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Has anyone put some 19" wheels on their RX recently? Thinking about going to a squared 19x9 setup with 255/45 tires. I want to get some fat rubber on the RX for summer! Currently at a 18x8" wheel w/ 30 offset and a 245mm tire and it is nearly flush up front. However, there's a little room for more and I'm not a fan of the tire choices for 18" vs 19" for these. Has anyone been able to get a wide 19" wheel to clear without rubbing on the strut / fender liners or poking out?
Forget the wheels grab that snazzy fender mirror! I bet you could find that in the JC Whitney catalog
Regarding the wheels - I actually really like the 5 spoke design that came on my car. I my young years I always wanted the BBS million spoke wheels I saw on BMW's, as I grew older, and grayer, and more forgetful I came to appreciate how much I prefer less spokes with 5 being my optimal now. In that pic above I do not bellieve that wheel/tire combo fits teh wheel wells well at all, even lowered wouldn't help that
The mirror would go good with the harrier grille, haha!
I prefer 5 spoke over everything too. Most aftermarket and newer stock wheels are way too busy for me! I also love how simple it is to clean a 5 spoke. Yeah 19x9 with a 32 offset, I wouldn't doubt that there would be some rubbing over hwy expansion joints or at full lock. I tried 255s from my friend's Chrysler today on 24 offset rims and they BARELY cleared despite being only a 7.5" wide rim.
Matt, you'll find a 8.5'' wheel will square a oem size 235-55x18 tire. Which I used originally w/ TSW accents w/ a 10mm offset.No clearence issues. Andlike you wanting to go wider, I was wanting to go a 10'' width & stay at the oem 18'' 28.20'' diameter to the stock oem 225-65x17, 28.50'' diameter. American racing does offer a 10'' width wheel let alone a 9.5'' one. I like their vn215 torq thrust 2. I ended up w/ Vision wheels 143 torque wheels 9.5'' x18 zero offset w/ 295-45x18 tires, which are a 28.50'' diameter & are also the oem size on the 2nd genLighting for the 10th gen f150. No clearence issues. Any clearence issues is going to be w/ the inside rear tire sidewall w/ the rear strut, thanx to the wheel offset. Anytime you add more wheel width, the additional width has to go some where, thats where offset comes in, w/ wheel center to the postion of the wheel barrel. I went w/ the Hankook Ventus st RH06 which really do great w/ no hydroplaning issues at 70mph +. This is a great cost effective combo, direct bolt on= no spacers,ect to deal with & no clearence issues........ Your buying new wheels, so best to get a direct bolt on set.
I think I may pull the trigger on a squared 19x8.5" (all rears) set of some forged Rays wheels from the 05-07 Infiniti G35. Not the deep dish 5-spoke I was hoping for, but it'll do.
They're cheap(ish), easy to find replacements forc and are only 22 lbs. Not bad for such a big wheel. That's the same weight as the GR Corolla 18x8.5" Enkei wheels which are a full 1" smaller. I'll need to get some 66.1 to 60.1mm hub centric rings and 60 deg conical lug nuts for them to fit (McGard 64002), but that's a small price to pay.
The 255/45R19 tires are also super common and I can get basically any tire I want for them. Pilot Sport 4 & 5, Pilot Sport A/S, Pirelli PZero, etc. Used on loads of Benz cars, Ford Taurus SHO, Audi A8, Porsche Panamera and that's just a few out of the huge list of 28 cars I found.
Most of the cars used an 8.5" or 9". Some 8" and 9.5". I feel 8" would be too narrow, 9" would be just right, but I'll settle with 8.5" here as I had a heck of a time finding aftermarket rims I liked that were 19x9 with a 30mm offset and not super heavy.
I'll probably relegate my 18x8 30mm offset 4th gen RX rims for my winters or sell them. They're real heavy at 29.5 lbs each, but still improved the car's handling noticeably with some 245s on there. I'll probably end up with the 235/55R18 size on there for winter.
I could also bastardize my car further and run the Ford Police Interceptor 18x8 rims in the winter as cheap steelies. They're dirt cheap here and the offset is 39mm, a bit higher than stock but they'd still clear with a 235.
