Wheel/Tire Advice for Idiots
#16
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Thank you all for the reply. The information was VERY helpful. Now, at the sizes mentioned what is the risk of wheel damage or tire failure for real world application? It seems that the aspect ratio lower than 35 is prone to tire damage and wheel failure at the the 235 or higher number on 20" wheels. Is this correct or am I missing something?
If I spend more than 3,000 on wheels and $1200-$1500 on tires I would like to get at least a few years out of them (the wheels anyway). How much tire wear are we talking about due to the Tanabe springs, negative camber issue and 20" wheel? What about alignment issues? Is this a 6 month ordeal like a teeth cleaning?
If I go "conservative" with 19" wheels (245/35/19" in the front and 275/30/19 in the rear) will tire wear, ride, wheel damage and alignment issues, etc. be less of a concern?
I appreciate the advice.
If I spend more than 3,000 on wheels and $1200-$1500 on tires I would like to get at least a few years out of them (the wheels anyway). How much tire wear are we talking about due to the Tanabe springs, negative camber issue and 20" wheel? What about alignment issues? Is this a 6 month ordeal like a teeth cleaning?
If I go "conservative" with 19" wheels (245/35/19" in the front and 275/30/19 in the rear) will tire wear, ride, wheel damage and alignment issues, etc. be less of a concern?
I appreciate the advice.
bottom line
1) 245/30 and 285/25, they are very close to stock diameters, safer in terms of rubbing, but more risk in terms of ride quality and bending wheels
2) 245/35 and 285/30 means better ride, higher chance of rubbing, but NOT "must" rub
3) wheel width and sizing is very important, that's the key to rub or not
4) every brand and model tires are DIFFERENT. dunlop 245/35 will likely stretch a bit on 9" wide wheels, but the same size from michelin and it's very meaty
5) same size tires on different size wheel will have different effect as well. for example 275/30 on 10 might clear for some aggressive wheels, but if for the same wheels you do 285/30, you will be asking for trouble
so no one can really give you a "ding ding ding" answer just by numbers. everything comes into play, from wheel widths and offsets, to tire brand, model, and size. a good shop will be able to help you on that, or someone that knows enough
#17
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Personally I'm getting Nitto NT555 235/35/20 F on 20x8.5 and 275/30/20 R on 20x9.5. If you lower with springs it really depends on what you want. NF210 is a normal drop and DF's are an aggressive drop. Really i SHOULD be going with 245/30 and 285/25. But imho, i think the tires are too thin and could damage my wheels. After all, my car is a daily driver. But if you don't drive often, I would go with 245/30 and 285/25.
#18
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Personally I'm getting Nitto NT555 235/35/20 F on 20x8.5 and 275/30/20 R on 20x9.5. If you lower with springs it really depends on what you want. NF210 is a normal drop and DF's are an aggressive drop. Really i SHOULD be going with 245/30 and 285/25. But imho, i think the tires are too thin and could damage my wheels. After all, my car is a daily driver. But if you don't drive often, I would go with 245/30 and 285/25.
#20
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For those that decide to go with a 19" wheel will that appear much different in terms of the fender gap? For example, BMW's look good with 19" wheels and don't have a big fender gap. A performance Mercedes E63 comes with stock 18" AMG wheels and looks nice. My point is a 19" wheel would retain performance, ride and offer more tire choices/cheaper. Is there an acceptable alternative in terms of tires/wheels in the 19" size that looks good on this car (with Tanabe springs)? Almost every picture on the mod thread shows a 20" or 22" wheel on this car. The 19" wheels look small (even with Tanabe). Since the 19" wheels look small is there anything to be gained over 18" wheels (with Tanabe)?
Thanks in advance dor the reply. The advice is very helpful.
#21
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for tires, i have had many many of them, and at this point, i would really say pay a bit more and get the michelin, especially the pilot sport a/s. it's not the best handling tires out there, but it's all season with very good performance in both dry and wet conditions. and tire life is pretty good. most importantly, the ride is very smooth, soft, and pretty darn quiet
i am running falken now, they are new so we will see how they become when i accumulate more miles
i am running falken now, they are new so we will see how they become when i accumulate more miles
#22
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for tires, i have had many many of them, and at this point, i would really say pay a bit more and get the michelin, especially the pilot sport a/s. it's not the best handling tires out there, but it's all season with very good performance in both dry and wet conditions. and tire life is pretty good. most importantly, the ride is very smooth, soft, and pretty darn quiet
i am running falken now, they are new so we will see how they become when i accumulate more miles
i am running falken now, they are new so we will see how they become when i accumulate more miles
For wheel width what is best for a mid priced non custom wheel? 8.5" or 9" in the front? What about the rear? 9" or 10.5"? Is rubbing more likely in the rear with 10.5"? How would a 8.5" front and 10.5" rear wheel set-up look?
