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I've had my ES300h a little over a year and I decided to change things up a bit. I found these 19" FSport rims/tires for sale locally and decided to see how they looked. They are from an IS350, so they are staggered, 19x8 225/40/19 in front and 19x9 255/35/19 in the rear. The rims are forged Lexus rims that weigh 21/22 lbs each. With just the rims, the car looked a little SUV-ish, so I decided to add the BC coilovers, the first pic is a before/after the bc coils. I installed the coils myself and they ride as you'd expect, more firm and sporty than stock, but you lose a little of that Lexus ride quality. Worth it for me as I am used to less comfortable (sporty) cars and the roads around here are pretty good so they extra few bumps don't bother me and I like the more solid feel of the car now. I have the ability to adjust the ride height myself and I could go a lot lower.
I love the wheels, and from certain angles they look great, but from other angles I think I either need to lower the car or just get more rubber on the tires or both (see the last pic, front rim, for the "worst" it looks). If anyone has experience with staggered wheels on the ES, or has more rubber on 19 in tires (especially in the front), please let us all know what you have, if it works, and if you like it. I've searched a ton on these forums lately and there isn't a ton of info on going larger or staggered on this car.
And for those wondering, I didn't necessarily want to do a staggered setup on a FWD car, but I like these rims and the car drives pretty good with them so I'm likely to keep them. I've had the wheels/tires for ~1,700 miles and the coils for ~1,300 miles.
I am open to constructive comments on the setup, so let me know what you think.
Also, if anyone has questions on the coilover install or anything else just let me know, just know that I'm not a mechanic, just a guy who likes to work on his own cars.
Lastly, for anyone looking for a great value in a high quality used car, I think the 6th gen ES350 and ES300h are in a sweet spot now. My car just crossed 80k miles and you can pick up a comparable car for ~$15k depending on year/condition/mileage. And a Lexus will last forever!
Interesting. I enjoyed the Nebula Gray Pearl on our RX, but have always thought that color looked a tad boring on the ES. In your case, those dark rims really compliment that color. Great combination!
I don't know if it's just the angle of the picture or what, but in the very top picture, it looks like the rims and tire don't fill up the wheel well. But it doesn't appear that way in most of the other pics. Maybe it's just my old eyes.
The only thing is the ES has a big side body. So just about always the wheels and tires look small on every single 6th Gen ES. Low profile tire + a ES always look small. In this case the 19' Rims are not the Culprit, its the tire height side wall.
I have the Stock ES350 U/L wheels on mine. I just moved up the tire side wall in sizes, and gained a slightly wider tire too. If anything I would up the Tire side wall size, and it will look Perfect for your car. You asked for constructive comments. But I do especially like the combo you did, and the deep dish in the Stock Lexus FSport wheels.
Interesting that you like the ES300h enough to work on it, considering your history with IS350, IS300, BMW M2, and Porsche 911. I have a 300h and like it, other than it feels underpowered, especially if one is accelerating from a stoplight and the traction battery happens to be low. The engine just screams then to simultaneously charge the traction battery and accelerate the car. I bought the car new, it runs like new, but have lost so much on depreciation (you are correct that they are good buys now) that I cannot afford to trade it.
I don't know if it's just the angle of the picture or what, but in the very top picture, it looks like the rims and tire don't fill up the wheel well. But it doesn't appear that way in most of the other pics. Maybe it's just my old eyes.
The top pic shows the before/after coilovers, so the very top pic is before the drop.
The only thing is the ES has a big side body. So just about always the wheels and tires look small on every single 6th Gen ES. Low profile tire + a ES always look small. In this case the 19' Rims are not the Culprit, its the tire height side wall.
I have the Stock ES350 U/L wheels on mine. I just moved up the tire side wall in sizes, and gained a slightly wider tire too. If anything I would up the Tire side wall size, and it will look Perfect for your car. You asked for constructive comments. But I do especially like the combo you did, and the deep dish in the Stock Lexus FSport wheels.
Thanks, and I agree, I might try 225/45/19 in front and 255/40/19 in the back, the speedo change will be a little more but still close enough to stock. Then I can lower/raise the car as needed.
Interesting that you like the ES300h enough to work on it, considering your history with IS350, IS300, BMW M2, and Porsche 911. I have a 300h and like it, other than it feels underpowered, especially if one is accelerating from a stoplight and the traction battery happens to be low. The engine just screams then to simultaneously charge the traction battery and accelerate the car. I bought the car new, it runs like new, but have lost so much on depreciation (you are correct that they are good buys now) that I cannot afford to trade it.
You car looks beautiful, though :-)
I know, I have an S2000 to play with but I drive this car a lot more. I shopped GS and IS but I thought the ES was by far a better deal used, especially being a hybrid. The coils and sportier tires make it a better drive for me because I like a more firm/sportier car. Yes, the 300h is slow compared to the 350 and most other cars but I've found that if I use sport mode in the right situations the car is plenty zippy for my needs. On my last trip back from CA I was in a group of cars going 90-95mph for a bit, I'm surprised how effortlessly the 300h kept up those speeds and MPG was around ~33 for that stretch and ~35 for the trip.
Thanks, and I agree, I might try 225/45/19 in front and 255/40/19 in the back, the speedo change will be a little more but still close enough to stock. Then I can lower/raise the car as needed.
I with up from 235/45/18 to 245/45/18 on my Stock 18" U/L. It rides better, Smoother, grips better is a wider tire, and handles better, and tracks better in the Rain.
It looks better too! The Speedo change is + or -, I forgot 1-2 miles per hour. What I do like is that......... it slows down the Odometer racking up less miles tho!
Hey man nice ride, hoping you could give me some advice on your bc coilovers.. So when your installing the front coil assembly do you need to re-use any pieces of the oem strut mount or anything? I just got mine delivered and planning on putting them in this weekend..
Those rims make the otherwise kind of dull grey paint pop IMO. Also agreed that these ES350's are in a sweet spot on the used market, took delivery of a red 2014 with 51k miles today, paid a bit more but still thought it was a steal for what you got(much nicer than the 20k mile 2018-2019 4 cylinder Camrys I was also looking at for the same $$$)
01-05-21, 07:59 AM
2013 ES300h with BC Coilovers and 19" FSport Rims
