I am planning to buy a 2007 IS 250. It has stock 18" wheels on. I know a lot of folks on this forum are upgrading from 18 to 19 and even 20. I am thinking I might go backwards.. to 17" for a smoother ride on California roads.

Looking for opinion and thoughts from you guys on a few questions:
1. How different is the ride between 18" and 17" in terms of comfort, road noise and control?

2. Do I need to check for anything before I buy to ensure that I will be able to go back to 17" stock?

3. I heard that 18" is more expensive than comparable 17". Do you think it will be easy to trade my 18" with 17" from someone without having to pay anything?

And please feel free to beat me down if you think its sacrilegious going from 18 to 17.


Thanks,
Sid

 

18" should be more quiet than 17" since it has more mass = inertia.

You shoud be able to swap back to 17" without issues / additional parts unless you have BBK.

I would stick with the 18" if I were you.

If you still want to trade... I'm still running 17" Stock Wheels with no road rash. It's in new condition.

 

Thanks shadowman.

Since you are in CA.. I will look at your wheels if I decide to change.

 

Since you are in Ca I doubt you will have much trouble trading someone your 18s for a set of 17s. 18" wheels are more expensive, and 99% of the Club Lexus population think running smaller wheels on purpose is a sin that is only slightly better than clubbing baby seals.

I like you prefer smaller wheels, and was recently trying to do the same kind of a trade, but since there aren't near as many owners in my area I didn't have any luck before running out of patience and finding a set of used wheels locally.

Keep in mind if you trade someone you will have to re-program the TPMS from one car to the other. (Something most local tire shops could do, or you can do it yourself with a laptop and a ~$25 cable/software combo from eBay)

 

Good point. Last night, my friends also warned me against committing the crime of going small. I might have to stick to the 18".

 

What tires are you running on the 18's? That makes a huge difference in comfort

 

I am buying a used car. The tires will need replacement soon. What are some good options?

 

First, decide what general class of tire you want. No(all)-season? Summer performance? Snows for the winter and performance for the summer?

Then go to tirerack.com. Use the decision guide, read reviews watch videos, etc. Then make an initial decision and go google to back up your decision.

Remember a 17" wheel/tire is always going to be more compliant than the equivalent 18" wheel/tire.