brywhite

I came across these wheels which resemble '16 & '17 style wheels except they are available in 20" and 22" diameter. This opens up better tire selection. I'd be interested to know if any of you have tried these wheels and if they are at least "factory quality".

Here is a link to the "Factory Style" wheels I am talking about in 20" diameter.
https://www.sdtwdirect.com/index.php...d=7370&search=

Looks like they also carry pre-2016 Factory Style wheels too:
https://www.sdtwdirect.com/index.php...d=6922&search=

Thoughts?

ggebhardt

I would be very wary of after market wheels. They are not all created equal even if they look the same.

caha14

I agree wholeheartedly with Greg on ensuring that any aftermarket wheels are up to par from a quality standpoint... There are some great ones out there, but also, as you likely know, some lousy ones with structural problems, and that's a failure we don't want (especially on such a heavy beast).

I will say, however, that I am intrigued - great find! The 21" stocks are way prettier than the standard 20-inchers (IMHO), and having those in a size other than 21 opens many doors on the rubber front (i.e., there is only one tire that fits the stock 21s). I'd be curious to learn more about these folks' product/history.

ggebhardt

Wonder if there are labs that test these wheels and do any type of certification. It would not be cheap but a good wheel maker would reap the benefits if their wheels were certified.

brywhite

I agree with you guys on proceeding with caution.

I find it remarkable how precisely similar these wheels are to the factory originals. I get a sense that they could potentially be made by the same factory.

If not the same factory, what would the flip side be? Perhaps that these wheels are produced by some opportunist company which realized the sheer lack of availability of 21" tires that they would tool and invest in making "exact" replicas of the Factory 21" wheels in 20" and 22" sizes. I could be wrong but it seems like a lot of effort for a small LX market.

I've emailed the wheel vendor to find more details on whether or not there is any certification / testing of these - manufacturer name, and if there are potentially any testimonials from LX owners. I'll post my findings.

brywhite

For what it's worth, here is an interesting article on the safety of replica wheels: http://www.automoblog.net/2016/04/05...a-wheels-safe/

This article on Ebay http://www.ebay.com/gds/The-truth-ab...7814191/g.html adds some important insight on replica vs. factory.

andreasP

I would recommend staying away from after market wheels except if they were from vendors known for their quality such as hre, bbs, volk, etc. Those would be expensive.

The other option is to get used oem wheels which could be had for good prices even lower than the posted aftermarket style wheels.

ggebhardt

Not hard to copy. All they need is an original wheel and use it to program the CNC to cut the aftermarket wheel. It would be the same less the finish.

T4Fun

im not familiar with the exact rim specs, but the offsets should be verified with actual lexus rims.

why do u want a 20 inch replica when the OEM can be bot multiple places, including ebay?

caha14

The point is that this is the 21-inch wheel design in 20 inch diameter, which - again - not only increases sidewall, but also, it opens the door to many more tire options. There currently is only one tire by one manufacturer (Dunlop) that fits the 21-inch OE wheel. Just one.

T4Fun

i was referring to the 20 inch replica of the OEM 20 inch 5 star rims.
Yes the 21 inch rim is a huge stupid issue, not sure why lexus did it. By all means, 20 inch replica opens up more tire options.