tayslexus

Hello, if anyone could please post a photo of the door tire pressure/size sticker because I'm going to upgrade from my 2008 AWD stock 17'' wheels to the 18'' that on the RWD and the GS 460.

Thanks.

Sodium

tayslexus

Thanks man, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Sodium

No worries, I'm always happy to help someone with good taste in wheels

I may be a bit biased, but the stock 18s are one of my three favorite wheel designs (other two being Vossen VPS-303s and one of the optional 20 inchers from the Maserati Quattroporte circa 2011). If Lexus offered them in a staggered setup (maybe 245 front, 285 rear), they would be the perfect wheels!

tayslexus

hahaha oh man those wheels you mentioned are so freakin nice! Especially the Vossen. I'm in love with it since day one. But they're like 7x the price of an OEM 18''

As for the OEM 18'' I was debating between the 5 spoke and the G-spider but every time I look at both, I choose the 5 spoke. They're so nicely designed and the color is amazing. I've been trying to find a nice looking used 18'' for 2 months now but no luck. I'm only able to find on eBay a refurbished set for $900 with free shipping.

I also agree with the staggered setup, like the IS. And why the hell they changed the OEM stock to 17'' and thinner tires for the AWD GS??? My car looks like a bodybuilder with chicken legs. I don't understand what Lexus were thinking.

Sodium

Wow over $5000 for Vossens? Yeah that's an awful lot of money for something that may well make your ride less comfortable, and won't really make the car go faster in the real world. Though I suppose it's not an unreasonable price since they're made-to-order with extremely high quality standards.

And yeah I never really cared for the G-spider wheels (a bit too busy for my taste), especially compared to the simple elegance of the 5 spoke.

Lol a bodybuilder with chicken legs, that's a very good description – I knew quite a few guys like that when I used to lift. And I've actually been wondering the same thing about why they have different wheel dimensions for the RWD and AWD and I have a few ideas, so tell me if any of these seem plausible:

1. Generally, RWD drivetrain and bigger wheels are both things that appeal to more sport-oriented drivers. Lexus may have expected that a person buying a new AWD GS was mostly interested in comfort and safety (and maximal traction if they live in more northerly climates), and not so interested in sporty driving or a sporty appearance (if they were, they would purchase the RWD, or the 460, or the 450h). For these people, the smaller wheels do make some sense – smaller wheels = taller sidewalls = more comfort; smaller, narrower wheels = cheaper tires, which makes sense for someone who won't ever be exploring the limits of grip; all other things being equal, narrow tires are less likely to hydroplane than wider tires, so better grip in slush or heavy rain (probably a minimal difference between 225 and 245 tires though).

2. It's been well documented that changing the suspension and/or wheel width in an AWD GS causes vibration, and I believe they did also come with runflats as standard. Maybe the 245/40R18 runflats + AWD drivetrain caused unacceptable vibration, but the 225/50R17 runflats + AWD drivetrain were within spec for cabin NVH.

3. Cost could be a factor, though I would imagine that it would be cheaper to manufacture one style of wheel for all GS models than one for the AWD and a different one for the RWD and the GS460.

4. Lexus wanted to more clearly differentiate the sporty GS models (RWD 350 and 460) from the AWD. However, if product differentiation was the goal, I would expect that the 460 would have bigger wheels (19s or 20s) and a staggered setup (maybe they tried, but NVH was too high?)

tayslexus

For the 1st point. The GS is a car that cannot have a smaller wheel size than 18'' because the car is just big. There are plenty of cars out there in the GS category which has the AWD system and they still consider sporty like the MB E63 AMG-S, AUDI S6 etc.. they have bigger wheels with no issues. The RWD system is more fun to drive that I'd agree 100%

2nd point, is true but do you think my car going to vibrate now with the new wheels?

3 and 4, I don't think it was a price issue. If you look at the newer model, the RWD and the AWD they look exactly alike, whether it's both an F-sport or not. Maybe as you said, for our cars, they couldn't go for 18'' in the AWD due to the factors you mentioned or others we don't know about.

Sodium

I totally agree, the 17s do look a bit disproportionate, though I'd also say that the substantial wheel gap is partly to blame too. And yeah I'm sure that the 18s will be perfectly fine on the AWD and that there probably won't be any perceptible difference,, I meant the NVH thing more in the sense that it may have been a situation where during testing, the AWDs had an interior noise level of 72.45dB with 18s and 72.03dB with 17s, and because Lexus guidelines say that the maximum allowable interior noise is 72.25dB, they had to go with 17s.

Not at all. In fact, I'd be very surprised if you noticed any difference at all in the noise and comfort after you put on the 18s. If there is any difference, it would more likely be down to the tires, not the wheel size.

To be honest, the more I think about it, the less I think it has to do with price or NVH. Damn now I really want to know why! Haha if anyone reading this is a Lexus engineer or works at Lexus corporate/marketing, please let us all know why the AWD GS came with 17s rather than 18s.

tayslexus

haha I'm sure they had their reasons and I'm glad they've changed that now. I'm hoping that the front gab won't make the 18'' wheels look small, if so, I might drop an inch or so and sacrifice some vibration.