Frank DUva

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.

By the way, a lot of people comment on the ugly wheels, but I love them😍. So in line with the overall design. Modern mags with huge moon like caps

Nice car. I have requested about 3 or 4 quotes and decided on one who has a reliable reputation for $1400. Seems a bit high but they do replace water pump, tensioner, timing and serpentine belt. Can't do much driving now anyways, its snowing here in MI.

I bought it Nov. 2022 with 39k on it. Didn't think about the timing belt until I started researching the car and its engine, features and maintenance. It's 21 years old and the book says 70,000 miles or 6 years change the belt. I don't believe the belt has ever been changed

Thanks for the advice Steve. The kit I'm requesting is an AISIN for $213, with water pump, tensioner, idler and belt. The 4 shops' I received quotes from are reputable and all about $1800, one with a 3-year, 36,000 mi. warranty. The dealers are not rated very well here. I'm not driving it till I can get the belt serviced.

Hi, I have a 2002 SC430 and don't believe its ever had the timing belt changed. I read a couple of articles saying the age can diminish its' reliability as much as high mileage can. I had a few estimates on the job and they are all around $1800 for belt, water pump and tensioner. I was wondering if that's normal pricing and if it's really necessary for me to change it with such low mileage.

I tried fitting a 97' LS400 wheel, 16in. on my SC430 and it fit, no problem. I'm thinking of buying a set of 4 reconditioned LS400 wheels and mounting 225/55-16 Michelins' Pilot HX for a more comfortable ride while maintaining good performance with 1 in. more of sidewall

Yes, will do. Like the looks of the 97' LS400 10 spoke wheels. Also like the looks of the 92' SC300 turbine wheels, but they're 15in., they look to small.

yes, I considered that and I found a couple articles with lists of interchangeable wheels and both cars were listed . I am waiting for a rough looking used wheel from a 97 Lexus LS400 from ebay to try out. Will probably return it if I find out it fits or not.

I am a new owner of a 2002 Lexus SC430. I fell in love with the car when I saw a similar one in the parking lot of a breakfast place I frequent with a friend. I could not stop thinking what a beautifully designed car it was. Then I found it was a potent small V8, RWD, independent rear suspension and retractable hardtop. I was hooked. I did a lot of research and searching for a low mile model for sale and found one in Indiana. Love the car. Such a beautiful cruiser, but I figured it would be a smoother ride with taller sidewall tires. I looked into getting some refurbished 1997 LS400 16" wheels with 245/50-16 in tires. Does anyone have any experience, advice or comment on that change?