Alternative wheels

Tyre Tread · March 2, 2019

When I bought my car (07 plate) 2 years ago the wheels were in good condition but in the 35K miles since I noticed today that they are starting to suffer from the well known issue of corrosion.

Rather than shelling out 250 plus for them to be refurbished I wondered if anyone has found any suitable alternatives that suit the car?

Pictures would be great as what suits a car can be subjective.

madasahatter · March 3, 2019

Linas.P · March 3, 2019

Later model wheels are less prone to corrosion, only the original 2005, 16, 17 and especially 18 inch designs had issues (I believe something to do with aluminium primer Toyota used at the time, same applies to aluminium bonnet) . Obviously, if you kerb them they can still bubble-up around damaged areas over time. Refurbishment is good option as well, if the job done properly, wheels acid stripped and powder coated they will last forever - my understanding is that you don't like the style?

I personally, think that later model year wheels are good option e.g. 2009+ or even mk3 e.g.

They improve how the cat looks and makes it appear more modern... well at least in the eyes of the others. If you don't want to go for 18" because be sure ride quality will suffer, then there is an option of 17" what I call "Advance wheels":

In the right colour, they look kind of "LF-A inspired" in terms of design:

Going up from 17", there are options of IS-F and GS F-sport wheels which are 19", but I would not suggest fitting them unless you are planning to lower the car as well - on stock suspension height 19" looks little bit silly on IS250. IS-F fits with slightly different tyre sizes in the front, in rear they do fit but in theory you woudl need spacer (offset is like 10mm in), GS I believe are direct bolt on.

So in short, I feel like the best bet are the Lexus wheels - obviously perfect fit, but as well kind of make sense in terms of design, improves car look without becoming key aspect of it (don't look too much out of place).

In terms of aftermarket wheels - the only ones which I feel looks right are USA F-Sport wheels which are not Lexus, but sold via dealership, but in UK good luck finding them.

madasahatter · March 3, 2019

Lexus wheels are to heavy. There are lots of after market wheels, that weigh a 3rd of Lexus wheels. I also own Team Dynamics multi spoke in Anthrasite and also 2 sets of standard lexus wheels. One i bought brand new, to replace the pitted original wheels. The originals have winter tyres on. The wheels on the car at the moment are 8j and 9j and weigh 9kg. Lxry Hanes.

Come from Japan and were made to order. Thou not by me.

Linas.P · March 3, 2019

All non-forged wheels are heavy - that is most of the OEM wheels in existence. On other hand OEM wheels tends to be study, don't buckle or crack in comparison with aftermarket wheels. Aftermarket wheels can be lighter in case they are forged and still relatively sturdy, but they would be quite expensive (IS-F and american F-sport wheels are forged and quite light as well), however all forged wheels will be still more prone to cracking. If aftermarket wheels are not forged and light .. then I would consider them nothing else but safety hazard - the only way to make wheels lighter without forging is to use inferiour material or less of it which makes wheels especially fragile.

Finally, wheel weight makes no difference on road car once you are going, might shave 0.1s from 0-60... but that is about it. I understand the point of that on track, but on the road that is very low in terms of priority (at least on my list). So if you can get cheap forged wheels which fits and looks right - go for it! just fitting the wheels which are lighter makes no difference in real terms, but will be more prone to damage and sometimes outright dangerous.

johnatg · March 3, 2019

I recently fitted these - 17" Konig Ultraform Gloss Graphite from Wheelbase, fitted with Continental PremiumContact 6 tyres. I chose the wider rear wheel option but Wheelbase rang me and suggested they send 4 wheels same width (ie 8J) as the wider rear ones sit too far outside the wheel arch. They did, however supply wider rear tyres (245). This combination isn't actually offered on the website - you could get 245 with 9J wheels or 225 tyres all round with 8J wheels. But I ended up with 225 front and 245 rear on 8J. (Don't bother to criticize, Linas - I know you don't like Continental tyres). 🙂

They are brilliant - substantially lighter than the originals - they have vastly improved the ride (I suspect down to wheel weight) and steering sharpness (I think due to the tyres and the slightly wider track - they sit slightly nearer the outside edge of the wheel arch - slightly smaller offset than standard). Somewhat understated in appearance I know, but they somehow make the car look more aggressive without being in your face.

I love 'em!

Linas.P · March 3, 2019

Not sure why you have impression that I don't like Continental tyres?! I generally state that I would not buy any mid-range brands unless they are substantially cheaper - that being Avon, Falken etc. Because there are often no huge difference between mid-range and premium tyres I often say that it makes no sense to save £4 per tyre and ride on something which may or may not be good.

When it comes to premium brands I like Dunlop... somehow from my experience they have right balance of ride, wear and cost. Currently, I am running Michelin PS 4's which I consider to be best UHP tyres money can buy i.e. best road tyre if you go fast, however they have some compromises. Personally, I don't think they are as good road tyres as say Dunlop Sportmaxx RT2's and I don't do any track driving so they are kind of overkill for me - not as comfortable, more expensive and I don't actually get to the limit of the grip anyway. I have heard that ContiSportContact 6's (not PremiumContact) are actually more compliant tyres on the road so potentially would be better fit for me than PS4's. As I have nearly new set of PS4's obviously I am not going to change it now, but that said I have nothing against Continental in principal except of maybe not being as competitively priced as Dunlop/Goodyear. As for Bridgestone and Yokohama - I have poor experience with them.. again might be me.

