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What offset wheels can I use to make 235/55-17 tires fit front and rear? I dont want to go to low profile (with 18s) to hurt the ride too much. The car will be lowered with H&R in the future and maybe the 1/2 inch diameter increase will make the wheel gap less. Any advice is appreciated.
bumping up to 17s will look next to no different at all, and the tires will not be easy to find or cheap. THey are also awkwardly narrow, so you'd have to buy like a 17x7" wheel.
the LS430 was sold (and the LS460 is sold) with 18" tires as standard, and rode perfectly fine. LS430 OEM 18" wheels and the correct 245/45-18 tires (touring if you want comfort) will provide a perfectly adequate ride.
Also, don't try to decrease the wheel gap with balloon tires, that's just silly!
TR is wrong. 235/50-18 is too large in diameter. 245/45-18 is within ~0.4% of the correct OD (stock tire), which is within tolerance. the 235/50-18 is ~2.6% larger (aka a 6.5 larger margin and far from ideal).
YOu don't seem to understand how tire profile works, the difference in sidewall from a 245/45 and 235/50-18 is ~3/10th of an inch! You would be hard pressed to tell the difference. (245/45 is ~4.34in. and 235/50-18 is ~4.63in.)
The correct size for a stock width 18" on a '93+ LS400 is 245/45-18.
Dude I know how tire profile works. I have owned a lot of sports cars with lower profile tires and with it came noise and harshness but better handling. That is OK for a sports car, but not for a luxo barge like this. That's is why I am trying to not go above 17 inch wheels and use higher profile tires in order to preserve a good ride at the expense of better handling. Granted my math may have been wrong regarding profiles. What is the optimum size for 17s then?
I have read complains from ls 430 users about rough ride with the 18s also..
Noise and harshness from tires is as much the construction of the tire it self, as it is the profile of a given tire. There are lots of excessively harsh and noisy balloons out there, just as there are comfortable and quiet low profiles.... The car you were driving also plays a big factor in those two areas. Putting 17s with 205/40s on a Civic/hatchback, is VERY different from putting 245/45/18s on a LS. I put 06 GS430 18" wheels with 245/45/18s on my 96 LS shortly after I bought it and the ride quality was barely worse than the big stock 16" balloons.
Part of what PD is saying is that 17s are an awkward size for the LS as the specific tire size needed in not readily available in most decent brands/models forcing you into the junk brands or the super high dollar OEMs for other cars. That means you'll either get a crappy tire that will give a harsh ride and will be very noisy or you be dolling out $$$$$$$.
My winter setup is a 225/50/17 and it honestly isn't much any softer than my summer 235/35/19,265/30/19 combo... but that is a TIRE CONSTRUCTION issue, not a profile issue
i have the 245/45-18 LS 430 wheels on mine and honestly the change in ride quality is almost impossible to notice. i just changed back to my stock 225/60-16 wheels that i just put blizzak ws80s and there is honestly almost no difference, and the 18s with the turanza serenity plus are super quiet and have great traction on both wet and dry surfaces.
the slightly lower profile 18s also handle much better, the car is noticeably less "sloppy" through corners. the 18s also just look fantastic IMO, makes the 98-00 look like it could've been made at least 5 years later. also as PureDrifter said, 60r16 and 45r18 equates to nearly identical overall tire diameter so the speedometer reads identical as before
WELL now it is my turn
I just bought a set of 235/55/17's for my 99...
I am removing 225/55/17's
the 235 is about 3/8 th of an inch WIDER
and only 1/4 th taller
I bought goodyear eagles rs-a
Last edited by billydpowe; 02-21-15 at 02:55 PM.
Reason: police rules
btw i had the goodyear eagle rs-a on my original wheels before putting the blizzaks on and i would highly recommend against them, unless they're free. as soon as it got wet the rears would spin up incredibly easily. actually quite dangerous when you're pulling out of an intersection, put your foot down, the VSC comes down like an anvil and you're not going anywhere. with the turanzas on the 245s even if i floor it from a standstill in the wet the car just hooks up like the water isn't even there
Thanks for all the feedback on 18s. Hmm, I may have to give it a try
BTW, any issues lowering on 18s (H&R) and 245s rubbing in the front?
What is the offset of these GS wheels, if I decide to go aftermarket? Also, what tires are you using?
good discussion here .
what GS wheels are you referring to? there should be no issues with any OEM 18s on 245/45-18. if you go aftermarket the offset will matter, as well as tire brand. as i always say a 245/45 toyo sidewall will differ from a 245/45 michelin for example. in other words not all tire sizes run true even if the manufacturers say they are the same. offset is not the only contributing factor in fitting properly w/o rubbing.
tire brand is a preference as some like to spend lots on them, while others don't. i always tell folks not to cheap out on tires as they are the only things touching the ground, where the contact patch is the size of your hand! i prefer korean tires as they are a nice compromise between cheap and expensive (aka hankook). if you have the cash, i recommend michelin, or any tire costco carries (they only carry high end tires with great warranties).
Thanks for all the feedback on 18s. Hmm, I may have to give it a try
BTW, any issues lowering on 18s (H&R) and 245s rubbing in the front?
What is the offset of these GS wheels, if I decide to go aftermarket? Also, what tires are you using?
I installed the 18" Tourmaline wheels on my '97 with 245/45s Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires. It rides as well as the original 16s, and the road noise difference isn't noticeable.
I'm not sure of the offset, but I'd like to know if someone has the spec. It doesn't rub at all.
the LS430 was sold (and the LS460 is sold) with 18" tires as standard, and rode perfectly fine. LS430 OEM 18" wheels and the correct 245/45-18 tires (touring if you want comfort) will provide a perfectly adequate ride!
I thought the LS430 originally came with 16" wheels standard, then later went to 17"s?
02-17-15, 10:43 PM
235/55-17 tires
(they only carry high end tires with great warranties).
