2008 Lexus GS-350 AWD with 95K miles. Owned it 5 years; bought it with 65K miles on it. Steering at freeway speed always seems unstable. The wheel has no play and it goes straight when I steer it. But I am constantly correcting its direction and this gets tiring on long drives. It is almost as if the car is rolling back and forth on its tires.
I've had the alignment checked. I've had the steering components checked. Mechanics have taken it for test rides and don't identify the problem. Could this be a problem with the tires? I always check the pressure and I keep them inflated at the proper amount. I am tempted to get new tires and new wheels for summer driving (gosh I miss my 1999 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro with sport suspension - it drove like it was on rails and it responded crisply when I turned the wheel). How can I get that safe sense of stable steering?
How old are the tires? Are they a leading brand of tire or cheap Chinese?
Tires came with the car. Cheap Chinese tires…which is why I suspect them. Matrix Tour RS.
Is it worth getting performance tires for a stock GS-350 AWD or should I just get good all-weather tires designed for comfort and long life?
actually from what I'm reading, Matrix are italian tires
Is it worth getting performance tires for a stock GS-350 AWD or should I just get good all-weather tires designed for comfort and long life?
Search the board, you'll find a lot of opinions on tires. I generally go by the following:
Good: WalMart "Douglas" brand (made by Goodyear, decent budget tire)
Better: General Altimax (General is owned by Continental)
Best: Michelin
There are lots of other choices out there of course but those are my own go-to brands. Really you should be OK as long as you avoid bottom-of-the-barrel Chinese tires.
Is it worth getting performance tires for a stock GS-350 AWD or should I just get good all-weather tires designed for comfort and long life?
it depends on how you drive. do you like cornering fast or just cruising?
