285 vs 275 vs 295 etc (1 Viewer)

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I recently installed a Dobinsons ims kit (keeping factory UCA’s) on my 08 Lc200 and still have the factory wheels with BF Goodrich KO2 285/60r18 tires (more so because they have sub 5k miles).

I’m stuck between 17” wheels with 0 offset: method 702, ssw apex, rock warriors or keeping the stock 18’s.

That being said, after perusing the 200 owners club Facebook group as well as threads on here, I’m torn between what tire size to get. Do I go tall and skinny with 275/70r18 or 285/70r18 or 295/70r18 (or the 17” comparative size)? Ideally I want to get a bigger tire.

The most important thing for me is not having to trim/cut and not rubbing, whether on the UCA’s, on parts or on the body.

A1D4EFE0-36E8-4586-BED1-4799ED19DCDB.jpeg
 
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If you are dead set on not cutting or rubbing anywhere then Rock warriors and 285/70r17 is your best bet and biggest you can go. You may be able to squeeze in 285/65r18 or 275/70r18 on stock wheels but i have experienced rubbing on both the kdss and plastic with these sizes. This is where a good alignment comes in to move things around a bit to gain clearance. Switching to a wheel offset of 25-35mm and adding after market UCAs and bumper will give you the flexibility of going up to a 295 or 34" tire with much easier results.
 
If you are dead set on not cutting or rubbing anywhere then Rock warriors and 285/70r17 is your best bet and biggest you can go. You may be able to squeeze in 285/65r18 or 275/70r18 on stock wheels but i have experienced rubbing on both the kdss and plastic with these sizes. This is where a good alignment comes in to move things around a bit to gain clearance. Switching to a wheel offset of 25-35mm and adding after market UCAs and bumper will give you the flexibility of going up to a 295 or 34" tire with much easier results.
Ive seen posts on the owners group on facebook of individuals running 275/70r18 with no rub at factory height and some with the same lift as me running the 295/70r18. Keep in mind, I am not wheeling my vehicle like some, so I do not expect to "fully flex" it.
 
I have been running 275/70/18's on the factory wheels with no lift other than the OEM 10mm front coil spacer for nearly two years now. I did add 1.25" wheel spacers but that was more for stance looks than necessity. You will have to loose the mud flaps and possibly do some trimming but nothing major is needed and these fit with ease with a proper lift.

I would recommend an adjustable UCA if going with a proper lift simply to get better adjustment for wheel/tire clearance. I have UCA's and a 2" lift sitting here waiting to go on and I find myself torn on wheels and tires as well. I need to decide between 18's or 17's first and then the tire size will be pretty simple from there, either a 285/75/17 or a 285/70/18 aka 34's.
 
Pretty sure rock warriors are +50 offset. Stock Lc are +56 or +60 depending on year.

Seems like missing information about how you will use the vehicle.

I wouldn't go to 17" rims on a vehicle I didn't plan to use offroad and air down. The tradeoff in sidewall height/flex is real, and in my narrow experience has an adverse impact in on road handling/performance.

Of all the ones I've tried (same brand, model and load range tire), 18" rims with 33s are a sweet spot (I am running 17" with 34s for better offroad capability, and it is a tradeoff).
 
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With a 15 offset and a 10.50”-10.827 (275mm) tire, I think the tire stays inside the fenders should you have a steep drop or double squish of the suspension for some reason. If you roll the fenders I think 285 fits.

With a 25 offset and an 285mm/11.22” tire, they likely double stuff should the need arise. Probably 295 with a fender roll.

With a 35 offset, you can, I think run 295 (potentially 305) and double stuff them.

you can get that magical 315mm/12.50” wide if you roll the fenders.

Going to 40-50 offset you have to start making the tires skinny again.

That’s my rule of thumb I used when purchasing tires.

Keep in mind that as diameter goes up, so does circumference, which means, I think, longitudinal tire patch increases.

So if you increase circumference by 10% but reduce width by 5%, you’ve still increased tread patch by 5% (maybe?).

So going tall skinny may not be as much of a compromise as one might naturally be inclined to think.

I think (not an engineer) my 35x10.50r17 “skinny” kendas (15 offset) technically have more tread patch than an oem 285 50 r20

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Pretty sure rock warriors are +50 offset. Stock Lc are +56 or +60 depending on year.

Seems like missing information about how you will use the vehicle.

I wouldn't go to 17" rims on a vehicle I didn't plan to use offroad and air down. The tradeoff in sidewall height/flex is real, and in my narrow experience has an adverse impact in on road handling/performance.

Of all the ones I've tried (same brand, model and load range tire), 18" rims with 33s are a sweet spot (I am running 17" with 34s for better offroad capability, and it is a tradeoff).

