Looking for Tire Recommendations (22 GX460)

[Atraleo]

Hey all,

I recently posted that I have a new wheel and tire setup on my GX, but unfortunately, I'm just not happy with the current setup and looking to see what you all recommend. I currently have 17x8 w/ 0 offset wheels wrapped with 265/70R17 BF Goodrich KO3s. I've trimmed the rear liners that are molder into the factory step and that's alleviate a little bit of the problem, and I've taken off the mini mudflap/deflector in the front on each side. The tires are still rubbing front and back in certain scenarios, typically under full lock left or right and when either accelerating or reversing in any more-than-idle condition.

I think the sizing is correct but the aggressive nature/design of the tread pattern or the overall geometry of the tire is something that I don't think I can work around. I know that doing a BMC, getting sliders, and molding the front liners with heat will continue to help, but those are all things that I'm slowly doing and want to drive the vehicle now.

I am able to return these tires for another set, so I think that's what I'm leaning towards now. Here's what I'm looking for:

• Reliable, good construction. Don't necessarily need a tire that's going to withstand jagged rocks, but would like a little sidewall protection beyond the average tire you'll find from the factory.
• Good in weather (I'm mainly in Florida, so wet weather, and I take roadtrips all the time so might find myself in snowy conditions as well).
• Quiet (this vehicle is going to be driven primarily on pavement with short trips on sand to the beach parking lot) so I don't need a massive tread pattern.

Some of the tires that appear to be more inline with what I'm looking for are:

• Nitto Nomad Grappler
• BF Goodrich Trail Terrain
• Continental Terrain Contact

Thanks for any input that y'all can provide!

 

[ericm979]

Unless your alignment is really whack you should be able to make those work with just some heat molding of the plastic liner. It took me three rounds on the liner to get it to where the tires never rubbed.

I don't know about K03s but K02s tend to run small for their nominal size. The Falken Rubitreks I put on (also in 265/70r17 on zero offset 8.5" rims) are large for their nominal size. My GX is a '17, maybe that makes a difference.

 

[Rednexus]

It's really just as much a offset issue as a tire issue. The OEM wheels have a strongly positive offset (tire is tucked inward), whereas your zero-offset wheels push the tire out about an inch from where they were stock. This increases the diameter of the "circle" the tire turns in (when viewed from above) and causes it to hit stuff. Going to a smaller tire - like a more OEM-ish 265/65R17 - will help a bit, but the tire will still be an inch out from where it was stock.

So - as mentioned above - I'd try some more work with the heat gun. If you aren't going to wheel it, you really don't need the 70 series tire and can step down to a 65 series tire, which will help some. If that's still an issue, you'd be better off putting on a different set of wheels with a positive offset (which most OEM Toyota wheels are).

 

[185]

not the offroad choice, but seems like you are looking for tires that are pavement kings with some protection.

have you tried michelin defender ltxs?

 

[r2m]

Stay with the BFG's, great tires, just get the All-Terrains. The M/T's get noisy when about half worn.

 

[Banandalorian]

Hey all,

I recently posted that I have a new wheel and tire setup on my GX, but unfortunately, I'm just not happy with the current setup and looking to see what you all recommend. I currently have 17x8 w/ 0 offset wheels wrapped with 265/70R17 BF Goodrich KO3s. I've trimmed the rear liners that are molder into the factory step and that's alleviate a little bit of the problem, and I've taken off the mini mudflap/deflector in the front on each side. The tires are still rubbing front and back in certain scenarios, typically under full lock left or right and when either accelerating or reversing in any more-than-idle condition.

I think the sizing is correct but the aggressive nature/design of the tread pattern or the overall geometry of the tire is something that I don't think I can work around. I know that doing a BMC, getting sliders, and molding the front liners with heat will continue to help, but those are all things that I'm slowly doing and want to drive the vehicle now.

I am able to return these tires for another set, so I think that's what I'm leaning towards now. Here's what I'm looking for:

• Reliable, good construction. Don't necessarily need a tire that's going to withstand jagged rocks, but would like a little sidewall protection beyond the average tire you'll find from the factory.
• Good in weather (I'm mainly in Florida, so wet weather, and I take roadtrips all the time so might find myself in snowy conditions as well).
• Quiet (this vehicle is going to be driven primarily on pavement with short trips on sand to the beach parking lot) so I don't need a massive tread pattern.