WELL! Here we are! I ended up getting them! The more I look at them, the more I am glad I did. They came with 245/35R19 Pilot Sport 4S which happen to be the exact size and tire used on my dad's M3, so those will be going to him. Still need to decide if I get 255/45R19 Pilot Sport 4 or the 4 All Season. This isn't a track car, so maybe the AS, also longer life and being able to use them in colder temps is a plus too. I'll have to see. Either way, this will finally let me truly enjoy the car with all its suspension mods! I think it was time the RX got treated!
19x8.5", around ~21 lbs each, 33mm offset and 66.1mm center bore so I'll need some hub centric 66.1 to 60.1 rings. As mentioned these also use a 60 deg taper lug, so I won't be able to run the OEM lug nuts. The McGard 64002s fit and also still use a 21mm socket which was a requirement for me. Nothing is more annoying than having to remember your car has a different lug nut size than stock, or those splined tuner lugs. I don't know, I just could never come to like those one bit.
Someone was selling a set 10 mins away from the wheels for 5 bux so I picked them up... 4 down, 16 to go!
Test fit day! Hub centric rings came in so I wanted to do a quick test fit. Rear has a 10mm GR Corolla slip-on spacer with GR Corolla rear wheel studs (required for safe mounting w/ 10mm slip on). The rest of the lug nuts came in today, center caps should be here in a week or two. I also have some Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 takeoffs coming as well. Definitely the best tires this RX and most RXs have seen... Although many would say that is an "overkill tire" for one of these, this spicy RX350 deserves them! It's going to be whipping around corners even harder now!
No one was here to hold the wheel for me, so I had to improvise
Pretty close!
I would have preferred wheels with an offset of 30 or 28 for an RX, however I'll take what I can get. These were CHEAP, forged, the size I wanted and an offset that was close enough. Plus, with this offset, they would sit perfectly flush on my 2002 Highlander front to back so I can interchange them between the two cars, this was very important to me so these fit the bill. The RX's bodywork sticks a bit further out esp in the back, so you can get away with a lower offset.
BBK is definitely on my list for the future. I am losing almost exactly 10 lbs per corner with these 19x8.5s vs. the cast 30 lb 18x8 4th gen RX rims with 245/50 tires. 40 lbs of unsprung weight should be a nice difference and I bet it'll ride better too with the suspension taking less of a beating. Should help this heavy girl scoot a little better.
Pilot Sport A/S 4 are coming in tomorrow too! Still waiting on center caps, but that's it. Probably will try to get them mounted Friday or a bit later. Pics coming soon!
[QUOTE=MattRX;11885109]WELL! Here we are! I ended up getting them! The more I look at them, the more I am glad I did. They came with 245/35R19 Pilot Sport 4S which happen to be the exact size and tire used on my dad's M3, so those will be going to him. Still need to decide if I get 255/45R19 Pilot Sport 4 or the 4 All Season. This isn't a track car, so maybe the AS, also longer life and being able to use them in colder temps is a plus too. I'll have to see. Either way, this will finally let me truly enjoy the car with all its suspension mods! I think it was time the RX got treated!
19x8.5", around ~21 lbs each, 33mm offset and 66.1mm center bore so I'll need some hub centric 66.1 to 60.1 rings. As mentioned these also use a 60 deg taper lug, so I won't be able to run the OEM lug nuts. The McGard 64002s fit and also still use a 21mm socket which was a requirement for me. Nothing is more annoying than having to remember your car has a different lug nut size than stock, or those splined tuner lugs. I don't know, I just could never come to like those one bit.
Fresh off a GTI, Golf R or a Audi A3/4.......Those wheels will need a BBK as well, Matt..........
April 4th, 2025 - Center caps came in! They're a silver cap with a decal you have to stick on which isn't quite perfect, but eh. For the low price I paid for them, I guess I can't complain too much. 54mm OD, 50mm ID ended up working perfectly. Nice snug fit like the stock ones. These are smaller than OEM Toyota caps as Nissan/Infiniti use this size or 54mm, 49mm ID (50 was all I could find, but worked perfect)
AND just a few hours later the Pilot Sports came in! Nice & minty fresh!
