Rim Upgrade Help

[briggs400]

I have noticed the rubber on my factory 17s is getting old and am looking at going to a 19" setup..... 19 x 8 fr/19 x 9.5 rear......

the question that i have is wether or not the ride quality will absolutely go to garbage. i know this topic has probably been covered but i am just wanting to make sure that i do the right thing and am not going to be out of pocket lots of $$$ and not be happy. the reason i am asking is because, my old car (BMW 325is) i put 18 x 8.5 HARTGE all around and was not tooo happy with the ride quality. i mean it wasnt too bad but it kinda felt like it pulled a little bit during deceleration and especially on rougher roads i noticed it, and when you order rims from germany and your not too happy it sucks :chairshot:

i realize that 19 is an entirely different scenario tho. will the ride quality be saved a little as i am going with the staggered approach....would it be within my best interest to invest in a set of sway bars to help tighten everything? if i upgrade to the L-Tuned S/S combo, would that help the ride quality?

Im not looking at taking my car into autocross events so handling is not my top priority. at the same time, i dont want my car to feel like a TAXI. i think i want it to sit a little lower and maintain a comfortable yet sporty ride quality to the car.

if you guys out there with your knowledge could help me out that would be key.

thanks.....

[AristoTRD]

I have noticed the rubber on my factory 17s is getting old and am looking at going to a 19" setup..... 19 x 8 fr/19 x 9.5 rear......

the question that i have is wether or not the ride quality will absolutely go to garbage.  i know this topic has probably been covered but i am just wanting to make sure that i do the right thing and am not going to be out of pocket lots of $$$ and not be happy.  the reason i am asking is because, my old car (BMW 325is) i put 18 x 8.5 HARTGE all around and was not tooo happy with the ride quality.  i mean it wasnt too bad but it kinda felt like it pulled a little bit during deceleration and especially on rougher roads i noticed it, and when you order rims from germany and your not  too happy it sucks :chairshot:

i realize that 19 is an entirely different scenario tho.  will the ride quality be saved a little as i am going with the staggered approach....would it be within my best interest to invest in a set of sway bars to help tighten everything? if i upgrade to the L-Tuned S/S combo, would that help the ride quality? 

Im not looking at taking my car into autocross events so handling is not my top priority.  at the same time, i dont want my car to feel like a TAXI.  i think i want it to sit a little lower and maintain a comfortable yet sporty ride quality to the car. 

if you guys out there with your knowledge could help me out that would be key.

thanks.....

←

Any time u put more rims then tire u will always sacrifice ride quality. I also am gonna go the same route but with 20"s. I opened a thread:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=20006

asking the other guys advise and they gave me some good suggestions. but less rubber means more stiffer ride unless u mess with the suspension. I am gonna go with the Tein CS.

good luck

[Neo]

Yes, the ride quality will decrease. Many thing contribute to ride quality but the biggest factor is rubber. When you go to 19s, not only are you losing rubber (sidewall height), but you are also going to stiffer sidewalls since these sizes need to compensate (strength/support-wise) for the loss of sidewall. The "good" thing, if youcan call it that, is that you are already on 17s. These actually ride somewhat stiff too compared to the buttery 16s. Going to 18s or 19s might not be as bad.

My only confusion is when you said

the reason i am asking is because, my old car (BMW 325is) i put 18 x 8.5 HARTGE all around and was not tooo happy with the ride quality.  i mean it wasnt too bad but it kinda felt like it pulled a little bit during deceleration and especially on rougher roads i noticed it

This does not sound like a problem with ride quality (how soft the suspension rides). If this is what you disliked about the 18s, can you clarify what your definition of "ride quality" is. What are the characteristics of good ride quality? We can then go from there.

