thinking about changing rims...

I have the stock 1993 sc 400 rims(ugly) and would consider buying nicer and larger diameter(17" or 18") rims(chrome). could anyone help with any info in this matter???
I already researched that 17 rims would require 225/50/17 tires
18 inch rims would require 245/40/18 tires (expensive!!!)
please help with feedback regarding performance/handling/smoothness of ride, etc...

thank you...

kent

Well 18's will decreasre the ride quality a bit. eg. you will feel a few more bumps in the road but given how nice the seats are that really wont bother you that much. 18's look A LOT nicer than 17's and they will give you better grip. id go with the 18's. more expensive but worth it.

why would the ride quality feel different(more bumps) doesnt the suspension allow for a smooth ride or is it because the tires are bigger thus they will pick up more irregularities on the road???

also, will i need and special modification or will the 18 inch rims fit ok...alswo what width rim should i get...i.e. 7.5", 8", etc...

thanks for the info so far...

the ride quality goes down because there is less tyre to absorb the bumps in the road. if u have 17" rims then you will have 1" less tyre between u and the road. if u have 18" rims then you will have 2"
less tyre.

That being said, the lexus SC400 has very comforatble seats, and quite soft suspension(if my memory serves me correctly) which should counter most of the decrease in ride comfort.

im not entirly sure if you will need any mods. i doubt it though. they have quite big wheel arches.

the wider you get the better in my opinion. this will give you better handling, braking and acceleration as the wider tyre gives more grip.

thank you if i understand correctly, the larger diameter rims means less tire DEPTH which means there is less room between the rim of the tire and the road....i wonder how much of a difference... sooth ride is still the most important to me #2 is handling, #3 is looks...hopefully it will be well balanced....thanks for the info

lol yeah thats what i meant. your ride quality will go down slightly, but not enough for you to really worry about. given an SC400's suspension and comfy as seats ull be fine upgrading.

got new rims 18"" width 7.5 ", offset 45 mm,

would a 245/40/18 tire fit???

why does the width...e.g. 7.5 mm, 8.0mm, 8.5mm, 9.0mm vary so much??

im a little worried about the tire fit..please reply thank you

Yeah, a 245/40 would fit nicely. 45mm offset will put the wheels pretty much flush with the fenders on the SC300/400s. Pictures? :smile:

hi,

aint it better to put wider than 245 tyres on the rears?
i bet it wouldnt hurt nothing :)
other than the pocket :smokin:

got new rims 18"" width 7.5 ", offset 45 mm,

would a 245/40/18 tire fit???

why does the width...e.g. 7.5 mm, 8.0mm, 8.5mm, 9.0mm vary so much??

im a little worried about the tire fit..please reply thank you

The width is in inches, so it's 7.5", 8", and so forth. It makes a half inch difference, which may not seem like much. If you look at your wheels and measure out a half of an inch, then you'll see that it would be a noticable difference.

In response to what someone just said... You could go with a wider tire in the back, but then you would have a slightly thicker sidewall. I don't know if you would mind that or not. Between a 245mm wide tire and a 255mm tire the sidewall would have a 4mm difference. A 7.5" wheel is kind of thin to be putting a 255 on it though. It may look alright though, I'd ask around.