Do the Lexus LS 400 calipers fit under 16" wheels?

[Spinall4]

I'm looking at picking up a set of the ls 400 4 piston brake rotors, but they must fit under aftermarket 16" wheels. I know the stock ls wheel is 16", and they fit under these, but they will not fit under stock sc wheels. I'm either getting the enkei rpf01 in 16x8" or the volks cen28's in a 16x8 or 16x9 setup. Everyone on club lexus seems to be going to 17,18,19" wheels, and I don't think anyone has ever bothered to check fitment of the 16" aftermarket wheels with the LS 400 brakes.

I'm really not interested in going up to a 17" wheel, I would like to keep the sidewall that the 16" gives, and 245/50/16 tires are much cheaper, so I can afford to get a nicer tire, and possibly put some track time on these tires with out breaking the bank.

 

[spf_lexus]

Sorry man, 17'' for the 4-pot calipers. They are 3mm smaller than the supra TT calipers and they are 17'' min. My 18's barely cleared but mostly due to the offset of the caliper. I would look into some oem 17's LS400 rims. Why? Because thats the size the upgraded 1995 LS came with. I believe the SC had 16's for the 1st generation. They had 2 pistons tho, good diameter considering...

 

[Spinall4]

I ended up getting a 16x7" OZ wheel called the chrono. It barely clears the stock SC caliper (I mean only a couple of mm of clearance). I don't think any 16" clears LS calipers (besides the ugly stock LS wheel).

According to the tire rack, RPF-01's won't clear the stock SC caliper in 16"

 

[spf_lexus]

Well considering its more cheese to get larger rims the SC i a decent setup. It's worlds better than oem LS and the rotor diameter isn't that much smaller than the supra TT which are 12.5''. If you used stainless brake lines, good pads and drilled rotors your LS is going to save heaps of stopping distance. Yes they are 2 piston but if you compare them the SC pistons are about 50% larger giving more squeeze on the pads. EBC greestuff makes some good street pads thats just what i'v tried.

 

[Spinall4]

Well considering its more cheese to get larger rims the SC i a decent setup. It's worlds better than oem LS and the rotor diameter isn't that much smaller than the supra TT which are 12.5''. If you used stainless brake lines, good pads and drilled rotors your LS is going to save heaps of stopping distance. Yes they are 2 piston but if you compare them the SC pistons are about 50% larger giving more squeeze on the pads. EBC greestuff makes some good street pads thats just what i'v tried.

Car currently has DOT 4 fluid, stainless lines in back, good ceramic pads out back, rear calipers were rebuilt with OEM Toyota parts. Just been waiting to order in some new rotor's and she'll be set for the back. I'll be upgrading the fronts as money allows.

 

[spf_lexus]

My 91' doesn't have any parts OEM. supra TT in front and 1995 LS in rear, the rear single piston is larger than oem single and the rotor has a larger diameter. Easy how one can make his own brake syste, by grabbing from other cars, complete systems front and back for less than $1000.

 

[Thermactor]

Sorry man, 17'' for the 4-pot calipers. They are 3mm smaller than the supra TT calipers and they are 17'' min. My 18's barely cleared but mostly due to the offset of the caliper. I would look into some oem 17's LS400 rims. Why? Because thats the size the upgraded 1995 LS came with. I believe the SC had 16's for the 1st generation. They had 2 pistons tho, good diameter considering...

No LS400 came stock with 17" rims. You must be thinking of the sport package LS430.

 

[spf_lexus]

I am no expert on newer LS models but I know 17'' will BARELY clear supra TT and the 1995 LS models have 4 pot calipers too, except they are only a few mm smaller in diameter... very small increment. I guess the newer calipers are juuuust small enough to clear a 16''? that means the supra TT is only a few mm from downsizing if needed. Anywho my bad on the mistake, I don't want to mislead. I actually bought a set of 18's that wouldn't clear due to the spoke offset, that was a harder factor for fitments than diameter IMO.

 

[hobojoe]

SPF hey man colorado springs here. im dont post much at all on here mainly on CL anyways. just interested in the jic strut bar you have.... i cant find one to fit the ls400 is it the sc one you used?

 

[spf_lexus]

haha nice. I just moved out here a month ago, going to CSU. Just order the MKIV supra "carbon fiber bar". Initially I had my throttle boddy vacuum lines removed so it was an exact fit, at first. I had broken motor munts which dropped the engine down a few mm and once I replaced them I need a few washers underneath the bar but worked just as good. 1995 supra is the year. I believe that bar runs around $350 but top dog as far as rare LS parts go.

 

[hobojoe]

haha nice, what ammnt of washers are we talking here? any bad effects to adding them?

 

[hobojoe]

ok cool hey gimme a chat sometime on aim laxmike65 or Yahoo mmunson65 id love to chat parts mods etc on the ls4 more

 

[hobojoe]

do you have a pic of the bar?

