HREWheelMaker

So, what's your point? Sounds like you've already decided to stay stock. Those of us who do fix-up our cars are typically enthusiasts, and like to have unique things. We do it out of passion, or to make a statement about our personality- or even to show that we are "gettin' paid." Modifying a Lexus is completely different from modifying a Civic. The Civic market is totally whored-out... 85% of the aftermarket parts for the Civic are CRAP, so you can't even compare this to the Lexus aftermarket parts world. Heck the WHEELS on my GS 400 are worth more than most Civics! If you DO decide to fix-up your checkbook, bring your wallet. You've got to pay to play!

Illegal in most states...

I lowered my brother's first-gen on Eibachs- the ride is great, but the drop is only 1.25". So, we tried the Intrax springs. springs... unfortunately, the rear springs 'stack-up' under compression and make a clicking sound over every bump... they dropped the car a bit more than the Eibachs, but not the full 1.8" advertised drop. If you lower these cars more than 1.5" on stock struts, you will find theat the front suspension bottoms easily and quickly over large undulations- this was the case with the Intrax. Also, the camber gets pretty far out of whack when the car is lowered more than 1.25", so this will be an issue with the Intrax and coilovers. I am not aware of a good camber adjustment kit for this car- the OE camber adjusters are already maxed-out on my brother's car (with Eibachs) in an attempt to get the camber close to OE settings. It still wears the inside edge prematurely on his 19" tires. The Eibachs are back in the car now... lesson learned- should have coined-up for the coilovers in the first place!!! Go Eibachs or coilovers- there is no other GOOD solution for these cars.

Man, I love the first-gen GS body style... to say that adding a body kit makes it "racer"... well... I'm not sure I agree with that. In fact, adding a cold-air intake is definitely more "racer" than adding a body kit- after all, the goal of this mod is to make the car faster, right? Nice way of getting the first-gen guys to respond... call them 'racers," then ask for their help. Real smooth. <_<

Oh, you have a 300... better be prepared for the BMWs to pretty much kick sand in your face unless you turbocharge your car. The 300 is a great car and a great engine, but it is HEAVY. You can spend a lot of money on intake and exhaust for the straight 6, and the gains will likely be about 20 hp or so... I would spend the $2K on coilovers (like H&R) and sway bars (the Daizen sways are awesome)- and then save like mad for nice wheels and tires. If you decide not to turbo the car, it will never be "fast," so it might as well look pimp!!

Is it my imagination, or do those wheels stick out about an inch past the fender? No wonder they rub! Actually, that photo looks PhotoShopped- what gives? I would start by choosing wheels that are the correct offset- usually the spoked/Dayton-style rims require a spacer/adapter that pushes the wheels way out like that. Who sold you those anyway? No conscience! I guess you could use coilovers to actually raise the car above stock height- Lexus' legal department would NOT like to know about this, as you are actually raising the car's center of gravity- this makes it more prone to roll, or in extreme cases roll-over! Or, you could hack the fender arches and install some huge fender flares... hope you saved extra green/gold flake paint!

Looks good. You guys know you can lower those car, right? :D

I have the Explosion kit, too. Fitment was very good. On the front bumper, I decided to chop out the stupid "Dodge Viper criss-cross" in the center of the bumper. A much cleaner look!

The fitment will be weak. The IS wheels are 17x7 +50 whereas the OE 17" GS 400 wheels are 17x8 +50. This means the IS wheels will be "tucked in" 1/2" more when compared with the OE GS 400 17s. It will look funny, but it will work.

The fronts are a slam-dunk. The rears should work- it depends a bit on the brand of tire you choose. If you remove the black OE fender-arch trim (four screws) you can gain about 1/8" additional clearance. Then they should work with any 275/30-20 you choose.

Isn't the wiring harness different for the 01+ tails? Is this included?

SuperBling! But whatever floats your boat!! Make sure they send you the appropriate hub-centric rings or they will shake like a wet puppy!

Wow, the first wheel (5-spoke) looks heavy! Expensive? We are talking about wheels for a Lexus, right? $2500 wouldn't get you two of my wheels!

For the wheels, you could try Peter@wheelexperts.com

Actually, the RPMs are correct, it's just the speedometer that's wrong. The tires don't affect the ECU or rev counter. Using different diameter wheels or tires can affect the traction control and ABS systems, however. Yeah... go 20s! But chrome? Passe...

Uhh... Delta? Never heard of it- and I work in the wheel & tire industry. Why put a no-name tire on your LEXUS? :o It deserves better!!

Looks terrific! I am starting to get a real hankering for the L-Sportline kit... Haven't seen on on Spectra Blue yet... Keep up the good work! B)

BlueLex makes a good point... the quality of the wheels will help to safeguard against pothole damage, and a good lightweight wheel will minimize the effects increase in rotational inertia caused by heavier wheels- and help to improve the ride quality. A lightweight 20" might very well perform better than a heavier 18"- there are many other factors that can affect this, however. A cast aluminum wheel is typivally not lightweight- its' spokes must be thicker to make up for the difference in strength in the casting (versus a Forged wheel). My advice- if you are concerned about performance, prepare to buck-up for a quality wheel. If you're just in it for the "Bling", you can buy the cheaper wheels- just be prepared for the performance to suffer somewhat. Also, you might want to buy an extra wheel, in case you biff one. Regards, Bob

Yessir, it's me! I'm glad to have stumbled across this site- pretty cool so far. Looks fantastic, "pimp-master C!!" Dude, that really changes the truck for the better. I'm not much of a chrome guy, but it totally works on the LX470. How's the ride with the new wheels/tires? Are the wife & Big-D happy rollin' it? I've already got H&R coilovers and 20" HREs on the GS- the fun has only begun! I'll call you Thursday 6/12. Regards, B :magic:

CS, is that you? Glad to hear you found some wheels! What tires are you going to do?