Richen

Thanks for the information. Local Lexus dealer air it to 36 - 37 psi, but the service department run at 33 psi. I feel GS runs better at higher tire pressure instead of factory recommend 33 psi.

I feel the suspension become weaker. I had to carry 2 golf bags in my trunk to maintain firm ride. The ride is harsh when I ride alone. I am not sure if 18" tire will improve my harsh ride. donbl, It seems to be interesting information. I just went back from dealer for 20,000 miles service. I feel not in control of my car. But the dealer tells me it is normal. I did a 4 wheel alignment 2 weeks ago. Do 4 wheel alignment different than the suspension alignment? Did you found it or the dealer? Thanks for your help! The dealer claimed it was pulling to the left which caused him to unilaterally do an alignment. I did not notice it at all on the trip................ I am not sure of 4WD alignments however on 2WD alignments there are two forward and one aft on the alignment and all three were bad. And, not just a little bad......... glad it was caught or I would be buying tires about 5000 miles early. Lucky you! My dealer told me my car is normal. I just don't understand how other GS owner could stand the harsh/ rough ride if my car is considered normal. After came back from 20,000 mile service, dealers rotates the tires and adjust tire pressure to 33 psi.. I feel no control on 33 psi. Air it back to 40 psi, but the firm ride is disappear. Adjust tire pressure to 36- 40 psi plus two sets of golf bag in the trunk to keep the smoother ride. It seems my GS ride is improved during rainy days. I feel more traction and ride comfort.

My suspension was found out of alignment at 5000 miles: camber, toe and rear. Did not hit anything as I drove most of the miles on a trip. Interestingly, the dealer did a "free" unsolicited alignment and found the problem. If it had not been done I am sure we would have been encountering a rough ride shortly........ donbl, It seems to be interesting information. I just went back from dealer for 20,000 miles service. I feel not in control of my car. But the dealer tells me it is normal. I did a 4 wheel alignment 2 weeks ago. Do 4 wheel alignment different than the suspension alignment? Did you found it or the dealer? Thanks for your help!

I hope the 40 psi will not create rattles when temperature dropped. That is one of the reasons why I will switch to winter tire.

After I air up to 40 psi on all 4 tires, both ride comfort and traction are amazingly improved. The stiffer ride is not as bad as what the tire store technician said. In fact, I feel more confidence on 40 psi compare with 30 psi tire pressure.

After I fill up my gas tank yesterday, I found the ride is even smoother. It tells me that I probably have to go to gas station more often. Although it might waist some gas, I might keep my clubs in the trunk. Maybe I will have extra game you never know.

Guess what! After air up the tires and complete 4 wheel alignments, the ride comfort, cornering and traction are improved. Lower tire pressure will not improve ride comfort. At least Michelin doesn’t. Now I understand why Michelin made the tirewall so soft. First, you must air it up to more than 38 psi, than the tirewall will start to do its job. Without proper inflation, tirewall not only can not absorb vibrations but also reduce road traction. I feel no control at all at 30 psi. Softer tirewall will allow the tire to absorb all kinds of vibrations comes from road. Harder tire surface means less tradeware. I'll choose to stay with current Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tire and switch to winter tire before first snow fall. I will definitely not going back to run-flats no matter what Lexus said. Thank you guys for all your help! I am very happy now!! p.s. I might try 40 psi on all 4 tires...

Yap! I start to feel Dunlop tire wear in less than 10,000 mile. After that, the traction and road noise went down hill and it is decided by how you going to live with it or not. I had a discussion with Lexus service manager this morning who advice me not to hand over the 50K car to any other party except for Lexus. Therefore, I scheduled another appointment with Lexus tomorrow morning to check if there is any problem with the suspension. The recommendation form the Lexus service manager for the replacement tire is the OE Dunlop RFT tire. It seems that Lexus will backup their tire decision. Unfortunately, customers like me have to deal with these tire issues.

Just checked the Tire Rack user review on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. I found two different results from the user reviews. Some users like the tire, some don’t. The user who dislike the tire listed: Due to its softer rubber compound, cornering and highway traction are not as good as Pilot Sport summer tire and Michelin MXV4, especially when mounted on certain cars with sensitive steering. Another user thinks it reminding him how a Camry drives. I do agree with the description above. But, there are so many Camry out there. It just everyone has to find a right tire to fit his car.

