viperdoc

Well, after lots of thought and research, I decided to finally take the plunge and get new wheels and tires for my F sport. I decided to go with the Niche Targas (19x8.5s in the anthracite color) mostly due to the load limit rating (1600 per wheel), cost, and aesthetics. I had never seen them in person before I ordered, and was nervous the color wouldn't look right. I think it compliments the red color of my car.

I also decided to go with 245/55R19 tires, in an effort to help the ride quality a bit. I got a slight increase in sidewall height, but more importantly, I went with Pirelli scorpion verde all season plus tires, which are H rated. In case anyone was wondering, Lexus apparently approves H rated tires for the RX (according to the Tire Rack rep I spoke with). Compared to the Michelin Latitude Tour HPs (which are V rates, obviously), the Pirelli's ride noticeably softer over big impacts. But because the tire is wider and pushed out just a smidge at all four corners, handling is just as good, if not better. For me, going to an H rated tire, that is both slightly taller and wider, really hits the sweet spot for the F sport. Anyway, here are a couple pics

rayaans

Those wheels really suit the RX! Good job!

Some Lexus centre caps would complete the look I think!

sgmbab

iTrader: (1)

Congratulation it looks really good. How much did you get the set (tires and wheels) for? I just got an F sport RX350 myself.

viperdoc

Yeah I tried the center caps on the OEM wheels but they were too big. I want to get some that will fit. I got the whole package from discount tire for $1830 out the door. Included mount/balance, wheel locks, centering rings and TPMS sensors. They were even able to connect the sensors to the car without me going to the dealer. If you go through them haggle a bit. Their first quote was for $2400. I told them I could get the package cheaper online and they matched the price.

sgmbab

iTrader: (1)

Hey viper did you notice a change in your mpg at all? I was thinking of getting 19x8.5 or maybe even a staggered setup but worry that it might kill my gas mileage.

viperdoc

Maybe 1-2 mpg less in the city but highway is the same. And I think the difference is only due to the higher rolling resistance of having new tires compared to the extremely worn out michelins I had on before. Plus the weight of the 19x8.5 wheel was the same as the OEM wheel, maybe a pound less. So the overall weight of the wheel/tire setup was the same as the stock wheel/tire. Compared to the mpg I was getting when the michelins were new, it's the same, but now my ride is vastly improved.

acitydwelr

Looks great. I think adjusting the tire size is the way to go on 19" wheels these days for our RX. The incessant jarring on pot holed city roads is beginning to wear on me as well. An all so slight compromise on handling for comfort is music to my ears.

viperdoc

As an update, I now have over 500 miles on the h rated tires and it really has made a significant difference. They have just smoothed out the roads so much. I just had a loaner Rx 450h from the dealer that had the stock suspension (not the sport suspension) but had the michelin tires. I felt my car was as comfortable if not more than the ride in the 450h, but mine handled much better. The other option is to go down in wheel size to 18s and use a 255/55r18 h rated tire. This would give you an even more comfortable ride, and also a wider, more pushed out tire. So handling would likely not be affected with the sport suspension, while softening the road even more. Heck, even the base Porsche Cayenne comes with that tire size!

corradoMR2

That's a great deal and wheel/tire combo looks great.

For the center cap, I got mine at 3dcarstickers.com for my NX wheels

viperdoc

Ahhhh....I was wondering. I had seen your wheels and really liked them but decided to go with niche. I will look an that site and see about getting some. Thanks for the info.

vince22

Hey guys happy Easter, even though aftermarket wheels is not my cup of tea, those wheels looks fantastic especially the color. I have planned this for a while and finally took the plunge and dip my 7 spokes stock wheels with Anthracite Grey color Plastidip, plus i can always removed it later, watching dipyourcar videos from youtube help a lot.
3 coats plastidip and 2 coats glossifier.

viperdoc

That color looks great, especially on a black car. I was never a fan of black wheels, and the anthracite is the perfect in between color. You did a nice job with the plasti dip too. Looks like a nice even finish. I actually just dipped all the chrome on my car in black plastidip with the graphite metallizer on top. It actually came almost perfectly matching the gray color that is in the grill of the f sport. I'll post pics later. Like you, I wanted to get a different look but leave the option of being able to take it off later (especially when i eventually trade it in).

viperdoc

Here is a pic of my car with the chrome plasti dipped. Fairly easy. I think I like it. I need to get a darker front emblem for the grill though. There is a cool looking black pearl one on eBay I may get.

vince22

viperdoc, its beautifull, great job.....

viperdoc

Thanks for the support Vince. I was a little nervous about doing it, but I think it turned out OK. I played around with the matte black plastidip, but it was too dark. Then I tried to glossifier over the black, and it wasn't shiny enough to produce the contrast I wanted. So I tried adding the metalizer and I think the color works, especially with the claret mica color. It is more metallic in direct sunshine. I also went ahead and ordered the black pearl front emblem. I think the metallic gray color of it will match the rest of the grill now and complete the look.