moky

no worries maybe you should ask that same question to many of the modders here on club lexus

it's all a matter of what you want and what you are willing to sacrifice

IS-SV

Agreed, good to hear some honest evaluations of ride quality here.

The question has been asked by many posters, the answers are not always consistent. And then there's the separate issue of handling deterioration too.

moky

actually, coilovers aren't really the reasons for the stiff and harsher rides. it's mainly the wheels. whenever i put my stock 17s and thick winter tires on, the car always seems so nimble and fun to drive. when i put the 20s with the summers (thin and stretched tires to fit) i find myself driving slower and more carefully, and ride comfort is hugely sacrificed.

coilovers are fine for a sportier feel, if you had the right wheel and tire combo. the camry is by no means a sports sedan (which many people try to make sporty, thus resulting in a ricey mod), thus lux/exe/vip-inspired styling is the direction i went. the coilovers just made my car a lot lower which i wanted, but again, ride comfort was sacrificed (im still young anyway )

handling wise, it's a matter of opinion. some people like the soft floatiness of the stock suspension, something like what the es350 or majority of the full size domestic sedans provide. other people like a more responsive and sporty feel to their driving, thus adding bars to stiffen up the chassis.

it's like comparing driving a ford expedition vs a bmw x5. i recall when i drove both when they were first coming out, the ford expedition's steering was too soft, it felt detached and easy to lose control of. the x5 had a tighter suspension, steering and felt more solid to the ground. i concluded before that it was due to the suspension.

Druha

also.. IS-SV, do you currently own all 4 of those cars? that is a factor as well....most people try to address everything they want out of one car. I personally would rather try to find a dedicated old car I could beat up as a track car in the future. on the side of my ES350 DD.

This sort of discussion always comes up in the ES forums, "why bother modding?" i'm not discouraging the discussion, its just expected by now. My previous car was an 89 MB 190e so i'm used to it, there is next to 0 afermarket scene for that car in N.America lol.

IS-SV, ur opinions are appreciated.
and Moky. if you hadn't helped BChi99 out, I probably wouldn't have lowered my car, and these aftermarkt thread would get very very lonely

IS-SV

Yes I own all 4 cars at once, so I get plenty of contrast driving each one.

I agree wheel size has a huge influence on ride quality and should be selected carefully.

I will be upgrading my IS350 w/19's from 18's this year.

Druha

What tire profile would you be using?

I am planning on getting 19s, would probably use 225/40 (235/40 is better but much more rare)

the used wheels i have my eye oncome with 235/35/19s, but i could'n't imagine what 35 profile would feel like....

IS-SV

Not sure yet, but probably 235/35 and 265/35/19's. Car currently has OEM 40 series staggered 18's on sport package suspension, plenty smooth .

My Porsche has stock 265/35/18 in the rear, no problem, suspension was designed for this setup.

moky

no problem druha im glad to be of help!

i used to have 235/35/19 when i had the car with stock suspension, eibach lowering springs and coilovers. i have already forgotten what it feels like on the stock suspension, but on the coilovers it was considerably bearable for the height i was at, but it was tighter and a bit bouncier. i had it about 10clicks from the softest. handlingwise, body roll was tremendously reduced when taking off-ramps, but besides that, that's as much "action" my car gets since im not trying to get any performance from it.

depending too on the WIDTH of the wheels and offset, you can get away with probably 245/35/19 on the es350 easily. it provides the widest tire without rubbing fender or strut.

Druha

I got my wheels today. 19x8.5" BBS RS-GT machined black diamond cut
They look practically brand new, no curb rash, or major scratches.

came with 235/35/19 (-21mm original diameter) Michelin sport pilot cup, but gonna dismount and sell them back to seller. They're like serious track tires...

I know u recommended 245/35/19, but they are -13mm or so overall diameter and honestly I dont want so thick.

225/40/19 is easiest to find, as I could get used G35 tires (off leases etc) 235/40/19 is ideal, but used is rare and new is expensive cuz no kumhos

Now I need to sell the IS300 wheels with what's left of my OEM tires and get some cash for the 19 rubber.

I have my doubts about BBS on a Japanese car, but I have dreamed of these wheels and for the price I paid couldn't pass.









Any opinion on those tires? He says he can easily sell them for $500 CDN, I would rather not have to bother with it and take the $300 back.

Druha

Hopefully my car will end up looking something like this, but with the BBS instead of the SPYNs...and tint...and trunk lip spoiler. can't wait for spring




**that is photoshopped

moky

wow those are nice BBS wheels i say do a test mount on the wheels and tires, and drive them around for maybe half an hour to get a feel of the tires and the 35series.

it's honestly not that bad with 235/35/19, but a taller sidewall helps too. i know continental makes 235/40/19, but that's $$$. falken 235/35/19 tires are wide and feel just right so you might want to look at that too

Druha

I'm not so much worried about the 35 series rubber, as the overall diameter being like 3% smaller than the original. This throws off my mileage (my computer will show more mileage than actual) depreciating my car faster, as well as throws off everything from transmission shifts, to ABS, and brake assisst, blah blah blah. know what I'm sayin?

and i've heard u can change ur wheel size on the computer at Lexus, but since my summer wheels would be smaller and my winter tires bigger I would have to go back and forth lol....and I don't know if this "reset" will address the other issues such as shift points etc.

check it out
http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator.htm

BLK-FOX

I was looking at a tire calculator and it looks like 245/40/19 will fit. Has anyone run this setup. I'm trying to keep as much tire as possible without rubbing.

Druha

only thing I know in terms of 245/40/19 is my winter tires are 225/55/17 and they are the same diameter and no rubbing when lowered with eibach prokit.

But your setup would be much wider. I would say i you aren't lowere u will be fine, but lowered you might run into problems. that's just my opinion

moky

that makes a lot of sense druha. that's a very good point. lucky for me i don't drive my car that much for it to warrant a high-mileage (besides me being on par with the stock overall diameter).

hurry up and do test fits!!!