Difficulty In Choosing New Rims

[alex91ls400]

Hi, this is a great forum. I found it a couple of weeks ago and read it daily. Now's my turn to leave a question. I purchased my 91ls400 from the dealer new and he talked me into getting some non oem rims. After paying $2500 more for them I was happy until 2 years ago. The center caps (plastic) kept on falling off and now the dealer has no way to get new ones. They looked in my folder and couldn't find anything helpful. I had some aluminum discs made which I glued onto the rim. That worked out fine until the winter tire change over.

Now I would just like to purchase some new rims and see that there aren't that many in this size of 15 x 6.5. I saw some SC wheels on ebay that were 16x7 with the same 4.5" bolt pattern so I asked my dealer if those would fit. He said he couldn't be sure. Seems pretty simple to me! Another thing I noticed is that some wheels are listed as FWD or RWD. When I search tirerack.com, they don't seem to differentiate between front or rear wheel drive.

I've read through a lot of posts on this forum and it seems like most ls400 owners have moved into larger wheels. Any wheel specifics that you can give me will help!

Thanks,

Alex

[94Celsior]

I upgraded my rims to 20x9. When I hit bumps (not little ones) they rub against the upper lip of the wheel well. If you were considering to upgrade, get what size you want, but not anything wider than 8.5, so they dont rub. They rubbing is not a major problem at all, but its a little irritating once in a while. the ride will defintly be a little more harsh due to the lower profile of the tire though.

[alex91ls400]

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I wasn't thinking about anything as drastic as 20". But its good to know that most 16" or 17" wheels will not be a problem. I'm still wondering about this FWD vs RWD difference.

Alex

[94Celsior]

its really not a porblem. the fwd vs. rwd isnt a mjor problem to worry about, there will be no differen really

-alex

[UCF3]

I don't think you have to worry about the FWD vs RWD that much. They have similar setup. When purchasing new Wheels for this car, you should consider offsetting. They are different for the 1st gen LS. That's the reason why when you check on tirerack.com or tires.com, there are less options available for the 1st gens. $2500 for a set of new tires and rim? :chairshot: not good. Try the tirerack if you're goin for the new rims.

[mattbys]

Alex -

I recently changed out the OEM stuff on my 94 with a new set of SC rims (18") and a set of 245/50/18 from Tire Rack. I am very pleased with the combo and have not noticed any issues with the fit.

On the flip side I still have my stock 16" wheels and mostly shot Pilot's. If you are interested let me know or they will probably be going on e-bay soon!

[gaknut]

The primary difference between wheels listed for FWD and RWD has to do with the amount of offset. Most import cars (Lexus included) use the wheels listed for FWD due to the offset even though they are rear wheel drive cars. Confusing, but be sure to check for the correct offset listed for your car. There is a difference between Gen I and Gen II.

When upgrading to wider wheels this must be considered. If offset is incorrect, they may rub inside against the brake calipers or struts. If offset is the other way, the wheels will stick out of the wheel openings.