bonknhead

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Yeah, I know that the treadwidth is wider than what I had previously - the 265/75-16s I had on before have a treadwidth of 7.9", the stock Michelins LTX 275/70-16 have one of 8.2", and the new Falkens have one of 10.1" - almost 2" wider. EnDlesS, I don't know about Falken being such a cheap tire, expecially the STZ04s. Reviews I've read rave about them, and they weren't cheap in price. They were also the only 295/50-20s that I liked - the only other tire mfr that make that size was Nitto, and I'm not a Nitto fan. Falken's STZ01 came in the same size, but I wanted a better all-season tire. I'll try adding some more air to the tires - maybe up to 38psi, which is 3psi higher than what the tire shop put in. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I posted this on another board, but I thought I'd post here to a different audience. I just started having a problem with highway "wandering" after upgrading my wheels and tires on my '97 LX450. Handling at lower speeds is much better than before though. The wheels I have on it now are 20x9 Devino Mallets with 295/50-20 Falken STZ04 tires. Previous tires were 265-75-16 Toyos on MHT wheels, 16x8. I had a 4-wheel alignment by a competent shop too. My LX is affected mostly by the rutted, grooved highways here in Oregon (caused by the fools that think they need studded tires *every* October to March for the 1-2" of snow we might get). I brought the tire pressure down from 35psi to 32psi with no improvement. Anyone ever have any similar issues after upgrading their tires/wheels?

Rookie, I did the exact same thing you're thinking about, but it didn't work. I drilled a 3/16" hole on both sides of the receiver (with the plug in as far as possible) as close to the lip as possible, and put a 3/16x2 3/4" bolt through, putting a small nut on the end. Not impossible to remove, but a kid won't be carrying two 3/16" wrenches with them, right? I lost the plug a week later. The problem is, the plug is too short, and the hole I put in it was only about 1/4" from the end. With a little force, you could pry it loose. I bought a third plug, and this time put about five layers of electrical tape around the plug. It's a real tight fit. We'll see how long that lasts.

I'm about to replace the hitch plug for the third time in as many months. Is there something the rest of you do to keep petty thieves from taking the plastic hitch plug with the Lexus logo on your receivers?

Dwells50, what size tire did you end up getting? I know that the pirelli's are available in 286/65-16s, but you didn't say what size wheel you're running. Stock?

Thi, Have you solved your wet carpet yet? I'm going through the first rainstorm here in Portland OR since I bought my LX450 a month ago, and the carpet is wet on the passenger side too. Let me know. Thanks!

Hi there. I'd like to tint the front two windows on my '97 LX450, but all the shops I've talked to here in Portland OR tell me that it's impossible to match the factory reflective-bronze tint that the other windows have. I believe the LX450 window tints are the same as with the LX470. Any suggestions?