Most of the aftermarket wheel setups featured here on IS250's and IS350's utilise 19" wheels with a few 20" and 18" setups.

I have not read about anyone else here who installed 17" aftermarket wheels on their IS250's. Am I the only one?

Technically, given the same qualtiy of wheel and overall tyre diameter, smaller/lighter wheels offer numerous advantages over larger wheels. Smaller wheels offer a more comfortable and quieter ride that enables you to hear the music from your hi-fi system better. With lower inertia, acceleration is more brisk and braking response is snappier. Smaller rims and the accompanying tyres also cost less and fuel economy is improved.

I originally planned to install 18" Prodrive GC05F rims. While at the shop I picked both the 18" and 17" versions and was taken aback by how much heavier the 18" wheels weighed . I changed my mind and got the 17" GC05F's which are 15 lbs each, and 2 lbs lighter than their 18" counterparts. I figured that, since I am paying such a high premium for the lightness of these rims, the lighter 17" version should offer more of the advantages of this design.

On the other hand, when a rim is too small, handling and grip suffer. Small rims look ridiculously puny and insult the dashing looks of the IS250. For the refined style of the IS250, 17" wheels seem to offer the right balance of confident handling, with an appropriately comfortable and quiet ride. The bigger wheels seem to make the tires look disproportionately thin.

If I had an IS350 (not available in my part of the world) I would definitely go for 18" wheels, especially with the sports package suspension. The extra power seems to be necessary to bring the 18" wheels under control. With the extra power, IS350's would also tend to be driven more dynamically, thus justifying the need for the improved handling of the 18" rims.

Most IS250 owners however upgrading to aftermarket 18", 19" and 20" rims. Is there some advantage I am missing about larger wheels? I can still change my order to 18" within the next few days.

 

I'd be interested as well... especially if they use the same tires that came with the car... is that even possible?

 

Most people want 18s at least. Well anyway, I dont see any reason why it wouldnt work. As long as the offset and the widths are correct

 

Im afraid that the car will look like its sitting on stilts if I get anything bigger than the stock 17s... the car is already high enough and I wouldn't want to lower it and screw with the suspension