Stephen Ward

I just bought a 2013 Lexus GS 350 AWD with Dunlop SP Sport 5100 tires, P235/45R18 (94V) with 25,000 miles on them. These are the noisiest tires I have ever owned, and I find the road noise fatiguing unless I am driving on very smooth asphalt. I also have a 2005 Toyota Avalon Limited with Michelin Energy 215/55/R17 (94V) tires and a 1990 Lexus LS 400 with Michelin Primacy MXM4 205/65R15 (94V) tires. Both cars have much less road noise than the new GS with the Dunlop tires. I realize that the GS is a much more performance oriented vehicle and I love the handling, suspension, and growl of the full throttled engine. However, the road noise just spoils the experience and makes it feel cheap. I see on Tire Rack that the Primacy MXM4 was another OEM tire that was used on the GS 350, and the reviews seem to indicate that they are quieter than the Dunlop tires. Has anyone else been bothered by the noise from the Dunlop tires? Has anyone else changed to the Michelin tires because of this problem and been satisfied with the results? I am not at all concerned about tread wear since my tires usually exceed recommended age before they wear out. .

Thanks for your interest. As a matter of clarification, the problem is not steering related, but occurrs on the first application of the brakes in a new direction--forward or reverse.

I recently had a problem with squealing from the front brake pads on my 1990 LS400. The pads are Lexus ceramic pads, (made by Akebono) and have under 10,000 miles on them. With some suggestions found on this forum, I had the pads reinstalled and the rotors turned. During re-installation, the pad edges were camphered, an anti-squeal product was applied to the back of the pads, all moving parts were lubricated, and shims were utilized. This fixed the squeal completely. As soon as I picked up the car, I noticed a new problem. On the first application of the brakes after changing direction from forward to reverse or vice versa, there is a loud snap from each of the front wheels. After the first application, the problem is gone until I apply the brakes again after reversing direction. I returned to the shop that worked on the brakes, and they were unable to explain or correct this problem. I have owned this car for 18 years, and it has never done this before. Does anyone have any ideas that I can give to my repair shop to remedy this problem?