Bobcat

Dazz ...... Intensive Hunks????

What the heck does that mean?

I DO LIKE those Dazz Matiz wheels.

Manaray

"Intensive Hunk" is what the rim is called in Japan...Dazz just imports the rims and put their own center cap on it...

That Fikse wheel is the FM/10...

Fikse's will range from (according to their website) $650ish to $1250ish...I figure with 18's and the finish you want, it'll probably be in the $800-$900 range...Try giving Fikse a call and see if they'll work with you on a price...you never know! Personally, I like the Aro and FM/10. Nice wheels, I would have consider them if they made 20" (or at LEAST 19").

Also check out:

http://www.kinesismotorsport.com/kinesis.html

I kinda like the K58, K18, K28. Their grey finish is also pretty interesting looking...here's a picture of the K28 with the grey finish...

Bobcat

Where do you find these wheels?

I like the Kinesis K18 and 28 too. A lot. Not sure how the gray finish would look with my white GS.

Hey, when you see super deep lips like the one in this pic from their site, are they custom only? Is it even "possible" to get a lip that deep on a GS400? It's crazy, the lip on the front is almost as deep as the rear.

Manaray

You should be able to do a decent lip on your GS...I have 1.5" front lip and a 2.5" rear lip...

The Kinesis rim is available in standard machine finish (aka: Diamond Finish) or silver...

If you want Fikse of Kinesis rims, I would call the respective companies and ask to talk to one of the tech guys about a custom fitment for your GS...

As far as the wait, I had to wait like 8 weeks for my HRE's...but it was worth it!

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

Overtaxed:

Mercedes didn't steal the entire market for clean dish wheels. Only the AMG and Brabus and Carlsson and Lorinser styles. I wouldn't accuse any clean dish wheels or something that looks Euro as COPYING MERCEDES. For example, I would NEVER accuse VolkRacing DD or SS as too Mercedes. You see? But if it's some real AMG wheels or fake AMGs or Carlssons then I would say that's some bad stuff you got on a Lexus.


1sickLEX:

Good job. I would rather get used real nice wheels than fake new wheels. Used GS instead of new Elantra. You see? (Not saying Elantras suck)


Bobcat:

we won't spit at you or anything. But the fact is if you don't use something that goes with your car you will be disgusted. (I've seen this at the SoCal meet myself.... some people making bad comments about something on a GS that doesn't belong....... don't think it's nice to talk behind someone's back, and it's not nice to be talked about.)


So generally, fake rims are still hated in general. If oneday Hyundai comes out with a car that looks exactly like the GS, would you buy it because it's cheaper but looks the same? I don't think so. Quality isn't as good, not as durable, strong, performance-oriented..... etc. etc. So whoever that wants to get fakes because they want to spend less money by getting knock offs should change their mind............................. good job 1sicklex!

just my 600030836797604 cents hope I don't offend anyone.

Manaray

Actually, the Daewoo Leganza is a Lexus GS300 knock-off of sorts. It was design by ItalDesign (Giorgio Giugiaro), who also designed the 14x Aristo (Pre-1998 Lexus GS300)

(FYI - The 16x Aristo [1998 and up Lexus GS300/400/430] was designed in-house by Akihiro Nagaya)

Anyone who wants to buy fake knock-off rims should consider selling their GS's and buying a Leganza instead...You can buy a Leganza for $19,200 fully loaded...along with your $1000 rims and tires!

GlobeCLK - We can't spit at him? Why not?! Can we spit on his wheels at least?

And speaking of the Club Lexus meet, who's ES was that? The one that had practically every Lexus aftermarket BADGE on it? It even had a L-Tuned badge...I was not aware that L-Tuned made anything for 1992-1996 Lexus ES300's....

Bobcat

Manaray:

What kind and size HRE's have you got? How much did they cost?

Globe and Manaray:
What is a "fake" rim? What "belongs" on a Lexus GS400?

