longjohn

I am looking to get into the iForged group buy for my '06 GS300 and have some questions that I need opinions on. I am not an aggressive driver, so I don't need performance wheels/tires. I'm just looking for a sportier look than the stock 17" 10-spoke wheels offer. Most importantly, I don't really want to forfeit ride quality too much. Being new to buying wheels, I have a few questions:

1. I came into this thinking that going with 18" Senekas or Essens would be about right. Derrick at D2 is telling me that the 18" would be too small, and if I go with 19" with a fat tire setup (higher aspect ratio) I'll get the look I'm interested in and my ride quality will not suffer much. Any opinions on the effect 19" would have on ride quality?

2. I've seen lowering mentioned many times, especially with larger wheels. Is it possible to lower the car without degrading ride quality much? Or better yet, can it be improved? What would be the best choice for ride quality?

3. Do larger wheels lead to significantly greater wear and tear on the car?

4. How much extra work is it to clean around rivets?

5. Given that I value ride quality and don't drive very aggressively, what size and/or brand of tire would you put on if I go with the 19"? how about 18"? It seems that I have many more options in the 18" tires than I do with the 19" tires. I am currently considering the Toyo Proxes T1-R's.

6. In your opinion, which finish would look best on the Essen or Seneka with Flint Mica? Graphite, Hi-polished, or Brushed Aluminum?

Any answers/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

blueGS400

19" at least, in my opinion i would not do anything smaller than 20 on the new gs personally,,,,,,,,,,,toyo t1r is a nice tire by the way

foofighter

rivets can be a PITA to do. i've gotten down to a science w/ my previous LM's on my old car. I get a soft bristled paint brush (1") and go over the rivets first. then w/ a wet hand towel go over the lip and surface then a sponge to do the in betweens.

LexFather

1. You have to at least do 19s and a drop. The GS is a big body car.
2 Yes, once you don't go aggresive with spring rates/shocks, you can retain the ride quality.
3. No, not if they are sized right and the wheels don't weigh 50lbs each (i.e heavy chrome wheels)
4. Nothing that serious to me, I love the rivet look, and cleaning them may add 5-10 min to washing your car.
5. Toyos are decent tires.
6. Fint Mica, to be honest they would all look good. Brushed is the classic look, High polished is like chrome, it will accent the chrome on the windows, headlights, and lower valence well. Graphite would look stealth. YOu can't go wrong.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

The GS is a large car. Visually, I agree 19s at least. Since ride quality seems like an importantconcern, I'd go 18s or 19s fat. Both these setup have the same sidewalls so the ride quality would be very similar. The only issue with 19s fat is that the outside diameter is 1" over spec and there are some minor rubbing issues with having the wheel at the size.

I have not driven the 3GS so I cannot say. From other members feedback, it seems like the 3GS is a bit more balances/sporty than the 2GS. For the 2GS, going with "comfort" coilovers retained much of the ride quality while it DID improve the ride. The car became more predictable and not so floaty. At this point, there is not much choice in terms of dropping the car. There are a couple of sets of Tanabes available, one meant for a bigger drop and one for comforlt (less drop). Coilovers are in R&D but nothing released yet.

Not significantly.

I don't have rivets so I'll leave this for members with this experience.

I've heard the Pirelli P-Zero Nero and the Michelin PS2 rides pretty nice.


I know this sounds generic but they all will look nice on your car. Remember that Hi-polished is almost chrome like. This is an individual's choice so you may have a personal opionion on what type of rims you like.

Good luck.

longjohn

Thanks all for your answers/opinions. Keep them coming.

Damn Neo, just when I had decided to go with 19s, you had to throw the rubbing issue in there. Do you mean on the front with the wheel pinned to one side, or would your standard 90 degree turn do it, or do you mean just driving down the road and hitting a decent bump?

I think I saw somewhere that coilovers offered the drop with a more comfortable ride. Does that sound right? I guess if I go 19 fat, dropping isn't an option anyways, right?

Neo

iTrader: (3)

The rubbing comes in these flavors:

1. Fast freeway driving, you hit a big bump and the springs compress enough for the tires to rub the top of the inner wheel well liner. Both front and rear could be issues but it happens more in the front.

2. If you have a heavy trunk system or heavy passengers in the rear seats, rubbing can occur.

3. When you try to do more than normal turns (90 degree) like doing a U-turn, rubbing can occur.

4. When you reverse, rubbing can occur. This do not need to be 90 degree. I have not taken the time to figure out this phenomenon.

5. This is related to 3 and 4. Anytime you have the wheels turned, there is a chance for the tires to catch on the fender lip. If you go up a steep street/driveway with the wheels in this position, the compression by the steepness can cause rubbing.

