Builds Tex's 200 build thread (1 Viewer)

[Tex68w]

Well I am no stranger to the 200 Series subforum but this is our first 200 Series Land Cruiser so I figured a new thread was in order. I started to get interested in the idea of purchasing a new 200 once the official word was out about the model being discontinued next year but it was a busy and weird year (obviously) and I got side tracked and before I knew it the last allocations and orders were all but gone.

The misses has wanted a Blizzard Pearl White with Terra interior 200 since the facelift/redesign hit back in 2016. I thought I was going above and beyond when I got her a new 2019 LX570 nearly two years ago as they are slightly more nicely appointed and she seemed to enjoy that upon initially looking at them. Well even with their massive similarities and much to my dismay it never ended up being her favorite or an equal to the white LC she really wanted. I reached out to Eric Sarjeant about locating or allocating me one and while his price was excellent he simply couldn't promise that color combo and was nearly certain it wouldn't happen this late in the game. Momma wasn't going to settle for anything less than white with Terra. Luckily I found one in stock (most LC's shown in dealer inventories on the Toyota site were already sold when I reached out to dealers) and it was nearby.

Chalk it up to a combo of it being the end of month, end of year, having a clean and sought after trade, low dealer inventory, my personal knowledge of the car game, standing my ground and certainly some luck, I ended up making the deal happen over text in a matter of a few hours. The powertrain warranty was extended to 100K as a courtesy to sweeten the deal and I got an extra year of Toyota Care thrown in free for good measure.

Needless to say momma was beaming, she finally has the exact Land Cruiser she has longed for now for nearly five years and I am glad that I could make it happen for her. After all, it was now or never and I have a feeling that in a few years these 200's are going to appreciate just like the FJC's have been doing because everyone wants what they can't have.

For now it'll stay relatively stock short of some BFG KO2's on the stock wheels and possibly a set of Slee Slider Steps. In a few years when I have grown tired of the GX and it hits 80-100K miles I'll likely send it on down the road and get momma something new and then I can take it over and build it out how I see fit. I am thinking 35's and bumpers. It'll be a struggle for me to leave well enough alone with this one but I need to let her drive it relatively stock for a year or two before I start to as she sometimes so lovingly calls it, "ruin it" lol. I'll do my best to stay over in the 150 Series subforum and focused on the GX build for now so as not to get distracted and tempted by 200 Series goodies lol.

A pic from the delivery bay.

 

[ASurfacePro]

Gotta keep momma happy. Well done sir and enjoy that new 200!

 

[Tex68w]

I am finding myself very torn between 285/60's, 275/65's and 285/65's on the factory wheels, with no lift. I am only interested in BFG KO2's, Toyo RT's and Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I'd like to get a little taller tire but in the 275/65 the BFG only comes in a Load Range E and weighs nearly 10lbs more than all of the stock size options (BFG in stock size is a Load Range D and also heavy). Nitto and Toyo offer LT and XL Load Range options in the 275/65 that would work and keep the weight down below 50lbs each but I am unsure about the narrower width. All of the options in the 285/65 size are Load Range E and 56+ lbs each. I'd love the extra height but without a lift I am not sure that the added weight and rotating mass is worth the penalty?! Thoughts for those of you who have been down this path before?

 

[FerrisBueller]

Congrats!
+1 vote for the Slee Slider Steps! They're great! I love how they look, and are even more understated than the the stock running boards.

It'll be a struggle for me to leave well enough alone with this one but I need to let her drive it relatively stock for a year or two before I start to as she sometimes so lovingly calls it, "ruin it" lol.

Lol, you can probably get the Slee slider steps, a reasonable lift, new tires, and perhaps even new wheels without "ruining" the mostly stock look

I am finding myself very torn between 285/60's, 275/65's and 285/65's on the factory wheels, with no lift. I am only interested in BFG KO2's, Toyo RT's and Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I'd like to get a little taller tire but in the 275/65 the BFG only comes in a Load Range E and weighs nearly 10lbs more than all of the stock size options (BFG in stock size is a Load Range D and also heavy). Nitto and Toyo offer LT and XL Load Range options in the 275/65 that would work and keep the weight down below 50lbs each but I am unsure about the narrower width. All of the options in the 286/65 size are Load Range E and 56+ lbs each. I'd love the extra height but without a lift I am not sure that the added weight and rotating mass is worth the penalty?! Thoughts for those of you who have been down this path before?

The extra weight of the load range E tires really kills fuel mileage. The LC already has dismal miles per tank. I have load range E and will probably stick with them, but if you're on the fence about it, then I would wait until you're certain you want to pay for the decreased gas mileage and inconvenience of filling up more often.

