Juli

Hi, I'm pretty new here. We bought my 2008 SC in June of this year. I've not liked the wheels or the run flats since I've gotten her. Previously I drove a 2009 Lexus ES (still have) which drives smoother and I think it is because of the run flats. I would like to change the wheels very soon. Two of the tires are only a year old. Here are my questions?

- What do you like for wheels?
- Should I change to regular tires, if so which ones?
- Should I have the Lexus dealer do this work?
- What other things do I need to consider?

Here is a picture of my SC:


Thanks for your help,

Juli

A1Lexis

iTrader: (6)

I chose to stay with Lexus OEM wheels and went with the G-Spiders and couldn't be happier. I ordered them from Sewell Lexus. About $225 each including shipping with our CL discount. They've been on my SC almost 2 years and look brand new. For tires, I went with Hankook V12 Ventus. I already had a set on my RX so I knew what to expect. Very quite, great traction in the rain and great handling. Ordered them from Discount Tire. Once everthing came in, I brought them to my local tire installer, mounted and balanced. Threw away the run flats and now carry a tire kit in the trunk.

WPSC430

How is the offset as compared to the stock sc430 rims? Did you get spacers to fill out the rear?

A1Lexis

iTrader: (6)

The offset is 45 and weight is 27.8 lbs.. I'm running Ichiba 20mm front spacers and 30mm rear, dropped on Megan coilovers.

Juli

This is so over my head!

sixonemale

I have the same color scheme and wheels on my '06 SC, or should I say my wife's SC. I went through many gyrations of looking at various wheels, the same one's shown in your photo, but chrome, but when I saw them on another white SC, nixed that idea. I went to various wheel dealer websites where you could interchange wheels and see how they looked online. I was also highly interested the Pebble Beach spoked wheels, but ultimately decided against those too. I think the spider wheels look great on the Pebble Beach model with the red or ecru interior, and chrome wheels look best on a dark colored car, if at all. The main reason I stayed with the wheels that we both have is that when the top is down the stars in the wheels are kind of brownish/copper color and somewhat compliment the camel interior, and ultimately decided I did not like chrome. In summary, this was my thought process which is worth what you paid for it. Good luck in your search for the ultimate wheel.

jeffwingo

Juli--

Keep the wheels..lose the run flats. I switched out my run flats for Continentals and it was like getting a new car. I went ahead and got a spare and the kit from Sewell but leave it out unless going on a long trip.

dark

I like your wheels, please sell them to me if you don't want them.

Yes

It depends on your budget. If you switch to aftermarket wheels, you can easily spend $3,000 - $4,000 just on wheels. Personally, I'd avoid the cheaper aftermarket wheels. They tend to have issues with quality that often lead to vibrations.

If your budget is more modest, say under $1,000, I'd stick to Lexus wheels. If you scroll down in this link, they have several styles to choose from.

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accesso...C430-2002.html

Either way, I would get regular tires. Runflats ride like wagon wheels. Also, I personally wouldn't run spacers. They have a slight safety risk. As in there's a slight chance your wheel could come off while driving. That's not the kind of slight chance I like to take.

barncat

Continentals DWS Extremes. Lose the run-flats....drives like a different car.

Juli

Ok, will do.

Juli

Can anyone explain what spacers are and why we would need them if we change out the wheels?

OBP

You will only need spacers if the wheels you choose don't fit on the car given your brake calipers. The spacers push out the wheels a little more. Some people also install spacers for cosmetic reasons even if their wheels fit. Sometimes, installing spacers have led to vibration as reported by a few owners.

I am running Conti DWS on oem 5 spoke twisties and i am happy with them. But you need to follow the tire rotation schedule - I got slight vibration from my contis when i left a rotation a little bit late.

Pechanga20

Spend the money and get some Vossens if you want to roll VIP style. I'm looking for some IS-F wheels, I like the factory look.

Diego@Vossen

Beautiful car, let me know if i can assist you. a set of Vossen wheels would certainly give the SC a whole new look.