SW17LS

I believe the only suspension difference between an F Sport and a Luxury is the wheels, is it not? There seems to be a disagreement whether the AVS is tuned differently or not, I do know all the parts are the same.

So...if you didn't like the ride of an F Sport, I bet you won't like the ride of a Luxury with 19s.

Getting closer and closer to buying out and keeping my 2013...walked up to it today in the garage at work and thought about the 2016 GS-F pics...the pre-refresh 4GS is just a beautiful car...

bclexus

Be aware of the ride difference that tire pressure can make. It may not be reasonable or possible to test drive both 18" and 19" wheels/tires with identical tire pressure. A set of 19" tires with [say] 31 psi will be a lot smoother than a set of 18" tires with [say] 35 psi. 2~4 psi can make a big difference in ride quality.

If you are not aware of this, or caught off-guard by the air pressure difference, you could make a [bad] decision based on a careless comparison.

SW17LS

It does definitely make a difference. If I'm seriously considering a car I will check the pressures and reduce them if they're high (they're usually high).

bclexus

Oftentimes they are low in the colder months because the colder ambient air naturally lowers the pressure. But, fairly often dealers will purposely not have their tires inflated much above ~30 psi so as to give a smooth ride when customers are test driving the cars.

SW17LS

The issue is on dealer lots the tires are inflated really high for transport so they don't flat spot. Dealers routinely never lower the pressure when they do their PDI. Lexus vehicles are shipped with tire PSI set at about 50. I've test driven MANY Lexus cars with 50 PSI in the tires.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

True.
I bring a pressure gauge with me when I pick up a new vehicle because just about every time,the tire pressure is too high.

bclexus

I test drove three different new GS 350s in November at a dealership in a suburb of Dallas (Grapevine, TX) and all of them had flat-spotted tires, which took a couple miles to smooth out. My guess (and I'd bet a $20 bill) is that they all had ~32 psi +/- 1psi.

SW17LS

They had likely been on the lot a long while, the GS sits on the lot. Mine was the one I test drove, tires were all 37 which I lowered to 33. I drove another Premium that had tires at 25 lol.

It also depends on the dealer.

bclexus

It doesn't take but 2-3 days for the flat-spotting to become apparent on low profile performance tires. I suspect the dealer probably sets the tire pressure at recommended pressures instead of leaving them anything near 50 psi. I know if it was up to me I'd have the tire pressure set at what the car maker recommends. The last thing I would want to hear from a customer was that his test drive was not smooth and there was a BONG sound whenever he ran over a tiny crack in the road or a cigarette butt.

SW17LS

Makes a lot of sense, but many many dealers don't do that so it pays to check the pressure yourself and make sure you're actually experiencing the way the car is supposed to ride.

My issue with the 19s on the GS is that it gives the car a VERY low profile tire. 45 series tires on the 18s are low enough, the 19s get 40 series tires and that just leaves very little sidewall to cushion anything. 19s on the LS for instance gives you the same sidewall as 18s on the GS.

bclexus

Agree with that... It's one thing to track a car with super low sidewalls, but it's very different driving on streets with not much sidewall height.

SW17LS

I saw and replied in that thread

Yup, the luxury DOES have Sport +

PirelliRC

definitely

ckelly14

Thanks for all the replies. A lot to think about.

My local dealer called the regional office in Atlanta and confirmed that special ordered Luxury package cars will have the 18" 9 split-spoke wheels as depicted on the website. They also said that pre-built Lux package cars can have variable wheels/accessories based on local needs/wants. I will also ask if it is possible to just go with the base wheels on a special order car, since I actually prefer the look of those.

I think the Texas car doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me at this point. I really like the exterior look of the Ultra White F-sport. If the interior and the ride are acceptable, I will buy it. If not, I will special order the luxury package.

Thanks again.

SW17LS

I would disagree with the regional office. They wouldn't ship some luxury package cars with repainted F Sport wheels and not others. Somehow this was a late change in the model run, and the collateral hasn't caught up with the fact that the Luxury now has the 19s. We have luxury cars from all over the country here on the 19s...its not a local fluke.

Do not assume ANY of these people you talk to have any idea what they are talking about.