LS400 - 'ultra' slimline wheel balancing weights

Razor61 · October 3

In case anyone is looking for 'ultra' slimline wheel balancing weights for their LS400 there is an eBay link below to buy some, I've just purchased some.
Reason is the standard LS400 alloy wheels are designed for knock on weights on the outer rim which looks cr@p and you wouldn't want them on newly refurbished wheels/rims, I wouldn't.
Trouble is, on the front, the gap between the inside of the rim (where the stick-on weights need to go) is very close to the caliper so the normal thickness of stick-on weights are too thick, foul the caliper (not by a massive amount but enough) and cannot be used.
Normal thickness is 4 & 5 mm but I've found some which are 2.2 mm thick and should do the job nicely.
I contacted the seller about some other 'slim' weights, explained the situation and they told me about these 'ultra' slim line weights they sell and sent me the item number.
Of course these need to be supplied to the tyre fitting company so they can use them and will cost you more but this only applies to the front wheels or rears if you plan to do some wheel rotation.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273966106818

cruisermark · October 3

This brings back memories - I had them fitted once to my 400 and they fouled the caliper - they wore a nice silver ring on to the calipers - had to have them removed and they refitted with different weights

Malc1 · October 4

just looking at my wheels on the Ls400s and whilst I know the wheels have been balanced and all, there is absolutely zero sign of balancing weights on the outside of the wheels

and some of the wheels have been recently re-shod too

Malc

Razor61 · October 5

Maybe it only applies to the Mk4 wheels.

cruisermark · October 5

1 hour ago, Razor61 said:

Maybe it only applies to the Mk4 wheels.

Mine was a MK4 with 5 soke wheels

Razor61 · November 10

Update on this which may help other owners with a LS400 Mk4 with original alloys or a GS fitted with LS400 calipers and MK4 LS400 original alloys.

The front tyres on my car needed replacing, worn on the outer edge on passenger side (another story why) I had new tyres fitted to the front wheels. Instructions were to replace the tyres on the front wheels - balance the wheels with slim line weights so as not to foul the callipers if they needed fitting to the front in future - fit these to the rear of the car - rebalance the rear wheels with slim line wheel weights and fit to the front. Resulting in new tyres on the rear and good condition tyres on the front, all balanced with ‘slim line’ weights. This was done on Thursday.
What actually happened was new tyres fitted to front wheels - balanced with slim line weights - fitted to rear - rear wheels fitted to the front ‘without’ re-balancing with slim line weights. This resulted in the ‘normal’ weights fouling the front callipers. Didn’t notice this because you can’t hear it from inside the car without the windows open.
How do I know this?
On the next day, Friday, I picked up my daughter and family at 4:30 am to take them to Manchester airport, they were all waiting and ready. My grand daughter said ‘why does your car make a ‘tick tick’ noise?’, I immediately knew what had happened.
Fast forward to yesterday morning, removed front wheels, cleaned the wheels, marked the position of the existing ‘normal’ outer wheel weights with some masking tape at either end. Removed ‘normal’ wheel weights - removed remaining adhesive - cleaned area - attached the same weight of ‘slim line’ weights - refitted wheels and tested this morning on the motorway to make sure they were still balanced correctly and they are plus no ‘tick tick’ noise😀

Some helpful info on the weights I used, I purchased 2 x types of ‘slim line’ weights. 2.2 mm high/thick and 2.8mm high/thick weights.
I ended up using the 2.8mm high/thick weights. Reason is that the 2.2mm type come in 2.5 gram increments, so would need at least double the quantity of weights (maybe not a issue) whereas the 2.8mm high/thick weights come in 5 gram increments.
The normal weights I removed were in increments of 5 gram and 10 gram so the 2.8mm 5 gram weights matched this but are wider. Makes sense because they are thinner,
So long as you ‘centre’ the 2.8mm replacement weights you are good to go.

I would of course recommend the 2.8mm variety, you can buy them from the link below. This is for a full box of them.

https://www.youngautomotivedirect.co.uk/Products/trax-premium-adhesive-weights/620C-040

cruisermark · November 10

Sometimes simple instructions prove to be too much

I bet the calipers now have a nice silver ring worn onto them!

My new 430 nearside tyre was worn on the outer edge and steering off centre - got it sorted this week with new tyres - now drives perfectly

Razor61 · November 10

13 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

Sometimes simple instructions prove to be too much

I bet the calipers now have a nice silver ring worn onto them!

Yep, instructions got ‘lost in translation’. Not complaining at all in the context of ‘the whole job’. I provided the new tyres and it included a wheel alignment for a very very good price of £85. Granted, the alignment was just the front adjustment not the full monty cos I had removed the track rod ends a while ago to fit steering rack boots. It pays off to have a good relationship with your local Lexus dealer.

Yes, the calipers had a nice silver ring on them. Some of it from this time and some from last time. Even with the new 2.8mm weights it’s a tight squeeze but they did the job.