wheel & coilover Q's
 

Lookin into 19" or 18" Work Euroline Dh's pretty soon. Just wondering what tire size is ideal. Where I live, most of the streets are fine, but Kirkland is really starting to expand and alot more construction is appearing. I read something about a "fat tire" set up which, by what I understood, is a 19" wheel with a 45 series sidewall tire, If I were to lower the car on coilover 2-3 inches, would I need to roll the fenders? Anyone care to expand on the "Fat tire" set up for me?

I want 19's on 40's, but If Im spending 2-3 grand on wheel, I dont want to bend or crack them on some ****ty pothole/sewer/bump.

Im considering 18's with 45's but I havent seen a pic of a 1G GS300 lowered on 18's and dont know if 18's will fill the wheel well how I want it. If anyone could help and post a pic of a 93-97 GS300 on 18's lowered and one on 19's lowered with specs, that be greatly appreciated.

PLEASE help me out. I noticed it's kind of hard to get replies on this forum (compared to what I used to seeing at honda-tech.com, I guess its just because not as many people own lexus' and are into these forum things). But please dont be lazy with me, I'd go out of my way and spend time to help someone (example: searching over the forum or saved files and hosting the pics then posting them)...so please do the same for me. :woot: :woot:

These are the wheels I will be getting.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ROLINE20DH.gif

Typical 'fat 19' staggered setup is 245/40-19s front and 275/35-19s rear. 245/45-19 would rub a lot I think. Might be able to do 245/45-18 but that sidewall will look kinda tall making the 18s look small.

if you do a fat 18" setup (245/45/18 and 275/40/18) yes bitkahuna is correct...the rim will look much smaller :( and trust me...45 series profile tires....that is quite a bit of rubber :sad:

Yes, we call the fat setup 245-40-19 and 275-35-19...that's what I have and recommend it highly because you still get the look we're after but you also get more wheel protection and more cushion from the road which shoud provide a little bit more smoother ride. Any taller tires would not give that "look" we're after.
Also remember, wheels are wheels. They belong to the ground. You can't drive around worrying too much about them getting damaged. Yes, be careful and all but if you're obsessing now about protecting them, high end wheels may not be best for you. There are many quality choices that are cheaper and more durable.

tires
 

Here is a pic of my Pirelli 245/40/18...
And yes it will be lowerd when available.

4thone - glad you're gonna lower it, it's just hard to fathom why Lexus would ship the GS with such a giant wheel gap. :egads:

Sorry, kinda new to wheel/tire set ups since I just stuck Potenza's on stock wheel on my supra. But what would the width of typically be if the tire size was 275. Do the setups have to be staggered? Obviously thats going to make it so I can rotate the tires. What are the benefits of staggered vs the same all the way around?

Would there be rubbing issues using an 18" with 45 series after being lowered? I know it how much I lower it will be a factor, but say 2-3 inches. I dont want to SLAM it, but I do want it to be noticably lowered. But Im also worried about rubbing or bending a wheel. We dont really have to many potholes in kirkland, its just more bumpy roads and a few ''sewer dips'' here and there.

This is the look Im going for, maybe a little higher in the rear though.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pra/aristo.jpg

For 275 tires, you will be looking at a 9.5" or 10" rim width. These sizes will NOT fit in front so if you want this, the setup will need to be staggered.

Going for a flushed look, there is a good chance it will rub (although the wheels in the pic is not completely flushed with the fender. Fender rub will also depend on what offset you get. If you plan to go with 18s and 45 series, you will rub the top of the fender lining when you hit big dips fast enough. This setup (which gives the same diameter as the 19s fat and 20s regular) is 1" more than spec.

The AWD is .5in higher than the rear drive GS.
No luck finding springs.