Glad to have found this Lexus Forum. Just picked up 03' LS 430 and, I've seen the posts requesting pics posted of new LS joined. Mine is on the way. I've got the 17" alloy silver wheels on my LS but love the 18" 5 star LS wheels. Looking for Hyper silver but any Lexus LS 18" will work. Any ideas on where I could find some? I'm also down to work out a deal with getting rid of mine for 18". Thanks and pics will be up soon.

 

Sewell Lexus has them....make an account with them and you'll get 30% off as a club Lexus memeber

 

Thanks. I'll check them out. Anyone down to swap wheels and cash?

 

Try ebay and save some money.

 

Don't do dealership wheels........about 300% markup. OE wheels or Finishline probably $700 delivered and they will be identical.

 

Thanks. Yeah I called the dealership and they seemed high. Checked out the OE wheels and they seem to be the cheapest. They say out of stock so I'll call tuesday to see when they'll be in. Thanks

 

Welcome to the club. Yeah 18" REALLY freshens up the look of an 01-03 LS430. Along with updated clear strip tail lights. I have Oe wheel replica 18s. Still Look new after a year. They weigh the same as stock. The only thing is that they are a bit shinier than oem. I paid some where around $550 shipped. Way cheaper that when I paid $1700 for a set 5 years ago for my 1st Ls430.

BTW, I have size 235/50/18 tires. They ride more comfortable compared to size 245/45/18 with a thinner tire wall.

 

JLAWS,

What tire are you running in the 235/50/18 size? I just ordered four Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires in that size for my 05 LS430. I've been running Michelin Pilot A/S plus tires for a while in the stock 245/45/18 size, and wanted to try the Conti's out with a slightly higher profile to see if it improves ride quality at all. Plus the Pilots are a little noisy, compared to a Michelin Primacy anyway.

What tire did you run before in the 245/45/18 size?
Jim

 

Thanks for the welcome. Those look good, I was hoping the hyper silver would be shinier. I read some on the ride with the 18"s compared to the 17"s and good to know I can still get the same ride comfort with those tires. Where did you get your tail lights from? Also I'm guessing you have an 01'-03'; if so, what other mods have you done to yours? I'm def trying to get some ideas to freshen mine up a bit. Thanks

 

Jim, the Conti DWS tires are really nice and quiet.

 

Hi Jim, I am running Pirelli PZero Neros with size 235/50/18 with "sport suspension". Great tire! Quiet and Very comfortable over these New England roads. The curb protector saved my rims numerous times!! I keep my tire pressure between 30 and 32.
Now the extra tire size do rub slightly when you back up and do a sharp turn all at once. Doesn't look as cool as the lower profile 245/45/18 Bridgestones I had but I'll take the extra added comfort!

 

Good to know. Thanks for the reply. I'm having them installed the middle of this week. I only have about 15k miles on my Michelin Sport A/S Plus tires and they are good tires, but a little noisy and ride a little rough. They grip the road nicely though. I got a nail in the sidewall of one of them the other day, so it can't be repaired. A new tire including shipping and install will run me a little over $300, so since I'm not in love with them, I thought I'd try something new. Four of the Conti's are about $750 not including install. I have Primacy's on two of my other cars (Lexus) and I like them as well, but I've seen good reviews of the Conti's so I figured I'd give them a try.

Jim

 

Thanks JLAWS,

So you did see a noticeable difference in ride comfort by going to the 235/50... My experience with Pirelli tires dates back many years ago. I had them on a couple of Saab's I owned. What I remember from them is that they had a pretty soft sidewall, which would help with the ride comfort. Not sure if they still make them with a soft sidewall though...

Jim

 

LSLove,

Sorry for highjacking your thread... JLAWS comment on his tire size prompted me to ask for more info about his experience with it... Hopefully your original question has been answered.

Thanks,

Jim

 

OP post pictures of your car?