LS - 3rd Gen (2001-2006) Discussion topics related to the flagship Lexus LS430

18" rims... not perfectly vertical in back

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Old 07-02-07, 02:17 PM
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MarshalWeb
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Default 18" rims... not perfectly vertical in back

So one thing I noticed when I put on the new 18" rims and tires is that when you look at the car from the back you can notice that the wheels are not perfectly vertical (they are slightly // \\ rather than || || if that makes any sense).

When I talked to the guys at Goodyear they said that it is pretty slight having only gone up to an 18" (apparently it gets more extreme on cars with each increase in rim size) and that it is totally normal and expected especially with a sedan.

Does this sound right to you guys?
Do I need to be concerned with unusual tread wear in the 'inside' part of each back tire?
Is the only way to fix this with something exotic like a camber kit (which might be more trouble and expense than it is worth)?

Thanks,
-MarshalWeb
Old 07-02-07, 03:30 PM
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bb430
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They should be fine pending on your offset of the wheels. All these time you have not mention anything about your wheels' size and offset so it's knid of hard to judge...
Old 07-02-07, 04:03 PM
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FLIPPU
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Just installing wheels does not do anything to the camber of the car..Now, if you LOWERED the car, then I can see why it would change camber.

I have 20's on my car and I "NEED" to have some camber to clear the rear fenders.

Mike
Old 07-02-07, 05:16 PM
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mywong23
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rear wheels tilted inward is a indication of negative camber. I don't know the alignment specs should be. A little negative camber can improve tire grip. but too much negative camber might wear out the inner treads prematurely.

the diameter of the wheel will not affect alignment. as previous posts mentioned, lowering a car will affect camber.

if you have not modified the suspension, your eyes are probably just now noticing the camber angle - as you are admiring the wide, lower profile tires on your new, larger diameter wheels

To play safe, you could have the alignment checked. Or keep sharp eye monitoring tire wear.

Last edited by mywong23; 07-02-07 at 05:22 PM.
Old 07-02-07, 06:25 PM
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Dr. Jekyll
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Originally Posted by FLIPPU
Just installing wheels does not do anything to the camber of the car..Now, if you LOWERED the car, then I can see why it would change camber.

I have 20's on my car and I "NEED" to have some camber to clear the rear fenders.

Mike
Mine is lowered as well (just not as much as Mike) and it's got the negative camber too. I had it aligned and checked out and it falls close enough in spec. no adjustments were necessary. But I agree, if you didn't lower it something seems wrong.
Old 07-03-07, 08:11 AM
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I6turbo
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IIRC, the LS has a little negative camber in the rear when completely stock with a proper alignment, etc. It's more NOTICEABLE when you install larger aftermarket wheels/tires, but it isn't different.
Old 07-03-07, 09:15 AM
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bb430
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I think it's important to know what size of wheel and offset is regard to the after market wheel; if the offset is a lot less than 45mm(25mm~35mm) on a 8" wheel, I would think since the wheel is being pushed out to the fender more and the shock is puting more weight toward inside of the wheel, it just MIGHT cause a more negative camber look...Thoughts???
But then again, I have 19x10 ET49 on my car's rear and it has a negative camber look as well...
Old 02-11-09, 12:30 AM
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SupraSC
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I have an 04 LS and I have the same problem. Lexus of Memphis told me that it was a design flaw in the suspension and that they could replace some parts but within a year or so it would do it again. Can you say recall? What they did do was to align my wheels with major toe-in ... it helped but I still get excessive wear on the inside of my tires
Old 02-11-09, 04:35 AM
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Swagga82
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I did notice before and after my drop that the camber looked like it was slightly off.
( AND I DID GET ALLIGMENT AFTER DROP BACK TO SPEC)... but after speaking to a tech they told me as long as i have a alignment i should be good, an a 1" INCH drop should not effect the LS430 camber at all....i have had my drop springs for almost a year no inner tire wear.....

bb430, question
I am buying 22inch rimz right... the rims are 22x8.5 it can come either with a 35mm or 20mm offest do u think i would have bad inner tire where now if im not gettin it with my stock 18"
Old 02-12-09, 05:41 AM
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sojah
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i would say it is normal for them to sit a little cambered. i had a set of 20's installed on an infiniti m sedan and it did this, and the tire wear on the inside of the rear tires got kinda bad. i then replaced the tires and put the wheels on a gs400 and it did the same thing. i talked to others who said it was normal going to such a larger rim than what it was made for...
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