I drive my LS in a relaxed style pretty much all the time, and am buying 17 inch wheels to replace my OEM 18. Planning on getting Michelin Primacys.

The guy at the wheel shop said I will definitely notice the difference driving on a forged - 18 pound wheel vrs. a cast - 24 pound wheel. If I had a small light sports car he may be right, but on a massive LS430 , with my driving style, I'm not so sure,

I'm wondering is he trying to upsell me to a more expensive wheel, or giving me good advise ?

 

You'll notice the braking improvements far more than any acceleration benefits, high curb weight and okay rwhp being the limiting factor.

Were you already looking at forged wheels, or is he really upselling you?

 

How long do you think you will keep your LS430? If you are going to buy aftermarket wheels, you might want to buy one or two extras. Finding a replacement after a year or two can be impossible as I've found from personal experience.

Unless you are looking to satisfy some sort of "style need", consider a set of OEM LS430 17" or even 16" wheels if you are looking for maximum comfort,lower tire cost and longer tire life.

 

almost forgot, he also said a 7" wide wheel is OK, even though OEM is, I believe 7 1/2" wide.


Interesting, but improved braking is not a benefit I'll notice much , if ever ( I hope ) I coast a lot and brake early.

I wasn't looking for anything particular

He had three wheels I liked that would fit the LS
The first set of 4 were $ 500, hubcentric fit with Toyota, quite plain 5 spoke design, and I liked them.
Second set was $ 750 were BBS style ( which is my favorite ) and quite a nice looking wheel
The forged wheels were $ 960 and a thin, multi spoke wheel, (not my fav. design ) and painted black ( not my fav. either )

I asked about the benefits of a light forged wheel because based on price and visual appeal, obviously the forged wheel would be my last choice.

Also, my LS is Briarwood with the windows slighly tinted. I think black wheels will look a bit gangster, lol, or just awful ... not sure which.

I should have taken pictures.


great idea to buy and extra wheel.

I have looked for OEM 16's and 17's for a couple of months, but nothing decent comes for sale.
I did see a set of 16s for sale that were freshly chromed by the previous owner and never used. They looked brand spankin' new and he wanted to get rid of them. Could of got them for $200 !!!! . I passed with no regrets. ( OK, the truth, to be honest, I couldn't just pass, I offered him $100 and he refused, lol )

 

I did some calculations that showed that every pound saved on the rim/tire combination is like taking ten pounds out of the vehicle.

So in your case, taking six pounds off of each corner is like removing two hundred-forty.from the car.

Picture removing a big guy from your backseat. Would you notice in an LS? I probably wouldn't.

 

If your calculations are right, not a srious difference. maybe the lighter wheels would save me $ $ 100 in gas if I drive the car 10 years