Frank DUva

wow, nice car. Never saw it before. Looks like a concept

Yes, what you say makes sense, but I like the idea of keeping it as close to stock as possible to keep the dynamics built into the design remains.

The OEM wheel size is 18 x 7.5, the OEM tire size is 245/40-18, The 2003 Lexus rim is 17 x 7.5, a 245/45-17 tire will match overall tire specs. except for sidewall height, 1/2 in. taller which makes tire diameter 25.7, same as SC430 OEM diameter. I just drive my car for pleasure with the original, in working order, Mark Levinson stereo playing and top down on beautiful days. No track. It's really a GT, not an SC.

I think the 2nd one fits the style more than the other two, and they are rims from a 2003 Lexus LS430 so they maintain all stock SC430 wheel specs except they are 17" rims instead of 18". If I mount 245/45-17's it will give me correct tire dia. and 1/2" taller sidewalls for I hope a noticeable improvement in ride quality.

Well there maybe a little credence to it. I grew up in the era of timing belts, and of course accessory belts, and I haven't heard about many timing belts breaking with in recommended maintenance intervals, not many accessory belts for that matter. But I'm sure some mechanics could tell you otherwise. I had changed a few 30 years or so ago and the old belts still looked in good condition. I'm sure they've improved some to go along with extended replacement intervals. All we can do is follow the recommended maintenance and enjoy the ride.

I emailed a question about belt life determination to Mitsuboshi, a big belt manufacturer for many OEM suppliers and I attached their response, for what its worth

I believe there is a manufacturing code on the packaging and stamped on the belt itself. Independent shops don't usually stock timing belts due to the many models that use them and are ordered from the distributor when needed. So, if a shop is going to maintain its warranty and integrity, it will or should pay mind to the manuf. code for identity purposes which also contains the manuf. date...hopefully

Had a mild shimmy while driving my car, not bad, except for the fact it's a 2002 Lexus SC430. A car that was designed to be a superb grand tourer featuring a silky-smooth powertrain and 4-wheel independent double wishbone suspension. After having Belle Tire attempt to balance the wheels, though unable to, unable to remove the brushed aluminum pie pan wheel covers, I took it to a Goodyear Tire center where they discovered that the wheel, that went flat twice while picking the car up out of state, had 10 - 20 ozs. of fix-a-flat liquid in the tire, causing the shimmy. The dealership I purchased the car from did replace all four tires the 2nd time it went flat and did find a leaking TPMS valve in the wheel. So, they replaced all the valve stems and must of given it a good shot of fix-a-flat for insurance.😲 Now my Grand Tourer rides like a grand tourer

Thanks for the encouragement, my friend used a 1/2 in. hex socket and an 18in. breaker bar and with a little effort broke all of them free. I may need a gut check when working on this car...lol

They are hex head cap screws and I've been able to apply as much torque as I want, I'm just afraid they may break off in the wheel, then they'd have to be drilled out.

I have a beautiful 2002 SC430 and have a slight shimmy at all speeds. I took it in to Belle Tire to have the wheels balanced and they were unable to free the 10 screws, on the trim cover, to mount the wheel on the balancing machine. Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions.

I believe mine are still fine. I had a reputable shop give the car a complete inspection when changing my timing belt and they said everything was good except tie rod bushings were worn, so had them replace them. Every now and then though I feel a sharp rap in the right rear when going over medium type bump. I'm going to have Belle Tire give the wheels a high speed balance job soon so I will have them look at them.

Nice car, I also have a 2002 and had the timing belt kit installed. And I also had to pull the passengers door 6x9 speaker and subwoofer and repaired them with the Simply Speakers kit for this car. Now it sounds as good as all the hype for the Mark Levinson quality. The subwoofer makes all the difference in the total sound quality. Just make sure you work the cone up and down while the foam is drying on the frame so it doesn't rub against the coil tube. I learned the hard way and had to do it twice, well worth it.

