LX570 Tires

[Bob Frame]

I'm shopping for a 2016-17 LX/LC. It appears to me that some LX's come with 21" tires. When I checked for tire replacement cost I find pretty limited availability and very high costs. Am I missing something?

Why do some have 20's, others have 21's?

 

[MJ24]

Those are the two options available when the 570 was originally ordered. The 21 options are extremely limited as you have discovered. Some folks get LC 18s and put that on the LX.

 

[M1911]

Get a set of 5 LC, Tundra, or Sequoia 18” wheels and ditch the 20 or 21” wheels. You will have a larger selection of cheaper tires to choose from and you will get a better ride in the bargain. Also no worries about bending a wheel on a pothole.

 

[Chocolate]

20" is the base wheel, 21" is the optional wheel on higher spec versions.

My 20" wheels have been collecting dust since the month after I bought my LX. Just going to sell them with the truck.

Like M1911 said, 18" (or 17") wheels are the way to go.

 

[Bob Frame]

I'm struggling with the idea of switching out tires/wheels on a truck I just paid $70K+ for. Wouldn't changing wheel size have impact on speedo?

Beyond this, is there ANY benefit to having 21" wheels?

 

[TeCKis300]

Classically, larger wheels will give you sharper dynamic handling qualities. Generally at the cost of ride.

21"s likely go a bit beyond, without much benefit over 20's, other than style. 18's, and moreso 17's, will bias the vehicle towards off-road with more vague/floaty dynamic handling qualities over 20/21s. It's a great opportunity to tailor your ride to the aesthetic and performance qualities you desire.

Speedo is correlated with the overall diameter of the tire. So long as the wheel/tire package puts the overall diameter of the tire within a few percentage points of the original overall diameter, there will be no appreciable change to the speedo. To make this more concrete, your 275/50/21 have an overall diameter of ~31.8". Most of the 17/18/20 tire setups are closer to ~31.2". This would result in a faster speedo of ~1.8%. Many of us go to 33" or larger tire diameters. Resulting in roughly a ~5% slower speedo readout.

 

[Bob Frame]

Thanks for a good explanation. What has my head spinning is the prospect of $2,000 tire changes...probably 5-6 over the likely span of my ownership. Easily an extra $5,000 expense (+$1,000 per set of tires) without any significant benefit to my style of driving...100% on road.

 

[TeCKis300]

Well, it is a $70k++ rig. At least large truck tires generally last longer than say sports sedan tires.

As was mentioned prior, you can get replacement wheels all day long on craigslist/ebay for a song.. Or even brand new take-off from dealerships. Many times with perfectly good tires.

Given your use, I'd opt for the 20" at purchase. Wear the tires out and replace with whatever tire you like. An interesting option given your use is 285/55r20s in your favorite all season tire, that will give you a better ride and more traction without any modifications.

 

[SWUtah]

Well, it is a $70k++ rig. At least large truck tires generally last longer than say sports sedan tires.

As was mentioned prior, you can get replacement wheels all day long on craigslist/ebay for a song.. Or even brand new take-off from dealerships. Many times with perfectly good tires.

Given your use, I'd opt for the 20" at purchase. Wear the tires out and replace with whatever tire you like. An interesting option given your use is 285/55r20s in your favorite all season tire, that will give you a better ride and more traction without any modifications.

I put 285/55/20 BFG AT/KO2’s snow rated on mine 100% on road use should get 80k miles out of them base on current wear. I drive in sport setting with the ECT on. Love the look and ride

 

[Jprat]

View attachment 1867782
I put 285/55/20 BFG AT/KO2’s snow rated on mine 100% on road use should get 80k miles out of them base on current wear. I drive in sport setting with the ECT on. Love the look and ride

 

[Tex68w]

I will be fitting a set of 275/60R20 BFG KO2's to our 2019 LX and it's factory wheels next week. This size works out to be a 33x11x20. I think it gives the truck a more aggressive look without forcing the purchase of new wheels or detracting from it's factory look, it's subtle but still allows for light off-road duty when necessary and that's what the misses wanted. Pic of 275/60R20's on a 2017 LX 570 in High AHC mode, not too shabby if you ask me.

 

[Rando Kuruza]

I had the 21” rims and opted for the factory 20” rims with 275/60r20 ko2’s. I do pretty light off roading with my 570. Family camping trips, etc etc... when I go a little harder I just load up my lx470 which has 275/70r18. I have scratched, dented bumpers, dinged it and bashed up the bottom of the suv... things I’m not willing to do on my LX. Here is how they look on a white one vs factory 21”

 

[SteveL]

My 09 LC has 21 LX570 wheels and tires as shown in post 12 above. The PO swapped the original 18" wheels and tires for these. Ride is great! Speedo is spot on, Odo reads 3% slow so have to correct mileage driven by 3% to get accurate MPG. I am looking on returning back to 18" wheels.

 

[jwright1376]

I had the 21” rims and opted for the factory 20” rims with 275/60r20 ko2’s. I do pretty light off roading with my 570. Family camping trips, etc etc... when I go a little harder I just load up my lx470 which has 275/70r18. I have scratched, dented bumpers, dinged it and bashed up the bottom of the suv... things I’m not willing to do on my LX. Here is how they look on a white one vs factory 21”

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How did you get your 20s? Did you buy from dealer or somewhere else?

 

[tbisaacs]

How did you get your 20s? Did you buy from dealer or somewhere else?

There are several sets for sale in classifieds section.

 

[highfructose]

Get a set of 5 LC, Tundra, or Sequoia 18” wheels and ditch the 20 or 21” wheels. You will have a larger selection of cheaper tires to choose from and you will get a better ride in the bargain. Also no worries about bending a wheel on a pothole.

There’s a surprisingly wide selection of 275 60 r20 tires (33”), likely, I think, because it’s a popular pickup truck tire.

I had light truck (lt) k02’s in this size but found that the required 40 psi provided a subpar ride. I switched to a passenger tire of the same size and now have felt pretty good at the 32-33 psi oem pressure.

 

[coleAK]

I'm struggling with the idea of switching out tires/wheels on a truck I just paid $70K+ for. Wouldn't changing wheel size have impact on speedo?

Beyond this, is there ANY benefit to having 21" wheels?

In terms of ride, handling, and performance there are only disadvantages with 20 or 21” rims. A 17” or 18” will perform better across the board.

 

[highfructose]

In terms of ride, handling, and performance there are only disadvantages with 20 or 21” rims. A 17” or 18” will perform better across the board.

Some would say that the additional rigidity of a 20 benefits you while towing or emergency maneuvers due to reduced deflection I think.

17 is better for ride comfort.

18 is in between.

 

[coleAK]

Some would say that the additional rigidity of a 20 benefits you while towing or emergency maneuvers due to reduced deflection I think.

17 is better for ride comfort.

18 is in between.

Going from 20’s to 17’s I don’t notice and detrimental impact in towing handling/dynamics.