WhitSTer

I think the word is getting around that you can't use the Lexus Nav system while moving. If I'd have known I wouldn't have gotten the car! The Nav system is part of a package including bluetooth, backup camera, XM satellite radio. MSRP package cost in an '08 was $3,115. Whit

Yeah...it's just gotta be the Teleios wheels. ;-> Tell ya what, being's I'm in a great mood I'll swap you those rough-riding Teleios wheels for some brand new take-offs from my '08LS460. I'll even pay the shipping both ways. Howzzat? ... such a deal! :D Whit

Agreed. As far as I'm concerned the Lexus NAV system is completely useless!! And whenever anyone asks me how I like my new LS460, I tell them so. If you paid for it and still can't use it when you need it...it's useless and you got fleeced!! I just bought a new Garmin ZUMO 550 GPS (Best Buy has them on sale for $539) which I can also use on my scoot when on longer trips. I can use it anytime I want and can layout routes and waypoints on the PC rather than sit in the garage, with the ignition on, and plod through all the non-intuitive/turnstile menus. Lexus should get together with Garmin and learn how to do this stuff!!! Whit

I heard some talk that an AWD version is coming in '09. Whit

My '08 came with Bridgestone Touranza's. They handle OK and seem fairly quiet, but with only 2K on the car so far too early to tell. The car did have the "20,000" mile disclaimer on the windshield sticker though. Kind of underwhelming for an outfit like Lexus. Oh well, what do you expect for $70+K? <_< Whit

My '08 came with Bridgestone Touranza's. They handle OK and seem fairly quiet, but with only 2K on the car so far too early to tell. The car did have the "20,000" mile disclaimer on the windshield sticker though. Kind of underwhelming for an outfit like Lexus. Oh well, what do you expect for $70+K? <_< Whit

FYI, there's a guy selling reworked DVD's for $50 for DVD-based nav systems, won't work on HDD based systems (LS460's, etc.) http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/pts/681830724.html Whit Here's what it looks like.

Most of them do 'see' it and give you a quick 'chirp'...often too late. It's a very weak K or Ka band signal because the van is so close alongside the roadway. Some detectors miss this brief, initial chirp because it's busy scanning all bands. If the scan rate is slower than the 'exploratory' chirp, it will miss it. The photo radars zap every car they see. If the internal comparator sees a speed that exceeds the programmed tolerance speed it takes another reading, almost immediately, with the flash and pic this time. This is when you want to have a slave flash built into the grill to mask definition of your license plate. Whit Oh wow... a slave flash to go off at the same time as the moble flash and masked the license plate number..... hhhhmmmm.. no that is a bit of genius!! :D Does it work? As I remember, the typical old SLR film camera flash units were about 1/10,000 of a second, so I suppose the slave flash would be triggered in time to "block" the mobile camera from getting the plate number. But wouldn't the timing of the "flashes" have to be perfectly in sync? I'm told from sources I believe that it does work. Never tried it myself. They use multiple slaves in the studios all the time, some of the subjects are in motion so I'd imagine they had a pretty fast shutter speeds too. Probably take a dual-triggered storage oscilliscope to see if there is sufficient overlap to be effective. Actually seems a digital camera with flash and a slave flash would be a quicker test and easier access. I don't have a slave flash unit, I have enough trouble keeping the aperature and exposures straight. ;-> Whit

Most of them do 'see' it and give you a quick 'chirp'...often too late. It's a very weak K or Ka band signal because the van is so close alongside the roadway. Some detectors miss this brief, initial chirp because it's busy scanning all bands. If the scan rate is slower than the 'exploratory' chirp, it will miss it. The photo radars zap every car they see. If the internal comparator sees a speed that exceeds the programmed tolerance speed it takes another reading, almost immediately, with the flash and pic this time. This is when you want to have a slave flash built into the grill to mask definition of your license plate. Whit

Uh, the LED "is" a diode, LED = Light Emitting Diode. The only differences are that the 'jammer' ones operate in the 908 nm wavelength, which is where the LIDARS lurk while the more common, colored, LED's operate in the visible spectrum. Whit