Finally, new set of good tyres could change the way your car feels and steers, especially if you have done wheels alignment after fitting (which I always do with new set of tyres). That alone can transform your car... not sure how much importance slightly lighter wheels makes, but for some reason I consider that to be minor part of the changed feeling. I might be wrong, but again - how confident are you that the wheels, rather than tyres made that difference?

johnatg · March 3, 2019

Apologies - just something you wrote once!

SportContact6 are no doubt brilliant (and expensive) but AFAIK they are only available in 19-23". For most cars PremiumContact6 replaced both PremiumContact5 and SportContact5.

Unsprung weight is a key factor in handling - I was surprised that it made a big difference to ride as well.

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Linas.P · March 3, 2019

I agree with the point that reducing unsprung weight generally is better for handling, however it can be worse for ride. In any case, when talking specifically about IS250 which is far from fast car where it would matter I would be surprised that say 1 or 2kg of unsprung mass could make any noticeable difference in handling. The only reason I believe tyres makes huge difference is that I have tried it myself and it is hard to believe the difference between good tyres and even average tyres.

I am sure it doesn't make it worse, but just to say - "I have changed the wheels for lighter and they transformed the way car handles or turns-in"... I doubt it. I still think the key here is good choice of the tyres + I don't know what you had before. Anyhow - I have nothing else to substantiate my opinion - so let's leave it at that combination of good tyres and lighter wheels improved your handling.

I guess question was more about style, fit and corrosion resistance in this case. I am sure driving dynamics could be considered as well, but for relatively casual car like IS250 it hardly even matters.

nolizma · March 10, 2019

What would be a decent price for a set of 18" "LFA inspired" wheels that are found in later years F sport models? Second hand.

If i'm not mistaken Linas.P, these are the ones you have on your is250 too? Also first picture in your first post on this thread.

My understanding is that these are cast wheels, and staggered?

Thanks!

madasahatter · March 15, 2019

Genuine 4x 18" Lexus Baransu (G Spider) Alloy Wheels with Tyres

These are on gumtree york in Accessories, 7 pictures look pretty decent.

Linas.P · March 16, 2019

"LFA inspired"... Yes I meant 17" (pic 7-8), but 18" are probably even more similar - I had both on my car. They do not have a name, but are often sold as "F-sport" wheels. And yes they are staggered 8J/8.5J and probably cast.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113686100883?ul_noapp=true

I have seen quite a few recently, usually comes ~£750-1000. Sometimes with tyres, sometimes without. I got mine for £550, but they had bit of kerb damage and set of crap tyres (3xDunlop Sportmaxx 001 and 1 ContiSport 5). Since then I had them refurbished and fitted Michelin PS4's so I reckon doubled the value. You can still buy them at the dealership ~ £550 each, probably that is why they are still expensive - "current model wheels", hence you pay premium. Generally, all other 18" for Lexus Mk2 ~ £450 for set.

nolizma · March 18, 2019

Thanks for the info. I keep an eye out for a set as I love the looks, but wasn't sure whats a good price for them as they don't come up very often. Maybe worth waiting for the next gen for a decent price then 😂

Linas.P · April 4, 2019

Rare opportunity and price is not too bad:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223469708412?ul_noapp=true

is200 Newbie · April 4, 2019

Not posted for a while as nothings gone wrong with it !!! but this is my car and what it looks like with the G Spider wheels on....

Linas.P · April 21, 2019

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202658491711?ul_noapp=true

These popped-up for sale, at first seems like good deal, but then I realised 2 of the wheels are buckled. Overall repairable, but I would not expect to pay more than £200, because effectively you getting 2 wheels and other 2 are worth just as much as it costs to repair them properly.

Much better option:

Stazza80 · April 21, 2019

Thanks! I can assure you these are not buckled!

Ben

Linas.P · April 22, 2019

19 hours ago, Stazza80 said:

Thanks! I can assure you these are not buckled!

Ben

Those on eBay are, your ones seems to be in good order - if I can see right in the pictures there are few scratches only?

I would be interested myself, but the problem is that I have 3 sets of wheels at the moment and Lexus wheels are not easy to get rid of... So I would only be interested in swap 2 for one or 3 for one 😄

gaz6963 · April 22, 2019

Could someone give me some advice on a set of alloys please.

I have found a set of 19" AVA MEMPHIS alloys with 225/35/19 tyres and are 5x114.3. Will these fit straight on my 07 IS250? What should the offset be or what could I get away with?

Thanks

J Henderson · April 23, 2019

How wide are they? That'l have a say in the matter.
Typically though, an offset somewhere in the +35 to +45 range ought to be OK for an 8" or 8.5" wheel.
The centre bore will also need to be at least 60.1mm.

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Linas.P · April 29, 2019

These coming thick nowadays 🙂

Although I would say this specific listing has murdered ones, not only it is cheapest possible refurbish, but as well already scratched. Black... is simply powder coated and lacquered - £30-40 instead of usual £75.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254214201531?ul_noapp=true