New LS430 Owner (impressions and questions)
06-16-18, 07:25 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
New LS430 Owner (impressions and questions)
Hi guys,
i just switched up my garage up and sold my B8 S4, and bought a 996 for a weekend car and an ‘01 LS430 with 100k as a daily driver.
i can’t get over how much I love the Lexus. It’s an incredible vehicle. It’s 17 years old with 100k on the clock but drives better than a lot of newer cars with less miles. No squeaks or rattles and the only thing not working is the telescopic steering wheel (which I can live with). I’ve owned a bunch of sportier cars (G35 Couoe, CLK550, GC SRT8, A6, S4) as well as driven too many rental cars to mention, and this is by far and away the most comfortable and competent cars I’ve owned.
i do have one small question. My car has the 16 inch wheels, but also has the sports suspension badging. When I’ve browsed this forum in mentions the sports suspension only being available with the 17inch wheels, so is this possible, or did someone either add the badging or swap out the wheels for some reason?
Finally, I have a line on a decently priced set of 04-06 18 inch wheels. Will they got the ‘01? I’ve seen conflicting information.
Thanks guys. Looking forward to contributing more here going forward.
i just switched up my garage up and sold my B8 S4, and bought a 996 for a weekend car and an ‘01 LS430 with 100k as a daily driver.
i can’t get over how much I love the Lexus. It’s an incredible vehicle. It’s 17 years old with 100k on the clock but drives better than a lot of newer cars with less miles. No squeaks or rattles and the only thing not working is the telescopic steering wheel (which I can live with). I’ve owned a bunch of sportier cars (G35 Couoe, CLK550, GC SRT8, A6, S4) as well as driven too many rental cars to mention, and this is by far and away the most comfortable and competent cars I’ve owned.
i do have one small question. My car has the 16 inch wheels, but also has the sports suspension badging. When I’ve browsed this forum in mentions the sports suspension only being available with the 17inch wheels, so is this possible, or did someone either add the badging or swap out the wheels for some reason?
Finally, I have a line on a decently priced set of 04-06 18 inch wheels. Will they got the ‘01? I’ve seen conflicting information.
Thanks guys. Looking forward to contributing more here going forward.
06-16-18, 07:57 PM
#2
Pole Position
Congrats. It's funny to see how new owners of the 15 year old LS430 gush about how amazing the car is, while the LS500 forum is dead and what little activity there is there has nowhere near the high praise seen here.
Lexus took a wrong turn after the LS430.
Lexus took a wrong turn after the LS430.
06-16-18, 08:24 PM
#3
It is far less likely that someone stuck the very small, discreet/basically unnoticeable euro sport suspension badges on an LS, than it is for someone to have swapped the original 17" sport wheels with a set of 16". I've read a few posts owners buying used LS430s with the sport suspension that wanted a slightly more subdued ride, and swapped out for the 16s. I've also read about a few people who bought the sport model new, and had the dealer swap out the 17s for 16s before taking delivery. Either way, you car should definitely accept the 18s from an 04-06. Also keep in mind that the 18s on the 04-06 models also came with wider tires even though the width of the rim is the same as the 17" and 16" rims. After having owned an 01 with sport suspension and the 225/55/17 tire that came on that wheel, I can tell you that I'm much happier with the 245/45/18s that came on my 04 with sport suspension. Much more grip if you plan on doing any 'spirited' driving.
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DWARD51 (06-18-18)
06-16-18, 08:36 PM
#4
Hi guys,
i just switched up my garage up and sold my B8 S4, and bought a 996 for a weekend car and an ‘01 LS430 with 100k as a daily driver.
i can’t get over how much I love the Lexus. It’s an incredible vehicle. It’s 17 years old with 100k on the clock but drives better than a lot of newer cars with less miles. No squeaks or rattles and the only thing not working is the telescopic steering wheel (which I can live with). I’ve owned a bunch of sportier cars (G35 Couoe, CLK550, GC SRT8, A6, S4) as well as driven too many rental cars to mention, and this is by far and away the most comfortable and competent cars I’ve owned.
i do have one small question. My car has the 16 inch wheels, but also has the sports suspension badging. When I’ve browsed this forum in mentions the sports suspension only being available with the 17inch wheels, so is this possible, or did someone either add the badging or swap out the wheels for some reason?
Finally, I have a line on a decently priced set of 04-06 18 inch wheels. Will they got the ‘01? I’ve seen conflicting information.