Some of the tires that appear to be more inline with what I'm looking for are:

• Nitto Nomad Grappler
• BF Goodrich Trail Terrain
• Continental Terrain Contact

Thanks for any input that y'all can provide!

It shouldn't take much to make 265/70/17 fit. My 265/70/17 Pirelli's measured like 31.9 inch diameter when new and I just had to trim out the area of the back fender/side skirt to get rid of rub. You may just need to trim a little more back there, or take a heat gun and smush the fender liner. When I switched from 285/70/17 to 285/70/17, I didn't have to do any more trimming but I did have to heat gun the fender liner.

 

[Motorized]

Posting this again because it has been in holding pattern with moderator for a few hours:
Good info above. I am wondering if anyone has experience with the following or similar: `21 GX460, totally stock/not air suspension equipped, winter wheel/tire combo will be FJ Steelies (17x7.5) and Nokian Hakka 10 studded 265/65r17. The main differences I see from the OEM setup are offset and sidewall height.

 

[r2m]

Posting this again because it has been in holding pattern with moderator for a few hours:
Good info above. I am wondering if anyone has experience with the following or similar: `21 GX460, totally stock/not air suspension equipped, winter wheel/tire combo will be FJ Steelies (17x7.5) and Nokian Hakka 10 studded 265/65r17. The main differences I see from the OEM setup are offset and sidewall height.

If you still have the factory wheels and tires, can you put them back on till you get the BMC? You don't need sliders and probably not even a heat gun for forming the front liners. A BMC is almost like out patient surgery and should have your rig back in a day. Also, a mild lift will give you more wheel travel and probably a smoother ride along with the fact it'll cure any rubbing.
As I've told many noobie's in this forum, make a plan on where you want your rig to eventually to be, in short, an end game. This way you only purchase once, regardless of price, get what you want first time and don't compromise.

 

[jdam]

Posting this again because it has been in holding pattern with moderator for a few hours:
Good info above. I am wondering if anyone has experience with the following or similar: `21 GX460, totally stock/not air suspension equipped, winter wheel/tire combo will be FJ Steelies (17x7.5) and Nokian Hakka 10 studded 265/65r17. The main differences I see from the OEM setup are offset and sidewall height.

The steelies are +15 offset I believe. With that size tire and that offset, you should not have problems fitting that tire.

 

[Motorized]

If you still have the factory wheels and tires, can you put them back on till you get the BMC? You don't need sliders and probably not even a heat gun for forming the front liners. A BMC is almost like out patient surgery and should have your rig back in a day. Also, a mild lift will give you more wheel travel and probably a smoother ride along with the fact it'll cure any rubbing.
As I've told many noobie's in this forum, make a plan on where you want your rig to eventually to be, in short, an end game. This way you only purchase once, regardless of price, get what you want first time and don't compromise.

What is a BMC?

 

[185]

What is a BMC?

Body Mount Chop

 

[r2m]

What is a BMC?

It's pretty much a standard mod on 5th Gen 4Runners and GX460. When these new models came out they moved the body mounts further towards the ends of the frame, so when mounting larger tires, they have a tendency to rub, hence the need for a BMC.
As I like to say, it's equivalent to getting your tonsils removed. It's done ALL the time, painless, inexpensive and you can have ice cream afterwards!
Any off road shop that does Toyota products will know exactly what to do. If they don't, I wouldn't suggest using them.

 

[Hiluxforever]

I have run 33s for 2.5 years on oem offset with almost no rubbing after dealing with the usual offenders.

offset messes with your scrub radius so if you want maximum articulation offroad, stick with oem backspacing.

 

[Motorized]

The steelies are +15 offset I believe. With that size tire and that offset, you should not have problems fitting that tire.

Thanks, my Toyota parts shop didn't know offset/spec for FJ steelies and thought it was a 4.5" backspace. If I understand correctly from elsewhere on this site and your experience, FJ steelies will still fit around the OEM brakes, calipers, etc. no problem, but with +15mm offset the outside of the wheel/tire will be tucked in even more than the OEM 18" wheels? The online offset calculator tells me my wheels are going to be about a half inch closer (.2" on each side) but does not account for backspace....or scrub radius for that matter.
The only other wheel I've looked at is the AEV Salta, which is a 17"x8.5" wheel, so an inch wider, with +5mm offset and 4.93" backspacing. It is roughly twice as expensive as the FJ steelies and fancier than I need for winter-only wheels. I'd prefer not to use spacers, I swap my wheels for winter/summer in Oct and May on all my trucks. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Hiluxforever]

You can buy them from ebay. I got five for 80$ ea shipped 3 years ago and 4 for the 4Runner for about 90$ ea shipped about a year ago.

