Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a 2010 LS460L AWD, and was looking to increase the smoothness of the ride by going with a smaller wheel, larger sidewall setup. There are a bunch of discussions related to doing that on other lexus models, but I can't find any for the 460.

My thinking is to go with either a 235/55R17 or 235/60R16 on a 17x8 or 16x7.5 (16x8 seem to be hard to find), and was wondering if anybody had any insights into this?

I know that it will reduce the cornering prowess of the car, but this car is going to spend its time going over the horrendous quality of roads in NY and the rest of the mid-Atlantic, and I have an extremely sensitive back.

Thank you.

 

Check rotor size and caliper clearance first.

 

If it clears the caliper, why not. If you choose a non plus size tire and have a higher side wall it will give you a more luxurious ride and it will be a lot more forgiving at the limit which actually contributes to the handling but that depends on the tire and up to a certain point.

Most people think better handling comes directly from thinner profile tires and larger wheels which is not true.
Larger wheels is a hindrance to handling but a necessary evil that gives the car the ability to have bigger brakes that results in better handling which is almost never used on the street.
I think 17s without plus size tires would work well.

 

A few points on this.

1) The 5 on 120 bolt pattern will limit your choices to non-Lexus wheels.

2) aftermarket wheels in even 17" will likely not clear the front calipers. The diameter clearance might work but the 4 piston caliper is very wide and the spokes of an aftermarket wheel may not clear the side of the caliper without spacers. With long experience in the tire and service bizz, I don't recommend spacers.

3) If you don't already have OE 18" Lexus wheels, get some. As for tires, Michelin makes a TPC spec tire for GM that is available. It happens to be the 235/50-18 Primacy MXM4. These tires are very supple, quiet and built to a close roundness and uniformity standard.

 

You would figure all with many LS owners upgrading to larger wheels, someone must have some stockers for sale

 

Thank you all for the advice. The car came with the OEM 18" with the Turanza tires. Thank you robert1408 for the tire suggestion. Tire wise I was looking a Primacy, Cinterato P7, and the Assurance Comforttread. I'll talk to my local wheel tire shop to see if they can find any 17" that would have the necessary clearances, and take it from there.

 

I would get rid of the tires before I got rid of the wheels. I'm on the same tires, they're terrible tires. The car rides great and very quiet as it is, better tires will really make it nice.

My choice is the Cinturato P7 Plus (make sure you get the Plus). The Primacy MXM4 is a good tire, I had them on my GS. They're a little sportier tire than I would put on the LS though. I put those Cinturatos on my old 2003 ES that a family member now has, and they ride GREAT. The Assurance Comfortread are also a good tire, but Goodyear doesn't have as uniform a quality level as I would want. Those Pirellis have uniformly excellent reviews.

I'll be putting the Cinturatos on mine sooner or later, as soon as I can bring myself to replace the Bridgestones. The 18s are on 50 series rubber, which is pretty high sidewall. As an example my dad's 98 LS had 16s, but 60 series tires, and his LS430 had 17s and 55 series rubber. I don't think you would find much difference between a 50 series tire and a 55 series tire in terms of ride.

Also make sure your tire pressure is right. 33 PSI all around.