I would 2nd this recommendation on 17" wheels. I run 285/70-17's E load range and if you're on top of your tire pressures in changing temps its not as bad but even 1-2 PSI low on the 17's leads to alot of flex while on road. If you need the compliance for offroad I can't recommend the 17's enough, they have been great when aired down.
 
@CharlieS and @cr8r good input here. I noticed a similar experience between the 17” and 18” wheel. If one’s goal isn’t to hit the trails hard staying with a 18” wheel would be ideal for city/highway driving. I haven’t moved to a 17” wheel but after driving by buddies 200 with 17’s there was a noticeable difference in the handling, much softer feel and that sidewall flex is definielty present in on curvy roads.
 
If you don't want to trim anything, DO NOT get Zero offset wheels. The Zero offset will put the wheels over 2" (60mm) outside of where they are now, and even with stock sized tires you will rub somewhere without trimming. Rock Warriors and 285/70R17 are your best bet, or 285/65R18 tires on the stock rims. 285/70R17 on Rock Warriors was a Toyota offered option for the 200 series, although I think very few got them installed at the Dealership.
 
Pretty sure rock warriors are +50 offset. Stock Lc are +56 or +60 depending on year.

Seems like missing information about how you will use the vehicle.

I wouldn't go to 17" rims on a vehicle I didn't plan to use offroad and air down. The tradeoff in sidewall height/flex is real, and in my narrow experience has an adverse impact in on road handling/performance.

Of all the ones I've tried (same brand, model and load range tire), 18" rims with 33s are a sweet spot (I am running 17" with 34s for better offroad capability, and it is a tradeoff).

3rd this.



OP, what are your goals and priorities? Tell us how you intend to use your vehicle as what you're proposing has potentially some significant trades.

Wheel diameter as mentioned, but offset a pretty significant factor. It's not just spacing away from the suspension for stance, but is critical to handling and dynamics because it affects suspension geometry. Going farther away from stock will compromise cornering traction because of factors such scrub radius and Ackerman as the tire don't point to the same imaginary point in a turn and will somewhat fight each other. Steering and braking will be more lively and potentially darty as the tire forces get translated into the steering wheel. Wheel bearing, steering rack, additional wear and tear because of extreme offsets. There's more to this.

0 offset, no matter the tire size, will likely get into the fenders, unless you're prepared to limit up travel. If you're goal is to rock crawl, okay, than you know what you're looking for.
 
I recently installed a Dobinsons ims kit (keeping factory UCA’s) on my 08 Lc200 and still have the factory wheels with BF Goodrich KO2 285/60r18 tires (more so because they have sub 5k miles).

I’m stuck between 17” wheels with 0 offset: method 702, ssw apex, rock warriors or keeping the stock 18’s.

That being said, after perusing the 200 owners club Facebook group as well as threads on here, I’m torn between what tire size to get. Do I go tall and skinny with 275/70r18 or 285/70r18 or 295/70r18 (or the 17” comparative size)? Ideally I want to get a bigger tire.

The most important thing for me is not having to trim/cut and not rubbing, whether on the UCA’s, on parts or on the body.

View attachment 3196641

Toyota recommend the LT285/70R17 on Rock Warrior wheels. This absolutely guarantees no rubbing under any use circumstances with no cutting, etc.

Anyone considering this combination should review a copy of this document from Toyota:

17" TRD Alloy Wheel "Poop Sheet"

Lots of good info in there.

FYI, I have been running this setup since new (yes, dealer purchased wheels and tires) with no issues.

HTH
 
I appreciate everyone's responses as well as recommendations. If I remember correctly, the factory wheels from an 08 LC have an offset of 60mm and are 8" wide.

That being said, and with the information provided, 90% of my driving will be on pavement, dirt and gravel, with the additional 5% on fire roads and creek crossings and the remaining 5% sand and minor trails (very very rarely flexing suspension).

From what it sounds like, going with a 17" wheel will adversely affect my ride quality- is this correct?

The sole purpose of going with a 17" wheel vs the factory 18" was to gain sidewall but also a beefier tire aesthetically.

I understand the positives about going with an aftermarket UCA, but I have been told by numerous sources that I do not need them.

With what I have said so far, not wanting to cut/trim, or roll fenders, is it safe to say the following:

-keep stock 18" wheels
-go with 275/70r18 , 285/70r18 or if I want to perform minor trimming, 295/70r18?
 
With what I have said so far, not wanting to cut/trim, or roll fenders, is it safe to say the following:

-keep stock 18" wheels
-go with 275/70r18 , 285/70r18 or if I want to perform minor trimming, 295/70r18?

