Hi Everyone!

I am going to be a new 2010 GS350 (AWD) owner soon and I am already thinking of getting some new rims for my new baby . I have never gotten after market rims, so please forgive me if my questions seem kind newbie!

I have absolute no idea where to start, but I have a few questions.

1. There seems to be a lot of different kinds of rims out there, how do I know which one is compatible with the GS350? I see specs such as 20x9 front
20x10.5 rear or 205/40/17 (basically random numbers to me), so how do I know the rim will be compatable for my car without any problems?

2. What sparked me to invest in some new rims was the 360 forge meshed rims (Pic here: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/...d070e7bd_b.jpg ) I was just wondering in order to get their car so low to the ground what did they do? Did they go with larger set of rims? did they change the suspension or something? I want to have my car low to the ground too but I have no idea where to start!

Thanks for the help guys!

 

Ok man you have a lot of research to do but I will help you out some here.

Examples:

20 x 9/front wheel - 20 x 10/back wheel
-1st # is the height of the wheel from the ground or the diameter of the wheel
-2nd # is the width of the wheel
-this is called a staggard setup when the width in the back wheels is wider than the front. You can also get the same width for front and back.

How to read tires -
http://www.hogantire.com/tctiresize.htm
or
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoSidewall.do

Offsets are a must -
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...eelOffsets.jsp

Now if you do not want to learn about all this stuff you can take the easy way out and just copy some one else specs in this thread. Nothing wrong with this because then you will know exactly what will work.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...el-thread.html

As far as getting the lowered look you will need to lower your car on either springs or coilovers. Since you are AWD some people are having issues with vibrations when lowering. I would read this to help you make up your mind.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...sion-data.html

 

Chancellor, thank you very much for the very informative post. I have another question, whats the point of getting different sized rims? In that thread you posted there are people using 20" rims, 19" rims etc... is there any particular reason they want larger (or smaller) rims?

Also with regard to the 20x9 and 20x 10 rims, why do we have two different width sizes for the front and back? Is there a particular reason for this?

 

Since you are an AWD model, you can run lets say 20x9 all around and make the offsets staggered. It will give the illusion of the rear being wider then the front.

The proper way to lower a car (in my opinion) is to go with coilovers. Yes, some people get vibrations at idle and so on. Might just be the price you have to pay to be low and look pretty. The only company I recall making them for the AWD model are BC Racing. Check the vendor section for prices and details.

People run different widths because most have a RWD model, which means the rear wheels lay down the power. Keeping that in mind, it would benefit more if you have a wider tire in the rear with a bigger tire contact patch for more/better traction.

 

Currently the stock tires on my GS are 17", if I switched to a 19" or 20" what would be the main differences in getting a larger set of rims?

 

smaller tires would be the difference. if you get aftermarket wheels you have to be careful though. if you go with 20s, in order to keep the same stock overall diameter your front tires will have to be a 30 series which is a very small sidewall. hitting a pothole with a small sidewall can either bubble the tires, blow out the tire or bend your rim.

 

Since the GS I am getting is new.. Will putting on some new rims void the warrenty or anything like that?

Also if I get a set of 20's I have to get new tires correct? If so what are some good tire reccomendations

 

I sent you a PM that has a contact for the wheels.

 

Adding accessories only voids warranty of anything that could be affected by the accessory. In the case of adding wheels, my guess is that it means your wheels are no longer warrantied, your TPMS sensors would lose warranty, and the wheel bearings may also lose warranty since those can be damaged by an imperfectly fitting offset.

You need new tires unless the new wheels are same size as the old. Tires are hard to sell on their own, although you will probably be able to sell your wheels and tires together as a package for a good price.

 

All of the dealerships in my area use 255/30/20 all the way around with no drop. I think its looks nicer than 245/35/20 imo

 

Some of it true, some of it not entirely. Yes, it has a smaller sidewall, but it depends on the road, driver, tire inflation, etc. Some people are just careless when it comes to driving.

Yes, new tires will be needed for a set of 20" wheels. As far as tire recommendations, it can go as far as your wallet can reach.