Wheel Size

[LS400newbie]

Hi, I recently purchases a 1990 lexus Ls400 with the intention to stance it. Im planning on getting 18 inch rims but have no Idea what size tires to get for the nice stance look. Will 18 inch fit in it? What size wheels and tires are you guys running on yours? please help me out im a newbie

[VBdenny]

18's are too big for that car. I would upgrade to 17" rims. I'd look on tire rack and you can determine the size accurately plus read up on different tires. Guessing a 225/50-17 but that IS a guess.

[VBdenny]

Forgot to mention that the brakes on the 1990 cars are inadequate in almost all regards. When you upgrade the wheels and tires, it adds a lot of rolling weight which eats brakes due to the small calipers doing their best to squeeze those small rotors. Heat and eat. The bigger the wheel, the more accelerated the wear. I often see people with big wheels on a vehicle on the side of the road with broken suspension parts as well as the larger wheel certainly increase the strain on older parts. Expect to need an alignment as the wider tread will magnify and issues. Select carefully, especially if you depend on the car for transportation.

Denny

[KJG]

We went with 18's and I don't think it looks too bad. It is all personal taste. I personally wouldn't go much bigger than 18's but I'm sure there are plenty people out there that would disagree. Watch your offset on the first gen cars. We went 35 up front and 30 in the rear and the fronts look nice and flush but the rears stick out too far but the wheel my son wanted only came in a 30 with the 9.5 wide wheel. I told him we should do the 8.5 and use a small spacer but I'm old, he's young and I don't know anything LOL. Rim it up how you like it, looking forward to the pictures.

[1990LS400]

Also be aware that the weight of much bigger wheels and tires will make your 90 LS400 seem slow and sluggish - 240 horsepower ain't much these days. I noticed this even when I tried only a "plus zero" setup on the 1990 LS400 I drove from 1990 to 2003. My "plus zero" setup was 225/60-15 tires on the original 15x6.5 inch wheels. This setup kept the speedometer accurate.

The wider tires wrote harsher (wife hated it) but having more rubber on the road made the car feel like it braked better although I don't know if it really did. The 225/60-15 also made it almost impossible to "curb" the wheels since more of the tires stuck out and protected the wheels from curbs and I thought they looked better on the car.

[KJG]

I have a set of 2001 LS430 wheels 16 inch with 225/55/16 and it rode great. I don't know what the 15's ride like cause they were in the trunk. The 18's however don't do too bad until you hit a bump then it's a little more pronounced but not unbearable or dangerous.

[Exhaustgases]

Does stance it mean messing up the underside on high spots in the road? Why ruin the car? Just drive it as is, it is stanced just fine from the factory. Get a ford and slam it, not a Gen 1.

[billydpowell]

I swapped my 99 factory 16's for 2001 17's and put 235/50/17 Eagles on them, and I am very pleased, I only get/got a small rub at lock to lock... plus I like the improved looks...

[VBdenny]

Only in the past decade have manufacturers put decent sized wheels and tires on vehicles. Quite pathetic to consider the 1990 LS400 came with 215/65-VR-15 tires. Why those are barely adequate for a Corolla now. Finally the boys in Detroit (and Tokyo) figured out people like fat sneakers.

[1990LS400]

Only in the past decade have manufacturers put decent sized wheels and tires on vehicles. Quite pathetic to consider the 1990 LS400 came with 215/65-VR-15 tires. Why those are barely adequate for a Corolla now. Finally the boys in Detroit (and Tokyo) figured out people like fat sneakers.

It wasn't just the Japanese and American manufacturers. My most favorite car I've ever owned was the 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL that I sold in 1979. It was one of the fastest sedans of it's day and lauded in a 1979 Car & Driver article titled the "Best Car in the World". It's tires were 205/70-14 and were completely adequate for going VERY fast (and stopping too).

[jim54perk]

I just put 235/45R18's on my 2000 LS. They look great and the diminished sidewall flex is pleasantly noticeable. Used Enkei Performance rims, perfect fit.

[Lance p]

Will 18x10s fit on a stock ls 400?

[VBdenny]

Might. 10” is about a 255. 

[ianspeed321]

It will, which tire model are you planning install on you LS 400?