istatic

Hi Ruben, I have Michelin Pilot Sport 4's all round. I would have to say the slightly bigger front tyres (235's) only give very minimal extra rim protection for the lightest of kerb grazes though . I don't know if you're into the aesthetics of your car ,but unless you are thinking about wider rims, then in my opinion the wider tyres don't look as good on the standard 8" rims...a little bit 'balooney" as opposed to the slightly stretched look of the original width tyres.But not ugly or a deal breaker.

I put 235x40x18 's on my front wheels (350X) instead of the standard 225's (got them a little cheaper) and i've had no issues with them whatsoever. No discernible difference in steering feel or ride.No rubbing on guards.

Ok thanks for that great info Danny. I’m not sure what you mean though when you say” you need the right disc type on the wheels itself for work wheels” can you further explain that for me please. I like your suggestion of 9” front wheels and 10” rears but it’s very had to find those widths in any of the brands I’ve been considering eg Work,Rota,ESR....they seem to only do half sizes like 8.5”.....9.5”.......10.5” etc etc I was trying to use my original tyres on any new rims I buy,but that seems increasing optomistic. I think I could put my front tyres 235x40x18 on a 8.5” ,maybe even on a 9” rim ........but I don’t think my rear 255x40x18’s will stretch safely/legally onto a 9.5”.....stand to be corrected on that one though if others have experience there. I did talk to JNC in the US who make a lot of OEM wheels for just about every car manufacturer, and they also do a range of ‘after market ‘ wheels in 9” and 10” widths etc ....and are very reasonably priced .....but with everything here...the Aussie dollar makes importing them as dear as a set of Work wheels. Your confirmation about the +30 and above offsets confirms the conclusion I had come to as well,so thanks for that.....it’s very reassuring .A lot of the wheels I’m looking at have +35 or+38 offsets. As for buying a replacement set of Lexus rims....I have kept my eye out but the one or two I’ve seen on EBay wanted ridiculous money ($500+) for just one wheel.If I’m going to spend that I would rather a nicer/wider looking wheel for nearly the same money. I have seen the occasional set of F sport rims come up but again usually pricey considering I don’t really want their rubber (my Michies are only 2 months old) and besides I’m always too slow .

Hi Bazzle,thanks for that link (and the other subtle dig) I appreciate you posting.. I had in fact trawled through those pages several times prior to posting ,but almost all bar 3 or 4 cars are using 19" or even 20" wheels.which of course makes their specification totally irrelevant to my situation, Furthermore almost all of them don't have the bigger caliphers that X and F sport models do. The closest i could find was a set of 18" Volk wheels with +40 offset...again though not sure if this car had the bigger caliphers. I was hoping to find a few sets of 18" wheels with lower offsets .I did find another one with +38 offset but cant actually see the image ...bummer

Too hard basket i'm guessing !

The wheels on my 2012 IS 350X have sadly developed so much gutter rash that i had to get a quote to repair and repaint them....Yikes ! Its been suggested that for a few more $$$ i could fit new wider rims.I've been looking at many brands and styles but i most like the look of the Work Emotion CR Kiwami. The problem is i cant find anywhere that definitively tells me what offset will be suitable for my car,and the places that sell them are only online for me here in Brisbane. I've spoken to them on the phone but they don't offer information on suitable fitments. Its all your own risk.... and at a couple of grand for a set of rims ,its a big gamble to order a set and then be stuck with them if they don't fit. They did suggest i take it somewhere and have it measured.So i took the car to two places i thought might be familiar with this issue .. but it was obvious they would only be guessing and didn't have any set procedure for determining what offsets will fit my car As the IS 350X has the bigger caliphers on the front ,comparisons with other models with the smaller caliphers is no use at all either. I was looking at a set of 18 x 9.5" ET +30 to maybe +38 . I also realise i could opt for an offset closer to the original +45 on the fronts and +50 on the rears ...but i kinda like the look of the concave rims and high offsets just arn't going to do it. Is there any information out there (or in here) regarding width and offsets that will suit my vehicle or could people let me know what offsets work on their car providing they have the bigger caliphers as per the Fsport or the 350X MODELS My car is stock height and i have no intention of lowering it so guard clearance should not be a factor. I have one other question about stretching tyres ...but i'll leave that for another post. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Glad you managed to get one of those newer Fsport intakes Iggy. Yeah the noise is a nice compromise..gutsy sound when you want it...silent driving when you dont. And yeah there is a tendency to stick the foot down ,but these days there is nearly always a radar cop around the corner when you drive in the city and surrounds...kinda puts a damper on it.

Well i bought the standard Fsport intake with the bigger resonator and as i had hoped... voila ...very nice bit of throatiness starting around 3500 rpm,but stock sounding with normal driving. I didnt mention the purchase to my wife and so far she hasnt noticed the change ,so again what i was wanting (i drive quietly when she's in the car.) A lot cheaper than those polished aluminium intake pipes....,ok, not as pretty and no extra HP gains,but i wasnt worried about that aspect of it. I bought an Fsport grille too while i was at it and very happy with the change in frontal appearance it makes.(Got to have patience with all those grille clips though) I've always felt the 'sloping down' design on the standard grille make the car look too 'pointy' at the front.The hex grille of the Fsport makes the front look a little wider.Subtle change i know but i like it. Thanks to Chris at Chatswood Lexus for all his help. He's great to deal with.

Well thanks for all the suggestions and info guys.I might just have to buy one and see how it turns out,maybe after Xmas .

Not sure what you are saying there Vaku ?What do you mean by "with the sound piped in in stock form" ?

Thanks lexisx ,nice find ,thats exactly what i've been referring to.However that forum is in the States so i wonder if those parts are easily available locally ? One poster quotes $200 US so it would probably be twice that here (at least) if it were available. So at $400 odd dollars not a big outlay if it doesnt work out.Remember im just after the different noise,not any performance gains so should suit me right down to the ground.

Ok thanks, thats good to get that sorted. ........Now i wonder if the 2014 intake would fit the earlier model ???.... Nah lets not go there. Danny you seem to be very knowledgable about the various models and part /prices etc.If its ok with you i might contact you again about some parts availabilty and prices.

Just out of interest these were some of the shots i was looking at.You can see the two different size/shape resonators hanging off the right side of the intake tube. An F type on the left and normal 350 on the right.

Ah ah, yes that might be the case.I am finding it really hard to find detailed images and info about specific Lexus models. The images and info i have been looking at may have been from later,or different models.

Thanks Danny, this is where i'm getting confused.That US forum i looked at spoke about adding all that (pipe and air box) but without the intake resonator.When the resonator was 'deleted' as the yanks like to say,the vehicle lost its throaty sound.It seems to indicate to me that ok you need the pipe,and the filter box but the characteristic sound is not all going to be there without that little intake resonator. I'm thinking that it would be an interesting experiment to try and add the F sport resonator and see what effect if any it has on acceleration noise.I wonder if it can be purchased seperately. Just now reading about resonators, it appears that more and more car manufacturers are starting to employ them(intake resonators) to achieve a more gutsy engine sound reminisient of the days when cars intakes and exhaust systems wer'nt so heavily involved in emissions regulation. BMW have gone to the extraordinary length of having an engine noise prerecorded and linked to the vehicles acceleration which plays back through the cars internal speakers.All this to create the impression for the customer of a high performance engine.(even though the engine is an actual high performace engine) Porsche have added a pipe to their intake resonator and poked it through the firewall to give their cars a more gutsy sound. Clearly Lexus are doing the same.