I've run 33x10.5 Goodyear MTRs and LT285/70R17 Revos, both fit with minimal rubbing after doing all the things one must do to run 33s. No BMC.

 

[jdam]

Thanks, my Toyota parts shop didn't know offset/spec for FJ steelies and thought it was a 4.5" backspace. If I understand correctly from elsewhere on this site and your experience, FJ steelies will still fit around the OEM brakes, calipers, etc. no problem, but with +15mm offset the outside of the wheel/tire will be tucked in even more than the OEM 18" wheels? The online offset calculator tells me my wheels are going to be about a half inch closer (.2" on each side) but does not account for backspace....or scrub radius for that matter.
The only other wheel I've looked at is the AEV Salta, which is a 17"x8.5" wheel, so an inch wider, with +5mm offset and 4.93" backspacing. It is roughly twice as expensive as the FJ steelies and fancier than I need for winter-only wheels. I'd prefer not to use spacers, I swap my wheels for winter/summer in Oct and May on all my trucks. Maybe I'm missing something.

They have higher offset but are narrower, so they'll sit about the same. OEM is 18x8.5 +25 and the FJ steelies are 17x7.5+15.

Hiluxforever has a full set, but I have one as my spare. You can kinda see how they sit against a 17x8.5-10 here, but these are also 285/70/17s.

 

[Hiluxforever]

They are 28 lbs. So heavier than alloys but not by as much as I was expecting. With the Revos it rides like a camry.

 

[r2m]

They have higher offset but are narrower, so they'll sit about the same. OEM is 18x8.5 +25 and the FJ steelies are 17x7.5+15.

Hiluxforever has a full set, but I have one as my spare. You can kinda see how they sit against a 17x8.5-10 here, but these are also 285/70/17s.

View attachment 3765919

And a narrower rim is better when airing down. Less likely to pop a bead off a rim. If I could have got my Icon rims in a 7.5' - 8" I would have, but they only come in 8.5". So far have not popped a bead, and that's with airing down to 12 psi on trails.

 

[Rednexus]

Zero-offset 17x8.5" wheels and 285/70R17s look perfect on GXs/Tacos/4Runners. This gives about 0.5" of tire poke past the fenders. However, as mentioned above, the 8.5" wheel is really optimized for a 285 and anything narrower looks a bit skinny on them. I personally love the 285/zero offset/8.5" look on my rig enough that the BMC and trimming was well-worth it. I rarely run below 15 psi and have never popped a bead.

 

[Motorized]

1000mi review: I've been using FJ Steelies w/Toyota center caps and studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 SUV 265/70r17 for ~1000mi now in winter conditions and they are working with no issues.

2007-2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser Wheel, Steel 42611-35330 | Toyota Parts Center

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1995-2014 Toyota Center Cap 42603-35610 | Toyota Parts Center

Save Big On This OEM Toyota Center Cap, Part #42603-35610 for 1995-2014 Toyota. Wholesale Prices, Fast Shipping. Order Online or Call 866-596-1970.

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MPG might be a tad lower than my OEM setup, tough to tell with winds and highly variable surface. I had them mounted/balanced at a local shop. Used Gorilla spline acorn lugnuts in black M12 x 1.5 which were simple and inexpensive. NOTE: The spare is still an OEM wheel so I keep 6x OEM flat lug nuts in the vehicle kit if I have to change a wheel. The steelies & slightly larger tires function well, I like having more sidewall and do not need the bling/cool appearance of OEM wheel so I might just switch all wheels incl. spare to these FJ wheels.
I had the tire shop use generic TPMS on these tires and now have the TPMS light on the dash. Does anyone know if I need the Techstream to reset that TPMS warning light or is there a recommended OBD plug in reader that can do that? I also have a spare key I need to reprogram so if posssible, having one piece of OBD hardware/software kit to do that would be ideal. I've checked the Techstream thread(s) on this site and it is byzantine and inconclusive. Recommendations?