stevetarry

As I mentioned in a previous post, I just bought a set of Michelin Pilot Sport AS, which greatly improved the ride and handling of my '03 SC430. I am thnking of buying a new set of wheels, such as the HRE 540 series (which I know are frightfully expensive). Perhaps this a dumb question, but will a new set of wheels make any difference in the ride/handling issues, or is this purely a comestic change? Thanks for any input.

ceboyd

just about anything is lighter than the 37lb factory wheels so going to HRE gives you better acceleration/better gas mileage over all because of getting rid of unsprung weight

dseag2

I agree. Not a huge difference, but a difference nonetheless.

Doc C

I get my HRE 540Rs and Michelin Pilot Sports next week. I can't wait. I heard the 540Rs weigh 27 pounds?? Not sure if I remember what I heard correctly.

stevetarry

I'm considering the HRE 549s.

LS4fun

wheels make the car....HREs...

Doc C

stevetarry,

Love the 549s. Just got my new 540Rs on last Thursday. I think they are nice too, IMO. DId you see the white SC430 with the 549s on it that I posted on your last thread about wheels?? Also, there was a silver one on here with 549s that looked fantastic. I thought it looked good. These wheels are expensive, but they drip quality. They are made to extremely exacting tolerances and are incredibly light. The service tech at dealer said he thought they weighed half of the weight of the OEM wheel. I'm sure that's an exageration, but they are WAY lighter. Mine were even an inch bigger (diameter) and 1.5 inches wider (on the rear) than the OEM wheel and still way lighter. Good luck in your decision. I don't think you'll go wrong with any HRE wheel. Peter at Wheel Experts was very helpful to me and the Lexus dealer drooled over the fitment he prescribed for my SC. They fit perfect with no rubbing or scraping etc. I'll post pics maybe, but it looks very similar to the black SC on the wheel experts website. Good luck.

Doc C

stevetarry

Doc C:

Did you notice any change in the handling or ride after you had your HREs put on? Thanks.

ATSOU

Make sure u get the R series cuz the reverse lip is sweet

Doc C

stevetarry,

I had L-Sportline model 4s on mine when I bought it brand new, so I never drove it with the pie plate OEM wheels. I did have the run flat tires though. So, to answer your question, there is a HUGE difference between the runflats and the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Now, I can't imagine much difference due to the wheels, but the tires improve the ride 200%, and the handling 75%. There are some people on this forum that I think went from pie plates to different wheels and kept the same tires. That would be a better experiment to see the effect of the wheels. I did go to a staggered setup with 19" wheels, so that may be a factor in the handling, but you will not believe the ride difference. Dseag2 said the same thing and I didn't believe it, but it makes the car way more quiet and smooth. No rattles or road noise. It's not quite as quiet as my LX, but very close. I will tell you that if you put some 549 or 549R HREs on this car, even if the ride doesn't change, you will definitely get a lot of looks. But, if you want a better ride for sure, scrap the run flats and put some different tires on the pie plates. That alone will make a good change. Hope this helps.

Doc C

stevetarry

Doc C:

Thanks for your reply. I have already replaced the runflats with Michelin Pilot Sports A/S, and I completely agree with you that it transforms the ride and handling of the car. I traded in a Porsche Boxster S to buy my SC430 and, with the new tires, I can almost toss the car around in the same way that I did the Boxster; that would not have been possible with the runflats. The only thing that concerns me about buying the HRE wheels is the fact that the streets herein Houston are in TERRIBLE shape, with construction everywhere, particularly in the downtown area where I work. To spend $1K plus per wheel and then have them damaged by hitting a pothole would not be a good thing. Thanks again for the help.

Gojirra99

If you like HRE wheels but don't feel like spending that much on wheels, you might want to consider iforged, which cost only a little over half as much as a similar HRE wheel, and are also highly regarded by many.

For example:

iforged Retro 3 piece:


HRE 549R:


They have many wheels similar to the HRE: take a look at this link, click "2003 collection".