Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


  • Join The Club

    Join the Lexus Owners Club and be part of the Community. It's FREE!

     

Recommended Posts

My mk4 has the DHP alloys which are in great condition, really suit the car and look great.
However, the car is not a DHP car and I wanted the original alloys back on the car.
I struggled to find a set which were in decent condition and at a reasonable cost, I found some on the Facebook UK LS Owners group which looked in decent condition to refurb.
Bought the wheels and Lepson’s Wheels picked them up today (I’ve used them in the past and they did a great job), got a call earlier after they had examined them to discuss what finish to go for. I had in mind a chrome finish called Mercury Silver I saw on their video but for chrome finishes you need a perfect wheel otherwise any slight imperfections will show. The wheels I bought were less than perfect, which I knew already, so was advised not to go for a chrome finish. Chrome Finishes are done in one go and that’s it, you can’t touch up and refinish any areas that show up after spraying, with the silver finishes they hide the imperfections quite well and after spraying, any issues in the silver coat can be touched up and sorted then lacquered to give the best finish possible on less than perfect wheels. So I went for a standard silver finish advised by Lepson’s, new tyres will be fitted as well then shipped back to me.
Delivery will be next week so need to order some ceramic coating for them and I’ll post some pictures of the wheels when I get them and when fitted to the car.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Given what a set of DHP wheels in decent condition are fetching these days you’ll probably recover the cost of the replacements and refurbishment if you sell them. 😀

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Razor61 said:

I had in mind a chrome finish

there was an earlier post here about a set of chrome wheels for sale .........  last month or so ....:unsure:

Malc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Malc said:

there was an earlier post here about a set of chrome wheels for sale .........  last month or so ....:unsure:

Malc

The finish I wanted wasn't full chrome, way too blingy for me. The finish I wanted is below, very nice in my opinion but not an option for me.

image.png.91788b47728efd26aa0073803acf9f24.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps Lepsons are using a process involving silver nitrate for their "chrome" wheels, in which case this article explains the difference between spray paint and "chrome" finishes:

https://pchrome.com/faq/what-is-spray-chrome/

And this is an extract from Spraychrome's website:

"Chromespray can be used over any surface that can be primed. We have successfully chromed over wood, glass, plastics, carbon fibre, 3d prints, all metals and even an apple. Since the product works extremely well over car filler any item can be reworked as new.

Silver nitrate coating system produces a perfect mirror finish on almost any product, giving the impression of real metal plating. A layer of real silver is deposited on the surface to create an unbeatable chrome finish."

Although the silver nitrate finish will be less forgiving than paint, apparently it can be applied to any surface that can be primed, so perhaps the key to a good finish lies in the primer.

Anyway, don't forget to post some pictures when they're on the car.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


As I mentioned previously chrome wheels will not look good for long here in the UK as I know from experience.

Mine were totally bling and I received some nice comments but 2 years later they looked bad with no one willing to refurbish them.

 

2C7A8FAF-CE87-48BC-82A8-07D321039601.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/7/2022 at 8:40 PM, steve2006 said:

Given what a set of DHP wheels in decent condition are fetching these days you’ll probably recover the cost of the replacements and refurbishment if you sell them. 😀

I may sell them or keep them as a winter set. As far as I can tell, without paying the earth, the only correct size tyres you can get for DHP alloys are winter tyres.
Compared to the mk3 I had with the original 16” alloys, this car with the DHP wheels/tyres doesn’t absorb rough surfaces the same. This is due to bigger wheels and lower profile tyres with a stiffer side wall. Yes the original 16” tyres look like balloons compared but I want the smoothest quietest ride/drive as possible which is what the LS400 is all about.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Razor61 said:

I may sell them or keep them as a winter set. As far as I can tell, without paying the earth, the only correct size tyres you can get for DHP alloys are winter tyres.
Compared to the mk3 I had with the original 16” alloys, this car with the DHP wheels/tyres doesn’t absorb rough surfaces the same. This is due to bigger wheels and lower profile tyres with a stiffer side wall. Yes the original 16” tyres look like balloons compared but I want the smoothest quietest ride/drive as possible which is what the LS400 is all about.

Have you decided on tyres yet?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
On 7/9/2022 at 4:57 PM, Razor61 said:

Yep, Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun - 67db noise rated tyre, the quieter the better.

 

I have bought some of these and they will be fitted in a couple of weeks, just under £96 fitted from Protyre. I have Michelin Primacy 4's on at the moment and after five years and 17,000 miles there are a lot of cracks in them and also wear on outsides where I think I may have been underinflating them although I have gone with the recommended 30 psi. I shall try the new ones at 33psi. How are yours Paul?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also considering buying some aftermarket alloys or getting mine refurbished although they have already been done once whilst in my ownership. Looking at 16inch alloys if I did go down that path, has anyone changed out their originals?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In 1997 I bought a '94 LS 400. Back then, the wheels were coated with a lacquer protection which wasn't very good and there were a lot of complaints. New in the market, Lexus didn't want anything to dent their image so they came up with a novel solution. They supplied a complete set of refurbished wheels for IIRC, £350. You booked your car in and they swapped your wheels - refitting the original tyres and doing the balancing. It took about 3 hours. I had mine done 1999. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I had my original wheels refurbished last year at £250 sans the plastic deep coloured centre caps ......  they look brill and I am told should last 15 years subject to my driving carefully enough .  whacks excluded of course

And Falken tyres are a great way to go .  been using them mostly both on the Ls400 and my 56 plate Honda Legend for quite some 10's of '000s of miles 

Malc

Malc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, shanra said:

I think I may have been underinflating them although I have gone with the recommended 30 psi. I shall try the new ones at 33psi. How are yours Paul?

On my Ls400 they've been at 30psi and show zero unexpected wear etc

Malc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had an alignment done at Wheels In Motion (not trading now) and I see it was done to a modified specification (not that I asked for it) and although that was only 2000 miles ago I think that was when the wear started. I cannot find the standard geometry specs anywhere and I have looked all over. Does anyone know the geometry settings?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, shanra said:

I had an alignment done at Wheels In Motion (not trading now) and I see it was done to a modified specification (not that I asked for it) and although that was only 2000 miles ago I think that was when the wear started. I cannot find the standard geometry specs anywhere and I have looked all over. Does anyone know the geometry settings?

This is from the manual

image.thumb.png.88db89bcac15e18a1e113aecfff33723.png

And noticed this as well

image.thumb.png.d220f8af319a2ae58baa93eda9293404.png 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

On 2/14/2023 at 2:29 PM, Razor61 said:

This is from the manual

image.thumb.png.88db89bcac15e18a1e113aecfff33723.png

And noticed this as well

image.thumb.png.d220f8af319a2ae58baa93eda9293404.png 

Some strange looking angles in comparison. It was 6000 miles ago not 2000 as I said before.

1676532274534.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Latest Deals

Lexus Official Store for genuine Lexus parts & accessories

Disclaimer: As the club is an eBay Partner, The club may be compensated if you make a purchase via eBay links

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share






Lexus Owners Club Powered by Invision Community


eBay Disclosure: As the club is an eBay Partner, the club may earn commision if you make a purchase via the clubs eBay links.

DISCLAIMER: Lexusownersclub.co.uk is an independent Lexus forum for owners of Lexus vehicles. The club is not part of Lexus UK nor affiliated with or endorsed by Lexus UK in any way. The material contained in the forums is submitted by the general public and is NOT endorsed by Lexus Owners Club, ACI LTD, Lexus UK or Toyota Motor Corporation. The official Lexus website can be found at http://www.lexus.co.uk
×
  • Create New...