I recently upgraded the wheels on my 2001 LS430 from 16" wheels to 18" wheels...I did this because the chrome plating on my original wheels was flaking and I just happened to come across a good deal on OE 18" sport wheels on eBay so I made the switch. However, shortly after making the switch, I noticed my front end started going bad...when driving on the highway the ride on the car is fine, but whenever I hit a bump of any size the front end seems to hit very hard or clunk...almost as if the front shocks have gone bad. However, my LS430 has 130k miles so it may just be time to replace the shocks. I have a few questions:
Will changing wheels/tires from 16" to 18" cause my original shocks/front end to go bad? I thought as long as I kept the same wheel/tire diameter, all would be ok.
If I need to replace my struts, can I install struts made for the "sport" model with 18" wheels even though my car does not have the "sport" option?
Is there anything else that may be causing my front end to clunk very hard whenever I hit bumps on the road?
Thanks for your help!
