real curious, after the new tires were on you could go to a flat piece of road for a test. Make a mark across each tire with something like chalk or a thin line of paint using something like a model paintbrush.

Drive just a few hundred feet, maybe an 1/8th mile and see if there's a change in the mark you made.

I'm still betting on my first comment though. :whistles:

[SKperformance]

lexus won't warrenty an alignment

but will fix something if it is causing bad wear

[tbicemagic]

what is better alternative tire to the bridgestone run flats for wear ,price and drive

[sternern]

The Kumo's and Falken's drive nice and are pretty quiet. They are pretty inexpensive as well. Although you wont get the same deal, I had mine mounted and balanced for $400. Make sure you get the car aligned after you get the new tires. If your alignment is off badly, you could ruin those new tires within 50 miles. Find a good tire shop to get you tires, and then drive it over directly to the Lexus dealer for an alignment. From what I hear, the alignment should be done at least 1 time a year.

Its also possible that your rim is bent and that they are out of balance. When getting the new tires, make sure they have a high speed balance machine.

On my rims, I got Falken ZIEX- ZE512 235/45Z-R17's. They ride nice but not as quiet as the stock brand. Your tread design and profile are what determines your noise and comfort level.

[apichot]

Well your not alone I have a 98 GS400 and had the exact same problem with a set of Dunlop tires. I took the car to have it aligned and it was right with in spec. The tires only had 15 thousand miles. I got Dunlop involved via Discount tire and they replaced all the tires free. They said that it looked like a tire issue because it happend on all 4 tires. The bad news is that it looks like the next set of tires are doing the same thing. Let me know if you find a cause or resolution.

[playyas4u]

I have a 98 GS400 with 235/45/17 tires with the same problem. The inner rear tires wore down to the steel in about 6k miles. I have had it aligned twice but still the same problem. Any help is really appreciated.

[SKperformance]

your springs or shocks could be worn

[Lookin4aGS]

I would suggest all new tires with wheel balancing, allignment, and have those springs checked out.

[playyas4u]

How can you check out the springs and shocks? The car rides great.

[Lexusfreak]

How many miles on the car? Unless the previous owner hit something hard with the car or has HIGH mileage, the suspension should last quite a long time. What is the exact size of tires you need? What part of the country are you in, I ask because I wonder if snow is a consideration when suggesting new tires? B)

[playyas4u]

I have 78,000 miles with 235/45/17 Toyo tires. I went by the lexus dealer today. They told me that this is normal with the GS and IS with the 17" and higher rims. He told me another GS had just came there a few days ago with the same problem.