I know this sounds like a lot but these things don't come up THAT often and as long as you are aware, you can minimize 3, 4, and 5. I drive with 20s with this same problem and I have learned to adjust to it. If I had to do 19s, I would go with fat tires too.

One of the advantages to coilovers is that they offer matched/tuned shocks/springs in one unit. There are no guessing on trying to match up the parts. With that being the case, a coilover can be tuned for the track and different street ride conditions. Picking the coilover that is right for your needs is the somewhat tricky part since only you will know your tolerance.

Coilovers CAN be more comfortable that an after market s/s setup or it can be stiffer. It will NOT be more comfortable than the OEM setup. It can be extremely close AND offer a more consistent ride. I find the OEM setup comfortable but too bouncy in adverse road conditions. Good aftermarket coilovers can offer the comfort while adding more control and predictability.

As for dropping with 19s fat, that is definitely still an option that you should look at. The extra height will make the car somewhat high looking. The nice thing with the extra height is that you don't have to drop it as low to reduce the fender gap.

longjohn

Neo, thanks for the excellent clarification. That sounds like something I can live with.

Now I'm really confused. Wouldn't dropping even a little bit exacerbate any rubbing issues I might have or am I completely missing the boat on something here?

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Yes, dropping the car will increase the chances of rubbing. 1 and 2 will be worse because you are that much closer to the top of the wheel well. BUT, aftermarket suspensions are not as soft as OEM so it will take a little more to compress the springs. This will reduce the chances a bit.

With the fender lip rubbing, it is not completely that bad either. Partly due to the way the suspension travels, it is not a direct up and down motion. The top actually tips inwards and that helps to avoid the lip. When you lower, the wheel moves in that same plane. Yes, you are increasing the proximity of the wheel to the car body but it is not as bad as it sounds.

Like I said earlier, having the larger wheel diameter means you don't have to drop it as much to reduce the fender gap. There is a balance between looks and driveability that you will need to consider. The amount of drop (or not) will be up to you and your tolerance level.

Sup

20's would put the body too high off the ground...suv style.

19's and a drop are perfect imo.

blueGS400

20's and a drop are perfect to me, i had 20" staggered on 2nd gen gs and slammed on hks coilovers and never got any rubbing, if your offset and tire size are correct you will not rub with 19's or 20's for that matter,,,,,,,,,,,,

akim47

I would say 19" minimum and 20" would be perfect.

I know the car is a lux car, and supposed to ride nice... it just depends if you want to pay to play...
I am sure people buy 7 series for the nice ride and status... but I love it when they drop it on 22' alpinas w/ crazy lip and the shi7 rolled out of the fender... You can have what no one else has and set urself apart...

me, well, i am actually biting mr sypher's wheels... 20x8.5 fr +42 offset (big brake disc), 20x10 rr +47 offset (deep dish disk) work rezax.... except im gettin em in 3d chrome...

I plan on cutting the fenders out of the rear (vs. rolling)... for the front, there is nothing to cut, so rubbing may be inevitable... I plan on slammin it as low as the tein coilovers will go (once they come out)...

maybe im different, but i dont think i will mind the stiffer ride... i used to drive hondas with cut stock springs... anything better is an improvement...

if your goal is not to go for the look, and you are not willing to sacrifice ride qual, then more power to you. stick to something simple... if you want wheels and to lower your car, i say pay the extra money and do it right... you are considering iforged, then i would go 20" with staggered setup, and aggresive offset to get as much lip as possible... if ur in socal, there are a couple of shops that roll fenders professionally... if you sand and add touch up paint, you can prevent rust underneath (they heat up the paint before rolling, but you still get cracking)... otherwise, my friend is good at cutting fenders...

ak

longjohn

Thanks for chiming in with your hard-core mod perspective, because it helped me to realize that I don't share that perspective. I bought the GS300 because it was a comfortable, luxurious, dependable car that also happened to be sporty. Not because it's a sports car that also happened to be comfortable, luxurious, and dependable.

I absolutely agree with all you guys that think that 20" with a drop is the hottest look. I look at some of the stuff on this forum and say . I've struggled with the whole ride quality issue for a reason. It's time I listen to that voice in my head that's saying 'chill out'. The other wheel option I've been considering is the G-Spiders. I know they don't look nearly as hard-core, but after looking around at the pictures on this forum a bit, I realize they still have the look I'm interested in.

Thanks to all who contributed for your perspectives and for the learning experience. When I do go out and buy that true sports car, I'll be better equipped to make a wheel decision.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

The 3GS can't be that bad in the rear. With the offsets above, there is no need for fender mods on the 2GS.

Always do what is comfortable for you, longjohn. I will add one note. Other than the rubbing issues described, the ride quality on 19s fat and 18s will be the same. If staggered, they both will have 40 series front and 35 series rear. If all around, they both will have 40 series. The side wall is the same for both setup.