Ha.

Replace gold with silver and you might be right. $157 EACH.

 

Have 3 430's in the family, all with different size factory rims. 18 rims ride the worst, 16 the best, 17 in the middle. The smaller rims may not look as good but ride way better.

 

Hmmmmm, what's the odds then that my FD RX7 wheels will fit on the front? They only JUST clear the rears

 

Have to factor in the tariffs

 

I got someone willing to sell me at set with fairly new tires for $750. The only issues are that the center caps have the gold L and the tires are Pirelli P7AS+, which I'm not crazy about due to the wet traction issues I have with my current P7AS+ tires. I can live with the tires, but those caps are expensive if you buy them new. I can try ebay, but the wheels looks like they are almost perfect or either reconditioned, and many of the ebay caps look rough.

 

Is the difference really noticeable? I'm running low mileage Premiers on 17's. Factory PSI. Quiet and comfortable. Have a set of 18's. Tire choice would be Pilots or maybe Premiers. Personal opinion but I like the look of the 18's better.

 

I'll be able to tell you before long. I'm buying that set of 16s, and they have the same exact tire by current 17s have. I'm picking them up next week.

 

Do you have to use hammer on wheel weights for 16's on an LS430?

 

Look forward to your thoughts. My LS came w/ 18's and rock hard old Michelins. I've got the Sports package. Not a good combo.

 

My other LS430 has 18s with the same tires but V rated and it rides good, but with only 22k miles, I don't think it is fair to compare to a car with 143k miles. Suspension wear will definitely play a big factor. But even with 143k , the h rated 17s ride better than the v rated 18s on a car with 113k less miles. It will be interesting to see how the 16s h-rated ride. The tires on the 16s appear to be in good shape as far as I can tell. Should be interesting.

 

I have the sport package sitting on factory 18s as well. I recently replaced the Bridgestone Potenza RE97 AS tires that came on the car when I bought it for a set of Michelin Premiers. The Premiers absorb the small bumps/ripples/expansion joints much better than the Potenzas, and are considerably more quiet on all road surfaces. The Potenzas were a little more responsive on initial turn-in and took longer to start complaining when cornering hard, but as much as I enjoy tossing around 2 tons of LS, I'd rather have a slightly cushier ride since I don't chuck the car around that much. If you're looking at keeping the 18s but want a quieter and smoother tire, I highly suggest the Premiers.

 

I went from 18" to 17" and the ride quality improved. I think 18" rims and greater are ridiculous but I'm sure the tire manufacturers love the fact that they can sell less rubber for more money.

 

I agree. Especially on a luxury barge. I was at my Lexus dealer a year or so ago and they were complaining about it too. Said they generated tons of complaint about ride quality, especially when owners replaced them. Lots of buyers don't realize how expensive the tires are to replace and purchase a cheaper, lower quality tire that rides rough. Then they come into the dealership complaining about the ride. Many people don't realize how much difference a quality tire can make in their car.

 

 

Well, I'll have to wait a little longer. I was supposed to pick them up today, but I spent all day at the animal ER. My wife adopted 2 cats a few months ago, and one literally ripped the other one a new one with his claws and it go infected. So now, in additional to not being able to get my new wheels, I have a $300 cat butthole bill.

Life is funny sometimes.