New 2024 GX550 on 35X12.5 Toyo Open Country tires wrapped around some Method Race Wheels 703 17X8.5 w/ +35 offset. Westcott_designs also added a pre cooler kit along with their new modular roof rack for the GX.
GX550 with Method Wheels running 35x12.50 tires
- Thread starter supersix
- Start date
New 2024 GX550 on 35X12.5 Toyo Open Country tires wrapped around some Method Race Wheels 703 17X8.5 w/ +35 offset. Westcott_designs also added a pre cooler kit along with their new modular roof rack for the GX.
It looks cool, but in all honesty I’m not a fan. They threw some cowboy lift on it and big tires. It’s definitely going to impact ride and articulation.
You have a valid point
Articulation isn’t such an issue if there’s ABS traction control (or lockers). The question that first occurred to me is whether those 35’s rub and if so how much remedial cutting is required.
He’s definitely going to lose some degree of articulation. There’s a prepro lift on that Gx though. Not sure if it’s blocks or new struts. There’s rubbing at full lock but according to the tech who installed it removing the plastics will solve that.
Removing which plastics? It’s all a matter of degree. If it’s just mud flaps that’s no problem. Taking a hair dryer to the fender liner? That’s more of an issue, but not much more. Removing or cutting the fender liner? The fender liner has a purpose, which won’t be fulfilled if it’s cut up or removed.
I think it’s the fender liners yes. So it’s going be invasive for upsizing the tire.
- Thread starter
- #9
Another solution to avoid rubbing might be going with narrow 35" tire like a 285/75/r18 (35x11.50)
Yeah or downsizing to a 17 with a 285 to match the diameter of the oem 18 with 265 and same positive wheel offset. That seems to be the easiest less invasive way to get more tire and only cause 15mm of height difference but keep the wheel same distance from strut.
I don’t think a lift and bigger tires will benefit 90% of gx owners ability to wheel better. I think it’s more of an American mentality to throw bigger wheels and tires at anything to increase performance. Damper technology and electronic systems have gone a long way. If anything a better solution would be to cut the front/rear bumpers for better approach/departure angles.
The GX is super trick and doesn’t need much to improve its already stellar capability.
I’m pretty supportive of bigger tires as the only real way to increase maximum underbody clearance.
Approach and departure on these cars isn’t amazing, but neither is the 8.9” of clearance to the pumpkin. Not trying to shit on the GX, but rather just note that it’s low hanging fruit for upgrade.
Best way to increase that stat with with an extra couple inches of tire.
That said. It needs to be done intelligently, and shouldn’t compromise overall vehicle function as most cowboy lifts and 35’s would.
Approach and departure on these cars isn’t amazing, but neither is the 8.9” of clearance to the pumpkin. Not trying to shit on the GX, but rather just note that it’s low hanging fruit for upgrade.
Best way to increase that stat with with an extra couple inches of tire.
That said. It needs to be done intelligently, and shouldn’t compromise overall vehicle function as most cowboy lifts and 35’s would.
Well said.
- Thread starter
- #15
New ad from Method featuring the GX550:
More details can be found here:
www.methodracewheels.com
More details can be found here:
2024 LEXUS GX550
The 2024 Lexus GX550 represents a bold evolution in luxury SUVs, blending rugged off-road capability with sophisticated design. This build features Method Race Wheels 703 Bead Grip wrapped in 35 inch tires. Inspired by the brand's commitment to craftsmanship and innovation, the GX550 features a...
www.methodracewheels.com
I'm concerned some people might be reading ads and forum posts and not understanding how Toyota IFS works and what the tradeoffs of certain types of lifts are.
When you add lift simply by increasing spring tension, you are pushing the suspended part of the vehicle up, yes. But the other side of the coin is that you are reducing how far the wheels can travel down. You are not adding any travel to the suspension, so for every inch you lift, you take away an inch the vehicle wheels can go down.
