fstr n u

Just recently bought an 07 RX350. Came with the stock 17's.

My goal is to get this vehicle handling a little more like a car and less like the leaning tower of piza on wheels!

I am looking at buying some 18's after the snow falls, ices up and melts in a few months time.

Are there any suspension changes i should consider. I don't want to fork out an arm and a leg on changes, as i want to invest money in my 2 other cars. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

veleno

iTrader: (3)

You have to remember that you bought an SUV so unless you lower it significantly (as low as a sedan) you're not going to get those characteristics. Even if you did lower it that low, you still would have some sort of body roll.

That being said, you have a couple of options:

1. Get some lowering springs. This will lower the center of gravity and may be what you're looking for. It's cheap and you drop about 1.5" minimum, depending on the brand of springs you get (TRD, H&R, etc).

2. Get air suspension. While costly, this may give you exactly what you want, but again there are pros/cons to it so do your research.

3. Get some wider/larger wheel/tire setup (not sticking out past the fender of course). This will give you a wider footprint which may help minimize body roll.

I'm sure there are other options out there, but everything will depend on your budget.

jfelbab

Why do you feel that 18" will give you a more car-like ride? You have a wider choice of tires in the 17" size and your RX will be quicker and more responsive with smaller wheels.

If you want to reduce body roll you can add stiffer struts and/or tires with a stiffer sidewall. Maybe the Bridgestone Parada SpecX which beside a stiffer sidewall has a much wider tread patch than the OEM tire of the same size. Take a look at the OEM tire and the Parada specs on Tirerack.com and draw your own conclusions.

If you do try to go to an 18" wheel/tire combo, keep the overall weight increase to a minimum or risk making your RX feel much like driving a 2.5 ton truck. To do this correctly you would need to adjust your spring rate as well as your struts. This is way expensive to do properly.

Whatever you do, you may well make your RX more prone to roll over, it is a SUV after all. Keep the safety of yourself and your passengers in mind as you ponder making major changes as they may well have unintended results.

Also watch what you are doing to the speedo and odometer error introduced.

salimshah

Yes going larger wheels, while keeping the outer dia the same, will give you less tall sidewalls and depending on the rubber, it may cut down on the lean. How much? Very hard to quantify. Will that make you happy? $$$$ spent/perceived joy ... No one can tell. And keep in mind that any change will have some negative consequences ... ref jfelbab.

Then you can go velno's route. Again we can not predict the satisfaction you will get at the end.

Keep in mind the money you sink in this quest may make your RX less appealing for resale. The potential buyer is expecting a certain feel when they buy a particular brand/model. When you made the purchase you should have compared other SUVs. Buying new locks you in financially, but if you bought new-to-me, you will be better off selling and purchasing another brand/model.

If this is your first transition to SUV form sedans, it may be a matter of getting used to and remember to adapt your driving style. It is the nature of the beast and Lexus/RX is more tuned to be soft.

Salim

fstr n u

I previously owned a 2003 Honda Pilot with the stock 16's and it handled alright. I purchased some aftermarket 20's with signifcantly wider rubber and obviously shorter sidewalls.

Immediately i noticed a marked improvement in normal driving handling (freeway merging, low speed corners), BUT what i also noticed was the constant transmission hunting and slower acceleration times. When i weighed each of the wheels afterwards i realized why this was.

The stock 16's were around 52lbs each, the aftermarket 20's were 73lbs each. Just over 20lbs per wheel different. Not impressed from an accerleration or fuel mileage standpoint, but i loved the handling.

I would like to find either a nice set of 18's with a decent sidewall or the 17's that were recommended. I actually didn't know that different tires had different sidewall firmness levels.

mandyfig

18's are found on 90% (maybe higher) of the ones I see. Seldom do I see a 17" set.

Once you have 18 rims, it is all about which tire to use. Some are stiff, some are not. It is a whole different discussion point. Overall they say the Bridgestones are good. Soft, use the Michelins. I am still on the fence on what set to use after my Michelins wear out. Michelins are pricey. I will try the Bridgestone Alenza's, same OEm size but wider than normal tires.

fstr n u

Thanks for the insight into tires. Gotta love our Canadian winters.... I have at least until February 2010, potentially March 2010 until i need to make a decision as we usually have ice and snow here until April and sometimes May. That will give me time to get something on order.

I still REALLY like those Pebble Beach Wheels. Very classy!