Changing Wheels

[bluenose1940]

I have had a good look through this forum but haven't found anything yet as regards to changing down from 18" wheels to 17's

I am wondering if anyone has done it after purchasing their car and if so, can they give an indication of cost and, if it is done via Lexus, do they make any allowance for the 18" wheels and tyres? Mine have only done 5000 miles and so are in pretty good nick really.

If Lexus don't/won't get involved, are there any other sources to pursue.

As my car was 12months old when I bought it, I never thought to ask if they might change them for me.

[ganzoom]

There is whole load of aftermarket 17inch wheels you can buy/change. But your need to work out the style you want, tyres you want to run, and how much tolerance your going to have for rubbing...Though going from 18inch to 17inch is easier than other way round.

http://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wheel1=205-55-16X6.5ET45&wheel2=225-45-17X7.5ET40&fcl=50mm&wcl=30mm&scl=50mm

But most aftermarket supplier will tell you which wheels will fit. However the quality of the aftermarket alloy may not be very good, and be prone to cracking/corroding. It's best to get an after-markert alloy with Japan Light Wheel Alloy (JWL)/VIA or TUV approval ect. For my last car, I had to source some wheels that originally were shipped in from the US (originally made in China) which had VIA approval.

It's a pain sourcing aftermarket wheels with proper TUV/VIA approval (most don't) but worth it. Even after 6 years of abuse on british roads, endless potholes, kerbing, ice/salt, low profile tyres, they were straight and true, with the finish that had lasted...Even BMW OEM 19inch wheels are more to cracking on our poorly surface roads.

At the same time I've seen 18 months old aftermarket alloys that look horrendous, and about 10 years old, with lacquer peeling off/cracking. I personally would never put an uncertified aftermarket alloy on our cars, they may be cheap, but wheels/brake/tyres are the things that make your car STOP when you need to!!...so are not areas you want to be cheap/save costs.

The other problems is what are you going to do with the original wheels/tyres, Lexus wouldn't be interested. You could try to sell them, but been OEM 18inch wheel they wouldn't generate much interest, because they look like every other set of 18inch alloys people have on their cars. Though you might be lucky and find a owner of a car with 17inch wheels willing to swap.

An additional problem is the tyre pressure monitors, your have to either re-fit the existing monitoring into the new wheel (not sure how easy that is to do), or get new monitors coded/fitted.

[bluenose1940]

All sounds a bit of a pain Gang. Thanks for all the info though. If I'd have thought about it at purchase time I could have said, "fit some 17" wheels and I'll buy it" I expect that they would have done that without too much hassle.

[michaelH]

do you have serious issue with your 18" wheels? I would always choose 17s if given that choice, but I had one of the 2005-12 IS 250s on loan for a week or two and did not really notice any difference between its ride quality and that of my own IS250 running 17s.

[bluenose1940]

Michael, the ride does seem a little 'hard' from time to time. i've never really been a fan of low profile tyres and would like a bit more rubber. This also helps I think, with lessening the chance of 'kerbing' the wheels .

Anyone out there driving on 16" wheels who would care to relate their experience/thoughts on them?

[Rabbers]

I must say that I like 18" wheels on the 300h for the simple reason that they look better, the car's impression of

purposefulness ("it looks like it's moving even when standing still") being accentuated by them. And while the

fat and low 255/35 rear tyres, in particular, improve the car's appearance from most angles, they also heighten

the feeling of stability, very noticeably on long fast curves, even in the wet.

Whether or not 17" or 16" tyres give a more comfortable ride is a matter of opinion unless, of course, any of the

car's usual occupants are abnormally sensitive to bumps and uneven surfaces. Again, my own belief is that 18"

tyres on the 300h offer at least as good a ride as 17" ones did on the previous-generation 250, although this may

have less to do with the size of the tyres than improvements to the chassis and suspensions.

Really, it seems to me that the only disadvantage, apart from price, is the higher risk of damage from kerbs and

potholes, as well as rough gravel - and, unfortunately, there is no remedy for this except to chose brands with

demonstrably good rim protection. As regards price, although the cash outlay for a set of new 18" tyres, if you

consider them preferable, will be higher, the difference amortized over the many km you are going to drive on

them is really very small.

[bluenose1940]

You're probably completely right Rabbers. I will most likely stick with what I've got in the end!

[ColinBarber]

I doubt a dealer would be interested in giving you any allowance for your existing wheels - but I'm sure they would be willing to sell you a set of 17" wheels and tyres.

Going with any wheels other than OEM ones would require you to notify your insurance company and depending on who it is they may charge you premium for the 'modification'.

I think your best option would be to find an IS owner with 17" wheels who wants to upgrade to 18"s and do a swap.

[bluenose1940]

Yes i think that to buy new from a dealer would be an expensive option. A swap could be a possibility of course. Thanks for your input.