In the world of luxury cars, both Mercedes and Lexus hold a reputation as being the very best. Mercedes is a premium executive German brand that mostly focuses on setting the standard for all other executive cars to follow while Lexus mostly focuses on perfecting the original recipe of luxury that consists out of leather, style, high-end functionality, and dependability.
As such, Lexuses can be viewed as everyday luxury tools that have been thoroughly tested in all categories just like every other Japanese economy car even though Lexus is far from being an economy brand. Mercedes is mostly focused on innovation and being the most glamorous and impactful luxury car brand for the masses.
As such, it makes a lot of sense to mix these two brand philosophies up by using Mercedes wheels on a Lexus. However, for this to work you need to match specific wheel measurements across all four wheels. The most important measurement is the bolt pattern which needs to be identical, but that is hardly ever the case.
Even if your bolt patterns do match you also need to focus on the wheel diameter and tire size, wheel offset, and potentially even the center bore of the wheel. Because most of these are different between the two models, you are likely not going to be able to fit your Mercedes wheels on a Lexus.
The bolt pattern
Wheel bolts are an often overlooked component of overall car safety because they are tasked with tightening the connection between the car and the wheels. As such, these should never endure any discrepancies because that could cause all sorts of driveability and safety issues right away.
It’s worth mentioning that most Mercedes models use a standard 5x112mm bolt pattern while most Lexus models use a different 5×114.3mm bolt pattern. Even though these seem similar enough, they are not because bolt patterns need to be identical if you want your car to be as safe as the day it left the factory.
There are certain companies out there that do specialize in designing bolt adapters that are made to countereffect these differences, but it’s best to avoid them. Even the tiniest differences between the bolts can cause vibrations that can loosen the bolt over time.
This means that any issues associated with the bolt pattern can potentially even end up catastrophically.
Wheel diameter and tire size
It is rather common these days to change the diameter of wheels because you want to accomplish either a specific look or a specific driving characteristic. A larger set of wheels are usually associated with a more aggressive look and a more agile and better-handling car.
Even though this does seem tempting you also must be aware that this can increase overall tire noise and make the car a lot more uncomfortable. If you are willing to accept that you can even upgrade to a set of larger diameter wheels if you lower the size of your tires correspondingly.
This means that if you opt for 1-inch larger wheels you will have to countereffect that with 1-inch smaller tires. All in all, it’s always best to keep it sensible as far as the wheel diameter is concerned as low-profile wheels are more prone to chipping and scratching while also being borderline uncomfortable.
Wheel offset and center bore
A wheel offset refers to the position of the wheel mounting hub regarding the centerline of the wheel. A wheel with a neutral offset mounts the central mounting hub directly in line with the centerline of the wheel while a positive offset wheel is mounted closer to the outer edge of the wheel.
A negative offset wheel is mounted closer to the suspension components which means that it’s closer to the inner edge of the wheel as opposed to the outer edge. It’s best to opt for wheels with an identical offset, but you can compensate for slight differences with a set of properly manufactured and properly installed spacers.
Finally, Lexus and Mercedes’s models are known to use vastly different center bore dimensions which means that you will have to cut the wheels for them to fit perfectly. A wheel center bore is a hole within the inner wheel used for perfectly balancing the wheel on the car.
If these are different it’s best to avoid it altogether, but if you are 100% keen on using those wheels you need to find someone who can machine your wheels to the exact center bore dimensions you need without making the wheels any less safe than they already are.
FAQ Section
Do European cars use a similar bolt pattern?
Many European cars use similar or sometimes even identical bolt patterns which makes them perfect for wheel interchangeability. For example, many Mercedes models offer the same bolt pattern as some BMW models which means that these can easily be switched between the two corresponding models.
Audi and VW also have the same bolt pattern in certain cases which comes as no surprise as Audi is part of the VAG group. However, European cars mostly differ from most US cars because they use bolts as opposed to many US brands that studs.
Why would one change the wheels on a car?
Most people out there would never want to change the wheels on their car if they don’t have to. Be that as it may, there are still many people out there that are constantly changing the wheel on their cars. They do this to achieve a specific look while also trying to change the way the car drivers and how comfortable it is.
A larger diameter wheel is mostly associated with sporty cars with superior handling characteristics because less tire means that the car is less likely to lean into the corner and decrease agility. On the other hand, someone who opts for larger tires is mostly going to benefit from increased comfort to the detriment of inferior handling.
Will Lexus wheels fit on a Toyota?
Lexus and Toyota are two sister brands which means that they share lots of parts with each other. As such, a Lexus wheel is likely going to fit a Toyota, but always be sure to inspect the measurements correctly. This works both ways if the aforementioned measurements are identical.
The bolt pattern is the most important part and this is not the issue. Most issues are associated with the wheel diameter and tire size which can easily be negated.