Yesterday, the tire shop adjust my tire pressure to 30 psi on all 4 tires. After driving for a day, I feel no control of the car at all. Two weeks ago when I was at Lexus dealer, I notice the differences between OE Dunlop RFT and Michelin Pilot Sport that I currently use. When the tire was new, tire wall on the Dunlop is stiffer than the Michelin; but the rubber that actually contact the road (is it called tire surface?), Dunlop is softer than the Michelin. That might explain why after I replace the tire to Michelin tire with softer compound, the handling and ride comfort does not improve, because of the improper tire pressure was used. It reminds me that Steve did recommend to air up my Michelin tire the other day. I thought 36 psi for all 4 tires is good enough. This mooring, I air it up to 36 psi front, 38 psi rear. Magically, I feel more control of my GS. The side by side movement has reduced. Since the maximum inflation is listed at 51 psi on the tirewall, I will continue to air it up until I feel more control of the car. Couple weeks ago, I read a post said that some mechanic recommend 36 psi front and 40 psi rear on the Michelin Pilot tire. It is raining now here in New Jersey, so I will do it when the rain stop.

I think the tire shop owner is talking about my car might have built quality issue not pointing at the Lexus. Like I said, the car was smooth at its first 10,000 mile. I did enjoy the car like everybody else. After 10,000 mile everything goes downhill. I switch to regular tire at 16,000 mile, the ride is still stiff. I am not sure if it is related to the tire that I choose Michelin Pilot 225/50 "Z"R 17 A/S. When the car was at 12,000 mile, I did ask for test drive with service manager to compare with another GS, the result was normal (the compared GS was a trade-in vehicle not a demo). I plan to schedule another visit to the Lexus at 19,000 mile.

The local Autotech tire shop owner who recommends not invests any more money on this car. The ride character is come from Lexus build quality. There is really not much I can do if Lexus can't find any problem. He also mentioned the driver seat is too hard on GS, doesn't provide enough cushion to absorb the vibration from the road. Both BMW and Audi do a great job on the seat cushion to filter out most of the vibration. The best way now is to start test drive, find a car that I like and replace it.

I went to another dealer two weeks ago. After test drive by the mechanic, the result is normal. I do feel the dealer doesn't want to go further because the car was not purchase from them. They are very kind though. The recommendation is to contact Lexus customer service center.

SW03ES, Thanks for the advice. It I will go to dealer for one last time to see if they can find any problem. This car doesn't ride right. Unlike most of the owners who seems to enjoy there car.

Just went to BMW test drive X3 and 325xit this morning. Both car rides are smoother than my current GS. The ride is solid on both BMW. I am about to pull the trigger.

The following information has more detail of what I feel about my GS: -------- I’ve had my 2006 330xi (no sports package) for about one month and can honestly say I hate the way this car rides. I’m trying to decide whether it’s the run flats, the suspension or a combination of both. Some of the highways where I live are cement and are slightly undulating. The car bounces over these small dips and crests literally throwing me and the passengers up, down and around. Then I might go over a slightly buckled expansion joint and BOOM – the shock waves up through the seat and up my back are downright awful. Choppy roads translate into a lot of vibration throughout the car and my body. I am not kidding when I say that every time I drive the car my lower back actually hurts for hours afterwards. Very harsh, jittery ride on anything but baby-butt smooth asphalt. I’ve been driving these same roads for 20 years with probably 12 different cars and haven’t experienced anything even close to this. Question: do you think if I ditch the run flats and take my chances with regular tires that I’ll improve the ride as I describe it? I’m fairly certain it will handle the bumps a lot better but what about the choppy road vibration and bounciness? Does anyone know if there's a way to relax the suspension? Has anyone actually replaced the run flats with regular tires? I have to do something. I can’t go on driving this car the way it is! ---- After reviewing this, I think I should change the tile of my post to proper words "harsh ride". It will match better to what I feel on my GS. Well, I think I'm about to give up my GS. It is not healthy at all to pay too much attention to the car. Does anyone think it's possible to sell this vehicle by myself? The trade-in value from Lexus is roughly 38K. I saw some used GS posted for sale at $40,995 - $43,995 without NAV at similar mileage. My GS equipped with DVD/ NAV/ backup camera should worth a bit more. All of them were posted by dealer. My question is, will people buy such high volume vehicle from a private seller?

I actually took the car back to Lexus to have there service manager test drive not once but twice. The result is normal as usual. All I can think right now is after all Lexus is not an ultimate driving machine. I should not have expected Lexus to be drive like the bimmers.

