Seems like it would be possible with a little cutting. Wondering if anyone has gone down this route yet.
Has anyone fit a 35" spare tire under the GX550?
- Thread starter nartmot
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I fit a 34 x 10.5 x 17 and it legitimately fits - there is a piece, kind of a tab, behind the tire towards the axle that kind of holds the spare, and then the spare also has to clear behind the hitch and clear the back muffler. I can take more detailed photos but the 34 is pretty snug up against the forward holding tab.
I've heard others report that a 35 is just too big. Also note that a 35 x 12.5 will hang down vertically quite a bit.
I've heard others report that a 35 is just too big. Also note that a 35 x 12.5 will hang down vertically quite a bit.
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- #3
That is really helpful. Thank you. I was thinking of taking a grinder to the holder that is near the rear axle. You think that would work? I would probably use a pizza cutter on the stock spare wheel to help avoid the thickness issue.
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I'll take some more shots of my 34 in there. Just got home, going to let the truck & garage cool down a bit.
Following this is awesome!
Here are those photos.
Notice that my 34" tire is not as tucked up into that tab as munkeeboi's 33" tire. I'm close, but not touching, the sway bar and I am touching the rear recovery point.
I suppose you could cut that tab off the frame and remove the rear recovery point but you have to watch the sway bar and also the clearance at the hitch receiver. I think that even a 35 would be clear of the exhaust...maybe slap some heat shield foil on the tire on the exhaust side.
Notice that my 34" tire is not as tucked up into that tab as munkeeboi's 33" tire. I'm close, but not touching, the sway bar and I am touching the rear recovery point.
I suppose you could cut that tab off the frame and remove the rear recovery point but you have to watch the sway bar and also the clearance at the hitch receiver. I think that even a 35 would be clear of the exhaust...maybe slap some heat shield foil on the tire on the exhaust side.
Here are photos of my 34" clearance at the exhaust (back box) and the rear edge where the hitch receiver is located (man, I have to clean the inside of this spare wheel, that's embarrassing):
Looks good! I use to store my 4Runner at 15 PSI and it helped with some extra clearance room. Just some food for thought.
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- #10
Wow, thanks @Bluegill and @munkeeboi for the pictures. They help a lot with understanding the fitment issues. I think I would be fine with ditching that rear tow hook, and maybe cutting a 1/2" fillet out of that bracket near the sway bar, but it looks like the 34" is right up against the tow hitch. That could be a deal breaker for 35s.
Update: Thinking about it a bit more, maybe ditching the tow hook, deflating the tire as @thoff25 suggested, and shifting the tire to the right as far as it will go will buy us that extra 1" of clearance. I think the only thing left to do is wait for someone to try it. I will volunteer if a kind soul in SoCal wants to led me their 35 for an afternoon =).
Update: Thinking about it a bit more, maybe ditching the tow hook, deflating the tire as @thoff25 suggested, and shifting the tire to the right as far as it will go will buy us that extra 1" of clearance. I think the only thing left to do is wait for someone to try it. I will volunteer if a kind soul in SoCal wants to led me their 35 for an afternoon =).
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I may just have to try this now that I realize it is probably doable. I would really rather have a 35 under there.
I really hope you guys can figure it out, but there's not much room to move it to the right (passenger side) as you will lose the ability to use the relief cut at the rear bumper that is needed to barely fit the 34" tire as it is. You can probably deflate, but you will likely need to wedge the tire in to fit as it's still 1" more in diameter you need to find room for.
With that tab cut off, a 35" tire will still be a 35" tire without air in it. What will keep help compress the tire to a size smaller than 35" if there is no tab there? Let's say there is room for 35" without the tab, now you're going to need to rely on the chain tension alone to keep that tire from sliding forward into the sway bar and other suspension components. I hate to be so pessimistic about this, but i just don't see the room. I will gladly eat crow though for those more inventive an creative than me.
With that tab cut off, a 35" tire will still be a 35" tire without air in it. What will keep help compress the tire to a size smaller than 35" if there is no tab there? Let's say there is room for 35" without the tab, now you're going to need to rely on the chain tension alone to keep that tire from sliding forward into the sway bar and other suspension components. I hate to be so pessimistic about this, but i just don't see the room. I will gladly eat crow though for those more inventive an creative than me.
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found this, this shows the 35" "fits" under the LC, but hangs really low. Not sure how similar the undersides is for the gx
- Thread starter
- #14
Thanks @munkeeboi . One way around that issue is to use a thinner tire with a 35" diameter as a spare AKA a pizza cutter. This is something I did on my last truck. With such a setup you could drive as long as you need to on a spare without worrying about damaging your differential. I am wondering if removing the tow hook and trimming a bit of plastic is all you really need to do to make a 35" fit down there.
I might try a 35x9.5x17 under there. Maybe cut that "tab" off and put a couple locator bolts a bit further back? Drill a couple holes and insert a couple bolts and nuts to act as locator posts to keep the tire from pushing back to the sway bar? Another 1" diameter is only going to push outwards another 1/2" inch all around. I'll bet a dollar that it will clear.
Is anyone positive running a smaller diameter tire will truly damage the differential? The rear has an electronic locker, so as long as it's not engaged, the diff should be open. And the front is an open diff. Not saying it won't damage anything, just looking for someone more knowledgeable to chime in. Thanks!
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- #18
Good question. I personally don't know for sure and I feel like the only way we can get a definitive answer is to hear it directly from Lexus. I went ahead and opened a request for this information and I will update this thread if/when I hear back from Lexus. Regardless of whether or not it will result in permanent damage, there are other drawbacks to having a smaller spare such as the impact that would have on driving characteristics--although I am sure how much of an impact is up for debate.
The Overtrails have a Torsen limited-slip rear differential that is also equipped with an electronic locker. The limited-slip part is what makes me nervous. When I had the lift & wheels/tires installed at Westcott Designs, they completely wrote-off my tire size concerns regarding the 33" spare vs. the 35" new tires on the ground. They said it wouldn't be an issue if you took it easy on the spare and had the 35" tire replaced quickly (i.e. minimal driving on the spare). The truth is that, even with 5 same-sized wheels & tires like I've run on trucks for 25 years, I would always immediately take my truck to the tire shop if I had to use the spare. You go out off-roading on Saturday and you puncture a tire, you take it easy because you now have no spare and you get to the tire shop on Monday morning. Fortunately it's only happened to me a couple times over the years. If I were to have to use my 34" spare, I would take the time to juggle tires and mount the 34" spare on the front axle even if it was a rear tire that went flat. That would be a pain but worth it to avoid upsetting the Torsen limited-slip rear, in my opinion. I'd love to hear that it wouldn't matter one bit, 34" vs. 35" and/or front vs rear.
I like the deflate idea a lot. Does anyone know if you deflate the spare if your TPMS will throw a dash alert? It does on my archaic FJ, could kind of annoying if it's a persistent warning that you can't clear away.
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