vesnyder

Check out my '03 Lexus wheels on my 2014 ES. I like them better than I thought I would. Also, these wheels do not have the pressure sensors. I thought I would have to deal with an annoying sensor/light but nothing. The only indication is when I toggle over to the tire pressure sensor screen I get "-- psi" per tire.

Ratchey

I would be willing to bet you have a warning light in less than 100 miles. Surprised you found a place that would install them. Very illegal and puts the install shop at risk for liability if something tire related happens.

JT4

IMO they look too small for the car, but I'm assuming these are your winter wheels and tires? I would be surprised if the TPMS light doesn't eventually come on after driving a while..

lesz

I agree with both of the quotes above.

The vehicle's monitoring system is programmed to check for malfunctions in a multitude of vehicle systems, but all systems are not being monitored continuously. Instead, they are monitored in a pre-determined sequence. So, for example, if you have a faulty gas cap or if you didn't properly tighten the gas cap after refueling, the check engine light will not come on immediately. Instead, it may come on after a few dozen miles or it may come on after a couple of hundred miles of driving, depending on the next time that system is programmed to be monitored. And the reverse would also be true. When you have a faulty gas cap or when you didn't properly tighten the gas cap down, after you replace the faulty gas cap or properly tighten the gas cap, the check engine light will not turn off immediately. Instead, it will only turn off after the next time that the emissions system is monitored, which could be in a few miles, or it could be much longer.

So, in this case, I'd expect the warning lights for the TPMS to turn on after the next time that the TPMS is checked by the vehicle's computer.

vesnyder

I agree with the assessment that they look too small. These are the Winter tires and are 16 inch vs the OEM 17 inch tires. I would not have purchased them but since I had them left over from my '04 I thought I would put them to use. I was wondering about the warning light - just hope it is not too obvious when it does come on.

biglexfan

How is the ride with a 16" wheel? Does the higher profile tire help absorb road imperfections better?
In my last tire change, I almost wanted to size down from my current 17" to a 16" to improve on ride comfort, but I could not find a compatible rim. The other reason I didn't go with the 16" option was the fear that the front brake callipers may touch the rim. From your photos, it looks like yours is fine.

vesnyder

Biglexfan - The ride is remarkably smooth. I actually think the 16 inch rims are smoother despite the snow tires. No problem with the caliper fitting in the rim.

The low pressure alert did finally show up on the dash. It took about 20-30 miles. Not as annoying as I expected and tolerable through the Winter.

5Ws

Rims look nice. I envy the improvement in ride.

With regards to the TPMS: Couldn't you move the sensors from old to the new rims? Or did you save the old rims in the garage till summer? Also, couldn't you add sensors to these rims, then have the car learn the new sensors to avoid the light AND get the benefit of having them? It's not hard to have the car learn new sensors.

Aside from this, is the radius of the tire/wheel different? Is the speedometer accurate? Do you think it will trigger a traction control light?

Richard

biglexfan

The difference in diameter between the 215/55R17 and 215/60R16 is only 0.1 inch or 0.4%, well within the 3% acceptable difference for a tire diameter size change.

vesnyder

I could have purchased new sensors or exchanged them but already had the snow tires mounted and balanced and did not want to incur the added expense. Quite honestly I did not anticipate them coming out as nice as they did and expected to dispose of the rims when the tires wore out.

I was curious about the diameter difference. biglexan, thanks for the specs.

rodcros

When I brought the new 2014 es300h home I parked it next to our 2005 es330. I measured the height of the tires. Identical. I'll try a 16" Michelin Blizzak snow tire on a front wheel of the 300h at first opportunity, though I suspect they'll fit fine.