The safest to say would be:

- Go with what Toyota recommend: LT285/70R17 with Rock Warrior wheels (17 x 8 x 50mm TRD Alloy wheels)

HTH
 
I had 275/70/18 on mine with just wheel spacers and had no rub after some very light reshaping of the fender liner with a heat gun.

Now running 285/75/17 with +25 offset wheels and have very slight rub on the mud flap when turning left. Should probably take the front mud flaps off but it’s not bad enough for me to really worry about.
 
I appreciate everyone's responses as well as recommendations. If I remember correctly, the factory wheels from an 08 LC have an offset of 60mm and are 8" wide.

That being said, and with the information provided, 90% of my driving will be on pavement, dirt and gravel, with the additional 5% on fire roads and creek crossings and the remaining 5% sand and minor trails (very very rarely flexing suspension).

From what it sounds like, going with a 17" wheel will adversely affect my ride quality- is this correct?

The sole purpose of going with a 17" wheel vs the factory 18" was to gain sidewall but also a beefier tire aesthetically.

I understand the positives about going with an aftermarket UCA, but I have been told by numerous sources that I do not need them.

With what I have said so far, not wanting to cut/trim, or roll fenders, is it safe to say the following:

-keep stock 18" wheels
-go with 275/70r18 , 285/70r18 or if I want to perform minor trimming, 295/70r18?
275/70R18 will work for sure but you may have very slight rubbing on the UCA that you will only notice from a small shiny spot on the UCA. I ran this for a while and it was fine. Wheel Spacers might keep from rubbing the UCA but will almost ensure some slight trimming elsewhere.
285/70/R18 will need some trimming, and likely other stuff. This is essentially a 34" Tire.
285/65R18 should work fine, and are essentially the same size as the recommended 285/70R17 size for Rock Warriors.
295/70R18 is a big tire, as big as some brands 35s. In addition to trimming, you will very likely have to do something about KDSS rub, which takes you down a whole rabbit hole of things that are certainly more difficult than trimming. Certainly doable, but if you're concerned about trimming, I don't think you'll want this path.
 
I’m running 295/70r18 on my Heritage wheels with 1.25” spacer, 2” lift, SPC UCA and trimmed the front liner and removed the front mud flaps, then an alignment. No rubbing

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Pretty sure rock warriors are +50 offset. Stock Lc are +56 or +60 depending on year.

Seems like missing information about how you will use the vehicle.

I wouldn't go to 17" rims on a vehicle I didn't plan to use offroad and air down. The tradeoff in sidewall height/flex is real, and in my narrow experience has an adverse impact in on road handling/performance.

Of all the ones I've tried (same brand, model and load range tire), 18" rims with 33s are a sweet spot (I am running 17" with 34s for better offroad capability, and it is a tradeoff).

Bingo. Yet here i am on 17s lol

After way too much research here are my limits.
32-33” 17s, 34-maybe 35“ 18s, 35”+ 20s.
 
It's pretty easy to rearrange the front plastics to make more room for tires. If you're after a big tire look, I wouldn't let the "no rubbing" concern hold you back. Of course with a LC, you still have to worry about the KDSS, but bumper/fender liner plastic is an easy project and I got 35's to fit with just an hour or so of fiddling in the garage.

I prefer 17's just because I like seeing more rubber and I air down to about 16psi on the trail. But 18's are all-around practical, and you've already got them!
 
It's pretty easy to rearrange the front plastics to make more room for tires. If you're after a big tire look, I wouldn't let the "no rubbing" concern hold you back

+1 I think most people associate rubbing with ripping a fender off.
 
I appreciate everyone's responses as well as recommendations. If I remember correctly, the factory wheels from an 08 LC have an offset of 60mm and are 8" wide.

That being said, and with the information provided, 90% of my driving will be on pavement, dirt and gravel, with the additional 5% on fire roads and creek crossings and the remaining 5% sand and minor trails (very very rarely flexing suspension).

From what it sounds like, going with a 17" wheel will adversely affect my ride quality- is this correct?

The sole purpose of going with a 17" wheel vs the factory 18" was to gain sidewall but also a beefier tire aesthetically.

I understand the positives about going with an aftermarket UCA, but I have been told by numerous sources that I do not need them.

With what I have said so far, not wanting to cut/trim, or roll fenders, is it safe to say the following:

-keep stock 18" wheels
-go with 275/70r18 , 285/70r18 or if I want to perform minor trimming, 295/70r18?


Pretty much all correct .. except 17" will not adversely effect on road quality very much, just a minor amount.

18" are great on the road and OK off road. I run the 18" factory wheels and they are fine and I go a fair amount off road.

Skinny tires are better for mileage. AT's are best in sand.
 

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