Thought OEM had 18 inch. Changing from 20 inch to 18 inch will give you a smoother ride and better mpg. I never recommended 17 inch; if they will fit a NX go for 17 inch even better in terms of ride and mpg and cost. Get rid of RFTs and get better smoother ride. However, you will lose some handling and your NX will no longer be a rally sports car.


YMMV,
MidCow3

 

Des Moines, Twin Cities, Indianapolis…

 

I have Michelin 235/65/17 winter studded tires and OEM 17 wheels.The movement is softer, but the handling suffers; the standard 235/50/20 in the summer suits me.

 

You can lower psi and improve handling a little but remember the NX was never meant for sporty driving. 17inch 65 sidewall; the larger the sidewall number the softer the ride (too an extent)

YMMV,
MidCow3

 

So NX has 17in size wheels as an OEM? Do you see any difference in the way car safety system works between 17 and 20 inch wheels?

 

No, the OEM is not 17". There is an 18" OEM. And the safety systems wouldn't care what wheel size you have. Drastic tire size difference, yes, but wheel size is not a factor at all, ever.

 

The overall diameter of tire is what's crucial. Use Bridgestone data for OE tire meaning the stated outside diameter of the factory supplied tire model. Use this figure to compare with any other tire that matches the Bridgestone outside diameter. Car should not be impacted as far as it's safety systems and ABS. I would not stray too far though but a 17 - 18 - 19 - 20" tire with a comparable 235 width should work. Or for snows maybe 225 but try to match OD as close as possible.

Here's a tire / rim site that you can input offsets etc. and it does the calculations for you so you see what impact it would make on your specific car make and model.

https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/

 

Lowering tire pressure will not improve handling, but will only add comfort.In winter tires I have a pressure of 2.0 bar, in summer 2.2 bar

 

17 wheels are not from Lexus, they are from Kia Sportage, they are the right size.I did not notice any difference in the functioning of the car's security systems.

 

Actually lowering tire pressure will improve the handling.

Lowering tire pressure makes tires soft and pliable, so they can conform to the shape of the rocks, improving traction and even helping to smooth out what can be an extremely rough ride.

My response was based on factual data.

YMMV,
MidCow3

P.S. - Granted the improvement will not be a large amount.

 

Handling is commonly a term used for describing high speed maneuvering like total measured G force on a specific radius in either dry or wet conditions, slalom trap speeds with specific measured cone spacings, evasive emergency maneuvering such as to avoid a moose on road. All these timed and measured actions are best accomplished with manufacturers recommended tire pressure or at a few psi higher. This is simply to set a pressure whereby the maximum amount of tire tread will be contacting the road surface to ultimately produce maximum grip. Maximum traction needs to be specified as to what are the end means, Maximum Track Speeds on asphalt in Dry or Wet or Snow or Ice covered specified roads or tracks. Measuring factual data, with set parameters.

Just like F1 teams try their hardest to accomplish fastest posted qualifying time in any weather conditions present during the day and time your team is out on the track.

Trails are another animal. And Yes agreed 100%, all overland trailing is best and most safely accomplished with lower psi in tires to provide ultimate grip of the road surface you may be dealing with. Mud, sand, rocks or gravel, grass etc.

 

Did you change the Lug Bolts from Ball to Conical Seat?

 

@TheCDN I choose not to argue with you. However, the NX is by no means a high speed sports car capable of any F1 measurements that are meaningful. A couple of your facts are jumbled. Lowering air pressure will increase the contact patch area which is a component of handling at normal, lower speed ,driving speeds.

I am not sure where "trails" even came into the discussion, most NX drivers, do not drive off-road.

Peace brother and end of my low pressure discussion.


YMMV,
MidCow3

P.S. By the way, I have owned and driven some fun, true "sports" cars. The NX is not one of them. The NX is a "luxury cruiser".
.

 

Here's a good watch from the Tire Experts in the UK. Pretty Sure the laws of physics are the same there as in North America.

Low tire pressures set below the manufacturers recommended pressure cause you all kinds of problems. I'll leave this here for anyone who trusts experts.

 

Yes, I bought a new set of Lexus bolts with a tapered head.I bought a spacer from DIA 67.1 KIA to DIA 60.1 Lexus.I also bought a set of Lexus tire pressure sensors for 17 rims.