17" Wheels For A Sc430?

[bjohnston]

so there has been a lot written about the dreaded potenza run-craps. I need to get rid of mine. At 4000 careful miles, I have a different problem as well, though. My car shimmies, and the dealer just told me the reason is all 4 wheels are bent. I live near Boston where the potholes are legendary, and I just don't think i can keep such low profile tires on this car without ongoing wheel damage.

Is there a 17" wheel alternative for this car? Does someone make one that looks good? where would i find it?

I'll spend some money, though I've already spent $2500 on 18" wheels and snow tires, since the run-craps were sheer terror in the snow. It really ought to be illegal to sell a car with these wheels/tires in the snow zone?

and how do you order the spare tire kit? the lexus dealer told me today that none exists.

Thanks.

[AWJ]

Try another Lexus Dealer. Sounds like yours is defunct. I'm sure a 17" wheel with the correct offset and lug/hub specs will work. Consult with a good wheel shop. Good luck.

[Manco]

Like everyone before me, I hate the RFT's. I don't have to mention all the abysmal behavior that they cause for this nice car. The big difference with me, and most posts is that I didn't buy this car to win the Grand Prix. I want it to be luxurious first , and very sporty second.

Any set of rims that has a 5 bolt holes with a 114.3 MM bolt pattern, and an offset of between 35 to 50 MM will work fine on your SC-430. There is plenty of room in the fender wells. So If you have leaking rims, or don't like the looks of the "Plates, " feel fee to buy just about anything you want with the above spec. 16" through 20" rims are just fine, and will not interfere with your brake calipers. Changing tire size and diameter does not, I repeat, does not adversly effect the handling or tracking of the vehicle.

I choose to get not only a comfortable ride, but tires that last about four times as long as the RFT's. I chose the Michelin Primacy MXM4's. These are super quite, very long life, have extremely great handling, and they looks really stylish on the car. The size I got was the 245x45R17. The reason I chose this size is that they have the same tread width for traction, and the same diameter 25.7", so the speedometer stays accurate. Additionally the 45 side wall ratio gave a nicer smoother ride with superb handling.

See my Member photo. I bought a set 17" X 7.5" X 40mm offset Velox Borzoi rims from Costco for under five hundered dollars, and the tires under eight hundred dollars. The best money I ever spent on the car!

I am just delighted with this choice and strongly recomnd this to anyone who is tired of their SC-430 riding like a truck!

[kmtd1971]

I would like to get your opinion on more comfortable and cushier ride by changing tire size and rims. I have switched to regular tires (Continental Contact DSW 245/40/18) and still not comfortable enough. I am thinking about buying new rims and tires on my next tire change to the size of 245/60/18. Will this work? 

[Frank DUva]

I found out Lexus wheels, down to 16", will work well on a SC430. I also was looking for taller sidewalls to smooth out the ride. I purchased a low mile 2002 SC430 in Nov., 2022 and been thinking about either, 2007 ES350 17 x 7 wire looking wheels, 1995 LS400 16 x 7 10 spoke wheels or 2003 LS430 17 x 7.5 7 spoke wheels. All have the same bolt pattern offset and hub bore size and all have the stock 25.7" overall diameter tires available. I think they all look great while providing a cushier ride

[Frank DUva]

     I bought a used set of 2003 LS430 7-spoke wheels to replace my gorgeous stock 18's on my 2002 SC430 to improve ride comfort. I want to increase my sidewalls a bit while retaining most of the suspension dynamics. If I buy 245/45-17, the wheel and tire combo overall identically match stock specs with a (.4 in.) increase in sidewall height. If I buy 235/50-17, the wheels are (.6 in.) taller and (.6 in.) narrower but provide a (.7 in.) increase in sidewall height.                                                                            Does anyone have experience or knowledge of tire size swapping for improving comfort.

 

[Frank DUva]

I'm sorry , in reference to my above post, the used 2003 LS430 wheels I bought are 17"

[Lexus-CT]

If 245/45/17 is close to OEM size then you will have a more comfortable ride in 225/50/17.

The 245 will need 502 revolutions to get you 1 km where the 225 will need 499 revolutions for same distance and that will be close to no problem. The speed shown on the instruments in the car will be a bit more correct as well.

Another thing is that not all tyres are made of same rubber, so for comfort (and other reasons) I recommend Continental.