Thanks guys. Looking forward to contributing more here going forward.
i just switched up my garage up and sold my B8 S4, and bought a 996 for a weekend car and an ‘01 LS430 with 100k as a daily driver.
i can’t get over how much I love the Lexus. It’s an incredible vehicle. It’s 17 years old with 100k on the clock but drives better than a lot of newer cars with less miles. No squeaks or rattles and the only thing not working is the telescopic steering wheel (which I can live with). I’ve owned a bunch of sportier cars (G35 Couoe, CLK550, GC SRT8, A6, S4) as well as driven too many rental cars to mention, and this is by far and away the most comfortable and competent cars I’ve owned.
i do have one small question. My car has the 16 inch wheels, but also has the sports suspension badging. When I’ve browsed this forum in mentions the sports suspension only being available with the 17inch wheels, so is this possible, or did someone either add the badging or swap out the wheels for some reason?
Finally, I have a line on a decently priced set of 04-06 18 inch wheels. Will they got the ‘01? I’ve seen conflicting information.
Thanks guys. Looking forward to contributing more here going forward.
The following users liked this post:
DWARD51 (06-18-18)
06-17-18, 04:41 AM
#5
Hi guys,
i just switched up my garage up and sold my B8 S4, and bought a 996 for a weekend car and an ‘01 LS430 with 100k as a daily driver.
i can’t get over how much I love the Lexus. It’s an incredible vehicle. It’s 17 years old with 100k on the clock but drives better than a lot of newer cars with less miles. No squeaks or rattles and the only thing not working is the telescopic steering wheel (which I can live with). I’ve owned a bunch of sportier cars (G35 Couoe, CLK550, GC SRT8, A6, S4) as well as driven too many rental cars to mention, and this is by far and away the most comfortable and competent cars I’ve owned.
i do have one small question. My car has the 16 inch wheels, but also has the sports suspension badging. When I’ve browsed this forum in mentions the sports suspension only being available with the 17inch wheels, so is this possible, or did someone either add the badging or swap out the wheels for some reason?
i just switched up my garage up and sold my B8 S4, and bought a 996 for a weekend car and an ‘01 LS430 with 100k as a daily driver.
i can’t get over how much I love the Lexus. It’s an incredible vehicle. It’s 17 years old with 100k on the clock but drives better than a lot of newer cars with less miles. No squeaks or rattles and the only thing not working is the telescopic steering wheel (which I can live with). I’ve owned a bunch of sportier cars (G35 Couoe, CLK550, GC SRT8, A6, S4) as well as driven too many rental cars to mention, and this is by far and away the most comfortable and competent cars I’ve owned.
i do have one small question. My car has the 16 inch wheels, but also has the sports suspension badging. When I’ve browsed this forum in mentions the sports suspension only being available with the 17inch wheels, so is this possible, or did someone either add the badging or swap out the wheels for some reason?
Welcome and I feel your joy. I just upgraded from my awesome 1995 LS400 to a 2002 LS430 with 126,000 miles and I am just as happy as can be. These vehicles are nothing short of amazing by almost any and every measure. Even my old 1995 LS400 with 269,00 miles still felt great and was tight and squeak and rattle free. Also an amazing vehicle.
My LS430 has 16-inch wheels as well and rides like a dream. If you go up on rim size be prepared to sacrifice a little bit of ride quality in trade for better handling. I happen to love my 16-inch wheels because I swapped the like-new 16-inch Michelin tires from my LS400 when I upgraded to the LS430 so for me it was a big win.
Michael (Lextec) really kept this car clean:
Before Zaino:
Last edited by VortecCPI; 06-17-18 at 04:46 AM.
06-17-18, 05:06 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Congrats! My policy has always been to not go to larger rims from the factory, UNLESS the width increases. Example...on my BMW 335i, from 17 to 18, tires go to a wider and staggered setup. From 18 to 19, width identical. So, stay at 18 is my decision.
On my wife's SUV, 19's were standard, and 20's cost like $1400, width identical. Stay with 19's.
If your car has 225's, and the 18's have 245's, by all means go to the 18's. Only thing I would mention is I remember at least one case of a person having vibration no matter what they did, and the conclusion seemed to be that the 18's were replicas, i.e. knock offs, even though they looked like 18" OE rims....good luck!
On my wife's SUV, 19's were standard, and 20's cost like $1400, width identical. Stay with 19's.
If your car has 225's, and the 18's have 245's, by all means go to the 18's. Only thing I would mention is I remember at least one case of a person having vibration no matter what they did, and the conclusion seemed to be that the 18's were replicas, i.e. knock offs, even though they looked like 18" OE rims....good luck!
06-17-18, 09:56 PM
#7
Conversely, you can likely find a good price for a set of used genuine Lexus 18x7.5s, and I hope that's what you have your eye on. Let us know what you end up with.
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06-18-18, 11:15 AM
#9
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Thank you guys.
I appreciate the feedback and insight re: 18's. I'll keep you posted. They're being sold locally, and if they're decent, I'll pull the trigger.
Thanks guys!
I appreciate the feedback and insight re: 18's. I'll keep you posted. They're being sold locally, and if they're decent, I'll pull the trigger.
Thanks guys!
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