I need new wheel/tires before Friday as my 19 yr old kid goes back to school.

He has a 2001 LS430 Ultra (my hand me down) with the 2001 17" OEM chrome wheels.

What wheels look good? He is fine with shiny black as well.

I need to get them asap, as the OEM are pitted and ruining the side walls and I am concerned about the size, type and fitment just from reading through the LS430 forum. What size works?

What do I need to know and what do I need to worry about?

Also, any recommendations on where is the best place to buy wheels/tires for the car in the general Ft. Lauderdale area, specifically Coral Springs?

 

If the chrome is pitted but the tires don't leak air, you really don't NEED wheels.

Choosing wheels - size ( diameter, width, and offset ) and style and of course price range is very personal, but I can tell you from experience- all the used 17s I wanted to buy and tried to buy didn't fit on the front of my 2005 LS430 because of the calipers. Yours is a 2001, and the front calipers, I am pretty sure, are smaller so you may have a wider choice.

Any shop that sells new wheels will know what fits the car - and if they are not sure ( and they are smart ) they'll test fit them before they mount any tires on the wheels.

Hope that helps.

 

2001 has same large calipers. Agreed, there's no need to replace the wheels, just gotta check the tire pressures more often. The wheels will not ruin the tires.

 

I've had three tire failures in the past 3-years.

The Lexus store said the following when they comped me a free tire:

"Rims are pitted and need replacement.
Cleaned rims 11/07/2008.
Rim pitting is reoccuring.
Replace tire at no charge for valued customer.
Inner sidewall of tire is damaged.
Customer will need new rims to correct problem."

My kid had a side wall blow out failure two weeks ago.
He just got back from school today, and I noticed another side wall with a big bulge on the side wall.
Its got to be the wheels.

 

I highly doubt that you NEED new wheels, because pitting simply will not damage a tire. It can interfere with the way the tire seals against the wheel, ( this will cause the tire to leak air ) but it won't cause blowouts or cause a bulge on the side wall.

I won't be the least bit offended if you choose to believe your dealership, who has actually seen your wheels / pitting, but I'd hazzard a guess that your son is hitting curbs and THAT is damaging your sidewalls - not the chome pitting.

 

Maybe he's not checking the tire pressures often. Running around on 10-15psi will cause the sidewall problems and tire failure pretty quickly. But if the tires are always losing air due to the wheels then you might as well replace them.

 

The tires are NOT losing air.

There is no curb rash on the wheels or tires.

 

OK, sounds like you do need to replace the wheels. Expect to spend $ 500 to $ 1,000 ( maybe less if you can find some good used wheels ) I hope it solves the problem.

 

The 17s will be hard to find; you could just take them to a wheel shop and have the chrome stripped off and refinished in silver paint or powdercoat. Or you can buy the popular new aftermarket 18" wheels (the stock 5-spoke cloones) on ebay for about $600, but you'll have to get new tires too. Another alternative is to get the stock 16" wheels, there are plenty of those available for cheap, and you'll still have to get new tires also, but since they're 16s the cost should be quite less.

 

Does anyone know the 2001 17" OEM chrome specifications to look for some options?

I called a Lexus store and other than having the 17x7.5 #, he had no other information i.e. offset numbers etc. and the price for one was what I can get four for.

And yes, I have to buy new tires anyway.

The wheels are 17x7.5, correct?

What is the wheel offset?

What is the bolt pattern?

Hub size?

Back spacing?

The online stores ask for these specs, any help will be appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[/COLOR]It is impossible to trust what a tire/wheel store will say unless they have had specific experience with fitting an aftermarket wheel to this particular car. The reason for this is that the LS430 has possibly the largest front calipers of any car with 16" or 17" wheels. Practically all aftermarket/custom 16" or 17" wheels will not clear the caliper, even though it may "fit" in terms of wheel width, diameter, and offset.

If cost is the concern and you're just looking for reliable replacements for what is already on the car without much regard to esthetics, then I'd go for a set of the stock 16" wheels. They are cheap, good quality, and guaranteed to fit because they are OEM. The tires will be cheaper, last the longest, and also be super quiet and cushy.

If you want to upgrade the looks of the car a bit and probably make your son a little happier then I'd go for the 18" knockoffs on ebay. Tires will be a little more expensive because they are 18s, but the ride will still be good. If you have time to leave the car at a shop then get a quote on having the current wheels refinished. It might run about $150/wheel. Try Specialty Automotive Treatments on Sunrise Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, or Supamags in Oakland Park.

Here's some 17's on ebay, $238 each:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-LS430-...ht_4209wt_1396

some more:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-LS430-...088f45&vxp=mtr

Here's the 18s, $569 for a set of four:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-Rim-Fits-...ht_1604wt_1163

And the 16s you can get them all day long for $60-100 on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-01-Lexus-...#ht_500wt_1180

Guess you can tell I'm kinda bored at work today...

 

Lets make the kid feel good.

So the OEwheels in the 18" would work perfectly?

 

This one:

SKU#: SET-LX02-18075-5450-45HB
WHEEL SIZE: 18x7.5
WHEEL OFFSET: 45
BOLT PATTERN: 5-114.3
HUB SIZE: 60.1
BACK SPACING: 6.02
CENTER CAPS: Center cap included, Original center cap will interchange
LUG NUTS: Discounted lug packages available 1-866-273-3651
How about lugs and the center cap to match, lets go all out.
I was going to get the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires other than 18" what size do I need?

 

Yes those OE wheels will go right on without any problems, and update the look of the car too. what color is the car?

Not sure what the oem tire size is to go with that wheel, should be easy to find here by searching.

 

Its a 2001 black on black Ultra with 99,968 miles

It used to be mine back in the day (2001-2006), then it was my oldest kids (2007-2010), now its on my youngest kid's car.Been in the family since new.

I have a black on black 2008 LS460LWB with 28,000 miles