Erick G

How do 20's handle on a gs400?
i got 18's right now they look small on the car IMO
and since i ordered the veilside kit
im sure the rims will look even smaller

i dont plan on lowering the car at all since its a lease
im not sure if 20's will look stupid without a drop

please comments.. lots of them

thanks

erick

babyGS3

IMO 20's are the rims that will do the GS true justice lookwise... ridewise, it will be real harsh so if you live in a pothole infested area, I'd strongly advise against it... about lowering: I just hope the Lex wont look like a truck.... 20 inch wheels with a wheelgap that big may look strange... I've never seen it done... most of the cars with rims that large i see are lowered... why not just go for the L-tuned... it is still lexus parts... but then again.. it is a lease...

speaking of rims.... I 'm thinking of going and getting meself some 18-19s since i live in a pothole infested area.... enkeis good brands?

Mean Gene

Manny - Enkei actually supplies wheels to Lexus/Toyota; Acura/Honda & a few other car companies ( something like 75% of the world's OEM wheels ). Just be careful which ones U choose from a weight standpoint. Go to the Q&A & look what the heavier 17" Enkei Wun Guns did to my 0-60 time ( yep, those are MY numbers - who else does all this performance R&D for ya'll while Percy does the audio spy work!! ). They have a new line out called "FUEL" which currently offer 4 styles ( 3 in 18" & 1 in the 20" size ) & they're lightweight but R only available in chrome. Enkei is a solid wheel so try their website & maybe U'll find something but try to keep the weight down to a minimium. www.enkei.com:)
Erick - Anything larger than an 17" w/o dropping the GS just doesn't look right - the gap between the tire & fender is too large, IMO! U can drop your leased GS but will have to raise it back up before U turn the car in. Why not do that & save the old wheels/tires for reinstallation at that time?

Manaray

Yes, 20's will look ridiculous without lowering. You're GS will look like a RX (not that there's anything wrong with the RX! ).

As for Enkei, personally, I don't like any of thier "original" designs. The ones I do like are designs that have hacked over and over (like the Racing Hart C2 style rim).

Their new "bling-bling" garbage is ugly as sin. Did Lexani, Arielli, or Giovanna take them over or something? But I guess if you like that gaudy-chrome-everything-with-some-gold-toofs-iced bezo-sean jean-johnny blaze crap, then it's ok.

I haven't heard anything bad about Enkei's quality. But they're definitely not in the same league as Racing Hart, LowenHart, Dazz, etc. (and they can't even come close to touching the likes of HRE, Fikse, etc.)

Speaking of Fikse, here's my favorite Fikse rim...Aro...in 19"...tasty.

Mean Gene

Man - That's why I got rid of my Wun Guns - didn't really care for the styling ( although I like the Tuner style, personally ) but there wasn't much available at the time I bought my GS. Don't like the Hart series of wheels because they're not QUITE flashy enough for my tastes. REALLY wanted the HRE 547's & Mo gave me a good price ( for HRE's ) but still quite a bit more than I wanted to pay - needed the $ for the stereo. Guess it's a matter of priorities. The 17's didn't give me the look I was after so I stepped up to the Zenetti 18's ( not the best quality but I like them! ) but I can't see running them w/o lowering the car, at least as far as the 1.25" drop the Eibach's gave me. You're right about the new Enkeis - they DO look like something Giovanna would have!

Erick G

Well there goes that idea out the door
i didnt want to have to drop it

but well see...

how much would it cost me to drop it?

thanks

erick

D-MAN63

Eric G, 20's looks HOT on a GS, it is somewhat true that you need to lower the car, but it SURE looks better than 17 or 18's EVEN without lowering. The ride quality changes, the acceleration slowers, braking slowers. The ride is pretty good for me, almost the same or when I had my lexus 17's chrommies.

babyGS3

a 1.5 " drop from the L-tuned Lexus parts would cost you 550 parts alone... plus labor and alignment.... Price range of total job... 600-1000... depending where you get it done... (leaning more towards upper 600s to mid 700s)

babyGS3

what do you guys think about the enkei shogun?

ap0718

You gotta get 20's on the GS, but you CANNOT do it without a drop. I just recently put 20's on my GS400. I got the Chrome Lowenhart LD1's---20x8.5 in the front and 20x10 in the rear with the Nitto NT555 245/35 in the front and 275/30 in the rear. I dropped it with the H&R springs. The ride is actually not that bad. There is a little shaking between 50-60, but you will get used to it. Especially when people just stare at your ride. But honestly, if your roads are pothole-infested, don't mess with 20's!!!! The springs will cost you about $245 and about $120 to install them. Hope that helps!!!

AP0718

Manaray

Enkei Shoguns - I don't think these rims belong on a Lexus. A civic maybe. Come on, class and elegance should be the theme. Not "ricer" (no offense BabyGS3)

If you're going to drop the car via springs, I would get some replacement shocks that can handle being lowered. Better yet, get height adjustable coilovers...that way, you can lower and raise the car to the exact height you need.

If you want the L-Tuned stuff, ask Steve@carson toyota (SupraTRD). He'll give you the best price.

Potholes - like AP0718 said, if you have a lot of potholes in your area, 20's will NOT be your friend. I recommend some 13" Daytons with some fat 100 series sidewalls Seriously, unless you're a CAREFUL driver, 20's + potholes = disaster + $$$.

Mean Gene - Hey, I LOVE tuner style rims, just not on a Lexus. MAYBE on a IS300, but the GS/LS are luxury cars and I think some nice classy/elegant looking rims are more fitting. Check yer email.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I'm gonna be the contrarian - as much as I agree that lowering makes the GS look better, I don't think it's required with 20s if the tires are BIG (30 series I believe).

Check out the following pic (NOT LOWERED):

babyGS3

Manaray...


ya.. I just pictured the rims on my car and it didnt look right... my friend has a couple of those .. and the only size it comes in is 17x7..... downgrading my tire size to 7" is not exactly what I want....I still do like the OZ operas... or even the niche shock-3... I know that's (shock3) not classy.. but my tastes...

Bit,
that car looks absolutely lowered! there is no wheelgap.. how did that happen with stock setup? That is umm... oh geez, i forgot whose car that is.... I meant to ask that question when it was first posted...

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I think the tires are actually 245/35s, which are more than 5% bigger circumference than stock, so that's why it fills out the gap. And it *STILL* doesn't rub, but it's darned close to the front of the wheel well.

Here's another kick-*** pic of 20 on stock setup (I took these pics at our meet in Feb - they're on my web site).

Erick G

WOW

that is wonderful
maybe i can do it then

thanks

got more pics?

Erick G