Vibration On 07 Es 350

[craig27]

Hi all,

My name is Craig. First time Lexus owner! I purchases an 07 ES350 about 2 months ago and have been very happy so far. When I first got the car, I had to replace the tires, b/c it was riding on the original Michelin w/ 42k miles on them and they were out of balance and worn down. So I went with the Michelin Primacy after reading some post and tire reviews.

The new tires are definitely better, but I am still getting vibration, most noticeably at highway speeds. When it first happened, I took it back to AutoTire (where I purchased the tires) and told them I wasn't happy with the balance. They took another look, and told me the fronts were both off by 1/2 oz. So I thought that would be it. Although it feels somewhat better, there is definitely a noticeable vibration when you get above 55-60. I have purchased tires from this shop for my other two vehicles and they always do the balance every 3k miles (its free for life w/ the purchase of the tires) and have never had a problem.

So has anyone else experienced a problem w/ vibration that wasnt fixed by new tires/balance?

A couple of other thoughts:

Is it harder to balance a wheel w/ the tape weights that are used on these cars? All my other cars used rim weights that were just hammered on the side.

Would a warped rotor cause vibration when not braking? I know that the front rotors need to be turned, as I can feel that in the pedal.

I may take it to another AutoTire and let them have a go at it before I do anything else. But it shouldn't take three tries to get balance right!

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Craig

[Lexusfreak]

Welcome to LOC.

Tape weights should not make a difference if they have been installed properly & I assume all tires have the correct air pressure (don't assume the tire shop put them at the correct pressure, they are usually 'in the ballpark' at best)? Any idea what kind of balancing machine your shop is using? Might also want to use the 'search' feature on our site.....you will probably come up with a wealth of info. :)

Once the issue is fixed, a 4 wheel alignment will be a good thing in the long run too.

[craig27]

Thanks for the response.

Yes, I checked the tire pressure b/c they always want to fill them up to some astronomical number when they rotate. I usually wait until the car has been sitting for a few hours so I get a cold reading. I have been running them at 30psi. I dont know one balancer type from another, but I have seen them balance them on what I'll call a 'spin' balancer. They strip off the weights, fire up the machine which spins the tire, and its spits out how much weight and where it needs to go. I guess if they missed 1/2oz on two tires the first time, its possible they screwed it up again. I just find it odd that of all the times I have used this shop w/o issue, that they mess up twice in a row. Stranger things have happened I guess.

I agree that an alignment would be in order.

Any thoughts on warped rotors causing some of the issue?

Thanks again!

[mhawkin1]

I am certainly no expert, but I highly doubt warped rotors are the culprit here.

Sorry you are having problems with your new car – not fun. It will all work out.

[craig27]

Well,

I took the car back to the tire shop to get the alignment done. I knew it was out of whack due to the wear pattern on the old tires. I told them of my continued vibration issue and asked them to also re-check the balance.

When I got back, they said the alignment was out of spec, but the vibration problem was not wheel balance. He said the front rotors were warped (surprise!).

They went ahead and turned them. He said it took two passes to get them smooth. I drove it into work this morning and it is definitely better. No steering wheel vibration.

I am, however, still feeling it in the seat, which makes me think I should go ahead and pull the rear rotors and get them surfaced as well (I have read post about probs w/ the rear brakes on this car). May also transfer the rear tires to the front and see if the vibration moves.

So, in short... warped rotors were causing my vibration!

I'll post back about progress on the rear.

[KBRX330]

Next time you get your wheels balanced find a shop that has a Hunter Road Force balancing machine. If the wheels are road force balanced you will get less vibration. My 08 ES350 had the same issue and rebalancing on a HUnter macine resolved it.