I assume very aggressive.
My choices are limited to 9" or 10.5" in the rear.
Thanks.
#23
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for tires, i have had many many of them, and at this point, i would really say pay a bit more and get the michelin, especially the pilot sport a/s. it's not the best handling tires out there, but it's all season with very good performance in both dry and wet conditions. and tire life is pretty good. most importantly, the ride is very smooth, soft, and pretty darn quiet
i am running falken now, they are new so we will see how they become when i accumulate more miles
i am running falken now, they are new so we will see how they become when i accumulate more miles
From what I have found out so far all GS owners that have 20" wheels with Tanabe Springs have rubbing issues when the car is loaded with passengers.
The rears rub 275/30/20 with Tanabe and lowered when there are 3-4 adults in the car.
It seems that if you want the "lowered" look with Tanabe then 19" wheels are the maximum size limit for those of us in the real world who have passengers and drive 10-12,000 miles per year.
#24
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From what I have found out so far all GS owners that have 20" wheels with Tanabe Springs have rubbing issues when the car is loaded with passengers.
The rears rub 275/30/20 with Tanabe and lowered when there are 3-4 adults in the car.
It seems that if you want the "lowered" look with Tanabe then 19" wheels are the maximum size limit for those of us in the real world who have passengers and drive 10-12,000 miles per year.
The rears rub 275/30/20 with Tanabe and lowered when there are 3-4 adults in the car.
It seems that if you want the "lowered" look with Tanabe then 19" wheels are the maximum size limit for those of us in the real world who have passengers and drive 10-12,000 miles per year.
i think that would be the right way to look at the problem and find the solutions.
i will put it this way. back when the 2gs started ramping, people were talking about rubbing here and there too with 20s and what not. but gradually, more people understand about the modding behind 2gs, they started playing with fenders, and little tricks here and there. and now, running 20s are a dime a dozen over in the 2gs forum
3gs forum is still very new and i don't see a lot of people really mod their cars. eternityGS3 and senseiGS43 are two of the few examples that i see who go out there. so there are still a lot for everyone to learn to make things happen.
of course, for those who just want a setup that works like that, yeah, they might say it's too much trouble, not worth it, etc... but without looking at the real problem, who knows for sure?
(this is just my GUESS)
the reason for rubbing is people want the wheels to be as outward as possible, but due to the fender design, there are some bumps and the slop also rubs again the wheels when the suspension is comparessed.
so solution is either to get a wheel that's more inset like the stock one so it has more room for suspension travel, but it looks stupid, or you use a heat gun to heat and push up up the lining to create the necessary space.
i believe in no free lunch, you want the car to look nice and cool and no issues? some work might be needed. bottom line is what everyone wants, someone enjoy the work and think it's fun, someone just want the minimal and be satisfied. so everyone is different i personally enjoy working on the fenders and get some nice setup fitted on the car
#25
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then if that's the case, my question is, where are they rubbing EXACTLY? fender tab? top lining? fender / bumper junction? certain lining bumps?
i think that would be the right way to look at the problem and find the solutions.
i will put it this way. back when the 2gs started ramping, people were talking about rubbing here and there too with 20s and what not. but gradually, more people understand about the modding behind 2gs, they started playing with fenders, and little tricks here and there. and now, running 20s are a dime a dozen over in the 2gs forum
3gs forum is still very new and i don't see a lot of people really mod their cars. eternityGS3 and senseiGS43 are two of the few examples that i see who go out there. so there are still a lot for everyone to learn to make things happen.
of course, for those who just want a setup that works like that, yeah, they might say it's too much trouble, not worth it, etc... but without looking at the real problem, who knows for sure?
