Issues Swapping New RX 350 With 20" Wheels for 18" ??
06-17-17, 10:05 AM
#1
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Issues Swapping New RX 350 With 20" Wheels for 18" ??
Asking for my brother in Florida: He's about to buy a new '17 RX 350 that has the 20" wheels with interchangeable colors (ugh). He can't find a 350 with the Mark Levinson package -- as we know, all the 350's with ML come fully loaded and have 20" wheels.
He's going to ask the dealer if they can remove those 20's and install 18" wheels instead. He owns 2 RX's (a 2003 and a 2013) and doesn't like the entry/exit HEIGHT of the new 350 with 20's, and also thinks/hopes the 18's will be quieter (even with Michelins, he's shocked at the road noise of the '17 vs his '03 & '13). And he does not care about the plain look of the 18's or that they are cheaper...it's all about height & noise for him & his wife.
If the dealer agrees to do the swap/downsize:
He's going to ask the dealer if they can remove those 20's and install 18" wheels instead. He owns 2 RX's (a 2003 and a 2013) and doesn't like the entry/exit HEIGHT of the new 350 with 20's, and also thinks/hopes the 18's will be quieter (even with Michelins, he's shocked at the road noise of the '17 vs his '03 & '13). And he does not care about the plain look of the 18's or that they are cheaper...it's all about height & noise for him & his wife.
If the dealer agrees to do the swap/downsize:
- Don't the speedometer and odometer need to be adjusted? If yes, does anyone know if that can be done by the dealer electronically?
- Knowing about the 350's quirky/jerky transmission issues (it's why I traded in my '16 350 for a '16 450h after 7 months), would the swap from 20's to 18's affect the transmission shift points (like make things worse)? If yes, again...does anyone know if any adjustment can be done -- and if so, could it be done by the dealer?
06-17-17, 10:55 AM
#2
Asking for my brother in Florida: He's about to buy a new '17 RX 350 that has the 20" wheels with interchangeable colors (ugh). He can't find a 350 with the Mark Levinson package -- as we know, all the 350's with ML come fully loaded and have 20" wheels.
He's going to ask the dealer if they can remove those 20's and install 18" wheels instead. He owns 2 RX's (a 2003 and a 2013) and doesn't like the entry/exit HEIGHT of the new 350 with 20's, and also thinks/hopes the 18's will be quieter (even with Michelins, he's shocked at the road noise of the '17 vs his '03 & '13). And he does not care about the plain look of the 18's or that they are cheaper...it's all about height & noise for him & his wife.
If the dealer agrees to do the swap/downsize:
He's going to ask the dealer if they can remove those 20's and install 18" wheels instead. He owns 2 RX's (a 2003 and a 2013) and doesn't like the entry/exit HEIGHT of the new 350 with 20's, and also thinks/hopes the 18's will be quieter (even with Michelins, he's shocked at the road noise of the '17 vs his '03 & '13). And he does not care about the plain look of the 18's or that they are cheaper...it's all about height & noise for him & his wife.
If the dealer agrees to do the swap/downsize:
- Don't the speedometer and odometer need to be adjusted? If yes, does anyone know if that can be done by the dealer electronically?
- Knowing about the 350's quirky/jerky transmission issues (it's why I traded in my '16 350 for a '16 450h after 7 months), would the swap from 20's to 18's affect the transmission shift points (like make things worse)? If yes, again...does anyone know if any adjustment can be done -- and if so, could it be done by the dealer?
I have a 2017 RX350 and do not have any transmission problems and wasn't aware of any either. I also have the Michelin tires, but do not find them noisy at all, I do agree that the step-up could/should be lower.
These days when everything is electronically controlled I don't think that there should be any problems with the switch to 18", only a matter of telling the computer and it will make all the necessary adjustments, but I think this is a dealer operation only.
