Sonnyj

1st post. Been checking out this forum for a while. Having a 2014 350 with UL package. Was sorry to hear it has 18" rims, but not surprised. Not from a Lexus dealer, so couldn't have them do a swap for 17's. Not a fan of the trend towards taller tires and thinner tires. I suspect I'm in the minority on this. I see a lot of people going from 17 to 18 and vice versa. Would there be a problem with me going down to 16's? Thanks.

Sonnyj

Sorry, meant taller rims and thinner tires, not "taller rims taller tires.

Dave Mac

That's an interesting question. I guess if you adjusted the tire profile as is done when upsizing it would work. I wouldn't do it though. It seems to me it might look a little strange and not really provided any significant benefit to you. You might call Tire Rack and get their input.

Dave Mac

madsen203

The benefit would be in the shock absorbing properties of the taller sidewall. It could also reduce noise and roll over bumps easier (smoother).

I would go with the 17" to meet in the middle of comfort, style, and handling characteristics. The 16" should provide ultimate luxury feeling though. Make sure to get a good tire and soft sidewall such as the famously mentioned Pirelli All season Plus tires.

Sonnyj

Thanks for replies. Don't have the car yet, it will be delivered in a week or so. Didn't mention that. (not a very good 1st post) What looks strange to me is 20 inches of rim and 2 inches of tire, but that's just old man talk. I have no interest in changing the overall height of the rim/tire. Have a 2000 camry xle, so I figured it was time for a bit of an upgrade. Guess I'll wait till I get the es and see what I think of the 18's and go from there. Thanks.

mcomer

The stock size for your ES350 and for the ES300h is "17. Double check before
fitting "16's that they clear the brake calipers. While the ES's are not the road
racers that an RC or IS F-Sport is it is possible that the brakes would interfere.

We have Blizzaks mounted on 2009 ES "17 seven spoke rims for our 2014
ESh. Justified them to my accountant my wife because we have a 48 month
lease x 15K miles/year = 60K miles "We are going to have to buy a set of tires
for it anyway..." Have not had more than 4 inches of snow at a time in the last
two years

lesz

This thread is about something similar to what you want to do.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...re-sensor.html

Sonnyj

Thanks mcomer and lenz. This is why I asked the original question. I certainly don't want brake caliper clearance issues, and never even considered tire pressure sensors..

MWLex

Sonnyj,

I looked into the idea myself in order to give my 2015 ES 350 with 17" wheels a softer ride over bumps and rough surfaces. According to Tire Rack, going to 16" wheels will work on my car. For my purpose, Tire Rack recommended 16" wheels and 225-60-16 Pirelli P7 All Season Plus tires. Tire Rack sells the wheels and tires, mounts and balances them and ships them to you. You can see how different styles of 16" wheels will look on your car on their web site. I have not yet changed to 16" wheels on my car yet, so I can't say how much of difference there is in ride comfort compared to my 17" wheels. Good luck. If you wind up changing to 16" wheels, I'd be interested in your assessment of the ride.

Sonnyj

Thanks, MW. Still don't have the car, should get it this week. It has 18" wheels with Michelins of some sort. I know lots of guys switch 17 and 18", but was unsure about going all the way to 16". Two possible problems have been mentioned: brake caliper clearance and tire pressure sensor. We will see. I've never even driven an es; maybe I'll be OK with the 18"s. Thanks for info...