Wheel Sizes

[GaryDavid]

Hi, I am new to LOC - looking out to by a nice 'pre-owned' GS300 soon, looking for advice on wheels sizes 16/17/18 inches what are the advantages/disadvantages? also anything I should look for or avoid. Should I stick to approved dealer stock or search further afield?

[Noel]

Welcome to LOC :)

16" would be lost in a GS arch but would be the best for soaking up road bumps and holes, 17" would be abit more sporty but i think 18" would be best for the GS looks wise....

really depends on what you want from the car for.... long distance comfy cruising or performance and looks....

[maneesh]

depends on whether you value ride comfort or looks/handling. 16 for ride comfort, 18s for looks/handling, 17s for the middle ground.

[craig7022]

I've got the 18" wheels and they look great but on crap(bumpy) roads they can be abit of a pain

But go for it! 18" all the way ;)

[Keith Bowler]

It's 18's for me too, especially the standard sport alloys.

If you are looking for a series 1 GS hold out for a good genuine sport model and you will not be dissappointed!

[Guest]

Hi, I am new to LOC - looking out to by a nice 'pre-owned' GS300 soon, looking for advice on wheels sizes 16/17/18 inches what are the advantages/disadvantages? also anything I should look for or avoid. Should I stick to approved dealer stock or search further afield?

Ok, here's my 0.03 euro worth ...

I went from a exec saloon to a GS300. Same size, weight, power blah blah blah. The old car had 16" wheels and soaked up the bumps. The GS has 17" and certainly doesn't have the quality of ride that last waggon had, but I'll live with it.

18" ... they're just metal with rubber painted around the edge. Some of our older readers will remember what a step forward it was then they invented the pneumatic tyre and what an improvement they were over the old solid tyres. 18" are for those who like to FEEL the road. Every dimple, every stone, every cats' eye, every leaf.

Now "18s make the car look sportier". Can't argue with that. Sports cars have thin tyres to drop the torque to the road rather than putting the power into twisting the tyre walls. But the GS300 weights 8 tons and is an auto. It's for arriving at hotels and not looking like a rep with a Merc or a BWthingy. It's for cruising down the motorway and stepping out refeshed having used the snooze control for 200 miles. No way is a bog standard GS a "sports car". Just watch as Mini pulls away from you at the lights!

Next topic ..."How wide should my go faster stripes be?"

[maneesh]

Hi, I am new to LOC - looking out to by a nice 'pre-owned' GS300 soon, looking for advice on wheels sizes 16/17/18 inches what are the advantages/disadvantages? also anything I should look for or avoid. Should I stick to approved dealer stock or search further afield?

I went from a exec saloon to a GS300. Same size, weight, power blah blah blah. The old car had 16" wheels and soaked up the bumps. The GS has 17" and certainly doesn't have the quality of ride that last waggon had, but I'll live with it.

The GS is known for having a coarse ride when compared with E class, A6 and 5 series, even on the 16 inch wheels.

[IanCornwall]

The GS is known for having a coarse ride when compared with E class, A6 and 5 series, even on the 16 inch wheels.

Over my time I have had a 535i BMW and an E Class Merc, OK I know I havent had my GS300 for long but::

I disagree neither of these come close to the ride quiteness and build quality of the Lexus, put a 1994 BMW next to my series 1 GS and the BMW is ready for the scrapyard, and the Merc (if its a diesel) is trashed out as a mini cab, and these have rubbish wallowy rides

I had a BMW 5 series owner come up to me in Tescos Car Park and he was interesed as he was thinking about buying another car and had been recomended a Lexus, and could he have a look

Like all men with new toys, I showed him around, when he got in the car to play with the steering wheel and bits and pieces, he said jeesh you do a load of miles, I told him it was a 1994 he refused to believe it, he reckoned his 3 yr old Beemer was rubbish compared to a 12 yr old Lexus, and the worst bit of his Beemer he said was the rattles and hard ride

[Simon Hornby]

The GS is known for having a coarse ride when compared with E class, A6 and 5 series, even on the 16 inch wheels.

Over my time I have had a 535i BMW and an E Class Merc, OK I know I havent had my GS300 for long but::

I disagree neither of these come close to the ride quiteness and build quality of the Lexus, put a 1994 BMW next to my series 1 GS and the BMW is ready for the scrapyard, and the Merc (if its a diesel) is trashed out as a mini cab, and these have rubbish wallowy rides

I had a BMW 5 series owner come up to me in Tescos Car Park and he was interesed as he was thinking about buying another car and had been recomended a Lexus, and could he have a look

Like all men with new toys, I showed him around, when he got in the car to play with the steering wheel and bits and pieces, he said jeesh you do a load of miles, I told him it was a 1994 he refused to believe it, he reckoned his 3 yr old Beemer was rubbish compared to a 12 yr old Lexus, and the worst bit of his Beemer he said was the rattles and hard ride

Now here's a thing. I have just bought a 1993 GS300 and still have my 1993 BMW525TD. Both cars were registered within a couple of months of each other. The Beemer has done 243000 miles and the Lexus 148000. Both cars are great for different reasons. Firstly the BMW is far more comfortable than the Lexus. The driving position is much more ergonomic and the leather seats are slightly firmer and give better support. The Lexus is of course quieter at the lights as it is a petrol car. The boot on the Lexus is tiny considering the size of the car as it is half taken up with petrol tank - why didn't Toyota put it underneath like most manufacturers? Now to the wheels - The Lexus has standard 225/55/16 tyres and the BMW 225/60/15's on BBS alloys - they both hold the road nicely and pick up pretty much the same amount of road noise. The ride in the BMW is more refined than the Lexus, nowt to do with the wheel size and more to do with good design I suspect. The steering wheel in the BMW stays where you left it and as they got the driving position right.

Now about the looks - the Pininfarina designed BMW is a classic. It is stylish and has one of the most areodynamic bodies around and as for the poor old GS300, well talk about a bland plain Jane!!! I can only find it is my local Asda car park because it sticks out a foot further than the average Mondeo!!

The GS300 is a lot quicker than the Beemer and has a much more modern interior. There's no a/c on the 525 but ther climate control is more flexible. My GS300 has a grey interior which looks really classy and has better storage. But the BMW has a bigger grin factor - it simply is more fun to drive.

I suppose the long and the short of the comparison between the 2 cars is that they are both great cars from two great companies. Both have strengths and weaknesses. I have a dilemma, which one to keep? As for wheel sizes - if all you want to do is tart up plain Jane go for it with whopper wheels and buy a subscription to Max Power mag. If you want a great handling car with genuine character and loads of smiles per gallon, look towards Munich.