I love my GS on its first 10,000 mile. I can make sharp turns (exit ramp) with speed over 60 miles per hour without step on the brake. I have full confidence in any kind of road condition. After 12,000 mile, the ride character seems has changed. My car has too much body movement. It seems the suspension can not pull the tire and car altogether. I feel less control while driving on highway. One user review on Yahoo Auto describe the 2006 GS "the car seems to drift (left or right) even on flat (non-crowned) pavement, as if there is too much play or slack in the steering wheel & the wheels." Last weekend I test drove another GS at Lexus dealer. The demo car does not have side by side movement like mine. I am going to drop off my car to a local tire shop tomorrow. Hopefully, they can check the car and give me some suggestion.

The reviews on the tire rack show different result. Bridgestone Turanza LS-V is rated the highest among the grand touring all season tire. However, there are still couple of reviews think the tire is too hard. It is so difficult for me to make decision. I am on my second set of tire now. If I make another wrong decision, I will be sitting on 3 sets of tire with just 18,000 mile on the odometer. I owned two 3 series for a total of 11 years. I have never felt so uncomfortable until I bought the GS.

I just came back from Lexus dealer. A friendly salesman let me test drive both ES350 and GS300. These are two different cars. As soon as I starts test drive the ES350, I realize that there is no way to go to ES350. The ride on the ES is too soft compare with GS. Surprisingly, the salesman recommend that I better kept the GS because of the depreciation is so high on first year ownership. If I really don't like current GS, it is better to wait for the new GS350 rollout in September 2006 . The question is, we do not know the ride will improved on the GS350 compare to GS300. . I also went to BMW dealer later on. Steve, you are right that the BMW is not smoother than Lexus. I might try another tire. Will the summer tire get any better on the ride comfort catagory? I noticed some GS owners who choose Pirelli PZero Nero and Michelin Pilot PS2 19" summer tire. I don't have summer tire experience. My friend owns E500 who use Dunlop SP Sport 9000 18" summer tire. There are only 19" Pirelli PZero Nero, Michelin Sport PS2 and Dunlop SP Sport 9000 matches GS on the Tire Rack. Will 19" summer tires stiffer than my current Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 17" tires? Or I should give up some handling to go for the grand touring all season tire like Bridgestone Turanza LS-V or Continental ContiProContact 17" tire. Anyone has comments or suggestions? Appreciate your help!

I tried 36 psi, the ride is stiffer than 33 psi. Tire send almost 100% road feel back to me. I can even feel it when the speed is just 10 - 15 mile/hr. This morning, I adjust the air to 35 psi and went for a round of golf game with my son. I had two sets of golf club in the trunk. The ride is a bit improved but not much. Last night I saw an user review at Yahoo auto, a guy bought a used GS 300 AWD from a Lexus dealer. On his way home, he found that the story of rough ride is true on his GS 300. So he turned his car right back to the dealer and trade it in with new ES 350. The guy said he was so happy because he not only got more horse power and also have more options than the used GS. After that story, I am thinking of trade it in with ES 350 or go for BMW 330/ 525. I had enough dealing with the rough ride. I do not care if the rough ride is normal or not any more. Life have to go on. Thanks guys for all your help and suggestions. I feel much batter now.

Although I try to avoid potholes and bumpy road as careful as I could, I did run over some of them. I live in New Jersey, potholes are almost everywhere during the winter. The dealer had checked the suspension, no damage was found. However, I am not sure if the dealer did check the suspension components carefully.

I did test drove a 3 series back to three weeks ago. The ride on 3 is bit rough (also equipped with run-flats) compare with GS's silky ride when it was new. However, the character on my GS has been change from silky ride to current rough ride (18,000 miles now). The body roll has increased when making sharp turns. At the end of the turn, the nose pulls right back making side by side body roll. I did not experience the same character on my first 10,000 mile ownership. Somehow I feel the suspension can not hold the car in balance. It actually creates too much body movement. That is why I do not feel confidence any more when making sharp turns. I do need some directions to bring back the solid ride.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 225/50ZR17 with 33 psi as recomonded.

I was told by the Lexus service advisor that many customers complaint about rough ride on 06 GS models. They also recommend replacing the run flat tire to normal tire. Recently, after I replace my tire to regular tire, the rough ride is still there. Car actually sends all kinds of road feel to the driver. Car is drift to either left or right of its own. This morning, after my friend test drove my car. On the road, he told me the car drive like a 15K instead of current 50K. I told him that I have exactly the same feeling. My friend told me it could be a suspension problem because the car is vibrate and shaking in all directions. He does not feel full control of the car. I keep asking myself, am I the only owner who has this kind of problem?