Hello.. kind of a newbie here. Anyways, I’ve got a 95 Lexus sc300 with 47k miles. I saw some rims from an 01 Lexus ES 300 that at 16x6 inch rims. The manual calls for 16x6.5 inch rims. Can I downsize on the width by a half inch? What size tire should I get? I know it’s a really basic question but I really just dont want to buy rims that don’t fit. I just bought some off eBay that didn’t fit 😂

thanks all

 

Why would you want less traction? most people go bigger wheels, I've got some 8.5 inch wide 18s from an is250 or is350 and i think they look way better than stock or those es wheels

 

not generally supposed to run front wheel drive rims on a rear wheel drive car. stick with the factory rims or look for is300 rims if you want something else.

 

It's do-able if you really wanted to.

 

dang... I guess I shouldn’t use these Thanks all

 

It depends what tire size you plan to run. There's a rim width range specified for tire widths.

Ali, what's the FWD vs RWD wheel story? I've heard that mentioned a lot, but never accompanied by an explanation as far as I can remember. I.e., lots of people repeat it without understanding it. I mean, you can rotate wheels front to back on either FWD or RWD, so the wheels don't care whether or not they're at the drive end. And the only difference I'm aware of in any aftermarket rim is load range, so again, they wouldn't care about which end.

 

I could be wrong but my understanding is they usually have narrower widths and more sunken offsets to work with FWD, as in retain that a proper full turning radius with the extra drive axles and suspension geometry involved.
The rwd cars do not have that extra stuff up front and can accommodate normal offset wheels while retaining all that stuff.

You shouldn't put a rwd toyota rim on a fwd car, you might loose scrub and rub alot.
You can put a fwd rim on a rwd car yes... but it is a downgrade with stock rims generally speaking cause of the offset and width issues.

OP, If you were my friend who had a 95 sc with 47k miles which is pretty mint, and you put es300 wheels on it from craiglist... you would not be my friend anymore.
That is all.

If you want a nice looking stock wheel, the 98+ SC 5 spoke wheels are pretty great factory wheels, only stock wheels that look better (and are wider) are the supra TT wheels.
I am also a fan of the is250 wheels mentioned above. Without going into all the specifics, look at toyota/lexus wheels from rwd cars for the best look, at least most of those work well with the stock brakes.

Also in general for those who haven't tried as many wheels as some of the older members on here, be careful with older chrome wheels, when they get up there in age they tend to leak in the winter.
Once they start leaking its a pain and $$ to refinish them to where they won't leak when it gets cold out. I generally stay away from them cause I have had it happen a few times with chrome lexus wheels.

 

That makes some sense. So, it's really not a FWD vs RWD issue, it's all about finding the right offset, and FWD wheels are less likely to have the proper offset for RWD cars. Of course, if you add spacers, that becomes a moot point. I imagine some of the hot hatch FWD cars have wide enough rims to be fine for RWD use.

I completely agree on chrome rims. The highly shiny look feels cheap to me, but once the chrome starts bubbling, man they're a pain to deal with. I've been shopping for kitchen faucets the past week, replacing a leaky SS one, and can't believe how many of the new models are chrome. That has to be the absolute worst application for chrome, with standing water being a constant. I've read reviews of people cutting their hands on bubbled chrome. I can't decide who's dumber, the manufacturers or the consumers.

 

The OP (original poster) sounds like a bit of a novice and would be suited to spend time (it is a lot to read) in the Wheel Fitment thread to learn about wheel/tire options, offsets that work on these cars, bolt patterns, and related topics before losing any more money and time on wheels that will not fit. Not to even mention fender rolling, spacers, hub rings, and all the more advanced considerations.