I may stay with my wheels and go to a 235/45-18 tire, I want to stay as original as I can.

Yeah, I've been thinking about staying with the 18's and going with different aspect ratios.

Regular Member 21 First Name:Frank Lexus Model: 2002 SC430 Year: 2001 Location: Michigan (MI) Posted 1 hour ago I would greatly appreciate all the participation of Lexus fans on choosing what wheel to replace my stock rims, which I love, for my 2002 SC430. I want larger sidewalls so I decided to go with a 16" or 17" wheel. I'm trying to maintain same tire specs as much as possible, more importantly offset and overall Dia. so I'm sticking with the following refurbished Lexus Wheels. Please let me know what you think. Thanks Quote

I would greatly appreciate all the participation of Lexus fans on choosing what wheel to replace my stock rims, which I love, for my 2002 SC430. I want larger sidewalls so I decided to go with a 16" or 17" wheel. I'm trying to maintain same tire specs as much as possible, more importantly offset and overall Dia. so I'm sticking with the following refurbished Lexus Wheels. Please let me know what you think. Thanks

I found out Lexus wheels, down to 16", will work well on a SC430. I also was looking for taller sidewalls to smooth out the ride. I purchased a low mile 2002 SC430 in Nov., 2022 and been thinking about either, 2007 ES350 17 x 7 wire looking wheels, 1995 LS400 16 x 7 10 spoke wheels or 2003 LS430 17 x 7.5 7 spoke wheels. All have the same bolt pattern offset and hub bore size and all have the stock 25.7" overall diameter tires available. I think they all look great while providing a cushier ride

I noticed I had a damaged speaker one day while driving the other day, a loud distorted sound when the volume was very low. I figured a blown speaker from deteriorated cone suspension foam. I've heard a lot about it from reading the past forums. I looked into replacing the speaker with new original ML speakers but to costly. I want to keep the car as original as I can, so I didn't really want replacement speakers. I saw a repair kit from Simply Speakers, while researching possibilities. I bought the kit which was recommended for ML SC430 door speakers. I removed the blown passenger door speaker and noticed some of the foam surround fall out while removing the door panel. As expected, the surround foam was detached from the cone and some missing. I removed the speaker and followed the directions to replace the suspension foam and it wasn't that difficult. I reinstalled the speaker and it sounded great at full volume after letting the adhesive cure for 24 hrs. The kit comes with foam surrounds for (2) 6 x 9 's. (2) of the 3 in. and one for the subwoofer. The door panel removal can be found on You Tube. Very worth the effort

check the fuse, maybe the warning alarm and operation light are on a separate fuse

I just had the timing belt changed, a first for the car and the mechanic suggested replacing the accessory belt also since it's the same age. A very reputable place, so I had them do a thorough check-up, and they found the left tie rod worn and the right was showing significant wear, so they replaced them and did a 4 wheel alignment. All said and done it totaled $1950. I finally drove it with the top down today, 54 degrees here in Michigan, to see how the wind buffeting was controlled, and how the auto heat and auto sound adjustment worked. Driving at 45 mph through Hines Dr. parkway near me, the wind buffeting was very minimal, and the heat did kick up a little, through the low mounted lap vents, as they call them. The stereo was hard to tell because I don't have the antenna properly installed. It was noticeably fading in and out. I have a new one I need to install for the auto feature to work. Will try a CD next time, or a cassette...lol. I'll be driving it in comfort this summer with peace of mind, and some old time R & R, a little alt. also

A space saving spare, which I bought from a dealer, and the tire from Belle Tire, will fit in the spare tire well underneath the mat, without interference from the top. You can replace the key lug with the standard lug, for the sc.

Good for you, drive and enjoy with peace of mind as it should be. I have an appt. on the second week of April

Yes, the age, as Paul pointed out, is why I'm going to invest in a new timing belt kit installation. The owner's manual recommends replacing after 70,000 mi. or 6 years.

Thanks. that is good to know. Can't wait to have it done for peace of mind.