Newbie Needing Advise

[vr46]

Hello all

My wife & i have just purchased our first ever lexus LS400, it is a 1994 model, with 115000 miles & f/s/h it was a bargain £700 with 6 months MOT & TAX.

Dare i say it, shes been through 1 to many car washes & has wrecked the top half of the body,

Luckily for me i own a classic car restoration company & plan to give her a fresh lick of paint & a good birthday clean up.

Other than the usual illumination of dials problem, which i believe is an easy fix, the alloys are completely Knackered, we thought about putting 18" alloys on to fill the arches a bit more,

do any of you know what will fit ie other manufactures? or should we just go 17"? will a later set of rims fit with no problems.

I have always loved these motors & have wanted one since early 1998 when someone i knew bought one & let me have a go in it, WOW is all i can say.

If any one can help it would be much appreciated.

cheers

Sean

[janey]

Hi, welcome & congratulations Sean :D

I can't answer the wheels question but hopefully one of the guys will be along shortly to help you out :)

[steve2006]

Hello Sean welcome to the LOC and congratulations on buying an LS400.

There are quite a few alternatives when it comes to wheel choices the main considerations are the offset which affects the position of the wheel in the arches.

I have linked a good guide below showing the original offsets and you can also look for other vehicles which have the same or similar offsets and the correct 5 stud 114.3 stud patterns.

It also depends on whether you are looking at new wheels,refurbished or secondhand as there are many choices,Ebay is normally a good source.

You could also consider having your own wheels refurbished.

The dash problem as you are aware is common but easily repaired if you have the skill to repair yourself,there are even some tutorials to help.

http://www.carlsalter.com/wheel_fitments.html

[vr46]

Hi there,

Thanks for the warm welcome, & thanks for the very helpful chart Steve very kind of you, hopefully i can get the beast looking how she deserves to look, thanks again for your time, oh yeah do you know where i can buy the repair kit for the illumination problem??

found a guy on flea bay but he's a difficult man to track down & doesnt take credit cards, and i dont have a pay pal account!!

the dash is now driving me mad, i feel like i'm at a rave. ;)

Cheers

Sean

[ACLex]

Hello all

My wife & i have just purchased our first ever lexus LS400, it is a 1994 model, with 115000 miles & f/s/h it was a bargain £700 with 6 months MOT & TAX.

Dare i say it, shes been through 1 to many car washes & has wrecked the top half of the body,

Luckily for me i own a classic car restoration company & plan to give her a fresh lick of paint & a good birthday clean up.

Other than the usual illumination of dials problem, which i believe is an easy fix, the alloys are completely Knackered, we thought about putting 18" alloys on to fill the arches a bit more,

do any of you know what will fit ie other manufactures? or should we just go 17"? will a later set of rims fit with no problems.

I have always loved these motors & have wanted one since early 1998 when someone i knew bought one & let me have a go in it, WOW is all i can say.

If any one can help it would be much appreciated.

cheers

Sean

Hi Sean,

most Lexus wheels will fit your car except for the current shape LS as it has a different stud pattern :( shame as I love the 5 spokes on them and possibly the IS200 and early GS wheels may not clear your front calipers but if anyone knows different I am always happy to learn ;).

Here is my car fitted with LS430 18" wheels.....

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=70011

Andy

[vr46]

Hi Andy

Thanks for that mate, yours looks pretty cool like that, maybe i'll go that route to.

Cheers

Sean

[Workman LS400]

Hi

I struggled to find 17" wheels to fit this car. I went through much stress having to send alloys back because they wouldn't fit. I have now found a set that fit. They are Diamond Raider 17", 7.5 and with an offset of 35. They clear all component parts and fit well within the wheel arch. Current tyres are 225/55/R17. There has been no change in the handling/comfort or control. Hope this helps