Hi all,

I'm looking to buy new or used rims to put on my 1997 LS400. Are there any parameters or specs that I need to know before buying rims? I know I can't just slap any old rims on there but what will fit and what wont? Please excuse my ignorance, I'm not very car savvy... this is pretty much my first attempt at doing this without ordering through a 3rd party...I'm trying to save money.

All help is much appreciated! Thanks!

 

If you're trying to save money and looking to buy something that will fit with no fender modification, there are some OEM 18" lexus wheels that work. I'm not sure about what exact specs you need to fit wheels, but i do know these types have been run successfully:

18x8 06-07 GS350/GS430 (wheels on my car). Check out my build thread.


LS430 18" 5 spoke also fit and look great.


SC430 18" fit as well but don't look that great in my opinion

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm looking for after market rims but I don't know really know how to tell if they will fit besides the fact that I've got 5 lugs so I know I need rims with 5 lug holes. Again I'm extremely ignorant with all of this. I'm looking on craigslist, offerup and letgo and have found a few rims that I really like but I'm not sure they'll fit properly. Is there any way to tell right off the bat without driving out and trying them on??

 

easiest thing for you to do without trying them on, is determine what wheel specifications are known to work with our cars already, and work from there.

Those OEM Lexus wheels I showed you are 18x8 +45 offset. If you don't want to do any fender work, you will probably want to get wheels with somewhat similar specs as those.

Brake clearance is also apparently an issue since our cars came with big brakes from the factory

 

you need to look for wheels with high disc clearance due to the 4 piston calipers in front.

Also those SC430 wheels won't work without minimum of a 15mm wheel spacer in front.

 

Look at the top of the main forum page. There are "stickies" subjects about your car.


OEM Toyota/Lexus wheels that clear 95-00 big brakes (5x114.3, 60.1mm hub)Tire size calculator

• Tire size calculator

 

there we go!

 

ok thanks for the help.

I figured out that my car is currently running 16" rims with a 45 offset and the ones I'm going to look at today are 20" with a 35 offset. I really like them and he's got em for a good price with tires so I'm hoping they work out. I'll keep yall posted.

 

I had some Enkei Luxury Series LXM, specs were 20x8.5 +35 w/ a 245/35/20 tire and everything cleared fine. Lock to lock there were no rubbing issues, nor were there any issues when the suspension was cycled.



before I added the clear Depo headlights and corner lights

 

it really depends on how big of a wheel and how much tire you want to run.

to start, the car has 5x114.3mm bolt pattern so all wheel must have this to even bolt onto the car.
then for offset it will depend on width. for instance, a simple clean setup (in my opinion) are 18x8 +35 offset wheels with 245/45/18 tires.
lastly as mentioned here the wheel design needs to clear the big brakes. offset is not the final determining factor here.

as you vary the sizing the tires will need to compensate so use the tire calculator above to help!
stock tire sizing is 225/60/16.
chose a tire with the least amount of variance from stock outer diameter (closest to 0% difference in the calculator) for least amount of speedometer difference.

if this is still foreign to you, either seek a tire shop for professional help, or find wheels you like and we will tell you if they will work or not!

 

Just dont do 20s, I hate mine!! Cant wait to swap them out for some nice 19s with more rubber.

 

It's your car, so its up to you. But I would really listen to Moarpower ^ above

17's are too small for an LS400; just don't do it.
18's are great, but you better be low otherwise it might look kinda silly. I run 18's so that I could still have a decent amount of tire sidewall. I had to lower my car quite a bit to get the look I was going for though.
19's truly are the best diameter wheel for our cars. Easiest to make look good. Least amount of hassle or modification. Only downside is 19 inch tires are expensive!
20's are really hard to pull off, in my opinion. They make the car look a little too... hmmmm... "hood"? But it can be done! Its just rare that 20's ever make me say "wow, perfect".
These are just my opinions on wheel diameter sizes for an LS400, but they seem to be commonly accepted opinions.

I won't even go in to width, offset, disk height, and tire sizes, because playing with aftermarket wheels is not an exact science. As with anything car-modifying related, there will be some trial and error; and at the end of the day personal opinion is always the largest factor. The basics can be taught, but if you're really trying to nail a specific look it also comes down to experience.
That said, for your first set of wheels I would recommend buying used. That way if they end up not fitting exactly how you imagined, you can sell them again and not lose too much cash, if any.

I guess that just leaves the final question, that I dont think has been asked or answered yet:
What are you trying to do with the car? Is there a specific style or influence that you have? Or are you just wanting anything to get rid of the factory wheels for refreshed look?
Are you trying to be the center of attention at a red light or in a parking lot, or do you want to be subtle?