New 2017 GX460

[brogan15]

I have just purchased a 2017 GX460 on Saturday. Im new to the 4WD world but am excited to start dipping my feet in. I purchased it for traveling around the country as a travel nurse. We will be using it to do some light off roading at first but nothing crazy. More importantly, we will be spending the winter in New Hampshire this year and leave the day after Thanksgiving. We will then be driving all the way to Washington state. I would like to get a new set of tires to that are a good all-terrain with winter rating but also aren't atrocious on the highway. Ideally, I would like to keep the factory 18s for now until we start doing some serious off-roading in about year when I will buy some new wheels. if necessary, I would be willing to buy new wheels now with the tires. So basically:

1. What would be the largest size tire I can fit without any lift or other alterations (besides minor sculpting)?

2. Any recommendations for a good all-terrain that can handle a New England winter and a cross country road trip?
I know winter/snow tires would be best for the heavy snow, but with us traveling so much it would be far easier to just travel with one set of tires.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[GrizzlyClint]

What would be the largest size tire I can fit without any lift or other alterations (besides minor sculpting)?

I run Nitto Ridge Grapplers in 265/70/17 without issues beyond the “minor sculpting”.

 

[Banandalorian]

265/70/17 or 265/65/18 seems to be about the largest you can go without falling down a rabbit hole. You'll probably have to do a little trimming/shaping of the front fender liner.
As a note, if you have the OEM hitch receiver this size probably won't fit in the factory spare location. If you don't have a hitch it will fit fine.

I have Pirelli Scorpion AT+ in 265/70/17 and I saw recently that MotorTrend rated those the best winter A/T when compared against General Grabbers, Cooper ATs, and Bridgestone K02s. I have no personal experience in winter weather since I installed them in April but for ~6,000 mostly on road miles with a few trails/off road trips they've been great.

 

[Rednexus]

It's hard to beat a 265/70R17 as others have mentioned. I'm running Falken Wildpeak AT3's (P-rated) in this size and they have been great in all conditions (highway, gravel/dirt and off-roading in gravel, dirt, and snow-covered roads). I bought them last year for $165 a tire so they are a good value too. After putting 15K on them, including a trip to Colorado and Utah, they still look new.

FYI I live an hour south of you in Farmington. There are not many GX's down here but there are a lot of good places to off-road!

 

[jdam]

It's hard to beat a 265/70R17 as others have mentioned. I'm running Falken Wildpeak AT3's (P-rated) in this size and they have been great in all conditions (highway, gravel/dirt and off-roading in gravel, dirt, and snow-covered roads). I bought them last year for $165 a tire so they are a good value too. After putting 15K on them, including a trip to Colorado and Utah, they still look new.

FYI I live an hour south of you in Farmington. There are not many GX's down here but there are a lot of good places to off-road!

I run a similar tire - the Falken Rubitrek. Pretty much the same as a Wildpeak but slightly cheaper in that size? I may have gotten lucky with the placement of my hitch, as I can still shove the 265/70R17 underneath the truck fully inflated in the stock spare tire hole with some effort.

 

[JCliftonB]

Welcome Brogan!

Looks like you've already gotten some great info here regarding tire sizing. Look forward to hearing more about your build!

 

[brogan15]

Thank you all for the help! I ordered some 265/65/18 Wildpeak A/T3 and will see how they go!

How do you all handle the spare? Do you do the same tire or go for something a bit cheaper in the same size?

 

[Rednexus]

For my spare I picked up a used 265/70R17 from a used tire shop for $40. It was the cheapest/easiest option. If you can't find a good used one I'd order the same size as the other four and have it installed.

 

[Banandalorian]

Thank you all for the help! I ordered some 265/65/18 Wildpeak A/T3 and will see how they go!

How do you all handle the spare? Do you do the same tire or go for something a bit cheaper in the same size?

I ordered 5 of the same wheel/tire since I was downsizing to 17s and will eventually get rear swingout tire carrier of some sort.

The spare has to be the same size as the other 4. If you want to save a bit of money you could see if there are any used all terrains out there but I personally wouldn't run 4 3peak All Terrains and then a random 'highway SUV' spare just to save a few bucks.