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winsalem (06-17-17)
06-17-17, 12:39 PM
#3
Asking for my brother in Florida: He's about to buy a new '17 RX 350 that has the 20" wheels with interchangeable colors (ugh). He can't find a 350 with the Mark Levinson package -- as we know, all the 350's with ML come fully loaded and have 20" wheels.
He's going to ask the dealer if they can remove those 20's and install 18" wheels instead. He owns 2 RX's (a 2003 and a 2013) and doesn't like the entry/exit HEIGHT of the new 350 with 20's, and also thinks/hopes the 18's will be quieter (even with Michelins, he's shocked at the road noise of the '17 vs his '03 & '13). And he does not care about the plain look of the 18's or that they are cheaper...it's all about height & noise for him & his wife.
If the dealer agrees to do the swap/downsize:
He's going to ask the dealer if they can remove those 20's and install 18" wheels instead. He owns 2 RX's (a 2003 and a 2013) and doesn't like the entry/exit HEIGHT of the new 350 with 20's, and also thinks/hopes the 18's will be quieter (even with Michelins, he's shocked at the road noise of the '17 vs his '03 & '13). And he does not care about the plain look of the 18's or that they are cheaper...it's all about height & noise for him & his wife.
If the dealer agrees to do the swap/downsize:
- Don't the speedometer and odometer need to be adjusted? If yes, does anyone know if that can be done by the dealer electronically?
- Knowing about the 350's quirky/jerky transmission issues (it's why I traded in my '16 350 for a '16 450h after 7 months), would the swap from 20's to 18's affect the transmission shift points (like make things worse)? If yes, again...does anyone know if any adjustment can be done -- and if so, could it be done by the dealer?
I also don't think the 18 inch wheels are any quieter. I have the 18" Michelins and find the overall noise level to be on the high side. The wife's 2016 Chevy Tahoe is definitely quieter so I don't understand what's all the hype about Lexus being whisper quiet.
06-17-17, 01:42 PM
#4
Ride height will be the same, but there will be a noticeably difference in ride. The 18's will be smoother and handle the bumps better. I feel it when I slap on the winters....18"
As for a more quiet tire...not so sure, but there are very quiet tires available. If it comes with the Michelin or the Bridgestone, I wouldn't say either would be quiet.
As for a more quiet tire...not so sure, but there are very quiet tires available. If it comes with the Michelin or the Bridgestone, I wouldn't say either would be quiet.
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winsalem (06-17-17)
06-17-17, 07:17 PM
#5
Always use the tire size calculator when going with different size tires.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc
Enter the tire size on the car now and compare with the new tire size. The diameter of the tire and hence the revolution is what you want to match up. A difference of +/- will affect your actual speed versus what you see on the speedometer.
For example: a tire size 245/75/16(width of tire in mm/sidewall in mm/inner diamter in inch) vs 255/55/19 will have -1.4% difference. If your speedometer is calibrated with the original size, it will show 60MPH but your actual speed is 59.16MPH. So this is changing your 16" wheel to 19" wheel without much of a difference and certainly doesn't make the car height any higher or lower. Ride quality may be degraded.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc
Enter the tire size on the car now and compare with the new tire size. The diameter of the tire and hence the revolution is what you want to match up. A difference of +/- will affect your actual speed versus what you see on the speedometer.
For example: a tire size 245/75/16(width of tire in mm/sidewall in mm/inner diamter in inch) vs 255/55/19 will have -1.4% difference. If your speedometer is calibrated with the original size, it will show 60MPH but your actual speed is 59.16MPH. So this is changing your 16" wheel to 19" wheel without much of a difference and certainly doesn't make the car height any higher or lower. Ride quality may be degraded.
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winsalem (06-17-17)
06-18-17, 05:01 AM
#6
Here is a tool I use for tire info....I saved the chart for the sizes you would be looking to change....
https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?whe...cl=30mm&sr=0mm
You can see the 18" is only 4mm smaller overall diameter than the 20"...don't think anyone would notice that making it easier to get in or out.