 

[spf_lexus]

I dont have a pic of the bar but it's online www.jic-magic.com. Adding washers makes do difference unless your sacrificing threads but that doesnt happen. I have JIC coilovers and their studs are longer than OEM but not by a lot. the washers is the only way to fit the bar. Any supra MKIV bar will fit your LS. Just need to rise it up a few mm. Take your EGR setup off and you'll pick up 1-5hp and lower the washer count for your bar.

 

[hobojoe]

does the bar still fit with the egr still in place? not quite sure i wana remove it just yet.

 

[spf_lexus]

It should, and even an inch of spacers wouldn't hurt. The bar is very rigid, the shock towers are even more rigid and once they tie both your shocks together they will be one unit, making your car corner much flatter and controllably. What year is your LS? and how many miles? I woud say just a polyurathane bushing overhaul plus the front bar would do wonders. I remember how mine was at stock, fun power but she cornered like a crude oil tanker... scary at high speed. After the bushings, and all the parts that generay deteriorate including ball joints and shocks I would say that you have a good start because the early LS is a soft ride and dangerous when you double it's power. Bushings alone IMHO are beat "bang for your buck" makes it feel brand new and very cheap if your willing to sacrifice a weekend.


-if your interested i have a couple threads under suspension mods for a custom rear strut bar and rear control arms. These were done in my garage and yielded good results.

 

[hobojoe]

I saw those mods :]. mines a 91 so replace the bushings aswell if i do the strut bar you say? i just did a custom injen intake this weekend did wonders to the low end power.

 

[spf_lexus]

Most people don't know that ANY supra mkIV will fit your LS. There are cheaper units for around $150 and will do the same job as my $300 carbon bar. But in general a front bar with polyurathane bushes will wake your car's performance up. Another wise upgrade would be a thicker rear sway bar. Only company I know of (I searched for a while) is ADDCO, they make a 7/8'' bar thats 2x the size as the stocker. It will eliminate the body roll you experience when throwing around corners, keeps the back end flatter and makes it easier to kick the back end out.

here's my list:
-all poly bushes front-back
-front strut bar
-rear strut bar
-rear sway bar 7/8''
-jic coilovers 12kg, 8kg
-welded front lower arm bar
-boxed rear arms

The LS handles like a boat but I can tell you from experience that with some work this car can be quite the freeway racer. It's def not built for city streets w/ potholes and such but thats the tradeoff. I only have 4'' of ground clearance for such a long car so it sorta keeps me out of trouble, not racing ppl around town anymore. the flipside is the freeway, thats where i do most of my driving. Right now I can be cruising at 120+ and cut 4 lanes w/o any body roll, very percise on the freeway.

If you want to start building your car up the bushings would be step 1. I made the mistake of buying coilovers 1st w/ deteriorated bushings and the car was almost scary to drive, very erratic. the car felt it's age def. Carson toyota www.l-tunedparts.com has the majority of the bushes u need. If you want even betetr bushes Lextreme has "vlamos" bushes that are oem design but higher grade, very high end press-in type. I would reccomend these if your looking for the best of the best, but a little trickier for install and more $. the poly bushes are the easiest way DIY. Just make sure you/mechanic uses ONLY white lithium grease. Don't use cheap generic red, you'll thank me when you dont have to re-grease them when the squeeking starts!

 

[spf_lexus]

Most people don't know that ANY supra mkIV will fit your LS. There are cheaper units for around $150 and will do the same job as my $300 carbon bar. But in general a front bar with polyurathane bushes will wake your car's performance up. Another wise upgrade would be a thicker rear sway bar. Only company I know of (I searched for a while) is ADDCO, they make a 7/8'' bar thats 2x the size as the stocker. It will eliminate the body roll you experience when throwing around corners, keeps the back end flatter and makes it easier to kick the back end out.

here's my list:
-all poly bushes front-back
-front strut bar
-rear strut bar
-rear sway bar 7/8''
-jic coilovers 12kg, 8kg
-welded front lower arm bar
-boxed rear arms

The LS handles like a boat but I can tell you from experience that with some work this car can be quite the freeway racer. It's def not built for city streets w/ potholes and such but thats the tradeoff. I only have 4'' of ground clearance for such a long car so it sorta keeps me out of trouble, not racing ppl around town anymore. the flipside is the freeway, thats where i do most of my driving. Right now I can be cruising at 120+ and cut 4 lanes w/o any body roll, very percise on the freeway.

If you want to start building your car up the bushings would be step 1. I made the mistake of buying coilovers 1st w/ deteriorated bushings and the car was almost scary to drive, very erratic. the car felt it's age def. Carson toyota www.l-tunedparts.com has the majority of the bushes u need. If you want even betetr bushes Lextreme has "vlamos" bushes that are oem design but higher grade, very high end press-in type. I would reccomend these if your looking for the best of the best, but a little trickier for install and more $. the poly bushes are the easiest way DIY. Just make sure you/mechanic uses ONLY white lithium grease. Don't use cheap generic red, you'll thank me when you dont have to re-grease them when the squeeking starts!