Looking for maximum comfort/road noise isolation/quiet cabin. Happy with 18" but wondering if noticeable/feel-able difference between 17" and 18". Appreciate your input.

 

I cannot speak directly to your question as I have the stock 18” wheels on ours. However, I have my doubts it will make the kind of difference you are hoping for. The noisier, jostling ride was the biggest difference I noticed when stepping down in size from the RX. Since all efforts seem to aimed at protecting their RX sales, I suspect Lexus simply didn’t want it to be as quiet. Obviously, the shorter wheelbase also contributes to the ride quality. So my humble opinion is that you might see a very slight difference in comfort but don’t expect much...

 

I have stock 18" summers but my winters are on 17" wheels...both with Michelins. I find the 18's have better ride quality

 

Tires quality will also make a difference in comfort and road noise. Generally speaking smaller rims will provide more cushion due to the thicker sidewall of the tires.

 

Thanks for your responses. Some day our NX will be as quiet as a Rolls Royce where you can actually hear the analog clock ticking (at least thats what i heard. Not experienced myself). I will stick to my 18"'s and just play with tire make and size when time to change them for improvement.

 

Which tires do you currently have? The tire can make a big difference in ride quality from my experience.

I’m not sure why Lexus chose the Geolanders I have on mine. They are loud. The NX I test drove had Michelin’s and I don’t know why I didn’t bother checking when I took delivery. My mistake.

 

Good tip. I am picking one up soon. Test drove many and liked the 18". Would have gone with 17" but they don't come with the premium/luxury package and also too many spokes and don't look cool. But iam learning that tires make a bigger difference than rim size. Also since I will be picking up a CPO I may most probably get crappy tires that dealer replaced to sell. I will replace tires depending on what I end up getting. The only additional non package item I am planning to get installed are the aluminum pedals that come on the F sport. If anyone got installed please let me know approximate parts and labor cost. Reason i ditched the F sport is for those 19" rims, uncomfortable seats and engine sound pumping in cabin that can be controlled by switch.

 

Interesting. My 2019 F-Sport came with 18” rims. And yes I turn the fake engine noise off.

The profile of the tire can make a big difference in ride. Most larger rims have low profile tires.

 

When I bought my NX, the dealer had Yokohama tires and Michelin-s, depending on specific car. The car I selected has Yokohama-s, so I specifically asked to swap Yokohama tires/wheels for Michelins, and dealer did. When my NX tires will be ready for replacement, I will go with Pirelli P7. Based on Tire Rack reviews, this is a winner.

 

I have 20’s with Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus, only have 1000kms on them but so far they’re pretty good, ride quality is close to the 18” from factory

 

If anyone is interested in trading down for my 17" OEM rims, let me know. I'm looking to upsize!

 

In terms of ride comfort and noise, 17" was the best (for me). I went from 17 to 19's with summer tires, the ride comfort was night and day, the plushness of Lexus cars were gone. But since I came from cars with sporty stock suspension, it wasn't a huge issue for me. On the other hand, 19's with summer tires gave me a very decent bump in handling, I can brake a lot better, when I stepped on the brakes, the car wants to slow down immediately. Take turns with more confidence and when I smashed the gas pedal, I no longer feel the car kind of free spin the front wheels.

If you want the best comfort and road noise isolation, go with 17's, stock size wheels and they'll clear the stock rotors and brake calipers.

 

AVS transforms F-Sport bump/thump on 18' wheels & I understood was one of the most popular NX Factory builds after the 2018 AVS revisions.
Your Road Tests convinced me
Tel