K9crew

SW03ES, My '99 LS400 has a cable throttle and not a "fly by wire" throttle. I also have the annoying AND dangerous lag in the transmission. My '02 F-350 7.3L turbo diesel truck has an electronic throttle and the pick up is instantaneous!! :)

Very nice looking rims!! I have 18" x 8" rims with 245/45/18 Bridgestone Potenza S03 tires and I LOVE the ride. So much more control and road feel. The offset on that OZ rim is 40mm (OEM is 45mm) so they should work out fine. Do you happen to know if the rim is an exact fit in terms of the hub. If not, do yourself a favor and buy a set of steel hub centric rings rather than the plastic ones if you want to avoid a vibrating steering wheel. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=7916808840 Good luck and GREAT choice!! :)

Blake, Thanks. I just learned that C-BEST = Customized Body Electronics System. Why doesn't Lexus allow owners to change the C-BEST settings? What a joke!! Another way to get money out of people I guess!! Do you know if they use a scan tool of some sort connected to the OBD-II port? I'm going to call my local Lexus dealer on Monday to ask how much they charge for the service. I'm also going to ask them how they make the changes. I also need to ask them how much a new valet key costs. Thanks :)

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

With Adobe Photoshop you can do just about anything to an image. As 93 implied it's very hard to tell who's done what and where! Either way, it would be a lot easier if the driver/photographer just owned up and put and end to the mystery i.e. how fast, when, where and were you scared?!!! :)

1UZ-FE Thanks for the reply. I'll take a look tomorrow to see if there's a knob near the hood release. The number of options is truly amazing so I think that some form of scan tool may be required (99 suggested this and I'll try to confirm it tomorrow). :)

99 very kindly sent me a Word file that lists numerous options for the security system, door locks, moonroof, windows, A/C, windshield wipers and lights. I'd like to change some of the features in my car such as the volume of the arm/disarm chirps, unlocking all the doors with only one press of the unlock button etc. Does anyone have instructions for changing the numerous features on these cars? Thanks :)

93, I guess it's possible that you returned the photo to its original form i.e. the driver is sitting there with his foot on the gas revving the engine. The photographer took the photo so that the tach needle is hidden and then he/she used Adobe to move the needle to 150+mph ... just a theory! :)

If the second photo is the "real" photo then the driver has his foot on the gas such that the tach is over ~ 2100 rpm but less than ~ 5100rpm. Perhaps someone used Adobe Photoshop to move the speedometer needle to the speed shown in the first photo! :)

trd_power, here are a couple of photos that might help ... Heat shield before Heat shield after You can see the heat shields above the exhaust pipe. I replaced the clamps with stainless steel hose clamps many months ago and there have been no noises from under the car since that time. :)

99, I'm approaching 67k now with the original fuel filter, and like you I wondered if the fuel cleaner caused accumulated matter to block the filter. I borrowed my friend's OBDII reader and no codes showed up so I'm fairly confident that the myriad of O2 sensors are working ok!! If the problem persists after a new air and fuel filter then I may have to take the LS to the local Lexus dealer for some professional diagnostics. :)

A few months ago I added a bottle of Valvoline SynPower Complete Fuel System Treatment (see link) to my gas tank. http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/pr....asp?product=54 I've used it before as well as SynPower Super Concentrated Fuel Injector Cleaner and I've never experienced any problems. However, since adding VSCFST, my fuel mileage has dropped from an average of 18mpg to about 15mpg. In addition I have a roughness/vibration to the engine at idle that is worse with the A/C on. I recently installed new plugs (Denso Ultra-Fine 0.4mm iridium plugs) in the hope that the situation would improve but no luck. I bought a new fuel filter today but was wondering if any of the fine members here had any thoughts. :)

acf, Thanks for the kind words ... I think the jury is just about split on this one. :)

Well, I weighed three different rims/tires today and here are the numbers ... OEM spare wheel with Bridgestone Turanza ER33 tire (225/60/16): 45 lb Wheel that came with car (see signature photo) with Michelin MXV4+ tire (225/60/16): 45 lb New RS Limited wheel with Bridgestone Potenza S-03 tire (245/45/18): 55 lb That's a 22% increase in weight!! I calculated a 30% increase in rotational inertia due to the larger rim and low profile tire. I installed hub centric rings today as well but have yet to drive the car. The LS is a hub centric versus lug centric design found on many Toyota vehicles. :)

The condensor is under the hood in front of the radiator ... the EVAPORATOR is inside the cabin. :)

chips, The tire shop's logic was that 40 to 42 psi will help to protect the side walls of the tire i.e. during cornering the sidewall won't collapse as much which will result in longer life. 99, "Look ... no hands!!" I knew I couldn't fool you but it is an interesting effect. :)