(this is just my GUESS)
the reason for rubbing is people want the wheels to be as outward as possible, but due to the fender design, there are some bumps and the slop also rubs again the wheels when the suspension is comparessed.
so solution is either to get a wheel that's more inset like the stock one so it has more room for suspension travel, but it looks stupid, or you use a heat gun to heat and push up up the lining to create the necessary space.
i believe in no free lunch, you want the car to look nice and cool and no issues? some work might be needed. bottom line is what everyone wants, someone enjoy the work and think it's fun, someone just want the minimal and be satisfied. so everyone is different i personally enjoy working on the fenders and get some nice setup fitted on the car
i think that would be the right way to look at the problem and find the solutions.
i will put it this way. back when the 2gs started ramping, people were talking about rubbing here and there too with 20s and what not. but gradually, more people understand about the modding behind 2gs, they started playing with fenders, and little tricks here and there. and now, running 20s are a dime a dozen over in the 2gs forum
3gs forum is still very new and i don't see a lot of people really mod their cars. eternityGS3 and senseiGS43 are two of the few examples that i see who go out there. so there are still a lot for everyone to learn to make things happen.
of course, for those who just want a setup that works like that, yeah, they might say it's too much trouble, not worth it, etc... but without looking at the real problem, who knows for sure?
(this is just my GUESS)
the reason for rubbing is people want the wheels to be as outward as possible, but due to the fender design, there are some bumps and the slop also rubs again the wheels when the suspension is comparessed.
so solution is either to get a wheel that's more inset like the stock one so it has more room for suspension travel, but it looks stupid, or you use a heat gun to heat and push up up the lining to create the necessary space.
i believe in no free lunch, you want the car to look nice and cool and no issues? some work might be needed. bottom line is what everyone wants, someone enjoy the work and think it's fun, someone just want the minimal and be satisfied. so everyone is different i personally enjoy working on the fenders and get some nice setup fitted on the car
Thank You. For the handicapped like me, would a good body shop be able to use the "heat gun" and fix the problem? If I went with 20" wheels that are 9" wide in the front and 10.5" wide in the rear would that work in the GS? That is, after the body shop does some work with the heat gun and whatever else (do you know whatever else is?) could I use this set-up? I found the perfect wheels (for me) at my price point for the GS 350 but they only come in those width's in the 20" size.
#26
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senseigs43 had 9 front and 11 rear i think (or 9.5 front i forgot). i don't hear him saying anything about rubbing. i know he did some fender work. so that's why i keep on saying, it can be done. and his car is low (JIC coilovers). as long as the shop knows what they do, they should have no problem fixing it
put it this way, i am no mechanic or body shop, but i am a bit handy. i did all the fender mods on my cars, from my gs400 to my ls460l, and of course the gs350 to come
put it this way, i am no mechanic or body shop, but i am a bit handy. i did all the fender mods on my cars, from my gs400 to my ls460l, and of course the gs350 to come
#27
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Is it worth bothering changing from 18" wheels to 19" wheels in this car? That is, will the look be enhanced much?
Also, is it worth doing an 18" staggered set-up? 8" width in the front and 8.5"
in the rear. It seems like the 0.5" difference would barely be noticeable. Lexus offers this set-up for the IS.
Also, is it worth doing an 18" staggered set-up? 8" width in the front and 8.5"
in the rear. It seems like the 0.5" difference would barely be noticeable. Lexus offers this set-up for the IS.
#28
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Mine rubs in the front regardless of passengers. Im going to probably do something about the front very soon. But I have never experienced rubbing in the rear even with 3 people in the back.
#29
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i will only do staggered setup on RWD cars, that's just me. and 8 and 8.5... that's too minimal, might as well not do it. i would say at least 8.5 front and 10 rear
upgrading to 19s or 20s that's your call, it's very subjective. i have 22s on ls460 and some people say they are too big but i think it's just right. i will only put 20s on the gs350, some people might not like but i think 19s are too small
#30
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Valueguy, another example on rubbing. there is no "fixed" answer
i will only do staggered setup on RWD cars, that's just me. and 8 and 8.5... that's too minimal, might as well not do it. i would say at least 8.5 front and 10 rear
upgrading to 19s or 20s that's your call, it's very subjective. i have 22s on ls460 and some people say they are too big but i think it's just right. i will only put 20s on the gs350, some people might not like but i think 19s are too small
i will only do staggered setup on RWD cars, that's just me. and 8 and 8.5... that's too minimal, might as well not do it. i would say at least 8.5 front and 10 rear
upgrading to 19s or 20s that's your call, it's very subjective. i have 22s on ls460 and some people say they are too big but i think it's just right. i will only put 20s on the gs350, some people might not like but i think 19s are too small