ES owners with IS300 17's...need some help!
07-20-03, 11:08 AM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
ES owners with IS300 17's...need some help!
I'd like to see some pictures of the fitment of the rear wheels in relation to the fender. Any pics of the car with IS rims would work.
I'm considering some 17" IS rims and want to make sure they sit far enough away from the suspension so as not to rub. What is the offset of the IS rim, is it under 45mm? Do they look funny due to the high offset in relation to the fender?
Thanks!
I'm considering some 17" IS rims and want to make sure they sit far enough away from the suspension so as not to rub. What is the offset of the IS rim, is it under 45mm? Do they look funny due to the high offset in relation to the fender?
Thanks!
07-20-03, 11:56 AM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Did some research and now I'm really confused.
I've found the offset of IS 17's to be +50mm. How in the hell did badams and frank jr. fit these on their cars? I tested +50mm wheels on my car before and they rubbed the suspension!!!!
What to do?
Also, I'd like to see pics from directly behind the car (to see how wide the wheels sit in relation to the body of the car) and also from the rear-side-angles to get an idea how for inside the fender the wheels fit.
This is boggling my mind.....
Any help would be appreciated!!!
I've found the offset of IS 17's to be +50mm. How in the hell did badams and frank jr. fit these on their cars? I tested +50mm wheels on my car before and they rubbed the suspension!!!!What to do?
Also, I'd like to see pics from directly behind the car (to see how wide the wheels sit in relation to the body of the car) and also from the rear-side-angles to get an idea how for inside the fender the wheels fit.
This is boggling my mind.....
Any help would be appreciated!!!
07-22-03, 09:34 AM
#3
Pole Position
This is for everyone,
I have been emailing XenonES3 and discussing this with him, but figured I'd post the same info and pictures here for others.
As you can see from the pictures they seem to fit good. The rear rim and tire is close to the strut tower, but there is no rubbing anywhere. The overall diameter of the IS300 rim and tire is approx. 24.6 inches, whereas the original ES300 rim and tire was approx. 25.5 inches, so the new one is a little smaller than the stock ES300 tires which were 205/65-15 (which means it will rotate a tiny bit faster which means the car will be a tiny bit faster). For a good tire calculator go to: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
I am using Bridgestone Potenza 215/45-17's (which was one of the stock brand/size tires on the IS300). I got these tires with my rims when I bought them and I have been very happy with them, so happy in fact that when it is time to replace them I will most likely get them again. I bought my rims from a guy by the name of ***** at www.is300.net for $550.00 (included the $100 shipping from Florida to California). You might try there for rims with or without tires, they seem to be giving them away. Just be careful when sending cash or whatever.
The rear rims might look a little better with a small spacer, but they fit without and do not currently rub on my car. Still you might try throwing on a ¼" spacer just to see if it makes a difference. The IS300 rims have a +50 offset, I forget the original ES300 rim offset but I'm sure it is floating around this forum somewhere.
The front there is no question about anything, fits perfect, not even close to rubbing at all. The back is very close to the strut tower, but still it doesn't rub.
I had the rims and tires shipped to my work, when UPS brought them in I took a 15 minute break and removed the ES rims from one side of my car and put on the IS rims with the original ES lug nuts. Everything looked good (except for the lug nuts because they stuck out too far) so I put the ES rims back on and called WheelWorks so they could put them on, balance them, do an alignment, etc. I also did not have any IS300 lug nuts, so I asked if they did and they made me a deal on some leftover from a customer. If you buy used rims, try to get the lug nuts with them, they are about $8.50 each new at the dealer. I got the used ones from the tire place for around $5.00 each and new locks (which was still expensive).
If you have any other questions or need a different (or larger) picture let me know. By the way, it is tough getting a camera between the rim and the wheel well, my camera was filthy afterwards, but it is a crappy digital camera so it didn't matter.
<<<The pictures will follow this post>>>
badams
I have been emailing XenonES3 and discussing this with him, but figured I'd post the same info and pictures here for others.
As you can see from the pictures they seem to fit good. The rear rim and tire is close to the strut tower, but there is no rubbing anywhere. The overall diameter of the IS300 rim and tire is approx. 24.6 inches, whereas the original ES300 rim and tire was approx. 25.5 inches, so the new one is a little smaller than the stock ES300 tires which were 205/65-15 (which means it will rotate a tiny bit faster which means the car will be a tiny bit faster). For a good tire calculator go to: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
I am using Bridgestone Potenza 215/45-17's (which was one of the stock brand/size tires on the IS300). I got these tires with my rims when I bought them and I have been very happy with them, so happy in fact that when it is time to replace them I will most likely get them again. I bought my rims from a guy by the name of ***** at www.is300.net for $550.00 (included the $100 shipping from Florida to California). You might try there for rims with or without tires, they seem to be giving them away. Just be careful when sending cash or whatever.
The rear rims might look a little better with a small spacer, but they fit without and do not currently rub on my car. Still you might try throwing on a ¼" spacer just to see if it makes a difference. The IS300 rims have a +50 offset, I forget the original ES300 rim offset but I'm sure it is floating around this forum somewhere.
The front there is no question about anything, fits perfect, not even close to rubbing at all. The back is very close to the strut tower, but still it doesn't rub.
I had the rims and tires shipped to my work, when UPS brought them in I took a 15 minute break and removed the ES rims from one side of my car and put on the IS rims with the original ES lug nuts. Everything looked good (except for the lug nuts because they stuck out too far) so I put the ES rims back on and called WheelWorks so they could put them on, balance them, do an alignment, etc. I also did not have any IS300 lug nuts, so I asked if they did and they made me a deal on some leftover from a customer. If you buy used rims, try to get the lug nuts with them, they are about $8.50 each new at the dealer. I got the used ones from the tire place for around $5.00 each and new locks (which was still expensive).
If you have any other questions or need a different (or larger) picture let me know. By the way, it is tough getting a camera between the rim and the wheel well, my camera was filthy afterwards, but it is a crappy digital camera so it didn't matter.
<<<The pictures will follow this post>>>
badams
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07-22-03, 09:45 AM
#12
Pole Position
I know some of these pics aren't the best, it is tough using a flash in a small space like the wheel well, it lights up all the wrong stuff. Hopefully all these pics will help.
Basically the IS300 rims fit with no problems, at least I am not having any at all.
The back may look a little better with a small spacer.
badams
Basically the IS300 rims fit with no problems, at least I am not having any at all.
The back may look a little better with a small spacer.
badams
07-22-03, 10:15 AM
#14
Pole Position
Here is FrankJrsES's 1993 ES300 with IS300 rims and a 1 inch drop (hope you don't mind me using your pic FrankJr? I got this from the forum). FrankJr's car looks sweet with the IS rims and the drop.
badams
badams
07-22-03, 10:54 AM
#15
Lexus Test Driver
As badams pointed out, the stock tire size for the IS300 is a bit small diameter wise. If you're getting the tires practically free with the wheels, no big deal, but if you're buying the tires separate, I'd recommend 215/50-17, which matches up very close to the 205/65-15 outside diameter. I've got that size on my 17 x 7 Mille Miglia rims, the tires are Sumitomo HTR+, which I feel are a great tire for the money.
