INLS400

Hey guys/gals,

I've got a '99 LS400 with 164,000+ miles. It came stock with the polished aluminum wheels. This summer (and I expect I'll probably be made fun of on CL for this, haha) I plasti-dipped my wheels black because I'm a college student with a limited budget and at the time I could not afford aftermarket rims. My preferences have since changed and I'd love to have LS430 5-spoke 18" rims, but those seem to be nearly impossible to find and are really pricey.

Anyway,

So my dad and I were cleaning the Plasti-Dip off of the wheels with WD-40 and a pressure washer, and that worked quite well, did not damage the finish. 90% of it came right off. In his haste, my dad used some rather abrasive stuff (Goof Off I think it's called) on the remainder of the plasti dip and it ate right through it...also eating into the finish of the wheels themselves.

This leaves me with a couple of options..I should also mention, I am buying new tires anyway.

1.I can either get the wheels refinished (local place quoted me a price of 135$ a piece for each wheel.

2.I can go a tire size up (I think 17" is a good size, personally) to 17" and get aftermarket wheels.

3.I can do nothing and have a very sad Lexus

I am more inclined honestly to get aftermarket wheels.

I'm partial to 5-spoke designs, like the 04-06 LS430 style wheels...any suggestions for similar wheels?

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Use that money to upgrade the rims.

GH5T

upgrade and save the stock wheels for winter.

Stroock639

if you can't find the ls430 18" 5 spokes it's probably because i got the last ones i could find anywhere

currently being a college student myself, i can feel for your wanting to do something about those oem 16's... i get that toyota wanted something elegant for the wheels and i can kind of see where they were going with them, but i really haven't warmed up to them. now they're my snow tire wheels, and imma do an unpaid promotion of the blizzak ws80s here for snow tires. they're quite fantastic, i was amazed at the snow traction.

the choice is up to you but i'd have to agree with sha4000 and gh5t. even though i couldn't really afford them, i spent a bunch of money i'd saved up when i saw the set of 4 remanufactured ls430 wheels. to me the car deserves nothing less than oem (not replica actual oem) wheels from only another LS, but i am also kind of a homo in that sense

GH5T

Stock LS430 17in wheels should be easier to find at a lower cost than the 18's.

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

4. Plastidip again

JJDAG

Save your money and get what you really want ! You dont want to kick yourself in the butt with shoulda woulda coulda, if only... Keep searching for a good used set of what you really want even if its one or two wheels at a time. Dont give up don't compromise = no regrets. Good luck !

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

My 430 17's look pretty good

RA40

iTrader: (6)

They do look good.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

isn't the point of plasti-dip that you can remove the stuff by simply peeling? you must have not used enough of it. the thicker the coat the better.

goof off is harsh stuff indeed but all you probably did was ruin the clear coat. my suggestion is to not worry about stock wheels too much and spend most of your effort on newer bigger wheels, OEM or aftermarket, especially since you are planning to get new tires anyway.

lextout

one thing with bigger wheels is that you will sacrifice the ride comfort for handling and cosmetic wise, me personally I'd rather float like a boat and sting like a bee.