finetune00

hi i have checked the search facility,but i still cant get an answer
the problem is i saw a set of wheels and tyres today but i cant tell which will
maintain the smooth ride that lexus is known for.i have a 96 LS400 and the first
setup is 225/45/17 with low profile tyres,the other is 245/50/17 what is the better option?

zokustyle

is it the same tire?

sizing never really plays a role in how good a tire is.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Size does play a role in a tires performance. A wider tire will generally handle better, and give a smoother ride (with diminshing returns after a certain width).

Others can chime in with the maximum tolerance on width for the 96 LS400, but If they are the same brand etc, I would go with the wider, 245 tire.

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

17s on lo-pros...youve gotta be kidding. if you have 17s on this monsterous sedan you will need some thick tires to fill up the wheel well.

Suneet

Just a clarification, wider tires improve handling in DRY conditions only. In rain/snow or other wet conditions, wider tires decrease handling.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Good point Suneet. Though for practical application I do believe this gentlemen is asking which tire would be better for cosmetic purposes. I am not a big fan of huge rims with low profiles, but 17" rims isn't that much of a stretch, there are alot of factory cars with that size rim.

I personally would go with the wider tires, but that is just me. For handling purposes (which will be minimal in the two sizes), I prefer better grip when I am actually 'gettin on the car' which would be in dry conditions. In wet conditions the LS400 does fairly well with weight distribution/suspension etc. Though it is a V8, and RWD.. So we all have to be careful.

trukn1

The 245/50/17 is gonna give you close to stock ride. Anything which has a low profile tire associated with it is going to give a more sporty, and a little more harsher ride. Maybe not all that much, but you will notice the road a little more with low profile tires, rather than those without.

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

didnt you just post this...like 2 hours ago?

PK_Celsior

iTrader: (18)

hhaha i think he did a double post, because everyone answered the question in the last post

19psi

foryour car, the 225 45 17 is going to be a bit too small all the way around. stock is 225 60 16. so the "perfect" size would be 235 50 17. you can also do 245 45 17 or 255 40 17. it just depends on how much you wnat to spend and how wide your wheels are. i'd go 255 40 if i had at least an 8" wide wheel.

steveski

Also when you purchase your tires you can ask the store (if in person) to compare to original OEM tire/wheel height to what you are going to buy. By keeping the replacement set identical or close to original overall height you will not have a speedometer error which is a pain. If you go with a lower profile tire you will have a really large fender gap unless it is lowered.

19psi

you can use this to find out what sizes will work for future reference.
http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

steveski

Nice! Never saw that except at the tire shop. This is a good tool to find your own tire combos.

19psi

yeah it works great. i did the work for this guy and here are the results of the sizes i recommended:
they are compared in the order listed.
Stock Tire - 225/60R16 >Search Tires Tire 1 - 225/45R17 >Search Tires Tire 2 - 235/50R17 >Search Tires Tire 3 - 245/45R17 >Search Tires Tire 4 - 255/45R17 >Search Tires
Section Width: 8.85 in 225 mm
Section Width: 8.85 in 225 mm
Section Width: 9.25 in 235 mm
Section Width: 9.64 in 245 mm
Section Width: 10.03 in 255 mm

Rim Diameter: 16 in 406.4 mm
Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm
Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm
Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm

Rim Width Range: 6 - 9 in
Rim Width Range: 7 - 8.5 in
Rim Width Range: 6.5 - 8.5 in
Rim Width Range: 7.5 - 9 in
Rim Width Range: 8 - 9.5 in

Overall Diameter: 26.62 in 676.14 mm
Overall Diameter: 24.97 in 634.23 mm
Overall Diameter: 26.25 in 666.75 mm
Overall Diameter: 25.68 in 652.27 mm
Overall Diameter: 26.03 in 661.16 mm

Sidewall Height: 5.31 in 134.87 mm
Sidewall Height: 3.98 in 101.09 mm
Sidewall Height: 4.62 in 117.34 mm
Sidewall Height: 4.34 in 110.23 mm
Sidewall Height: 4.51 in 114.55 mm

Radius: 13.31 in 338.07 mm
Radius: 12.48 in 316.99 mm
Radius: 13.12 in 333.24 mm
Radius: 12.84 in 326.13 mm
Radius: 13.01 in 330.45 mm

Circumference: 83.62 in 2123.9 mm
Circumference: 78.44 in 1992.3 mm
Circumference: 82.46 in 2094.4 mm
Circumference: 80.67 in 2049.0 mm
Circumference: 81.77 in 2076.9 mm

Revs per Mile: 781.3
Revs per Mile: 832.9
Revs per Mile: 792.3
Revs per Mile: 809.9
Revs per Mile: 799.0

Actual Speed: 60 mph 100 km/h
Speedometer1: 63.9 mph 106. km/h
Speedometer1: 60.8 mph 101. km/h
Speedometer1: 62.1 mph 103. km/h
Speedometer1: 61.3 mph 102. km/h

Speedometer Difference: - Speedometer Difference: 6.604% too fast Speedometer Difference: 1.407% too fast Speedometer Difference: 3.660% too fast Speedometer Difference: 2.265% too fast
Diameter Difference: - Diameter Difference: 6.2% Diameter Difference: 1.39% Diameter Difference: 3.54% Diameter Difference: 2.22