whitels

Bolt length protrusion, 5/16 inch=OK Plenty of space for a spacer or wheel adapter if you want to put much wider tires like 255/60-17 or more.

Daddy-O

Hmm...That low profile tire doesn't look too hot.

What are they? 215/45R17? on 17x7?

215/45R17 = 23.6 in. Diameter

226/70R16 = 28.4 in. Diameter (OEM)

235/60R17 = 28.1 in Diameter
245/60R17 = 28.6 in Diameter
255/60R17 = 29.0 in Diameter

whitels

Now on in the back:

Sorry no pics. I was so discouraged when the rear strut clearance came out to only 3/8 of an inch!!!

Tire barely touches the strut with the stock IS300 (215/45-17) which has a rim protector.

If the RX 17-inch tire's sidewall will not baloon to the side, and simply be flushed with the rim, then this project is a GO!!!

Now, I need to find a used 235 or 245/60-17 to see where this dream will go. Wheel spacer or adapter will definitely solve this problem but I'm not sure if this is something I want to do.

But I gotta tell you, the IS300 is worlds apart from the stock RX300. This one is really beautiful!!!

whitels

Right on---it's the stock IS300 tire still mounted, Bridgestone Potenza ZR 215/45-17.

whitels

Tire diameter difference between an IS300 (215/45-17) and stock RX300 (225/70-16) = ~ 3½ inches.

Daddy-O

<Drool>Somebody in SoCal help this man!</Drool>

LexRX

Wow, great work checking for fitment of the wheel whitels. Yes, someone does need to hook you up with a tire! It will look much better with a larger tire, but it will probably protrude too far for the rear Either way, good luck and keep us posted.

disco_y2k

whitels, are you going to keep the IS rims on your RX, i think it looks really sweet! thanks for all the hard work, from what i gather from your testing if a spacer was added and of course a little bigger tires, this would probably be the cleanest looking RX setup i have seen, this really makes me want to start on my hunt for some more IS rims, thanks again for all the info and testing!

whitels

Still looking for 235 or 245/60-17. I don't want to buy a new if only for testing purposes. Will let you know once I have it.

disco_y2k

possibly 235/65/17 or 255/60/17 or 215/70/17 could work for testing if you find 1 laying around...

just tossing ideas to help the cause

disco_y2k

whitels i dont know if you are still looking into putting the IS300 wheels on your Rx, but as far as the tire situation goes, i noticed on ebay you can pick up a michelin of the right size for around $30, maybe keep your eye out for an auction where the seller isnt too far from your location so shipping wont be much or you can pick it up in person, i am still very interested in trying to do this as well but i have not found anyone locally selling any wheels, so i have to wait

possibly we could look into asking a few people from the forum to each pitch in like $2 to get you a used tire to try, it looks like enough people were interested in this thread

whitels

Here's the latest. I got 4 brand new tires ...255/60 HR 17, Dunlop SP Sport 5000. It's been delivered but.....I am still waiting for a set of 4 chrome IS300 wheels I snagged from eBay. The seller had a little problem with PayPal so the delay in shipping. He has 250 positive feedbacks, no negative, so I'm not too nervous right now that he won't ship.

I was itching to see how it would look like so I have one tire installed in a regular IS wheel. Looks great. I would think though that the best size for looks and compatibility with OEM is 235/60-17. The 255/60-17 appears taller than OEM by at least an inch. I bought this size because:

1. I know how quiet that Dunlop SP 5000 is.
2. It is on sale at tirerack for $96 a piece.

Installing the tire in the front does not need spacer. Turning all the way right or left would almost touch the inner inboard wheel well but not much. I don't know how it will be on the street.

But Man, the RX changed its gender from "not too macho" to "yeah--macho" with the much bolder wheel and tire. By the way, the tire size is the same as the ML350 but since the RX rim is only 7" wide, the wide stance was a bit mitigated which is OK as compared to the ML (8" wide).

Installing in the rear would require a minimum 3/4" wheel spacer or wheel adapter. I know where I can buy them here- about $100 for a pair, available in the size 32mm or 1.25".

As soon as I get the chromes, I'll post pics.

disco_y2k

i cant wait to see it i have been wanting to try this forever!

curious though, where did you get the Alloy IS300 wheel to try on?

whitels

I have 4 at home I bought from eBay before...3 graphite and one silver. I was planning to refinish all four until the chrome auction came up.

whitels

The chrome IS wheels had arrived. It turned out that the seller is a CL member and a former mod. Extremely nice fellow. Went out of his way to send the 4 wheels "PRIORITY" and spent hundreds doing so!!

So, we're just counting hours or maybe a few days before we see the result of this effort. Here's a pic of the chrome wheels. They're so beautiful I want to sleep with them tonight.