Your other changes, sways and L-Tuned S/S, will also affect the ride but we can go into this more once there is a better understanding of what you want. :)

[briggs400]

thanks guys for helping me out.

what i mean when i talk about ride quality is somewhat hard to explain. hmm....i want it still to be smooth and not jumpy? i mean alll lexus' are known for their ride quality and smoothness. i just dont want it to feel like i am fighting the car when i drive it? does that make sense to anyone?

i realise that i will have to sacrifice ride quality somewhat with the new rims. interior noise will be higher and i feel imperfections in the road more. i do know what you mean tho NEO when you say that the 16s are buttery. i have the 16' es300 rims for my winter rims and it feels like you said,,,butter.

i was also wondering if the car will feel a bit sluggish with the 19s as there is more rolling diameter?

thanks to everyone for helping me

[GS430X6]

thanks guys for helping me out.

what i mean when i talk about ride quality is somewhat hard to explain.  hmm....i want it still to be smooth and not jumpy? i mean alll lexus' are known for their ride quality and smoothness.  i just dont want it to feel like i am fighting the car when i drive it? does that make sense to anyone?

i realise that i will have to sacrifice ride quality somewhat with the new rims.  interior noise will be higher and i feel imperfections in the road more.  i do know what you mean tho NEO when you say that the 16s are buttery.  i have the 16' es300 rims for my winter rims and it feels like you said,,,butter.

i was also wondering if the car will feel a bit sluggish with the 19s as there is more rolling diameter?

thanks to everyone for helping me

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If when you say "fighting" and you mean does the car sway from side to side (tire stear) the answer depends on how wide you go on the front. I have 20 by 9 on the front on my 2006 GS430 and used the same wheels on a 2002 GS430 and yes the car tinds to drift at times depending on the road im on but not bad enuff that I would say it drives me crazy. On my 2002 hitting a bump in the road was very hard but on my new car it not as bad at all, they must be using better suspinson

In summery, the ride will change, no dout, but since your going to a 19 it wont be as bad as 20's I would think all the chicks looking at you and the car will make you forget about the stiffer ride. hehe

[Neo]

If you are after predictability, you are on the right track. You seem to already know that you will be sacrificing the "Lexus" ride for a sportier, but smooth behavior.

The power will be slightly sluggish but with a GS400, it won't be as noticeable as in a GS300. It will also depend on how heavy your new wheels are. Depending on the wheel, 19s could be the same or even slightly lighter than the OEM 17s. The car will feel a little nimbler in this case.

With 19s, you will probably want to lower the car to avoid the 4x4 look. The L-Tuned S/S are able parts and your ride, although won't be softer, will have less bounce, especially over bad undulating roads as these respond better. Depending on budget, I would actually recommend Tein CS coilovers if you have not bought the S/S yet. If you have not, the L-Tuned S/S are in short supply so I'd look into them soon. The Tein CS are currently backordered but if you are willing to spend about $1300, they are a great investment. I think they handle better than the L-Tuned S/S, have a softer ride than the L-Tuned, and the height and damping are adjustable. I have had both on my car and am currently using the Tein.

The last bit I'll add is tire selection. With 19s, you have a choice of 2 sizes. Assuming you are not running a staggered setup, you can run 245/35 or 245/40. The 35 series will give you the same diameter as the OEM wheels while the 40 series will be bigger.

Running the 40 series has the advantage of having the same sidewall as people running 18s. This translates to a softer ride as we have talked about: more rubber = softer.

The disadvantage (and is the same as the majority running 20s) is that the diameter is now 1" larger than spec. With this size, you will more than likely run into the intermittent rubbing in the front when you turn the wheel full lock, reversing, and/or hit a large dip at high speed. The last part is because the suspension compresses really quickly and rubs the top of the wheel well liner. The extent of the rubbing will depend on how lowered you are. You can avoid the fender rubbing (the bigger problem) if you choose offsets that are not too aggressive.

There is actually an advantage to the 40 series on 19 (which has become affectionately known as the 19s fat setup). Because of the extra inch, you have an extra .5" on the fender side and an extra .5" clearance on the ground. The .5" on top means you have to lower the car less to reduce the fender gap and the .5" on the bottom means you can still clear a few more road conditions.

I'll stop here as it is already quite a bit. Let me know if you have more questions.