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1998 Ls400 18" Wheel Advice


dave_98LS400

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I want to upgrade my 1998 LS400 to 18" wheels. Looking for something with spokes and would like suggestions on the offset. Thinking of an 18 x 8 or 18 x 7.5. Also any suggestions on the best tire for the optimum ride quality. Dunlop has been suggested and 245/45 18 gives the same diameter as the OEM 225/60 16 setup, any thoughts?

A local wheel company has suggested that I need a 21mm offset to clear the calipers and that this has worked on other LS400's of this year. I am concerned about fender clearance on bumps.

Appreciate suggestions on wheel manufacturs, specs and models. Thanks in advance !!

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This doesn't answer your question but I just want to warn you of one thing when it comes to wheels on the '98 LS. Get hubcentric wheels or ask them to use METAL centering rings. The rear is a pain to get to seat properly with some wheels and gives a shimmy in the seat on the highway. Kind of like riding a Harley. :lol:

What wheels were you looking at? I do work for a big wheel store, I can get you a second opinion on fitments.

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This doesn't answer your question but I just want to warn you of one thing when it comes to wheels on the '98 LS. Get hubcentric wheels or ask them to use METAL centering rings. The rear is a pain to get to seat properly with some wheels and gives a shimmy in the seat on the highway. Kind of like riding a Harley. :lol:

What wheels were you looking at? I do work for a big wheel store, I can get you a second opinion on fitments.

The wheels that I was looking at are Branzach BZ-11 18x8 with a 21mm offset and 245/45 18 Tires The standard diameter with 225/60 16 is 26.6" and the referenced set is 26.7". I am concerned that the additional wheel width and difference in offset will cause interference with the fender well. The independent real suspension should? move the top of the wheel "in" on a bump I assume. Any thoughts or help on fitment appreciated. The wheel manufacturer said that these wheels have been used on other 98 LS400's successfully.

http://www.branzach.com/branzach.html

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If you have to go to a 21mm offset (ET) to clear the calipers,you are definitely being sold the wrong wheel!The LS400 will be absolutely awful with that much of an overtrack.It will tramline,almost certainly foul everywhere,be very heavy to steer.

The standard wheel is 7x16ET45 and you should try to keep as close to 45 as possible to maintain the geometry etc that LEXUS built into it.There certainly are wheels out there in 8 or 8.5 '' widths with 40 to 45 mm ET's that will clear the brakes.Also,don't forget to keep the 60mm centre bore otherwise it will drive you crazy with vibration plus you'll be loading up the wheel studs dangerously!

I would probably go for the 245/45x18 all round although it's possible that you could fit a 9-10x18 on the rear with a 265/40 or better still a 275/40,if clearance is OK.

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Thanks for the advice. I am now looking at something like the Panther Sublime - saw a picture of a car with these in the Lexus Gallery on this site. Any other suggestions on manufacturers with good quality?

I am glad that you mentioned about the offset, just because something "works" does not mean that it is proper. I really want to maintain as much of the great Lexus engineering as I can while enhancing the look.

Any thoughts on the quietest, smoothest riding tire manufacturer and brand?

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No trouble with the advice.Whatever you buy over there,make sure it is a reputable brand preferably out of Germany,Italy or Japan and not an inferior copy from Taiwan,Indonesia etc,from a reputable company like Tire Rack.

I have always liked Pirelli,especially the P Zero.They grip well,ride well,last well and are quiet.There are others from Michelin,Continental too.

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Well, I received the advice that they probably wouldn't "work" at all, that they would be into the fenders as you feared.

You need to stay with wheels that have a FWD or "flat" appearance. The wheels with a lip will stick out. A tiny lip might be a look you're looking for and I've seen it plenty, it's OK. I would put on a tiny lip or no lip at all. I've had 4 styles on mine so far. They really do make the car look great. Just stay away from thin or really open styles. The car is too big, too heavy and solid looking to be sitting on spindly wheels. Besides, the view of the brakes isn't pretty.

I agree that 245/45/18 all around is a good size. The fraction of an inch difference is irrelevant. If you have low air pressure you change the diameter more than this.

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Good advice.They look horrible on spokey wheels.Something like "Lorinser" styles look good on them.What you want is a nice correctly offset 8 or 8.5 " wheel that fills the guards well.

There are some great Japanese made wheels around that don't look garish like so many do.

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i'm not really into aftermarket stuff at all, i like the clean stock appearance :lol:

but here is a suggestion for a fellow LOC member

the are from WALD executive Line www.waldusa.com

wald.jpg

That sure looks Nice,you could walk under my car compared to how low that one is. :)

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  • 3 months later...
Good advice.They look horrible on spokey wheels.Something like "Lorinser" styles look good on them.What you want is a nice correctly offset 8 or 8.5 " wheel that fills the guards well.

There are some great Japanese made wheels around that don't look garish like so many do.

I am looking for wheels for a 99 LS300 ?

What was the final conclusion ?

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I have 18x8 rims with a 38mm offset on my '99 LS that work very well. I do have to use hub-centering rings which isn't the best way to go. Currently I'm using plastic rings but will most likely switch to metal if I can find them. My tires (on my LS and SC) are Bridgestone Potenza S03 Pole Position. They are EXCELLENT and very sticky in the wet, really confidence inspiring!!

One piece of advice though, the stock tire and rim weighs about 45lb so try to keep the combined weight of your new rims and tires close to that. It may be hard to do, but a low count, thin spoke design can go a long way to helping keep the weight down. The increase in unsprung mass along with the increase in rotational inertia can take some getting used to in terms of acceleration, steering AND braking!! Don't underestimate the effect of moving the mass of the wheel/tire out (radially) from the center of the wheel.

Here's a link to some photos and discussion ...

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...new%20rims&st=0

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Good advice.They look horrible on spokey wheels.Something like "Lorinser" styles look good on them.What you want is a nice correctly offset 8 or 8.5 " wheel that fills the guards well.

There are some great Japanese made wheels around that don't look garish like so many do.

I am looking for wheels for a 99 LS300 ?

What was the final conclusion ?

I went with 18x8 wheels from Budnik wheels with the correct offset (they measured the car. Very happy with these, they look great and I added Dunlop Sport 9000 245/45 x 18 to keep the overall diameter the same as stock. I am VERY happy with the low noise, good grip and great ride of these tires. Could have gone with 10" in the rear but wanted to be able to rotate them.

Budnik guys were very helpful and now the 98 LS400 is in their database so you can get some easily. If you want a picture of the car with them installed, just send me an email dpeeters@gte.net

Budnik Diamond Lite wheels

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