SW03ES, You're absolutely right about that!! I was VERY surprised by the increase in weight. The tires alone are MUCH heavier than the 225/60/16 Michelins that were on there. That style of rim (thin spoked) combined with a larger diameter pushes most of the mass of the wheel further out from the hub which means that it takes more work to get it rotating and more work to stop it from rotating. I'll probably weigh the new and old rims/tires this weekend for comparitive purposes. Here's an interesting photo of my car ... hmmm. LS at speed :)

Jim, I'm very happy with the wheels and have been told by a friend that they look even better when the car is in motion! Thanks for the kind words. :) denny, The tires are Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position and the size is 245/45/18. The change in handling is very noticeable. The most surprising thing is that the ride is excellent despite the lower profile sidewall. This is due to the factory shocks and springs which do an excellent job of absorbing bumps. I was anticipating a harder ride. There is more road "feel" all of the time coming through the steering wheel and only very new asphalt feels smooth. All other surfaces transmit varying degrees of feedback which some people hate and others like. Cornering is night and day ... this car STICKS like $hit to a blanket!!! Oddly enough the car feels slower but that may be due to another problem ... I used some Valvoline fuel injector cleaner a few weeks ago and my gas mileage has been dropping off ever since ... very odd! As for the appearance ... I'm thrilled with the look. I've had numerous compliments on the wheels. :) P.S. The wheel/tire shop that installed the tires recommended that I run them at 40 to 42 psi. Does this sound like good advice? I've always followed the sticker on the door or b-pillar which usually recommends 28 to 32 psi on OEM tires. I usually set my tires at 32 psi.

chips, I haven't felt the wheels rubbing under hard braking or cornering but I'll check the underside of the wheel arch this weekend to see if there are any signs of damage. I'm fairly sure that the stock offset on my LS is 45mm. The stock rims are 16" x 7" compared to my new rims which are 18" x 8". The difference in offset is 7mm = 0.28" therefore the outer lip of the rim should be about 0.22" further out than the stock rim. Is this enough to cause rubbing with stock springs and shocks ... hmmmm .... I doubt it but I'll check. By the way, if the stock offest is 50mm as you suggest then the 38mm offset of the new rims would put the outer edge of the rim right where the stock one is (or at least within 0.03" of it)!! :)

That's what I thought!! :D

Ron, When you turn the steering wheel you're putting a load on the engine. The Air Control Valve is suposed to increase the idle speed under heavy load (such as turning the wheel when moving slowly or not moving at all). My guess is the ACV is defective/blocked. :)

If your rotors are true (but scored) then having them turned can be a cheaper alternative to buying new rotors. However, if they're warped then turning will only delay the inevitable .... more warped rotors. Turning them reduces the mass of the rotor (less heatsink) in addition to introducing stress concentrations into the surfaces. My advice would be to buy new rotors ... pay a little now or more later! :)

My server has been down for the past couple of weeks due to a major network reorganization here at work so I moved the Lexus links in my signature to my IP server. The LS photo shows the car with the "original" rims at the Grand Canyon ... I like that photo! :)

THIS IS GREAT!!! I'm enjoying reading ALL of the responses and I take no offense to anything that has been said ... every member here has their own likes and dislikes. I wanted to add that I chose a tire/wheel combination that has the same O.D. (26.7") and therefore the same RPM (Revolutions per Mile = 780) as the stock tires. I don't want to deal with a speedometer/odometer that's X% off!! LS, I agree that the gold "holds" dirt well but when it's clean ... wow! :) VMF, I've seen these rims in chrome ... they looked OK, but you're right, gun metal would have been AWESOME! silvermate, No offense taken .. and thanks for the compliment. :) LinuxFan, I haven't cleaned them yet but a parts brush may come in handy. Thanks for the heads up! I'll let you know how long it takes my wife this coming weekend! :D lexur, That's what this board is all about ... helping each other out as often as possible. If those photos help you to make a decision about your own car then this post has achieved something greater than the sum of its parts. As for the ride, there's definitely more road noise and a lot more road "feel" but bumps, potholes, expansion joints etc are all handled very well by the stock suspension. Initially I was thinking of aftermarket shocks/springs but now I won't be doing that. I'm happy with the control/ride as it is. Cornering is WAY better!! :)

blake, No problem ... I really do appreciate your comments. It's interesting to see/read the diverse reactions ... it makes for a far more interesting world! :) SW03ES, Silver has always been my favorite car/truck color. I took another look at my spare and it does have 45mm cast into the rim. I don't know if all Lexus rims for the '99 were +45mm but the ones that came with this car definitely were ... or at least the spare was since the car had aftermarket rims on it when I bought it. :)