Hey gang-

Well it looks like I may have a deal to trade my 2015 SWB car in on a 2017 LS460L. Still finalizing a couple things, but it looks positive.

Anyways, here's my dilemma. The car has the 19" wheels and Michelin tires. The question is, do I accept that or do I swap my wheels and my Pirelli P7s onto the car before I take delivery? My P7s have about 9k miles on them.

I preferred the 18s when I got the 2015 because I wanted the best ride I could get. The LWB car rides a little better and more solidly than my car even with the 19s. What does everybody think? Stick with the 19s or try and swap on my 18s? No LWB cars on 18s available for me to drive.

 

I think the 18’s would give you the best ride for comfort. If you like the ride with the 19’s and the Michelin’s then go with that or see if they will swap the Michelin’s for the Pirellis.

 

Hi Steve, great to know you are considering a 2017 LWB. Your kids will love the extra space!
I have been considering exactly the same thing: swapping out my 19s for chromed 18s, but am discouraged by the costs. We had this discussion a while back that the higher sidewalls on the 18s would likely provide a softer ride than the 19s. Perhaps, you will make the swap and can confirm whether the 18s truly improve the ride.


How can you swap the Michelins on the 19s with the P7s from the 18s? Besides, the rims are also different widths, 7.5 inches on the 18s vs 8 inches on the 19s.

 

to me the 19's look so much better and I don't think you will notice that much of a difference in the ride quality.

What you loose in softness you may get back in a sportiness

good choice getting the L , are u not tempted to wait a bit and get the ls500 ?

 

How can you swap the Michelins on the 19s with the P7s from the 18s? Besides, the rims are also different widths, 7.5 inches on the 18s vs 8 inches on the 19s.

 

Hi

i have the 19 in chrome on my 2010 lwb and I love the look, but the ride is a bit harsh. However, I don’t have the tires you have and they are what I’m getting soon.

Not sure if if this post help, but 19 s do have a stiffer ride.

Best and congrats on the new ride.

Cubby

 

I'm leaning towards doing the swap. The 19s do look a lot better, but I do want the best ride I can get.

I'm still conflicted on whether or not doing this makes any sense lol. I love my 2015, but the space is an issue for my kids and I will be driving them around more as they get older, and I'm missing some equipment that bugs me (better leather, alcantara headliner, ML audio) for the LS to be a long term car. If I keep the SWB car it will be out of warranty in 3k miles, and the cost of the warranty will pay for the additional lease cost of the 2017 LWB car for the whole term of the lease. This LWB car I feel I could be happy with a long time, which goes back to my original plan with the 15, lease it upfront for the tax write-off and then buy it out.

I gave them a deposit so they could source the car, we'll see how that goes and how I feel at the end of the weekend.

There are things I'm concerned about with the LS500. Mostly the sportier nature of the car, and the loss of the V8. I'm a real traditional Lexus guy, I love the big Lexus ride and refinement. I really don't want a car to be sporty, or more powerful at the expense of that refined V8 feeling. One of the reasons why I would consider doing this now actually is that its my last opportunity to get my hands on a new LS460.

 

Steve

I would stick with the 19's. I drove my friend around a lot and took several long distance trips in her 2010 SWB AWD with air on 18's. I have the 2010 LWB non air on 19's and I could not say I noticed that my 19's were all that much stiffer than MA 18's. Besides the bigger wheel fills the wheel well up better and looks nicer on the LWB IMHO.

Dennis

 

Thanks for that Dennis!

 

Hey Steve! I “go away” for a couple days, and something’s always happening!

FWIW, I echo the sentiments on the look of the car with 19s vs 18s. In terms of ride, I used to run factory 18s with Pilot HX MXM4 in winter and 5-spoke 19s with Primacy MXM4 in summer on my 460L with air. The ride on the 18s was simply heavenly, but it was hardly a stiff ride with the 19s. It was not as soft, but it was still a soft ride. And the latter are on my 600 at the moment and riding great.

Beyond sidewall height, I suspect the tire models had something to do with this. As an extreme (and perhaps not surprising) example, going from 17” Dunlop runflats to 18” Bridgestone (non runflats) on my GS350 resulted in a softer ride.

So, with this in mind, I’d give the 19s a shot. You do have a perfectly good set of 18 Pirellis, I realize, but it’s a gamble I’d take, especially since you could always eventually put the same style Pirellis on the 19s.

Please keep us posted!

 

You are pretty savvy about the financial aspects of the deal, so it looks like you will "break even" if you buy the 2017 LWB. I say go for it. That's assuming the S550 hasn't charmed you at the same price point. With the 2017, you get the increased space, better materials, and a refreshed infotainment system with additional home buttons on the controller for ease of use.

While I am blown away by the interior styling of the LS500, the reports of reduced passenger volume compared to the 2017 LWB are definitely distressing. Why did Lexus build a longer wheelbase car with smaller interior volume than before? Sporty luxury is fine, but at the cost of interior volume? No, thanks.