Good luck and have fun with the purchase!
https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?whe...cl=30mm&sr=0mm
You can see the 18" is only 4mm smaller overall diameter than the 20"...don't think anyone would notice that making it easier to get in or out.
Good luck and have fun with the purchase!
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winsalem (06-18-17)
06-18-17, 05:32 AM
#7
I really don't mind the look of the 18" wheels, just wish they were polished aluminum like the 20's rather then painted Grey. Seems like a high end brand like Lexus should have them across the whole lineup.
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winsalem (06-18-17)
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06-18-17, 06:19 AM
#8
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Sad for sure.
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winsalem (06-18-17)
06-18-17, 11:47 AM
#9
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Thread Starter
Kudos to everybody for your comments and thoughts. Brother decided to stick with 20's -- thanks to great advice above -- and the dealer is gonna change those horrid "color insert" wheels for the "SPLIT-FIVE-SPOKE ALLOY WHEELS WITH DARK SILVER AND MACHINED FINISH" like I have.
So he's having a good Father's Day...he got his Atomic Silver, Noble Brown interior, luxury package, and most important of all, the ML.
IMG_1517.JPG
So he's having a good Father's Day...he got his Atomic Silver, Noble Brown interior, luxury package, and most important of all, the ML.
IMG_1517.JPG
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FastFord (06-18-17)
06-18-17, 01:01 PM
#10
That's great. I think the Atomic Silver is my next one! It catches my eye every time I'm in the dealer.
I think he will like the 20's, and especially the ML. Great Father's day for him!
I think he will like the 20's, and especially the ML. Great Father's day for him!
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winsalem (06-18-17)
11-14-18, 04:49 PM
#11
I dislike the 6th - 5th downshift, especially if you're in manual (auto-stick) mode. It feels like my old GM with a 350 motor and a turbo-hydromatic 350 tranny with a shift kit in it. It slams uber hard.
Moving on to wheel and tires. I've had 18's and now 20's on there. The 18's drove like crud (I like spirited driving). I switched over to 20's, hoping they'll drive better and reduce all the torque steer I had when the 18's were on there. The Ecopia's I totally disliked. Bad in the rain and bad in the snow. Now with the 20's I went with the OEM Michelin Premier LTX. Tire Rack rated the really well. Have had some loaners with them and definitely like them better. I also have to say that I really think the car sits higher with the 20's than the 18's and believe me... I do know about the whole outer total tire diameter/circumference size thing needing to be close based upon differing wheel sizes. Have done it with all of my previous cars. The only thing I can think of why it might feel like it is that the RX is a heavy SUV and with the 18's there is a lot more sidewall / rubber there. I'm thinking that maybe with the weight of the vehicle that it might compress the tires down a bit more than with the 20's (a.k.a. the 20's have more metal with the larger rim and less sidewall on the tire). I have not seen that with any of my previous vehicle wheel / tire swaps though.
Moving on to wheel and tires. I've had 18's and now 20's on there. The 18's drove like crud (I like spirited driving). I switched over to 20's, hoping they'll drive better and reduce all the torque steer I had when the 18's were on there. The Ecopia's I totally disliked. Bad in the rain and bad in the snow. Now with the 20's I went with the OEM Michelin Premier LTX. Tire Rack rated the really well. Have had some loaners with them and definitely like them better. I also have to say that I really think the car sits higher with the 20's than the 18's and believe me... I do know about the whole outer total tire diameter/circumference size thing needing to be close based upon differing wheel sizes. Have done it with all of my previous cars. The only thing I can think of why it might feel like it is that the RX is a heavy SUV and with the 18's there is a lot more sidewall / rubber there. I'm thinking that maybe with the weight of the vehicle that it might compress the tires down a bit more than with the 20's (a.k.a. the 20's have more metal with the larger rim and less sidewall on the tire). I have not seen that with any of my previous vehicle wheel / tire swaps though.
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