Jooleee

so i'm considering saving up for rims but a friend of mine was telling me not to since replacing the tires would cost too much... how often would i have to do this and how much would it cost?? he was also telling me that it was sort of a hassle to fix up my car... so what are the pros and cons??

2SAVVY

Jooleee,

Depends what you want to do with your car.. What size rims were you considering.. If it is 17" or 18" rims the tires aren't too terribly expensive but when you get into 19" and larger then the expense adds up quickly..

What kind of budget do you have to play with.. Guys like Manaray and gs4will are real experts when it comes to rims so they can point you in the most cost effective solution based on your budget without buying crappy equipment..

Hope that helps!

Jooleee

well i'm not looking into buying rims right NOW... but i've been thinking of getting 19" LD-1's... so my bank account is gonna be empty after if i get 'em... haha, being a college student, i don't have much $$ anyway. i was thinking of saving up for the rims and after i get the money, i'd seriously consider getting 'em... weigh out the pros and cons and then possibly buying 'em -- or whatever else i like more at the time. otherwise... SHOPPING! hehe

and another thing... people tell me that they see a LOT of lexus' with LD-1's... i like 'em a lot but i dunno if i wanna get something that everyone else has as well...

GS4Will

first of all savvy, thanks for the word...., i like to consider myself both a value and knowledgable shopper when it comes to car goods. this site has been great to all of us lex owners...now, let me present my thoughts on this:

Jooleee,

when it comes to shopping for anything in life, it all comes down to one factor: how much you value the object of your affection. whether it is a pair of shoe, a sunglass, or a set of wheels, you are the one who decide how much you think it is reasonable to pay. for the gentleman who claim it is a hassle to fix up the car, yes, it might be ture....but again, if this is something that one enjoys, then it is an enjoyment. for car dudes like us, we certainly enjoy looking/exchange any info that WE think would make our rides more attractive.

getting larger wheels and tyres can be a luxury. just like the gs you drive. ten years, any guy i know who drives a 325i can be considered the stud. if he also has 17s, he is almost god like-everyone wants to be his buddy.

my advice to you is to ponder deeply on the issue of wheel upsizing. 18, 19, and 20s cost quite a bit in tyre cost(~$700-1300) for tyres along. and you would need to replace them ~15k-30kmiles, depend on size and brand. i assume you have the 16s currently. as savvy said, if you can be happy with 17/18s, the cost is not too bad compare to 19 and 20s. i am running 18s at the present time, and since i have never fix up my car in my entire life, i often find myself staring and bonding with my gs more than before. the wheel and tyres are actually slightly used which i bought from a buddy of mine. he wanted 20s, so the 18s became my treasure for a small fee. what also makes me happy is that i often receive complements on my gs.

you have good taste with your love for the ld1s. such wheel has been on my top-ten most wanted list since the wheel's debut in 2000. therefore, as you can see, the ld1s are popular for good reasons, just like the lexus. there are wheels that no one would put them on their rides for good reason. look over the site, and as many pics that you can if one day you actually decide to get the rims+tyres.
to sum up my long post on getting wheels and tyres:

pros: attractive look(to you first, other second), may be lighter weight(not ld1s though

cons: attention grabbing(can be a bad thing), higher tyre cost.

william

Jooleee

what about the pros and cons of driving w/ 19" rims?

and honestly, it seems that 18" rims are too small for me... i'd rather just save all my money had keep my stupid 16s.. it's nicer but i still want something bigger. 20's are perfect but i think 19's are more practical. so i guess i'll be getting 19s if i get 'em at all.

but what's funny is that if i only need to replace the tires ever 15-30K miles... it won't be that bad... well it kinda is i guess... if it's closer to 15 than it is to 30... but my car is almost 3 years old now and i still doesn't have 30k miles on it yet. haha

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

19s are not practical......... 17s are.

GS4Will

getting larger rimadn tyres will improve handling(more surface area contacing the road) up to a certain size. 19s and larger are mostly for look(do not mean to flame anyone , just what i read). and the look on 19s are good and practical. howvere, the tyre wear would be ~20-25kmiles.

you would also need to be more careful as you try not to scartch the rims on the curbs due to smaller tyre side wall. also the tyre noise, and road bumps will be more noticeable than the 16s.

if you know of anyone with 19s, try to get a test drive.

william

GS4Will

G,

jooleee likes 20s, but 19s are more practical(relatively speaking)

Jooleee

i'm pretty much getting rims for looks. haha but 19s are more practical than 20s... but whatever... i haven't decided whether or not i REALLY want rims. i'd have to think carefully since saving up would mean that i'd have to work my *** off. lol

D-MAN63

If your going to get 19's, might as well go all the way and get 20's. 19's will bend just as likely as 20's. If your roads over there are not bad, get 20's.

Be warned, getting 19's or 20's will put added stress to your driving technique. Sometime you will be called Driving Miss Daisy.

Jooleee

hm... maybe i shouldn't get rims... ? i get a LOT of stress when i drive already... =T

ap0718

I say get the 20's, cause if you are going for looks, 20's on a GS will get you just that!!!!!

davezaristo

I don't think you can use the term practical when you go over 17"..However, the jump from 18 to 19 makes the biggest increment in terms of tire cost. You may wanna think twice before going 19...My suggestion is to go with 18..at least, if you find yourself low on cash one of these dayz and absolutely needed to change your tires, you can get a set of kumho (which are really good tires despite the low cost) for about $125 a piece..what a steal!

Jooleee

and how much do tires cost if i were to get 19" rims?

zushwa

The cheapest I've priced 19 inch tires are $185-215 each (Falkens, Nitto's, SO-2's). If anyone can find cheaper, hook a MTHRFKR up!!