GX550 Aftermarket Wheel & Tire Thread

[BETN]

I really wanted to go Wildpeak A/T 4W but the nice price increase from Falken has me looking hard at the new Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascents. The Bridgestones at Costco are looking pretty good right now.

 

[ctownbuc]

Hey Folks! New here. Just got my Luxury+ this weekend. Need some serious help with tires / wheels. Fairly new to this space and been obsessively trying to research and figure things out this weekend but just need some help.

Not a fan of the 22s. Getting some vibrations when I drive. Not sure it’s even the tires but, regardless, I want the best ride possible. Going to be roads/highway 99.9% of the time. Figured I would drop down to aftermarket 20s to at least help some with ride quality. Probably go with Defender. I know, it’s not as sexy but a nice quiet ride is priority #1.

That’s where I’ve been just spinning in circles. I want to keep wheel / tire size as close to OEM as possible to not impact anything else—speedometer, handling, etc. or should that not matter? Current tires are 265/50/R22. I was thinking about going with 265/60/R20. But from what I’ve seen, most wheels in that size are 9-10” width. It looks like OEM wheel width is 7.5. Does that difference really have an impact? How important is width? How important is the offset? I don’t see it in the manual but I saw oem offset is about +30-40? I was looking at the Vossen HF6-5 wheels but they only offer +15 (standard) or +25 (custom). Is that enough offset?

Lots of questions I know but I’m clearly confused. Any other suggestions / recommendations based on my goals and what I’ve stated here are certainly welcomed.

Thanks!

Quick update. Still leaning towards Defender tires but torn between the MS2 and Platinum (only made for 20" wheels right now). They advertise the Platinum for "luxury heavy-duty trucks". I like the look of it a bit more than the MS2--a little more aggressive look while still being a road-first tire. I noticed the weight difference is pretty substantial--55 lbs vs. 38 lbs for MS2. Would that weight difference have a significant negative impact? Hey, I assume I'm dropping some weight going from 22" to 20" wheels ; ). I was just surprised to see that differnce.

Any thoughts on the Defender Platinum for the GX?

 

[GreekMalaka]

Greetings all! I recently took delivery of a Premium + that is basically brand new except that the GM of a Lexus dealership had it for a few months and just drove it to and from the dealership. It came with a 2" lift, Fuel 18" wheels, and Landspider Wildtraxx M/T 33x12.50R18 LTs. I can tell from the little driving I've done that they are not enjoyable at all on road(obviously). They also rub pretty severely when turning the wheel more than 60-70%. I like the look of them but they're not practical for on road, which is what I would mostly be doing. I don't know the offset as I had trouble getting all the information since the dealership I purchased the vehicle from was not the original dealer and it came to them like that. I just ordered some Nitto Terra Grappler G3s 275/65/R18s to put on the existing wheels. They should retain the aggressive look but being that they are an 11" wide tire, 32" tall, and only 42lbs, they should do much better on road and hopefully not rub. This particular size also comes with a 70K mile warranty! Does anyone know from personal experience anything about the NITTO Terra Grappler G3s and how the ride, fuel economy, and sound on highway is? I will post and update and pictures once I put the new tires on but in the meantime here are some pictures of the current set up. God bless!

I’m planning on getting 20” Vossen HF6-4s with Nitto Terra G3s. Let me know how you like the tire. My research on forums and YouTube all seem very positive.

 

[GreekMalaka]

22" Vossen HF-7 on 285/45 Nitto Terra Grapplers
View attachment 5274
View attachment 5275

How are you liking the Nitto Terra G3s? Looking at doing 20” HFX-1 or HF6-4 with Nitto Terra G3s

 

[GxDonut]

SCS Gen5 17x8.5 et20
Cooper 255/75/17
Not a common choice, I'll put an explanation below the pretty photo.

Went down a deep rabbit hole of rim/wheel weight.
I was also trying to have flush/zero poke, but also didn't want 703s.
For tires... I have had bad experiences with LT tires.. which means I had to do 32ish.
With the more aggressive +20 offset, I had to do skinnys to stay tight.
Which, I think I'm happy with? I'm on the fence still. I think one more inch would have been great. It would also be great for SCS to make a +40/+35..

Anyway, saved 11lbs per corner and added .75" of tire diameter over the Stock P+ Wheels. While making it look like a truck. Still a win.

 

[incognito.gx]

SCS Gen5 17x8.5 et20
Cooper 255/75/17
Not a common choice, I'll put an explanation below the pretty photo.

View attachment 7737

Went down a deep rabbit hole of rim/wheel weight.
I was also trying to have flush/zero poke, but also didn't want 703s.
For tires... I have had bad experiences with LT tires.. which means I had to do 32ish.
With the more aggressive +20 offset, I had to do skinnys to stay tight.
Which, I think I'm happy with? I'm on the fence still. I think one more inch would have been great. It would also be great for SCS to make a +40/+35..

Anyway, saved 11lbs per corner and added .75" of tire diameter over the Stock P+ Wheels. While making it look like a truck. Still a win.