So what are the consequences of this? Well, first of all, you have to consider how much the wheels can travel down in the first place. For the GX550, this is maybe about 4" to 4.5", based on user reports and depending how you measure and what your weight is. So now if you lift 2.5" by just adding spring tension to your existing shocks, you are left with only about 1.5 to 2" of down travel. What this means is that you are taking a platform that is remarkable for its articulation, including its ability to flow through depressions in the ground and travel across laterally irregular terrain while keeping the wheels in contact with the ground, and dramatically reducing that signature capability.
Second, it's important to understand that lifting a vehicle in this manner does not create more room for tires, except in the neutral/pavement driving position and when the shock is not fully compressed. When you fully compress the shock after a lift of this type, your tire will still end up in the same place as it did before the lift. The only way this would not be true is if the spring tension is so high after the lift that you never fully compress the shock when taking heavy bumps/hits. In that case, you will now have an additional loss of function. Not only will you have dramatically reduced your downtravel (how far you wheel can go down), but you will have also reduced your real-world uptravel (how much your suspension compresses) as well. Altogether, this would be a severe compromise in offroad suspension capability.
Of course, it's possible to imagine special conditions where loss of suspension capability with a lift like this would be outweighed by the improved clearance of some parts and the improved approach and departure angles. For example, if you are driving over smooth ground with very sharp hills, such as the UTV trails on some farms or ranches, better angles might be more important than suspension. Or if you are doing regular water crossings or driving in places such as disaster sites where there are a lot of fallen trees/branches on otherwise smooth ground, clearance might be paramount for you.
Overall, it's great that we have options for lifts. This approach may be a useful option for some people with special needs, but it's important to understand the tradeoffs. I'm very concerned that some advertising I've seen for this approach to a lift suggests a sweeping improvement in offroad performance without any balancing information about the substantial tradeoffs.
When you add lift simply by increasing spring tension, you are pushing the suspended part of the vehicle up, yes. But the other side of the coin is that you are reducing how far the wheels can travel down. You are not adding any travel to the suspension, so for every inch you lift, you take away an inch the vehicle wheels can go down.
So what are the consequences of this? Well, first of all, you have to consider how much the wheels can travel down in the first place. For the GX550, this is maybe about 4" to 4.5", based on user reports and depending how you measure and what your weight is. So now if you lift 2.5" by just adding spring tension to your existing shocks, you are left with only about 1.5 to 2" of down travel. What this means is that you are taking a platform that is remarkable for its articulation, including its ability to flow through depressions in the ground and travel across laterally irregular terrain while keeping the wheels in contact with the ground, and dramatically reducing that signature capability.
Second, it's important to understand that lifting a vehicle in this manner does not create more room for tires, except in the neutral/pavement driving position and when the shock is not fully compressed. When you fully compress the shock after a lift of this type, your tire will still end up in the same place as it did before the lift. The only way this would not be true is if the spring tension is so high after the lift that you never fully compress the shock when taking heavy bumps/hits. In that case, you will now have an additional loss of function. Not only will you have dramatically reduced your downtravel (how far you wheel can go down), but you will have also reduced your real-world uptravel (how much your suspension compresses) as well. Altogether, this would be a severe compromise in offroad suspension capability.
Of course, it's possible to imagine special conditions where loss of suspension capability with a lift like this would be outweighed by the improved clearance of some parts and the improved approach and departure angles. For example, if you are driving over smooth ground with very sharp hills, such as the UTV trails on some farms or ranches, better angles might be more important than suspension. Or if you are doing regular water crossings or driving in places such as disaster sites where there are a lot of fallen trees/branches on otherwise smooth ground, clearance might be paramount for you.
Overall, it's great that we have options for lifts. This approach may be a useful option for some people with special needs, but it's important to understand the tradeoffs. I'm very concerned that some advertising I've seen for this approach to a lift suggests a sweeping improvement in offroad performance without any balancing information about the substantial tradeoffs.
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Every truck I've had I've lifted and lived with the trade-offs. If you want bigger tires and better ground clearance, then you have to start somewhere. If I find that my pre-load collar lift from Westcott has limited my off-road-ability, then I will look at other options as they become available.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride.
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