Sound Dampening Wheels - Do they really work?
 

Subject says it all.

I am very interested in them. Reason: I drive 120 miles per day on the interstate. Often more.

Sound matters to me. I am in my car for hours a day.

Do those wheels really make a difference? Anyone have a "before and after" experience with them?

While test driving back to back I noticed a marked difference in road noise between the two.

This has asked before. I believe we had a multi page discussion on this back in 2021.

Yes they work. But don't expect miracles. Don't get them because they're NR. Get them for aesthetics. (if you must get them)

Good luck.

They do look nice (in my opinion)...

They look so nice I bought a new brush just to clean them.

Well I had a 2013 Luxury model w/o NR wheels and I now have a 2019 with NR wheels. Unlike you I don't spend hours a day in the car. However, I couldn't tell the difference between the wheels if you were pulling my fingernails out. They are beautiful to look at and Lexus did a good job on the aesthetics... :bigthumbu
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...2f7860e673.jpg
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I have a 2023 UL which has NR wheels. I don't have a noise comparison, but my major beef with the car as a whole is that I would have preferred a smaller wheel with a taller side wall to iron out some of the bumps in today's roads!

Self fulfilling prophecy. If you expect them to be quieter, they will be.

This thread looks at the issue from many different perspectives.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...18-wheels.html

Several people somewhat agreed with BBQapple who said, "Allow me to summarize: 10db [which was noted as the difference in a research paper] is in fact a big reduction, but it only happens at a low frequency like what you would hear when you hit an expansion joint or a single pockmark impact. The wheels do not make much of a difference with normal road noise which is more determined by the tires."

I like the look also. The semi chrome look, really stands out. I think they would look even better if they had right and left versions. The spokes are angled slightly and every fifth spoke has a bit of a tail. The spoke angles and tail look like they are in the wrong direction for the passenger side wheels. The early 2008-2010 ISF wheels had similarly angled spokes but they were angled differently for right and left side application. Admittedly this is can be cumbersome when removing and re-installing wheels or if you have to replace one for damage but at least the design looks symmetrical from one side to the other.

The only thing I don’t like about them is that the tire pressure goes up while driving.

Good one 😉

if noise while driving 120 miles a day is really important to you, try ear plugs. I use them when sleeping with my wife on vacations.. they work great! BUT don't fall asleep and pay attention to the road when using them. not recommended but IF you are dieing for quiet.. might work

I have a 2019 es 350 UL with NR wheels, they are definitely quieter in MHO however, I'm only in my car about 1 - 2 hours per day. My local Lexus dealer provided a 2024 ES 350 F sport Design, I could definitely tell the difference. After 1 day I was so happy to get my car back.

it'd be more accurate to compare against non-UL 18" wheels instead of F Sport 19s. 19s would naturally be louder than 18s=more wheel, less sidewall, more contact patch.