Waiting for more wheel companies to add a +35/40 option myself. Otherwise will have to go Volk TE37 large PCD 18x8.5 +44

 

[3rdCoastGX]

Installed the Westcott collars (w/ floor stands - not fun, but doable) last weekend and finally got the new shoes on yesterday.

Thanks to this forum, I ended up going with 285/75-17s (Method 703s w/ 35mm offset and Toyo ATIIIs). I believe this to be the largest size one can go without rubbing/trimming. I was afraid after getting them mounted I'd regret not going with 35s, but man these look absolutely great - perfect size and poke - no rub and no regrets. Discount initially ordered the wrong rims with zero offset, and we didn't discover it until after they were mounted up, as they rubbed badly. I'm glad I got to see the setup though (with a little more poke), and glad to share the info on this thread. Ultimately, Discount gave me $100 back for my trouble, reordered the correct rims, and had me taken care of in 2 days.

Below is a pic in all her glory, albeit dirty as hell. More pics to come - next up are NYTOP sliders and axle dump exhaust, and then F/R bumpers. Roof rack eventually...

 

[S SUBERI]

I went with the same only I have the Method 316 wheel 25 mm offset. It seems to be the no modify solution. What tire pressure are you running. I'm experimenting with 43 psi. Milage has improved slightly.

 

[3rdCoastGX]

I went with the same only I have the Method 316 wheel 25 mm offset. It seems to be the no modify solution. What tire pressure are you running. I'm experimenting with 43 psi. Milage has improved slightly.

Good to hear from you, sir. You're build definitely influenced my wheel/tire selection (thanks!). Curious - what MPG gain have you achieved at 43psi?

Discount set my tire pressure at 43, which rode very rough. I aired down to 35 this morning, and it rides much smoother. Personally, I'll give up 1-2 MPG for a less rigid ride. Toyo will tell you to set the psi per the door sticker (35psi) - I've always followed that rule of thumb and found it to work well. Maybe when I add the F/R bumpers, I'll experiment w/ +1 or 2 psi.

 

[S SUBERI]

No need to call me sir. Makes me feel older ha ha. At 43 psi I'm getting around 18 to 19 highway and 13 to 14 mph in town and averaging 15.8 without recalibration. I live on the coast and we have a lot of terrain (hills and such) so there is nothing normal here. It is a little rough so I think I'm going to take down to 38 psi. Thanks and good luck with your build. I'm impressed you did the work yourself. I'm considering going to the King Chaos lift because we have a lot of washboard roads in the desert and I'm concerned that the Westcott lift wont hold up. Any thoughts?

 

[DJ’s Sled]

3rdCoastGX and S SUBERI,
I ‘think’ I know the answer to this, but:

An 18x9 +18 rim and 275/70-18 (SL) combo.
From everything you’ve learned will this be too much poke, etc? On my stock (no collars, no lift) Overtrail…will the eKDSS during full compression upwards hit the fender? Same and with sharp turning?
TIA for your help, enthusiasm on this forum and all the others helping everyone out!

 

[3rdCoastGX]

No need to call me sir. Makes me feel older ha ha. At 43 psi I'm getting around 18 to 19 highway and 13 to 14 mph in town and averaging 15.8 without recalibration. I live on the coast and we have a lot of terrain (hills and such) so there is nothing normal here. It is a little rough so I think I'm going to take down to 38 psi. Thanks and good luck with your build. I'm impressed you did the work yourself. I'm considering going to the King Chaos lift because we have a lot of washboard roads in the desert and I'm concerned that the Westcott lift wont hold up. Any thoughts?

The Install wasn’t that bad, actually. That said, I’ve installed a similar kit in the past (sans wiring), so was already over the learning curve. Took about 3hrs but I did have an extra set of hands. Doing it by oneself would be tough.

The Westcott components seem to be well built and should hold up fine. My only ‘concern’ is the rear collars being metal-to-metal. Maybe not a big deal but in retrospect, I wish I would have cut/installed a thin piece of rubber (or felt?) in between the frame and the collar. I may do this at a later date - the rears are MUCH easier than the front. I’d be interested to get other opinions on this…

 

[3rdCoastGX]

3rdCoastGX and S SUBERI,
I ‘think’ I know the answer to this, but:

An 18x9 +18 rim and 275/70-18 (SL) combo.
From everything you’ve learned will this be too much poke, etc? On my stock (no collars, no lift) Overtrail…will the eKDSS during full compression upwards hit the fender? Same and with sharp turning?
TIA for your help, enthusiasm on this forum and all the others helping everyone out!

I’d think you’d be okay with that setup (if I did my math right, that's a 33.16” dia. x 10.83” wide tire which sounds only slightly larger than the stock Toyo size) but honestly, since your specs are totally different than ours, I’d suggest browsing through this entire thread for no-lift setups to see what people are saying. I believe there’s another thread that discusses this (largest tires on stock rims w/ no lift) that may also be helpful.

