Can You Name My Rim? Need New One

[BALOO BELLE]

I have a bent rim and have no idea how to even find one since I don't know what they are called. 16in chrome factory rim. i have only seen one other car with them and they werent chrome. the car is originally from AZ if that makes a diference

and does anyone know of any good classifieds with a lexus forum? i didnt see one here..of coarse i need a name first

[gbhrps]

I think that you're going to find that 2 or 3 different mag wheel configurations are available for any model year, some chromed some painted. I would think that you'll have to check the numbers that are cast into the rim itself to obtain a part number that you'll be able to quote to parts suppliers. Even then your best bet may be to contact wrecking yards in your state for the same model year car, and then drive out and compare. Trying to describe what you're searching for over the phone is going to be problematic.

You might try to photo just your wheel and fax a large copy to the wreckers instead. Good Luck!

[BALOO BELLE]

ive called the two local lexus dealers and they have never seen the rim. it was a dealer upgrade. I had the rim sent out to be trued (bent back) but they are saying its not the rim its the michelins primacys that are the problem. they need to be road force balance. which the shop i had them installed at doesnt do. so they will rotate the tire 180 degrees on the rim and rebalance them agian. this is like my fifth weekend in the shop :(

thanks for the info on getting the serial numbers. at this point i dont know if its the rims or tires... i bough michelins so i wouldnt have this problem but evidently michelin doesnt warranty this tire the shop does because of where or how they were made. they sell them to the wholesale club w no warranty. or at least thats the story im getting

[gbhrps]

You are dealing with a tire dealership that is giving you the runaround, because you are a woman I suspect. Take the car to another tire retailer and see what they can do. I'm betting that the first tire shop didn't have the wheel correctly mounted on their balancing machine before they spun it and added weights to balance it. If the second tire dealer can't balance the tire, and you already know the rim isn't the problem, try contacting Michelin directly and see what they can do for you. They have a reputation to protect, and as long as you're friendly but firm you may get a positive response. Good Luck!

[BALOO BELLE]

Im going to the toyota dealer next month when my oil change is due since they have better equipment. They road force balanced them w a regular machine it rides like its right but my steering wheel still shimmys back and forth on the highway on certian pavements. They have rebalanced the tires over and over so it keeps changing speeds and pavements but isnt going away. It has gotten better by 50% but still there. they checked all the suspension and cant find anything. so it might be a steering gear.. something isnt right and im not so sure i want to know what it is.

[SW03ES]

Those are not Lexus rims.

They are rims off the Toyota Camry, probably a 2000 or so vintage.

Here they are on the Camry:

That rim is narrower than the rims that came on the ES, that rim is 16.6, the OEM rims are 16x6.5. I doubt if that would cause your issue though. Finiding that rim is going to be REALLY hard...especially in chrome. Look at the spare, is it the same rim or is it the OEM Lexus rim? The 02-04 ES only had one rim option. This one:

They have the rim at www.lakeshorewheelandtire.com, go to "Product Catalog" and search for 2000 Toyota Camry...its $167. They don't sell it in chrome though. Those wheels would have been aftermarket chrome...I wonder if they are even genuine Toyota wheels...they could be replicas. That could be the cause of your whole vibrating issue...

If you have a wheel or tire out of balance then it may be impossible to get the wheels to balance. The Primacys are VERY true and since you've been having this issue over a long time...I bet its a bent wheel.

[BALOO BELLE]

THe guy at JM Lexus accesories dept said that the rim is discontinued!!! it was a dealer upgrade. The shop I have been going to knows another shop w three but they wont come off them unless i buy all of them :( And the spare is oem. I drove on the spare w the bent rim off for 2 days and it still did it but, changed circumstance agian. And that is the only one that is bent I'm told. i havent hit anything, there are no impact markings, or road rash on any of them. Ive been working on this for about a month now.

its frustrating cause ive noiced the trans mount is starting to go though the mounts arent showing wear yet. would that affect the steering wheel shimmy? i know changing the top mount tightened the steering.

[SW03ES]

THe guy at JM Lexus accesories dept said that the rim is discontinued!!! it was a dealer upgrade.

I mean...a dealer might have been selling them as a "dealer upgrade" but it is definately the OEM 16" wheel from the 2000 & 2001 Toyota Camry just chromed with a Lexus center cap slapped on. That is 100% a fact.

The shop I have been going to knows another shop w three but they wont come off them unless i buy all of them :( And the spare is oem. I drove on the spare w the bent rim off for 2 days and it still did it but, changed circumstance agian. And that is the only one that is bent I'm told. i havent hit anything, there are no impact markings, or road rash on any of them. Ive been working on this for about a month now.

If the wheels and balancing make any difference at all then the issue is in the wheels IMHO. If it were suspension or mounts then having the wheels balanced wouldn't make a difference at all. Does anybody disagree?

its frustrating cause ive noiced the trans mount is starting to go though the mounts arent showing wear yet. would that affect the steering wheel shimmy? i know changing the top mount tightened the steering.

I know the transmission mount can cause vibrations on the road in a RWD car...don't know about a FWD car. Anybody?

[rdj63]

Take your car to reputable shop have them take the tires of the wheels and mount just the wheel on the balancer and spin it you'll be able to see if it is bent or not.Maximium run out should be no more than 0.030 thousnads of an inch if it's bent more than that have them trued if not replace the faulty tire or tires Michelin has a really good waranty if you don't have a lot of miles on them.Hope this helps.