Mesh Wheels on ES330
#1
Mesh Wheels on ES330
So that time of snow tires is coming around, and i was wondering if anyone has mesh wheels on their ES? I looked through the wheels thread and didnt see any. For my 2004 ES330 i was going to use a set of ACT mesh wheels 16x7, +35 offset, 70.5 center bore (ill use hubcentric rings). To be honest, i have never heard of this brand of wheel before, or how it will even look on the car, but I got the set for super cheap. Any input on the wheel, how it would look, anything that would be great. Here is a picture of the wheel itself, and the car in question.
#2
Pole Position
I know nothing of the brand, but I know the design. It was from the late '80s, German BBS design that went OE on some Mercedes and Audis, BMWs. To me it's a very dated design, and I think it would look very dated . It's also not highly functional for winter wheels; The tight weave clogs with slush, snow, ice, and salty road gunk on NY and New England roads (ask me how I know this - ).
I still have a rare 1991 Audi V8/5 speed and I ditched those wheels within one season for some newer Audi wheels, one for summer and another for winter. Here's a similar car to mine that still has the OE wheels:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2458546/1990-audi-v8/
If you want some higher performace summer tires, what I would do is put snows on the 16s, and get 17s for summer. There's a post on this page now from a guy who put 17" 2012 ES350 wheels on his 2000 ES and it does look great - not flashy, but nice. Or find some take-off 16" Lexus wheels from another year range. The overall simpler the wheel design is, the less it clogs in the winter. I used Audi A8 wheels (broad 5-spoke pattern) for my winter wheels for that reason (on the Auid, not the Lexus). I ended up going 16" for both summer and winter as the 17" where just too stiff on the rural NY and Vermont roads in the summer.
PS,nice looking 330; I like the color combo.
I still have a rare 1991 Audi V8/5 speed and I ditched those wheels within one season for some newer Audi wheels, one for summer and another for winter. Here's a similar car to mine that still has the OE wheels:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2458546/1990-audi-v8/
If you want some higher performace summer tires, what I would do is put snows on the 16s, and get 17s for summer. There's a post on this page now from a guy who put 17" 2012 ES350 wheels on his 2000 ES and it does look great - not flashy, but nice. Or find some take-off 16" Lexus wheels from another year range. The overall simpler the wheel design is, the less it clogs in the winter. I used Audi A8 wheels (broad 5-spoke pattern) for my winter wheels for that reason (on the Auid, not the Lexus). I ended up going 16" for both summer and winter as the 17" where just too stiff on the rural NY and Vermont roads in the summer.
PS,nice looking 330; I like the color combo.
Last edited by Oro; 10-28-14 at 03:43 PM.
#5
Lexus Champion
The only thing I'd worry about with no name wheels is the weight and quality. If its significantly heavier than stock it will affect braking big time.
With your setup your wheels would be pushed 15mm outward compared to stock, for a 30mm wider track.
Oro is right to mention ice and snow would get trapped in a wheel like that design. The worse is after going drifting in the snow, the snow packs in the rim and it becomes severely unbalanced, causing vibration.
With your setup your wheels would be pushed 15mm outward compared to stock, for a 30mm wider track.
Oro is right to mention ice and snow would get trapped in a wheel like that design. The worse is after going drifting in the snow, the snow packs in the rim and it becomes severely unbalanced, causing vibration.
#7
Pole Position
iTrader: (1)
I know this wheel brand. They've be been around for quite some time & even Toyota did some work with them. I don't know what their quality is like today, but I say go for it and I think your car will look nice. Just wash your wheels is if the mesh gets clogged.
pics when installed please.
pics when installed please.
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#8
Pole Position
BUT: if you bought them, go with god; you'll be fine. Just bear that in mind if you do long distances in all-weather/any weather (I had to), you need to be prepared. Stick some latex and then winter over-gloves in your trunk, then if it gets bad get out and clean them. Not likely to have to do it often. But be prepared. You can kick/poke/scrub the snow and ice rime off them and then go another hour or two. They are a great strength/weight design, a horrible winter design.
* Only one car was ever built with both a center and rear Torsen differential: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torsen#Center_and_rear
Last edited by Oro; 10-28-14 at 11:58 PM.
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