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Todd, I am REAL interested in hearing about any change in the ride with the new tires and wheels. I am thinking about doing the same but don't want to give up ANY of the great LS ride !

Lookin good Todd .... great choice!

Sorry for not knowing a thing about my Lexus motor ... I was raised on chevorlet motors and know them inside and out. How do you get to the timing belt ? How long does it take to do the replacement ? My LS400 is due for 60000 mile tuneup in 5000 miles and since it is 6 years old it should have a timing belt replacement. I am curious if my son and I should do any of this in my home garage without any car lift ? Thanks. PS: My Lexus dealer service manager tells me that at 60000 mile tuneup they replace all fluids in the car. 60000 mile service will run about $ 1300.00 and timing belt replacement about $ 400.00. Thanks for any advice.

I just spoke with a guy in Palm Springs ... he took delivery of his new Black 04 LS430 today (Sunday) ... says it is the 3rd one in the USA the dealer knew of. It does have XM Satellite and plays DVD movies on the Nav screen. If he wasn't a 8 hour drive roundtrip I would go see it and take pictures.

Moved

Todd, No ... I do not do car shows. The guy that built the car up did have it in shows and made one of the magazines back in the mid 80's after he finished it ... I have it around here somewhere. It is in need of interior and a new paint job ... looks good at a distance but up close has a lot of nicks and dings after about 20 years. My son and I put a new 383 stroked 400 HP motor in it ... has the 20 year old B&M TH400 with a 12 bolt posi rear end. The way it drinks gas I can only take it for a ride once in a while ):>

GREAT classic VB ! Love the paint job. I'll take this opportunity to try to show off what sits in my garage next to my LS400 (if the link works)....

Think I figured it out ... TSW shows ONE 8 inch wide wheel for the 1997 LS-400 ... it has a 40 offset. The H7 wheel comes in 8 inch width but only up to a 35 offset. All the other wheels they show for the 97 LS are either 7 or 7 1/2 inches wide. Darn ... those H7's sure would of looked great on my car !

The TSW application guide only shows the Heaven 7 wheel fitting the GS not the LS. At least in 1997 year. Anybody know otherwise ?

So whose rims are those on the 350Z in the above post ... I LIKE THEM !

I would sure be interested in hearing how the new tires and rims might change the ride. Also what tires and rims you end up with. Thanks, Terry

Gen II 1997 here !

The cost for my Lexus dealer to do the wheel balance was a surprise .... only $ 39.00. I have the chrome wheels and they still put the weights on both sides of the wheels.

I am interested in hearing which wheel manufactures Lexus owners have had the best results with for balance and least problems. Maybe even wheel model names or numbers also please. Thanks Much.

This might help someone down the road ..... I reported a few weeks back after just getting my 97 LS400 that I still had a slight steering wheel shimmy or slight vibration after the new Michelin's were installed. This has continued to bug me. I took it to my Lexus dealer today and had them check the wheel balance. They found that the tire shop I bought my tires from only placed balance weights on the outside of the wheel. After the dealer balanced the wheels with weights on both sides of the wheels I am very happy to report that I no longer have any problem ... at least up to 105 MPH. WHAT A SMOOTH RIDE !!

I just purchased a 1997 LS-400. When I test drove it I felt a very slight shimmy in the steering wheel. I figured that a tire needed to be balanced. After putting a new set of tires on the car I have the same very slight shimmy ... no change. It feels like tire balance with a slight vibration. What else could be causing this ? Thanks, Terry

Hi to all from this new Lexus owner. Just bought it, 1997 LS-400 w/ 52 K miles, over this last weekend. What a GREAT machine ! I feel very fortunate as this car is like new inside and out but I think I notice a little of the "thud" problem when I hit a sudden drop in the pavement. I have a comment regarding tires. I have tried a lot of tires on my SUV's and pickups over the years and have found evertime that the Michelin's have provided the nicest ride. Even though they are partially French owned, I have to give them credit here. The only thing this car needed was tires and a new battery. It had Bridgestones on it and they were loud. I immediately went to my tire dealer and put a set of Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus V rated tires on it .... what a difference. Curious if anyone else has used these tires and their comments. Thanks, Terry