Need More Info On These Wheels

[Porter]

Hey guys,

I've recently bought a '97 GS300 with exactly the same wheels as shown on the pic. The problem is 3 of them are missing their center caps and i really struggle to get any information on these wheels since they are quite rare apperantly. I get loads of results on 9 single spoke wheels but not the twin ones. Is it still possible to buy center caps for these wheels at all ? I havn't found a single ad so far and i've been looking for a couple days now.

If anyone knows anything about these wheels could you please share some info.

Thanks

[TigerFish]

They are the wheels off a mk2 GS Sport (300 and 430). The centre caps are no longer available through Lexus so your best bet is to keep an eye out on eBay as they appear from time to time. Last set of 4 went for £90. They do come up singly as well occasionally as I picked one up for 99p.

[Ghosty]

just out of interest i need to get my alloys refurbished then get new gold centres. Just wondering as seen set for around the same price how does the sport alloys compare in grip comfort compared to the stock 17inch alloys

[TigerFish]

Never had stock 17's on any of my GS's, only 18's. I've never had any issue with ride quality in the 18's though. I've swapped out the mk2 Sport wheels for the mk1 Sport wheels with the 10" rears on both my mk2's, no problem with those either.

[Ghosty]

good to know once again thanks getting back so quick. its should i refurb what i have or get new alloys only problem had 4 new tyres on put on few months ago. like the look of the sport wheels although i will have to loose my gold caps

[TigerFish]

good to know once again thanks getting back so quick. its should i refurb what i have or get new alloys only problem had 4 new tyres on put on few months ago. like the look of the sport wheels although i will have to loose my gold caps

And keep in mind the centre caps for the Sport wheels are rare as rocking horse sh*t, so if any do a bunk (or get nicked by someone else who has missing ones) it could be a mission to replace them. The guy who bought my mk1 (I put the mk2 sport wheels on it to sell it so that I could keep the mk1 sport wheels) had one of the caps nicked a few days after buying the car. He had no luck finding a replacement before he sold it later. And probably the exact reason there are three missing for the original poster, the seller couldn't find any replacements (and may well have blagged that they can be replaced easily as part of the sales blurb)

[dave1]

just out of interest i need to get my alloys refurbished then get new gold centres. Just wondering as seen set for around the same price how does the sport alloys compare in grip comfort compared to the stock 17inch alloys

They are the same as the wheels on my GS430 SE and, like Rick, I have never had an issue with ride quality but if you are changing from 17" to 18" you may well notice a slightly harsher ride. The other thing is that the tyres are more expensive for 18".

[Ghosty]

ha already have a slightly harsh ride in my opinion she doesnt handle slow speed very well. Had 2 top mounts change both lower ball joints new anti roll bushes. when had springs off car when was doing the top mount checked everything over and springs good nick strut has some resistance but not to much or little. yet still sometimes really notice bumps in the steering wheel at slow speed o changed the steering rack bushes to poly bushes that help a bit. Its not massive but i notice it but when you hammer it in corners car goes like a dream no rough feeling or anything.

so was putting it down that alloys need refurb as they started to corrode and it sometimes throws tyre pressures off. Seems owner before looked after everything but the alloys the amount of kerb damage they had plus had to replace 2 tyres due to holes in sidewall.

Think the problem is this is the first Lexus i have owned so i have nothing to compare to as Jaguars famous grace space pace where you could hit a small child and not feel anything.

so if anyone lifes around the gloucestershire area and doesn't mind a 22 year old having a go in their car (although we share the same car ) let me know. suspension is a lot better than it used to be when i first got her had a 450H at the lights kept reving off and trying to show off that his GS was 5 years younger than mine. i got annoyed and out pulled that little 3.5 and felt the car not liking me as i tilted into a corner i know that on paper they are almost identical but the grunt of that v8 beats a v6 any day. its like VTEC had 2 cars with VTEC and used to love it but i know now that there is no replacement for displacement you cant be torque no matter how high you can rev.

sorry realise gone off topic here and made everything really long winded think is the fact i have been drinking pint size cups of coffee today

[Porter]

Thanks for the help TigerFish. I really like these wheels and was planning to refurbish them but they don't look too good without center caps. Now after finding out how rare these actually are, I have doubts whether its worth getting replacement caps at all since they might get nicked.

[TigerFish]

Thanks for the help TigerFish. I really like these wheels and was planning to refurbish them but they don't look too good without center caps. Now after finding out how rare these actually are, I have doubts whether its worth getting replacement caps at all since they might get nicked.

Yeah, it is a shame with these wheels. The wheels come up for sale quite regular, my mate recently bought a full set on eBay (with caps) for £137, which was a right result. It is just the darn caps that are a pain.