April 7th, 2025 - 6 wheels & 4 tires loaded into the RX and off to the tire shop! 8 for mine, 2 for the M3... It fit them nicely and the weight was no big deal of course! Passenger seat all the way forward, I could have fit another two on the pass seat, or even more if I took it out. This RX never ceases to amaze me with how utility it can offer as well as fun! Who needs a pickup truck?
I'd already have them on the car by now, but since I'm getting one of the wheels refinished, it'll be about 2-3 days! ALMOST THERE! Just a little longer!
Called the shop Friday, and the rim got pushed back to Mon-Tues. I took an opportunity today on Sunday to get some work done because the weather was AWESOME! The calipers were looking a bit dull, so I decided to sand them down and give them a fresh coat of high temp paint. While I was there, I decided to be OCD and just clean up and re-lube the entire brake system front to back as well as clean and anti-seize the hubs. I also put 10 of 90942-02078 (2003-2007 Corolla/Matrix drum brake) studs in the back to mount my 10mm GR Corolla slip on spacers to make room for the wide 19x8.5s that are going on. There was some more room, so I would bet the 60mm ARP 100-7718 studs fit, but that's your absolute limit on these cars. The front can fit any length you want, as there is no obstruction between the hub and knuckle.
I wanted to get the ARPs, but I couldn't justify their price (they are $$$ esp in Canada), and had these lying around so they'll work. Maybe one day I'll do the ARPs when I have more money to burn... Do note that these 56mm Toyota studs CANNOT be used without a slip-on spacer, as the shoulder is not threaded all the way like the rest of the studs incl the 49mm GR Corolla ones which I ended up throwing on the front. You MIGHT be able to get away with a 15mm slip-on MAX with the ARP 60mm, but who knows. You shouldn't need more than a 10mm spacer on the back of these anyway if you have wheels with the correct offset in my opinion.
Painting calipers properly is a PAIN IN THE BUTT
You can still fully-thread down a lug nut with the GR Corolla studs, so you can still hold the rotor to the hub easily when DIYing brakes!
That's all for now! I am definitely not going to be able to pad slap these rotors! 3 yrs and outside parking has done a number on them! Short trips haven't helped either
FINALLY got my 19" back from the wheel shop! I didn't even bother washing the car before, I just threw those suckers on and went for a test drive - I was sick of waiting! No rubbing, quiet and DAMN the cornering grip is night and day!
Thank you! I'd love some lightweight fixed calipers for sure. One day!
Much better after a wash! - Now I need some coilovers!
EDIT: May 1st, 2025
After commuting to and from work for a bit - all I can say is "WOW! What a great setup this is!" I'm happy to report that 30mm offset 19x8.5" wheels and 255/45R19 Pilot Sport AS4 do not rub whatsoever under ANY circumstances! Car is lowered by about 1.2" via some Eibach lowering springs and there is room to go lower should I get coilovers (may be happening soon). They make the 3rd gen RX350 front brakes and IS350 rear brakes look a little dinky, but it could be worse! An interesting find here: stock 225/65R17 overall diameter is 28.5", my Pilot Sports are a 28" diameter acc to Michelin. My car is a base model and came with the 17s - despite that, my speedometer has never been more accurate when compared to GPS! This proves that all 2RXs are probably calibrated to the luxury pack 18" setup with 235/55R18s, which measure out to about 28.2" diameter
With the lighter wheel & tire setup, the transmission is shifting sooner as it is reaching desired speeds sooner, especially at lower speeds / around town. Fuel economy is up too, despite the wider 255s. These tires are awesome daily driver tires! Smooth, efficient, grippy, and pretty quiet - although I was expecting it to be a bit quieter (It's no PS4S). Though most importantly, they are AWESOME in the wet which was also my favourite thing about the AS 3+! While it's a major improvement over my old & worn 245 Yokahamas, I feel that the ride and NVH may be a small step down vs. the AS 3+. However, the '14 RX also has a lot more sidewall - although I noticed a similar bit of jarring over big bumps in my friend's Civic which also has these Pilot Sport AS4s in 215/45R17 flavour. You'd have to be doing something pretty stupid / illegal to get these to squeal on the street, even on a heavy car like an RX350. Very impressive! At first, steering feel was very light with these tires, but after some time, the steering feels nice and heavy again as it should. We'll see how I like these compared to the AS 3+ as time goes on!
19" Wheels
