slate67

Thanks. A friend suggested it last night and I was able to gather more info. One remaining question though. Is the offset very important? Most factory lexus rims have a +40mm offset and i found a set of OEM rims from a GS400 with a +50mm offset. Tire Rack says offset is very important. Will I be getting into trouble purchasing a set of rims with a +50 mm offset? Thanks for the help.

I have been researching used lexus rims for purchase (for snow tires) and don't have the foggiest idea of what the sizing means. Is there a primer out there that relays this info? I am finding 16 inch rims (which I want) that are 16x6, 16x7, 16x7.5. How do I know what I need for a 1998 GS400? what does the second number define? At this point I know I want 16 inch rims and I have a 5 bolt pattern that each bolt is 114.3 mm apart (I think that is what 5x 114.3 means). Help please???

I have approx 48,500 on the vehicle. I do not know when the tires were put on , but I would guess about 30,000. I didn't have a changce to measure the tire pressure and reset to recommended but wiull try to tonight and will keep you posted. Thanks.

Well: The car had BF Goodrich G-Force T/A KOWS 225/55/ZR16 95W M+S tires on it when I purchased it from the owner. I can assume that I had low tire pressure when I first experienced the vibration because it was in the mid 20s when the tires were hot. I brought them up to 40 when hot and that is 8# above what Toyota recommends. So, I will check them tonight when the car has been idle for the recommended 3 hours and get back to you with what I find. Thank you for the response.

I was driving on the highway (for the first time with this car) and when I got to 65 mph there was a vibration in the front end and the steering wheel vibrated aggressively. Taking it up to 75 mph decreased it a bit but did not eliminate the problem. I pulled off the road, checked the tipe pressure and adjusted them to 40 psi. The problem improved further but still not where I believe the car should be. It does not pull to the side in city driving and there is no noise like that at speed either. The tread does not appear to have uneven wear. Could the wheels be out of balance or am I looking at a worse problem? Thoughts/recommendations? Thanks

Hey thanks. I appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts with me. I have never bought rims before and don't have the foggiest about what I need or even how to ask for what I need.

Hey; I have never bought rims and would like to get a set of rims with wheels to use in winter (summer chrome rims are too nice to subject to the winter crud and the tires won't get me through the snow). I want to keep the 16 inch rim size. Anyone have suggestions on a budget conscious set of 4 with tires. I am loking to go on the cheap with this, good quality with low price. Any thoughts? Thanks

Hey all: The filter that I made worked but not optimally. :whistles: I find that particles do get past the filter without the foam border, as was suggested. The interior of my vehicle has become dustier since changing out the VERY dirty Acc filter and replacing it with my creation. My attitude now is that I do not have the requisite time necessary to fabricate a filter with the foam bordering to create the necessary seal to avoid the dust/dirt from getting in to the cabin, so I am purchasing one. I tried the DIY but results were not agreeable after 3 weeks of use...I don't even want to think of what it would be like after 1 year (recommended changing timeframe). Thanks for all the comments and experiences.

Thanks for the feedback.

I am going out on a limb here to ask a very basic question but it stems from a feeling of frustration. Where is the best place to buy Lexus/Toyota parts/lubricants online? I cannot get my hands on Toyota branded 5W30 at the toyota dealership , cannot get any of the filters that I need (except the oil filter), and need some guidance. Is there a one stop shop website or d I need to get different items from different sites? Thanks for the help.

Thanks. I bought a Craftsman 3/8 20-105#. I need to zero the torque setting when not in use? Thanks for the heads up. I must have overlooked that in the instructions.

Monarch: From all of my research on Toyota and the Toyota Production System, your comments make quite a lot of sense. I appreciate all of your comments, and did not realize that dealerships were independent, unlike franchises that hold stricter control over their sites of business. Sure does add to the end user's confusion, doesn't it?

Hey: I went to the toyota dealership in town to inquire about oil filters and oil, since the Lexus dealership is 2 hours away. I was shown a quart container of Genuine Toyota Motor oil and they only carried 10W30. I asked about 5W30 and they said they use only 10W30 in their cars. So I asked who the Toyota oil manufacturer is since I am sure Toyota repackages this. They use Mobil in their bays. He said once every 2 weeks a Mobil truck comes and fills their tanks with Mobil 10W30. This did not answer my question about who the Toyota Oil originator is but did make me think; is it up to the dealership to find the most competitive cost point on a brand of oil or is Toyota now recommending Mobil to its dealerships. Since there have been postings related to the dictum of using genuine Toyota parts and oil, I was a bit surprised, especially if that is what one takes their car to a Toyota dealership for. Just wanted to post an experience and not open up the whole argument again. Any thoughts?