I'm beginning to learn, but it takes a while. Try to imagine a guy is driving around in a Honda Accord for years and is hoping and praying for the day that he can afford a Lexus. Then God blesses him, and he gets his Lexus. He logs into this website where there are guys that live and breathe Lexus Lexus Lexus for years. Then this Accord driver decides that his stock wheels suck. We need education. You are providing it .... I'm sure I'm not the only one benefiting here. After all, 1sicklex was convinced that he should wait and get some good rims.

I get the idea that Benz and Bimmer wheels have kinda evolved over the years as being "unique" to those cars. AMG = Benz. Period. That's the way it is. My guess is that it takes years for these relationships to become established. It's called exclusivity.

Are there such wheels with Lexus or is Lexus too young?

The Kinesis K28 is TOTALLY AWESOME in my opinion. Their website homepage specifically says "Kinesis for your BMW" "Kinesis for your Viper" and "Kinesis for your Porsche." Since they seem to cater to the dreaded Bimmer, then, are they to be ELIMINATED as being acceptable to one of us superior Lexus owners? I'm confused. I just thank God I'm blessed enough to even be considering these things. Most people don't have the resources to go here. We should all be thankful, enjoy our rides (and the journey), and be careful not to turn our cars into idols.

Father Bob

llam

What do you guys think about Gewalt? I'm thinking about getting the spoke 3piece.

Benny

I am down to the
OZ Opera II modular
OZ Vela 2 PC
and
Antera #309

I guess we'll see who wins this weekend

Manaray

Bobcat - I have HRE Model 543's. Front = 20" x 8.5", Rear = 20" x 9.5". Machine Silver center with a High Polish lip. Clear Coated. They cost less than Mo's price, but I have a "special" relationship with HRE... I can tell you this, the deals that Mo gives on HRE's are EXCELLENT! He really makes them affordable!

As far as "fake", fake rims are rims that look like another rim (that's an original design)...or they're 1 piece rims that look like 3 piece rims (you know, with the bolts around the outside of the center section) regardless of the design. For example, anything that Konig and G-Racing make is just a low-end knock-off.

As far as "belonging", well that's a matter of taste. For example, I think Lexani/Alba/Niche/Neeper makes rims that do NOT belong on a Lexus. Those rims belong on Buicks and Cadillacs, not a Lexus. Of course, some people actually like these rims...usually, they're into the whole wacked "bling-bling" lifestyle (the in-your-face, I-got-so-much-cash, look-at-my-gold-and-chrome bull****)...

As for as Kinesis, they're on the outer edge of being "ok" but that's because they aren't not BMW, Viper, or Porsche tuners...they just happen to have some more experience with them...you have to remember, most Lexus owners, until recently, haven't been into fixing up their cars...but Kinesis makes some very good forged rims (like HRE or Fikse) and they have a very nice rim design (the K28)...I would do a set of K28's if they made them in 20". I don't believe they have the tooling to do that though...

I take it you didn't "fix up" your Accord? I suppose it would be rather overwhelming...a lot of newbies have said the same thing...it is VOLUMES of information (hey, maybe we should all publish a "Club Lexus" book?) and it's hard to take it all in one bite.

What I always recommend is to TAKE YOUR TIME. There is no rush to fix up your GS...there will be a aftermarket for quite some time to come...the most common roadblock is money...I always say "save up" and buy the better product. Don't settle for something less because you can't wait.

Luckily, you have a good budget for rims (and since you're looking at 18", you're saving some cash). At any rate, just read and learn...go back and check out older posts...there are a LOT of people on here with a LOT of great information! And you can always ask...we're all here to help...

Manaray

Benny - Don't do Antera's....they are SO played out...they've become "generic" rims...

As far as the OZ's...well, I guess it's personal taste but I really wouldn't do either...the OZ rims I do like would not be ones I'd put on a Lexus (like the Superleggera, Optima, SuperTurismo, etc....too racy)...of course, this is just my opinion...

If you like the look of the Vela, do the AME Modelarts or the Lowenhart LR-5 or the Lsportline Model IV...Not that OZ rims are bad (they make VERY good rims), I just don't like their offerings for the GS (unless you get the Junction Produce rim in 19"...that is a very nice rim!...however, you can only buy them from Junction Produce...)

