Aftermarket Alloys To Suit Rx300

[sddg7tfl]

I'm looking to swap out my tired looking factory wheels for some aftermarket alloys in the £300-£500 price range. (Intending to self-refurbish the originals and bung on some winter tyres).

What "goes" with an RX ... mine is Tungsten Blue (bluish silver) so I'm thinking matt black wheels for contrast?

What about actual design?

Cheers for any ideas.

[ChrisKaye]

Best just to browse for styles you like on eBay as you can fit loads of different types on one page.

I'm happy to stick to the factory 18's on mine (to keep ride nice and comfy).

Managed to pick up a spare wheel on eBay to refurb myself - £30 delivered... Bargain!

If you have an air compressor and a blasting kit at home, then full refurb is possible (albeit one wheel at a time so you can keep the RX on the road!)

I have been doing mine totally by hand and have the following observations:

1) it's slow going! 1 wheel of work is going to be a week!

2) if doing a tire-off refurb, don't bother without an air compressor and blasting setup

3) paint stripper is crap these days (many coats required) and costs a fortune! PS: DOT5.1 brake fluid doesn't even mark these wheels with factory paint!

4) aluminium corrosion sucks needs to go back to bare metal and these wheels love to corrode!

5) if you can find someone to refurb them for you for upto £250 and you don't have much in the way of tools, sandpaper, paint stripper, new paint and time, it will work out cheaper, honest! It'll also be a better more durable finish (ie: powder coating or baking of lacquer) then we can do at home.

6) trying to spray paint outdoors is not fun on wheels! Nature, wind and bugs are all out to get you & your beautiful wet paint!

Still, for me I like doing my own stuff so it hasn't deterred me and means I have an excuse to buy a decent compressor (I have 5 sets of alloys I want to refurb). Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment? :)

[steve2006]

I think DOT 5.1 brake fluid is synthetic so may not have the paint stripping effect.

[sddg7tfl]

Good work there Chris. I've refurbed many wheels in my time and know the difficulties that can occur, one that springs to mind was a cheeky Blackbird landing onto the final coat on one of my E28 520i wheels.

I'm aware of potential noise/harshness increase if going to a larger rim with lower profile, i just can't decide what would look good on an RX ... and what would look chavvy.

[ChrisKaye]

If in doubt, why not see if you can get some 19" rims from a later model Lex?

Rayaans or someone will be able to let you know what model RX they were from, but the do a metallic gunmetal grey colour that might be nice on your RX!

[billgatesisaconman]

Hi Steve, I'm sure most Rx owners have or will have this dilemma at some point, when I did my wheels I looked at the options which have been mentioned, in the end I went for powder coating & at the minute I'm glad I did, 18 months on & they still look mint & hopefully they will stay that way ... I did them in smoked chrome for £330 (same day) at TWS Manchester. I went for this as I think the process used in powdercoating was my best option for neutralizing the corrosion & sealing the wheels.

I did look at aftermarket alloys but good quality ones in the same size & offset etc (avoiding paying for new tyres) are impossible to find or way too expensive, the cheap chinese ones are poor quality & damage very easily ...especially if you go for bigger wheels with lower profiles.... (plus new tyres for 20" + were £200 a corner)

I also looked at secondhand ones but Lexus (or Kia ... lol) were the only ones in the same size & lets face it there hasn't been an Rx wheel invented that doesn't need a refurb so back to square one ...

If you really want a different style I would go with the option Chris mentioned (newer Rx wheels) I have seen decent ones within your budget & they have the same load ratng etc ... don't forget you may have to inform your insurance if you change the wheels.

[sddg7tfl]

Thanks for the advice chris/dennis.

I think i'll go for the later 19" RX wheels as they don't shout "boy racer" (unlike many of the aftermarket rims available).

I'm aware of keeping insurers informed ... back in 2008 I had a very modified Citroen AXGT on the road at the same time as my current BMW 730ise.

The Citroen insurance was double that of the beemer! (But it would keep up with E38 540i's).

Just for the record I'm old enough to be a grandfather, so don't start thinking I'm some yoof looking to bling up me ride.

[Boxbrownie]

Check out Mytyres for aftermarket alloys, I bought a set for my Mk1......17", perfect for the job, discrete 5 spoke and they are made in Germany and come with a TUV cert.