18" Wheels Standard for 2005 - Question?

[flyfish4life]

I have been a long time drooler over the LC and am finally considering taking the plunge on an '05. I have always like the looks and tire options that the 16" wheels provided, but now see that 18" wheels are now standard. Can someone advise as to the perceived advantages of 18" over the past 16" or is it soley cosmetic? If soley cosmetic, does this compromise the LC's longstanding off-road capabilities and will I be limited with future tire options? Reading some of the posts in the tire thread below make me a bit nervous that traction afforded by many 275/60/18s may be a concern in inclement weather, etc. The last thing I want is limited traction in a $55K vehicle known for its off road abilities.

 

[mtycruiser]

The 18" wheels will definitely limit your choice of tires, however, there are some available and you can also retrofit your truck with some 17 or 16 alloys OEM Landcruiser that you can get cheap on E-bay or other outlet.

 

[e9999]

well, let's be a bit careful about this.
Before you plan on getting smaller rims, you better be sure they will fit. The 100 has had 17" standard rims for a while. Don't know for sure but would not be surprised that a 16" would not fit at all. Furthermore, you may also want to see if the 17" will fit. They could have switched to 18" std in 05 for the bling factor, but could also have had something to do with brakes and all?
And yes, an 18" is not helping with tire selection. We have 18" on ours and I'd go back to 17" in a heartbeat if I could justify the extra cost.
I just like to have more rubber between the metal and the rocks.
E

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

I don not believe Toyota has made any brake changes in the latest models so fitting of 98+ wheels (16 and 17-inch) should not be a problem. The deal with the rim/tire sizes (Other than cosmetics) are:

18-inch:
Larger wheel = Lower profile tire = better on-road handling
Larger wheel = Lower profile tire = less tire patch area when aired down off-road = less traction

To correct the above for on-road = do nothing
For off-road = Get a larger tire (like a Nitto) to improve aired down surface area, or swap for a smaller wheel with a higher profile tire (say 75 series).

You're fine off-road with the 18" if you up-size your tires.
For me, because I truly off-road this thing, I'd never settle for an 18-inch rim unless I could run 35's or bigger. Gotta have the near-flat patch off road. The 16-inch rims and 33-35 tires are the best combo IMO. (Though I'll trade my built 100 for a new '05 and start all over.....it'll be easy this time. )

 

[ace10]

when were 17"offered? in 2002 they still had 16" and in 2003 they went to the 18" size.

 

[e9999]

I'm pretty sure the 03 came with 17" std and 18" optional. Don't know about earlier for sure but was told that the 17" came earlier than that.
E

 

[flyfish4life]

I thought the 17" wheels became standard in 2003 (maybe 2002), but I have seen less than 1% of '03-'04 with them. For that matter, same goes for navigation - good luck finding an '03 or higher without it. So much for the notion of "optional".

 

[ryanjl]

Since these are 'high-end' vehicles, most dealers order them fully decked out with almost every option, especially the ones that soccermoms and dads notice. The dealers know that if someone is paying $55K for a vehicle (close to $70K for a LX470), an extra thousand here or there isn't as big of a deal to them as it is for someone else looking at a $25K vehicle. More options=more profit for the dealer, so you can't really blame them for trying.

 

[flyfish4life]

Thanks, ShottsUZJ100 and cool pix. When you say "You're fine off-road with the 18" if you up-size your tires", how much bigger could you go - 285s?

 

[ryanjl]

You can put what amount to 33" tires on a stock 100, lift it 2.5" and you can fit 35" tires.