 

[S SUBERI]

The Install wasn’t that bad, actually. That said, I’ve installed a similar kit in the past (sans wiring), so was already over the learning curve. Took about 3hrs but I did have an extra set of hands. Doing it by oneself would be tough.

The Westcott components seem to be well built and should hold up fine. My only ‘concern’ is the rear collars being metal-to-metal. Maybe not a big deal but in retrospect, I wish I would have cut/installed a thin piece of rubber (or felt?) in between the frame and the collar. I may do this at a later date - the rears are MUCH easier than the front. I’d be interested to get other opinions on this…

I'm concerned about the stress on the shocks since were losing some droop. I've bottomed out a couple of times and that's my concern. Cosmetically it looks great and it's great if your not going to do a lot of off-roading. I started going on a few more challenging trails and washes more than I thought I would.

 

[BackRdRnr]

My Summer combo Racline Wheels and 285/65/r18 Michelin E rated. Been working on this MINI recently to use for short trips and town running around.

 

[XYR03]

This is my daily so I went with the safe Method wheels route with no lift. No rub, no shakes, low noise here are my specs... HAPPY MODDING I hope no one has to overnight parts and go back to the shop twice.

Wheels: Method 307 (17x8.5 +35 offset)
Tires: Toyo Open Country AT3s 285/70/17s
Hub Centric Rings: Wheel Connect Aluminum Alloy OD 106mm/ID 95.1mm (*ones that came with the wheels are too big)
Lugs: 14mmx1.50 Thread Small Diameter Duplex Spline Gorilla Automotive (*your OEM lugs will not fit the new wheels, OEMs will be too wide. Had to overnight these) They seem to be doing the job at the moment but I'm sure there's a more reputable brand out there.
TPMS: 315mhz 2024 Tacoma TPMS (dealer will program them for $180)
Spare: I have no idea what I'm doing with it yet. Open for advice. Might be ok with keeping the stock 20s since the diameter is 32.52in (265/55/20) vs. 32.71in (285/70/17).

 

[incognito.gx]

This is my daily so I went with the safe Method wheels route with no lift. No rub, no shakes, low noise here are my specs... HAPPY MODDING I hope no one has to overnight parts and go back to the shop twice.

Wheels: Method 307 (17x8.5 +35 offset)
Tires: Toyo Open Country AT3s 285/70/17s
Hub Centric Rings: Wheel Connect Aluminum Alloy OD 106mm/ID 95.1mm (*ones that came with the wheels are too big)
Lugs: 14mmx1.50 Thread Small Diameter Duplex Spline Gorilla Automotive (*your OEM lugs will not fit the new wheels, OEMs will be too wide. Had to overnight these) They seem to be doing the job at the moment but I'm sure there's a more reputable brand out there.
TPMS: 315mhz 2024 Tacoma TPMS (dealer will program them for $180)
Spare: I have no idea what I'm doing with it yet. Open for advice. Might be ok with keeping the stock 20s since the diameter is 32.52in (265/55/20) vs. 32.71in (285/70/17).

View attachment 8271
View attachment 8272
View attachment 8273

Ideal setup here. Still holding out hope Volk does a TE in this spec

 

[Snooperstyle]

I have a probably dumb question. I have the 17" Method 703's 35mm offset with BFG ATKO2 315/70/17. I don't know if the hub centric rings were installed or not. They were in the boxes when I send them the wheels, but they tossed the boxes. And it has been a while, so they aren't gonna remember. Is there a super easy way to tell if they were installed by the tire shop? Do we need them with this wheel?

 

[XYR03]

I have a probably dumb question. I have the 17" Method 703's 35mm offset with BFG ATKO2 315/70/17. I don't know if the hub centric rings were installed or not. They were in the boxes when I send them the wheels, but they tossed the boxes. And it has been a while, so they aren't gonna remember. Is there a super easy way to tell if they were installed by the tire shop? Do we need them with this wheel?

Nope not a dumb question. You do need them for the wheels to seat properly unless the wheel is made exactly for your hubs. I don't think you'll be able to see them from the side. I would try taking off the center caps and see if you can see them. That might work.

 

[3rdCoastGX]

Nope not a dumb question. You do need them for the wheels to seat properly unless the wheel is made exactly for your hubs. I don't think you'll be able to see them from the side. I would try taking off the center caps and see if you can see them. That might work.

I don't have any experience with hub-centric rings either. I'm also running Method 703s and am not sure if these were included/installed at Discount. I do see on Discount's website that they're not required. Here's what they say below:

Most aftermarket wheels are lug-centric, which means the center bore of the wheel is larger than the hub pilot of the vehicle. Hub-centric rings fill the gap between the wheel’s center bore and the vehicle hub for lug-centric vehicles. This aligns and centers the tire and wheel assembly on the vehicle, helping to minimize vibration.

Note: Hub-centric rings don’t carry any load and are not required for a secure installation.

I'm not noticing any vibration. Interested on thoughts (or user experience) on using these vs. not.