debian

Hi all, I really should be doing some work right now....anyway, again I am looking at rims and I would like to know what the widest wheel size is for the back and front of a stock LS430?
I know that the stock tires are 7.5 what size starts to stick out?
BTW my car is not lowered and I am not sure if I will lower it.

Which brings me to my next question does it look weird, if the car has a body kit and is not lowered?
If any of you have pics if a non-lowered car with a body kit please post or send a link.
Thanks,
Ian

So Philly1

Good question....I'm waiting for the answer as well.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Unless someone is willing and able to run through about a fifty different possibilities, you'll have to narrow down the variables a bit and decide whether or not you will lower the car. If you are going to lower it, how much? What diameter and OFFSET wheel are you willing to run? What width and aspect ratio tire? What are your requirements for maintaining (or not) the handling feel and steering geometry of the factory setup? Are you willing to modify the fenders in any way?

You would probably be better off finding some photos of LS's you like and asking what the setup is, pros and cons.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

front wheels sizes (widths) usually range from about 8.5" to 10" and rear wheels sizes (widths) usually run from about 9"-10.5",, this is just normal setup ranges and of course there are lots of others but about 97% of rim widths (for this car) fall between these ranges. heights usually range from about 18-22".

obviously, if you put a set of 22's on it will probably rub a little when people are sitting in the back seat if you don't change out the suspension (springs) for tighter ones.

rolling fenders is the easiest and most common fender mod, i have heard a few negative stories but for the most part rolling fenders will take away a slight fender on tire rub then you would have to look at the more aggressive fender mods like shaving and pulling/ stretching for more aggressive wheel fitments.

i had an old car with a body kit and 20's and whenever i put my extra set of 17's back on it i thought it looked funny but maybe it was just cuz it was my car and i was used to seeing it look a certain way. so i sort of think a car with a kit would look funny on stock wheels sorta like how a stock suspension height car looks funny with a set of 20's on it...

when talking about wheels sticking out of the side of the car things like offset and if there are spacers (an add on to push the wheel out farther) would make this more a factor... so if you went with a normal(ish) offset of like what??? someone well versed on offsets please chime in but what would be a normal range for offsets. but anything from no lip to about a 3.5" inch lip depending on height and width may be considered in the normal range or offsets.

debian

Thanks, Sojah....
I am thinking about 18" or 19" wheels...I gather that with 18" wheels these cars need tires that are 245 /45 R18. not sure what 19's need.
I like the look of car wheels when the rear wheels is slightly wider than the front wheel (Ithink it is a width difference but maybe the rear rim is just madde differently in some cases) I don't know.
Sadly many of the pictures I see of cars I like never have the dimensions of the wheels. Life would be much easier if all the info were given.
This evening I will take a tape measure and actually measure the distance and see how wide I can go. Though I would think that it doesn't work like that because of offset. I don't know?
I6turbo thanks for the questions. I do not want to modify the fenders and I want to keep as much of the steering geometry as possible.

Anyone feel like posting pics of cars with closeup pics of 19" wheels with different offsets?
Cheers,
Ian

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Here's what 245/40/19's on 8.5" +43 offset (front) and 275/35/19's on 9.5" +45 wheels look like. The car is on coilovers in this photo, but I only have it lowered ~.5 - .75", so it doesn't look THAT different than it does on stock suspension.

debian

YESSSS!!!!!!! This is what I needed to see. Thanks a million. Thanks for the dimensions.
Peace Bro!
Ian

PS did any bending or headlight leveling need be done..or was it a simple wheels / tires purchase and thats it?

tromly

Man you have a great looking LS, thanks for sharing the pics!!

sojah

iTrader: (1)

yeah it looks pretty good to me especially with only a mild drop like you say. maybe just the UL is so much taller, i always pictured your wheel gap (that you've achieved) as being like something you would need about a 1.5- 2 inch drop to overcome in order to get it like that.