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

although their designs are not copying others, most of the MMs don't look good IMO. Looks like plastic. The only one that looks good IMO is the Evo.

My philosophy is, Japanese cars use Japanese wheels. Euro cars use Euro wheels. Like if I drive a BMW (like if I get one as a beater) I will only use European wheels. I've seen a 328i with VolkRacing Challenge and it looks like you're wearing a Hawaiian shirt with leather boots. Don't match at all

Manaray

1sicklex - Mille Miglia - I'm with Globe on this one. I'm not particularly fond of their rim designs on a Lexus. Of their rims, the one I do like is their Evo design but not enough to put them on a Lexus. I think Lexus cars have a little more class than the Mille Miglia's offer.

As for Country lines, Globe is more "racial" on this issue than I am. I think crossing country lines is OK...to a certain point.

For example, HRE, Fikse, and Kinesis are all American companies that manufacture forged rims. I would have no problem putting any of those rims on either my Japanese car (which I did) or my German car (if I owned one). Plus all of those rims are customizable straight from the factory so you can do so real nitty-gritty adjustments (like lip depth, finish type, etc., etc..). With pre-built rims, you're choices are limited to what the company manfactures. Another reason why I went with HRE's is because not many Japanese manufactures offer 20" wheels. There were a few 19's I ALMOST bought instead...very close, but I'm glad I went with the HRE's as I love the way they turned out!

I would NOT have done Welds, Boyds, Centerlines, etc. because their design don't really "look right" on Lexus automobiles.

Where I draw the line is when it comes to using brand specific TUNER wheels on the wrong brand of car...as I've outline in a previous post...

My brakes are English (AP Racing - Rotor and Caliper) and American (Stillen - Hat and Pads...and Goodridge steel braided lines)...Endless didn't have a solution for me and the Supra brakes weren't trick enough for me (compared to the AP Racing/Stillen setup)...oh before anyone throws out the whole Steven Millen races Nissan thing, he also raced Toyotas too (Pike Peak and Stadium)...so :P

I also happen to have German suspensions (H&R coil overs) on my car...hey, Heidi Klum is German and I'd love to install her in my car...in the passenger seat....bent over the center console...oh...suspensions...oh yeah...yeah, those crazy Germans! What were we talking about?

Bobcat

Well ...

I am leaning heavily towards the Fikse FM/10's (silver center with polished lip - 1.5" lip in front, 2.0" lip in back). I called them yesterday and they gave me a quote of right around $4K even for 4 18"x8.5" with Yoko AVS Db tires shipped to my door. I told him I wanted a price on staggered setup too and he will get back to me on that. My guess is that it will cost about $300 more for that ... partially because he said he would have to go to Yoko AVS Sport for the bigger rear wheels.

Is the staggered setup strictly for looks? Or do the wider rear wheels actually help with traction, launches, etc?

I wonder if you guys think those are good tires for this setup? I read somewhere in an older post that some tire has a built-in lip thing that supposedly helps to protect from curb rash. Any input on that? (p.s. I do not want a noisy tire).

One of the cool things about Fikse is that I was talking to a guy who owned part of the company ... Matt Fikse. Talk about personalized service!

BTW, I am really grateful to you guys for helping me to narrow down my choices .... especially Manaray and Globe.

Two final questions....
HRE seems to advertise their 400 series wheels to the smaller cars such as IS300. Are 500 series the only way to go with GS400?
Manaray/Globe ... if price were not much of an issue, would you choose Fikse FM/10 or the Kinesis K10/18/or 28? What finish? I kinda like that gray finish with polished lip on the Kinesis. How would that look with a white GS? I'm thinking the Fikse with silver would be a little classier and the Kinesis would be a little sportier.

And on and on and on and on and on he blathers .... ad nauseum .... will it ever end?

Overtaxed

Bobcat,

The added width of the rear tires should not give you any extra grip.

I found this a little hard to believe first but I've had it explained to me by several people that should know.

The traction is a function of the pressure (from the cars weight) per square inch of the area where the tire touches the ground.

If you make a tire double the width you double the area that touches the ground but at the same time cut the pressure per square inch in half. So it more or less evens out.