caddyowner

I had 18" chrome wheels with Goodyear Eagle tires. I bought a set of 01 17" painted wheels and had Michelin X-Ice 2 winter tires mounted on them. I had the Lexus dealer swap the wheels today when the car was in for 45K service. Wow, does the car ever ride softer. I don't know how much is the softer tire v. the 17" wheel, but it now rides like a proper luxury car.

The car certainly looks different with the painted wheels and taller sidewalls. An understated car looks even more understated now.

CarGuy89

Idk, I have Dunlop Sports. The car rides amazingly well, but doesn't wallow about like a boat either. I still feel a lot of the sharper bumps, but I like it better that way. I am always amazed by how well the car as whole absorbs the bump.

EDIT: Though I do everything I can to avoid bumps...I feel that with each hard bump I am punishing my baby

Jabberwock

Yep with the 17s, going down the highway at 75mph or so its kinda like driving a hovercraft. I love it.

AlexusAnja

I ride on 17's and driving down to Orlando it sure felt like I floated there. I'm surprised I didn't fall off a cliff with the radar cruise set and it was so quiet...

jadu

iTrader: (42)

that big of a difference huh.. what were the tire sizes?

JLAWS

235/50/18 size tire helps cushion the harshness of having 18" wheels. It comes close to 17" tire comfort while retaining the "sport" look. There is only slight rubbing when doing a near full lock turn. I've got Pirelli Pzero Tire and they are excellent tires. I especially love the rim protector. Saved my rims numerous times!!!

caddyowner

245/45 18 has a sidewall height of 4.34"
225/55 17 has a sidewall height of 4.87"

A half-inch doesn't sound like much, but you can see an obvious difference. I think the dramatic ride difference also has a lot to do with the 18" GY Eagle tires the selling dealer put on the car. Those were the stock tires on my SRX and I hated them due to the rough ride. I will probably get new summer tires next year. Plus, 3 of my 4 wheels have curb rash. I'll have to decide among a number of options:

- Keep the current wheels and tires
- Replace just the tires with other 245/45 18
- Consider going up to 235/50 18 as JLAWS suggested which has a sidewall height in between the above figures
- Replace the wheels and stick with 18s
- Replace the wheels and tires and go to 17s.

nkoppy

Caddyowner,

I'm glad to hear you say that you like the Michelin X-ice 2's (I just bought a set for my LS). It's about time to finally put them on (we got our first snow storm last night, but I wanted to see how the stock all-season 245/45R-18 Dunlop SP 5000 Sports do in the snow, so I can compare their winter traction to the X-ice 2's).

I have my Michelins mounted on the OEM 18" wheels, but I did step the size down to 225/50R-18.

-Nick

CarGuy89

nkoppy,

I will be performing the same experiment with the Dunlops. The runflats that came with my 3 series were truly awful in the snow. I don't really have high hopes for these either. Oh well, RWD + snow = big grin so less grip should make it more fun.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

got pics caddydriver

nkoppy

@ CarGuy89,

I'm bummed that the LS doesn't have a button to kill the stability control program. Yes, I can switch off the traction control if I get stuck, but I won't be able to practice/perfect my drifting this winter in the LS, like I could in my GS (which had a button to disable the stability control).

Massive power slides, whipping donuts, etc... are all rewards that the owner of a rear-wheel-drive car should be allowed to exploit in the parking lot, after a big snowfall, right??

Ty419

I am also going from factory 18's to 17's for winter. Got a set of cheap chrome wheels that look fairly close to factory with some Blizzaks sitting at the shop waiting to be switched out when it gets cold. I was wondering how much of a difference it would make, and now I kinda want to switch them early, lol.

Spyder187

I just put on X-ice2's on my ES300 2 weeks ago and man the ride became extremely soft and luxurious. I was telling ppl that it feels like a proper luxury car now.

StanVanDam

In the 2002 LS430UL, the VSC-off button kills the traction control and stability control. ABS is always on, though you can probably disable it by pulling a fuse.

I have used the VSC-off button to get the car sideways in big empty parking lots after snowfalls. I think it's necessary to have a good feel for your car's weight and traction on snow to be better prepared for a real emergency situation.

caddyowner

Around here, it's hard to find large empty parking lots that don't have a bunch of targets, err light poles, scattered about. Also, churches and schools seem to have no idle time anymore, except at 2:00 AM, when the lots are empty and unplowed.