should just be plug and play ian, thats the plan anyways... other than suspension parts if you go that route.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

debian, yes, I simply installed the wheels and tires -- no fender mods, headlight aiming, or anything was required. There's plenty of fender clearance at this ride height and I think it would be fine at about an inch lower in the front as well. I actually raised the rear about a quarter inch from where it is in the photos because I didn't really want to lower the front any more (wanted to maintain near-stock suspension geometry since the LS isn't very adjustable) and the rear was slightly lower than the front from an appearance standpoint. The rear is probably ~.75" lower than stock in the photo, but I raised it about .25" afterwards.

tromly, thanks for the compliment!

sojah, it seems strange, but my '05 stock suspension is lower than my '03 was. For example, I had the same wheels and coilovers on the '03 with 275/40's on the rear. I switched to 275/35's (and side by side the 40's were clearly an inch or so taller than the 35's, as the specs indicate they would be) and bolted on the coilovers with no changes in the height setting. At that point I had LESS fender gap with the shorter tires, so I had to raise it up about a quarter inch to end up with the fender gap similar to where it was with the 40's. In fact, I ended up with the '05 lowered so little vs. stock, I just went ahead and switched back to the stock springs/shocks a couple of weeks ago because I just love the stock ride quality. Plus, we don't have any curves here in Florida anyway.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

yeah thats pretty damn strange cuz from everything i've read there isn't supposed to be any difference form the 01-03 to the 04-06 in this department. hmmm another one of lifes mysteries i guess. so you don't rub at all on stock suspension with those wheels, even riding on the highway at a good speed with folks in the back seat going over little bumps and dips in the road?? if so thats really freakin' sweet.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Yes, even on the Teins with it lowered like in the photo, and a trunk load of July 4th barbque supplies, and a couple of kids in the back (all that perhaps ~ equivalent to two adults in the back seat) it didn't rub over some pretty hefty dips near my in-law's house. With the Teins on the same settings, the 275/40's and 245/45's on my '03 did rub a little over those rather large dips -- didn't mess anything up, but they rubbed some on the plastic work inside the wheel wells. 275/35/19 and 245/40/19 on those width and offset wheels seem to work out just right -- at least on my '05.
Even the '03 with the larger aspect ratio tires didn't rub on the stock suspension, but I never jumped any hills or anything drastic like that. Our roads are pretty flat here in FL.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

yeah i used to live in FL and visit there a lot, i know on highways going over overpasses oftentimes there are dips involved in the going over and back down on the other side, but that is freakin awesome that it didn't rub at all and gave such a small wheel gap like that on stock susp. i don't know if you were just somehow really lucky or if all 05 ls430's are like that, hmmm... i doubt i would be so lucky, but i'm lowered on the controller on my 05, sooooo i guess its a whole nother level of stuff to factor in...

debian

hey I6turbo so if i found 19x 10. (if they exist) would it stick out more on the street side of the car or towards the inside. i ask because sojah said 10 can fit on these cars. from your pic I6turbo the wheels looks like it is almost flush to the fender. so i am thinking 19x10 would either stick out on the extra 1" is in the inner side.
Sojah. feel free to further explain.
i am trying to read up on the benefits or drawbacks of wide rear tires.
thanks
ian

sojah

iTrader: (1)

the rear width is the rear width obviously this is a fixed number, depending on the car and what look you are going for then you have to start playing with the offset to determine which side the extra inch would inevitably fall on. the offset is when the positioning of the rim within the wheel well comes into play.

i searched on offset a while back (googled) and found some page 1st or second choice that explained the theory really well but didn't give any indication of the actual numbers themselves. but i was told recently that the lower the offset number the more aggressive the offset better yet the more the lip of the wheels will stick out towards the street and the higher the offset number the opposite, but you don't want to high an offset number either (or to wide a rim) because it may rub on the inside like the suspension or whatever that stuff is inside there, and this is also a big negative.

you also have to make sure that the wheels you choose will clear the big almost bbk (big brake kit) size of the ls430's brakes (calipers). just sayin'