1999 Ls400 - Compatible Wheels?

[bobstoc]

I just purchased a 1999 LS 400; I was wondering if the 2001-2004 LS430 wheels would fit my car. Service guy at dealership said "No, it would throw off the computer and/or transmission"....This does not sound right. Any help and pics of series 1,2,3 LS's with wheels would be great.

[1990LS400]

The 2000 LS Platinum Series came with the same 16 inch wheels that were standard on the 2001 LS430. In fact, when mine were replaced under warranty recently, the invoice listed the new wheels as for an LS430.

The dealer may be talking about the 17 or 18 inch wheels used on later LS430's which would introduce speedometer inaccuracy unless a lower profile tire was used to compensate.

There is a pic of a 2000 Platinum with its standard (2001 LS430) wheels):

[silvermate]

any lexus 16" wheel will work, no prob..........look at my pic <-------

[bobstoc]

Thanks for the response(s). I guess I forgot to stipulate that I was looking for 17" wheels to put on my '99. If I understand you guys, ONLY 16" wheels will work with my car?

[1990LS400]

17" inch wheels will fit on your 99 LS. Although 16" wheels and 225/60-16 tires were standard on the 2001 LS430, 17" wheels and 225/55-17 tires were offered as an option.

But here is an interesting disclaimer from www.lexus.com for the 2001 LS430:

"Optional 17 x 7.5-in wheels with 225/55HR17 tires are expected to experience greater tire wear than the standard equipment tires, 225/60HR16. Tire life may be substantially less than 15,000 miles, depending on driving conditions. Your riding comfort may decrease and road noise may increase during driving. Please consider all this when selecting an LS 430 equipped with this option."

Although 17" wheels were made standard on the LS430 in 2003, it is probably that suspension changes were made so that the ride quality would not deteriorate and the tires would last a reasonable mileage.

Your 99 LS is a really nice riding car and the standard tire size will last at least 40,000 miles if you watch inflation, alignment and pressure. And the handling is pretty darn good too with the standard wheels. Is the slightly better handling that larger wheels might provide worth the extra cost and loss of ride comfort? That is a choice only you can make.

I've "been there, done that". My wife was not happy with the harsher ride (and I really wasn't either) so I went back to the OEM size.

But if you really, really want to go to 17" wheels, maybe 2003 LS430 wheels would work for you. I would assume this would prevent the offset and other issues that have been reported on this forum.