I did not use the foam frame on the replacement that I made (considered it but experimented without). The corrugated filter material with the 3M filter mesh beneath it created a sturdy piece of material that did not lose its shape. I trimmed it so that it was exactly within tolerance of the plastic OEM filter frame and has worked very well. I will not be trying to modify the design with foam (as in the OEM) because the return of time will not improve the DIY version for me. I do not have tremendous amounts of spare time and the filter I made took 1 1/4 hours (did I say the tolerances were exact?) much to the disgust of my wife who was waiting for me to finish. If you find a better way to do this easily and inexpensively, please share it with us. When I win the lottery, I will buy an OEM filter, until then, I will make mine. Good luck.

I read numerous threads on the issue and opted to try to make one. They are about $24.00 at the local toyota place but, well it's $24.00. I went to Lowes and got a 3M HEPA filter 30x 30 inches (was on clearance for $6.00). I took my wire cutters and scissors and cut the frame (both sides) to dimension and then removed the AC filter from the AC filter frame (you will know what this is when you remove it). I placed my creation in it and ran it for 1 week and removed to inspect. There was no breakdown in the corregation of the HEPA material and the mesh frame was intact (I was worried about the air pressure when the AC is on full). The air quality is very good and smells fresh, unlike the smell I had with the old gunked-up filter. Given the choice I would replace with a lexus filter but this works well and I can make 4 for the $6.00 investment, which is economically appealing to me, especially since I spent a heap on detailing stuff to keep the outside pretty. So far has worked great and my experience is in line with other posts I have seen. Good luck.

Is there a torque wrench that ill meet the majority of my needs for maintenance with my 98 GS 400? Thanks.

Hey I found your post in the model section. Any other details? Self/Professional install? The price is right. Thanks.

98 GS 400. No chimes. Interesting...

I like it. Is the module in the trunk sidewell? Was it a DIY or professional install. Does the stock radio/cd still work correctly? Any details? I inquired about such a thing but no responses. Thanks for addressing my curiosity.

I have a 98 GS400. The armrest between the front seats has a series of switches (mine has 4 (goinf driver to passenger side- switch 1 Power/Snow switch 2 driver's side seat heater switch 3 passenger side seat heater switch 4 VCS virtual shifting off switch Check the owner's manual and the proper switch location/indicator will be identified. Ain't they sweet????

You rock "almost" and much as Ramirez did last night. Thanks man.

Steviej: When able I would like your input on the shop items. No rush and thanks for all the advice.

Hey Steviej; Thanks. I was at Sears yesterday looking the items over. I would love the name (ID #) of the set you got. I don't know what tolerances (weigth limits) I need so that would be helpful. Also, Do I really need a torque wrench for the lug nuts on the lexus. I seem to recall a thread in which someone mentioned the rotors were warped because of improper tightening of the lug nuts. The whench is pricey but it certainly will be less expensive than a set of rotors. Thanks for the help. Go Sox.

Thanks. I just wanted to note the coincidence with the Mustang owner's experience. I guess the Mustang has a habit of blowing the 4th cylinder and this mechanic has seen many blocks for this. He noted that the Mobil 1 left the "insides" looking like an engine half its mileage age. A thougt. I know that Toyota creates its mandates based upon what happens in Japan (Can produce a car in 7 days but will not decrease the time to delivery due to a Japanese parking permit law. It takes 7 days to obtain a permnit that proves you have a place to park the car.) Perhaps Mobil 1 and other synthetics are not available to their market due to import/export agreements, etc. I completed my MBA thesis on a comparison between Ford and Toyota (which is why my garage has a Toyota Sienne XLE and a Lexus) and I know alot about the toyota Production System(Lean), but do not have a contact to ask this question of. Not that it makes a difference but my mind is working. I do have a friend who is a chemical engineer at Exxon and I am going to ask him about this issue, just for curiosity's sake.

Hey I am like the next cautious guy when it come to making decisions. I read a great deal of discussion related to synthetic vs. conventional oil and was going to do some lable research myself at the local WalMart. I was reading the back of a Mobil 1 0W30 bottle when this guy pulled up next to me, started grabbing every Mobil 1 10W/30 quart he could find and said, "It's great stuff." ;) I asked how he knew. HE said he has a Ford Mustang 5.0 and blew a head gasket in the 4 cylinder at 72,000 miles. He had been using Mobil 1 from the beginning. He asked his mechanic to let him know what the cylinders and the general condition of the engine looked like since he would be in there for the tear down. The mechanic said it was better than a car with half the miles on it. I asked this guy about any other observations, specifically gas mileage and he said it was "all good." BTW, the back of the Mobil 1 5W/30 lable specifically speaks about improved fuel economy and says it's compatible with all types of conventional motor oil, where the other weights of Mobil 1 do not (unsure of why that is). Just wanted to share my unofficial research from a night at WalMart. Not that this will settle the debate once and for all, but I am going to fill 'er up with Mobil 1 next change.