mandyfig

Can somebody shed light on the history of the dinner plate rims and the twisters?

Was it all dinner plates in the beginning and then the twisters were offered?

Was it by design that the center piece was changeable?

I was looking at the SC Sales brochures and it never listed the twisters. On the 2004, I saw a glimpse of the twisters in one of the pages but it really never mentioned it.

Fortunately I have the twisters.

Z3NK1

iTrader: (2)

I have no proof, but I figure that the Lexus head office was flooded with complaints about the dinner plates, so they decided to change them after thinking about it for a couple years.

cyberlexus

iTrader: (2)

I think the twisters were optional for 02-03 and they become standard for 04-05

mandyfig

Up until I read a post that I realized that the twister was the same rim as the dinner plate. obviously the center cap being bolted by hex bolts had a function behind it.

Who wanted the dinner plates anyway? Sorry I am a late bloomer on the SC. But I am catching up pretty quick.

SteadyEddy

iTrader: (1)

Don't know who wanted them. I know I didn't. I really didn't like the looks of the car when it first came out, because of the pie tins. It wasn't until they started having the twisters,(stars) that I became a fan. They had to be removable so you could get the tires on and off the rims, not so much that they were changeable, but removable. I don't know when the twisters became available but the pie tins were on our 04 when we got it, but we didn't it until 08. First thing that got changed.

mandyfig

I really like the twisters. Might keep it for now until the rubbers burn and then maybe.

VVTiBob

The "twisted star" was actually available from the beginning 02-05. It was called the "Wheel Conversion Kit". 06, when SC430 "Gen2" redesign occurred, new headlamps, tail lamps, transmission etc etc, also saw the new 5 pt star design.

It's all here at: http://www.toyotareference.com/lexussc#SC just go to the sales brochures. Warning, they're slow to load the page graphics/photos on this website.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

I'd like to add that technically since there were so many (I think like 17,000 units) 2002 cars sold in the 2001 fiscal year, there were TONS of dinner plates on the road before the accessory actually became available in the 2003 catalog, which many dealerships barely had in stock since the SC was selling like hotcakes in 2001-2003.

Here in Dallas you really didn't see the twisted stars till 2004-2005 on every car although you will see (to Bob's point) that they started offering as an accessory in 2003 in the catalog.

We saw a ton of TRD wheels being added at Sewell back in 2002-2004 before twisters were everywhere.

For a little Pebble Beach knowledge too-the Twisted stars on the 2005 Pebble beach were actually gunmetal caps/twisters on a chrome based wheel. Very unique. I wish mine were in better shape when I bought Ebony...they still might be on her!

mandyfig

Thanks for the info. For a while I thought I had an upgraded set of rims (kinda). The wheel conversion kit! Somebody had this on his mind when the design was finalized.

I must say that the Twister grows on you. Nice accent on the HEX bolts.

I have other things to spend money on the SC. Apparently my SC had different sets of wheels (maybe 20's) a long time ago and I see some suspension issues I need to address.

tfischer

This is from memory, with one exception, but since I was there from the beginning, perhaps these recollections will help.
First, in 2001, when the SC430 first went on sale, the wheel covers were called "pie plates," although not by Lexus. The origin of that term is lost in legend, but perhaps a search of the April-May 2001 posts would shed some light on that. ("Pie Pan" was an acceptable variation.) The pie plates were almost universally disparaged, even as other aspects of the car were highly lauded.
The SC went on sale in April of 2001, and was designated as a 2002 model. In July of 2003, 15 months after the car went on sale, Lexus offered the Star Caps as an accessory. I bought a set right away. The replacement process took me about 15 minutes. The Pie Plates have been in a box in the garage ever since, in case anyone needs a set.
Once the stars were an accessory, it was easy for dealers to offer them as an "option." Just about every buyer opted in, and soon Lexus dropped the pie plates altogether (RIP).
The sales numbers for this car, when charted over time, form a diagonal line, so there are a lot more cars sold in 2001-2004 than in subsequent years, so we still see lots of pie plates on the road, even though they have not been sold on a car in many years.
With the passage of time and the mellowing of our sensibilities, and even with our willingness to accept through repeated exposure things once deemed ugly, the pie plates still look awful.

mandyfig

Great insight to the pie-dinner plates. Star, Twister upgrade

toxic

Call me daffy but I like the pie plates. I am a fan of the "solid wheel" design rims and although there are better representations out there, I think this was Lexus' attempt to emulate them. One combo I have not seen are the pie plates polished (or chromed) on the chrome OEM rim. I would really like to see what that looks like.

TOXIC

mandyfig

As they say, to each his own. And I agree if the pie plates were in superb condition and/or modified in chrome finish, it will be more appealing.

There was a design-cosmetic intent behind the pie plates (I will quit using dinner plate) as you said. And the replacement center cover being designed in as replaceable, I must give kudos to Lexus.

tfischer

Mandy makes a good point about the replacement. I, too, was surprised and delighted that such a quick switch made such a drastic improvement in the look of the wheels and of the car. They were a little pricey at the time, but far less that new wheels and well worth it.
Once that switch was made, I was completely happy with the car, have added nothing of note since, and like the car more now than I did then. I would like to have some of the newer features, like Bluetooth for the phone, but that's not worth the cost of trading up to a newer model. Maybe eventually, but not now. Besides, I only put 35,000 miles on the car in the first 10 years, so it's just like new in many respects.
Merry Christmas to all.

velocity12

Add another vote for the "pie plates." I don't think they are bad and I have to add that, IMHO, they look better than the wheels that leave the calipers exposed for a machine as classy as ours.

Happy holidays to all!