davezaristo

Okay, here's the issue, this might be a dumb question, but I would say most of you in the forum would have an answer for it. I recently upsized my wheels from the factory 16 to 18 with 245/40/18 with sumitomo HTRZ all around. They are VR AV3 wheels and that's quite typical for the GS. The situation is I noticed that the road noise had increased dramatically, and I thought that's quite normal for 18s. Anyhow, my dad was driving my car the first time after I put on my wheels and he was telling me that the noise he's hearing is quite abnormal. He said he can even hear loud road noise when the car is braking as it slows down to completion. He spoke to a friend who runs a garage and the mechanic said that it could be that the bearings are damaged due to the upsizing. When my dad told me, I was like wtf? I've been hearing those noises right away when the wheels were put on. Can that instantly damage all the wheel bearings? Any thoughts or commments? Now I am thinking about bring it back to my favorite dealer lexus of serramonte and have them take a look. Should I swap back my 16in first since upsizing may void the warranty? Please feel free to submit any input..thanks!

mooretorque

Dave, short answer is, I very much doubt it. First off, the L-Tuned wheel/tire package is that size, so I doubt there would be bearing troubles nor warranty issues from the upsizing. As far as diagnosis, the fact that the noise level went up immediately suggests that you are just hearing normal increased road noise; all 4 sets of bearings are unlikely to fail instantly and simultaneously. To investigate further, put the 16s back on. I'll bet the noise level goes back to your original baseline.

I'll bet every other reply to your post says something to the effect that, "yeah, my 18" (or 19" or 20") with 245 (or 285 or whatever) Goodstonelopellimichehamas (new hybrid tire on the market) is louder, but the handling is worth it, and the hos are just all over me every place I stop............."

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Yeah, what he said...

Anyway, my wheels/tires are noisier and yes, I notice extra noise when breaking. I figure it's the way the tires are being forced to resist the road surface.

Richie

How could that damage the bearings??

mooretorque

Richie, the answer is:

Not.

D-MAN63

You got those?!? I just got the Toyorumplestzlocaroca tires in 20's!!

Richie

Thanks mooretorque, thats good to hear!!