Noob here
- Thread starter TXDadBod
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Welcome! Same setup here, the K02s rounded out the vehicle a lot.
if you are doing tires most people step up 1 size to 285/65R18. Fits fine with no lift.
Alternate (even better option) is find some 17" wheels (like Rock warriors), switch to 285/70R17.
The tires themselves will run you about $1200, compared to the 18" tires would be $1400+.
That price difference, plus you can sell your stock 18"s and it'd basically pay for a good amount your new Rock Warrior wheels.
So you get the advantage of 17"s plus every time you need tires in the future you save about $40 per tire
Alternate (even better option) is find some 17" wheels (like Rock warriors), switch to 285/70R17.
The tires themselves will run you about $1200, compared to the 18" tires would be $1400+.
That price difference, plus you can sell your stock 18"s and it'd basically pay for a good amount your new Rock Warrior wheels.
So you get the advantage of 17"s plus every time you need tires in the future you save about $40 per tire
Not sure where you shop but a K02 on discounttiredirect.com has 275/70/18 ($253) for $7 cheaper than a 285/70/17 ($260). Costs between 17” and 18” are a wash.
I think he was referring to 285/65/18 which are around $280 give or take a few $. So about $110 with tax difference on a set of 5.
I was on Tirerack, but even on discounttiredirect.com i'm still showing a difference, $288 vs $259 for the 2 sizes i listed (both 285 width).
The less expensive tire you listed is only 275 wide. It's 33.2" diameter which i wasn't sure if that fits stock w/o lift.
The less expensive tire you listed is only 275 wide. It's 33.2" diameter which i wasn't sure if that fits stock w/o lift.
My main point being even if it's only $100 and change difference, it still adds up over time, every time you buy tires. Cost benefit aside, the other benefits of 17"s vs 18"s we all already know. If he sold his 2019 wheels with current tires it'd recoup most of the cost of switching to rock warriors or similar. Just MHO, it's a good time to do it when you are already switching all 5 tires to a new size.
To counter the money argument, you have to spend time finding a decent set of rock warriors and picking them up, getting new tpms sensors, storing your old tires until they sell, then having to deal with selling your old wheels and tires. I could see spending 4 hours of time lost in all of that. The older I get, I look at all my purchases and determine how much of my time will ownership of the new item really take away such as installing or to clean up and put away. Like you said if you were going to change now would be a good time and the rock warriors are a nice looking wheel.
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Gotta agree with you on all that. I've had some past wheelin and dealing things that took up a ton of time, much more than I planned (my wife could tell you stories). I'm more inclined to do stuff like that myself, but yeah i'm not the one out buying a 2018. Well, I'll revert back to my 1st idea, just go with 285/65R18 KO2s on stock wheels
275/70/18 will fit for what it’s worth. And yea, time is money. Hunting down a set of rock warriors is getting harder these days.
One other potentially big difference between 285/65/18 and 285/70/17 is the latter is available in a P-metric if your use case allows that. This saves a lot of tire weight and inflation pressure compared to a LT-metric, to make ride noticeably better. Plus switching to LT tires will have a big impact on mileage, if that matters to you.
I actually have my 285/65R18 KO2s sitting in my shed waiting to find the time to dismount them and put them on craigslist in Austin. I disliked the ride that much.
That said, if you are hard on tires or plan to be in the rocks all the time the sidewalls of a LT tire would be better. At some point I acknowledged the fact that so many of my miles are on the freeway getting to the places I wheel.. a tire better suited to that made sense.
@tbisaacs is correct on finding Rock Warriors. I looked for a couple months before ponying up $1k for a set.
I actually have my 285/65R18 KO2s sitting in my shed waiting to find the time to dismount them and put them on craigslist in Austin. I disliked the ride that much.
That said, if you are hard on tires or plan to be in the rocks all the time the sidewalls of a LT tire would be better. At some point I acknowledged the fact that so many of my miles are on the freeway getting to the places I wheel.. a tire better suited to that made sense.
@tbisaacs is correct on finding Rock Warriors. I looked for a couple months before ponying up $1k for a set.
There is at least one p metric 275/70r18
Congrats on the new ride!
I'd build it different to what the standard recipe has been on these boards.
Keep the 18s. (18" to 17" really doesn't make much difference). Go bigger on the tire for real lift under the axles, ground clearance, and traction.. My preference for a big bodied and heavy cruiser is a 305/65r18 (33.6" tire), aka 34s.
These fit rather easily on the cruiser with 1" spacers and mild plastic fender liner mods. The large tire will still fit as a spare. Gearing will still be great as you have the ultra-low first gears of the 8-speed.
The solid tire lift paired with no to mild suspension lift to keep suspension geometry optimal, will make for a rig that will go farther off-road, but more importantly will out handle an aggressive suspension lifted rig on-road where one spends 95% of their time. The wider track will also help cornering stability and correct for scrub radius with a larger tire. Wider tires for superior on-road traction, but also helps offroad with more sidewall to protect the wheel face, better bead retention when airing down, and better flotation against bogging. It simply looks better too for a full size SUV.
Suspension lifts are whatever you want, but one could keep the supple ride of the stock setup with a 1" lift accomplished with front leveling spacers and rear 20mm trim packers.
I'd build it different to what the standard recipe has been on these boards.
Keep the 18s. (18" to 17" really doesn't make much difference). Go bigger on the tire for real lift under the axles, ground clearance, and traction.. My preference for a big bodied and heavy cruiser is a 305/65r18 (33.6" tire), aka 34s.
These fit rather easily on the cruiser with 1" spacers and mild plastic fender liner mods. The large tire will still fit as a spare. Gearing will still be great as you have the ultra-low first gears of the 8-speed.
The solid tire lift paired with no to mild suspension lift to keep suspension geometry optimal, will make for a rig that will go farther off-road, but more importantly will out handle an aggressive suspension lifted rig on-road where one spends 95% of their time. The wider track will also help cornering stability and correct for scrub radius with a larger tire. Wider tires for superior on-road traction, but also helps offroad with more sidewall to protect the wheel face, better bead retention when airing down, and better flotation against bogging. It simply looks better too for a full size SUV.
Suspension lifts are whatever you want, but one could keep the supple ride of the stock setup with a 1" lift accomplished with front leveling spacers and rear 20mm trim packers.
It's important to check the details!
The LT285/70R17 121R Load Range E tire you show for $259 is BFG's DT (Different Tread) design which offers longer mileage, but does NOT have the 3PMSF (3 Peak Mountain Snow Flake) certification and weighs 58 lbs.
The LT285/65R18 125R Load Range E tire you show for $288 DOES have the 3PMSF certification and weighs one pound less at 57 lbs.
Just as an aside, on a LC200 the RCTIP for the LT285/70R17 tire is 40psi, while the RCTIP for the LT285/65R18 tire is 42psi.
HTH