What Is The Effect Of Worn Strut Rod Bushings?

[erg1948]

I have the following concerns about my '99 LS:

1. Wander at freeway speeds in spite of two 4-wheel alignments

2. What I consider to be excessive road noise at freeway speeds in spite of trying 3 kinds of tires. I settled on a set of Michelin Primacys.

3. Low-speed clunk like going over a speed bump or turning into a driveway.

4. Too much wind noise at freeway speed (obviously not bushings, but still a concern)

When I bought the car I had an inspection done by Lexus of Portland (didn't buy it from them). They said the car has cracked strut rod bushings and a bad transmission mount. At the time the car had 79k miles, and is now at 85k (paid $11,700 last May). There is no evidence or record of any damage (according to the inspection and Carfax). Other than the above, the car could pass for new. I drove a '90 LS for five years, and I could swear that car was much quieter than my '99. But my memory could be grander than reality.

The car is quiet on city streets and brand-new freeway asphalt. But at 60mph and over there is definite road roar. I used a sound meter and ran a stretch of freeway with varying surfaces from new asphalt and concrete to rough, exposed aggregate. The meter reading ranged from 65 to 72dB at 60 mph. Specs from at least one road test (found on Wikipedia) said their measured noise level in the '99 LS was 58dB @ 62mph. Unless they were running on glass, something is wrong with mine!

Thanks for any information.

Gene

[1990LS400]

> What Is The Effect Of Worn Strut Rod Bushings?

When the strut rod bushings got bad on my 00 LS at about 70 - 80K miles, the front end had a vibration that was particularly bad above 60 mph. I don't remember a "clunk" but the memory may have faded. The front suspension on the 90 LS I had for 13 1/2 years got pretty noisy when it needed suspension work.

I notice the wind noise too but I don't think it is any worse than in the 90 LS I had. It may be more noticeable because the drive train is quieter. There was a TSIB for the 98-00 LS about the wind noise that involved gluing all sorts of flexible sealing stuff into the outside mirror housings but most of the stuff fell out. I lube the door gaskets with silicon spray a couple of times a year to help the doors seal better and in an attempt to reduce the noise.

One reason I use summer tires instead of all season tires in spring/summer/fall is that they are quieter. All season tires were never standard on the LS400 -- they were a no cost option. The noise readings in the test specs you read are likely with summer tires.