Latest I've seen is: 5 x 120 and 35mm offset. Wht

Sales dude told me 2007's and 2008's have Gen 5. Whit

I was down at my dealer's parts dept the other day and they mentioned, that when the time comes, to make sure and use Synthetic 0W-20 weight oil or I will experience valve train noise, as they waved the little red Toyota Synthetic 0W-20 weight container around. I'm not experiencing any noise in my 400 mile '08 at this point. When stopped I have to keep looking at the tach to see if the engine is still running, eerily quiet. Whit

"Drive out price" really doesn't mean much in a national Forum with varying tax rates, etc. with differing states, etc. What you actually pay for the car, alone, is the question to ask. I can tell you they are really dealing right now, with the sales being slow nationwide. I just bought a new LS460 ten days ago and they took 1.5% over their invoice. I'm sure someone got a better deal somewhere, but I'm happy with this. Whit

The GS430 I had had a pretty harsh ride with the 18" OEM wheels. Went to a 17" wheel which allowed me to use higher profile tires and was a big help. As long as you don't significantly alter the overall diameter of the tires, everthing stays fine. Besides having more 'cushion' between the rim and the road you also have less chance of bending the wheel in a pothole. Below are a couple websites that calculate the alternative tire sizes for you. http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculato...p?action=submit http://www.dakota-truck.net/TIRECALC/tirecalc.html Whit

They have everything and the price, well we are soooo happy, and there is no comparison! www.toyolexparts.com Pass the word around, because you can save real money, specially these days. :D Well...not quite everything. The latest LS they show on their website is an '06 LS430 Whit

The Valentine 1 is the best detector available. Period. Buy one and you will never regret it. I have owned mine for several years and am impressed with the company's quick turnaround time for service and upgrades. Agreed. I have a V-1 in my car and stealth-mounted in my motorcycle with the audio plumbed to my helmet. At first I thought the sourcing arrows were just a gimmick, but they're very useful, like knowing a LEO is lurking behind you, etc. Whit

Hey, me too! Monday I traded my '06 GS430 in for a new LS460. The difference is like night and day!! Much smoother ride and easier getting in/out for us old pharts. ;-> Whit

Boy are you in luck!! ;-> I just bought a new LS460 Monday and was wondering if some Miglia wheels I had would fit. So after seeing your post decided this would be a good time to find out. They won't. The LS has the same big-assed front calipers my '06 GS430 had. Anyway, while I had the wheel off my digital caliper says the hub is 60.05 mm in diameter. So I guess that means the wheels probably have the same 61 mm holes most of the Lexi have. Good luck! Whit

...or maybe the sensor for dimming mirrors when followed at night by bright headlights? Whit

The RWD does have a definite advantage when decelerating down a long snow-packed/icy hill. You can downshift through the GS430's six gears whenever you want and it slows you down while keeping the car relatively straight because the drag is coming from the rear end and you can still maintain steerage. In an AWD the front end breaks loose easily with braking or downshifting deceleration. That said, I also have an S-10 with 4WD. It's a monster in our 12"+ snows and I just don't take the GS out of the garage. Whit

I, too, have an '06 GS430 and live west of Denver in Golden. We get tons of snow, not bad this year though. I got the car last fall and put some 17" W409 Hankooks (non studded) all the way around and it gets around and up and down all the hills/mountains just fine with hardly a wheel slip. Used the "Snow" button once on some glazed snow pack and it was like hooking up a winch, no problem-o. Whit

Another thought... I was in Walmart a few weeks ago have some tires unmounted. While waiting I was talking to the dude at the counter and he told me they carried the Schrader TPMS sensors for $49 each. He showed me the new Schrader catalog and they listed the ones for the '06 GS430 and most other Lexus models, all supposedly direct replacement for the Lexus-sourced sensors. You'd just have to write down the 7-digit numbers of the sensors and let your techs load those numbers into the CPU. Schrader has been around, sure worth a look. Whit

Might also add a thin/stealth Valentine detector remote in the ash tray. http://tinyurl.com/2hz6gc Whit :P

I just got a set of new ones for my '06 GS430 from Darryl at Sewell Lexus. They were $312 + $8 shipping. Check the Vendor listings, he might be continueing his special on them. Whit