 

[TeCKis300]

Weight isn't really as consequential as most make it out to be on these boards. It's a secondary factor at best.

Rolling diameter is by far the biggest factor in how it changes feel from the drivers seat in acceleration and braking. Every time someone says they feel the weight, a kitten dies, as it's more due to overall gearing loss and brake torque loss.

As an example to show why it's overall gearing impacts.
8-speed first gear with stock 31" tire diameter overall gearing is 16.27. With 33s, that changes to 15.28. That's a bit over 6% wheel torque loss which is definitely something you'll feel.

To emphasize this further - assuming max 401 lb-ft engine torque.
Max wheel torque
31s - 16.27 * 401 = 6524 lb-ft
33s - 15.28 * 401 = 6127 lb-ft


Ride quality and suspension impacts, yes weight has some secondary influences, but again it's more the characteristic of the tire design, sidewall stiffness, etc.

 

[FerrisBueller]

Weight isn't really as consequential as most make it out to be on these boards. It's a secondary factor at best.

Rolling diameter is by far the biggest factor in how it changes feel from the drivers seat in acceleration and braking. Every time someone says they feel the weight, a kitten dies, as it's more due to overall gearing loss and brake torque loss.

As an example to show why it's overall gearing impacts.
8-speed first gear with stock 31" tire diameter overall gearing is 16.27. With 33s, that changes to 15.28. That's a bit over 6% wheel torque loss which is definitely something you'll feel.

To emphasize this further - assuming max 401 lb-ft engine torque.
Max wheel torque
31s - 16.27 * 401 = 6524 lb-ft
33s - 15.28 * 401 = 6127 lb-ft


Ride quality and suspension impacts, yes weight has some secondary influences, but again it's more the characteristic of the tire design, sidewall stiffness, etc.

Interesting, so is this gearing / ratio difference what accounts for not only the difference someone "feels", but also for the drop in gas mileage? So in other words, the gas mileage would not be noticeably affected by using the much heavier load range E tire in the stock size?

 

[Madtiger]

I am finding myself very torn between 285/60's, 275/65's and 285/65's on the factory wheels, with no lift. I am only interested in BFG KO2's, Toyo RT's and Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I'd like to get a little taller tire but in the 275/65 the BFG only comes in a Load Range E and weighs nearly 10lbs more than all of the stock size options (BFG in stock size is a Load Range D and also heavy). Nitto and Toyo offer LT and XL Load Range options in the 275/65 that would work and keep the weight down below 50lbs each but I am unsure about the narrower width. All of the options in the 285/65 size are Load Range E and 56+ lbs each. I'd love the extra height but without a lift I am not sure that the added weight and rotating mass is worth the penalty?! Thoughts for those of you who have been down this path before?

I have the BFG KO2 in stock size. Rides great. No loss in power. Minimal noise on highway...at 23k on the KO2 currently. And of course, the strong sidewall gives you peace of mind.

I think that i saw maybe a 1mpg loss in fuel economy at most.

As TeCKis300 noted above, i went with stock size to avoid any loss in power...keep it at stock performance.

Since you have LC, why limit yourself to SLEE stepslider? It is folded steel. Just get the regular SLEE sliders, which is stronger...or any other big brand (Budbuilt, etc.).

 

[TeCKis300]

Interesting, so is this gearing / ratio difference what accounts for not only the difference someone "feels", but also for the drop in gas mileage? So in other words, the gas mileage would not be noticeably affected by using the much heavier load range E tire in the stock size?

The drop is gas mileage is partially related to gearing.. What happens with less gearing is that the motor operates at higher load points, with some higher load points potentially having to run incrementally richer fuel mixtures that wastes gas.

Though the primary reason is that AT tires simply have worse rolling resistance. More rubber and larger lugs results in wasted energy to keep them rolling.

 

[tbisaacs]

Speaking as an opinionated stranger on the internet who’s watched your power wagon and GX builds...

These trucks are way under-tired from the factory. The amount of body work as a proportion to tire is way off. It’s better on the LC as compared to the LX but still looks dorky in my opinion. I run a 275/70/18 which is a full 33” tall and it still feels too small at times.

Going with only a +1 larger tire will always leave ya wondering why you didn’t go bigger. IMO 33” is the minimum and should have been a factory size.

 

[Littlehouse]

What’s the over/under on keeping the GX for a few years and leaving this alone until then? Who do you think you are you kidding @Tex68w ? Haha congrats on the new ride!

 

[TeCKis300]

Just found your GX build thread. Cool ride! Looking forward to your mods on the LC.

 

[Tex68w]

Speaking as an opinionated stranger on the internet who’s watched your power wagon and GX builds...

These trucks are way under-tired from the factory. The amount of body work as a proportion to tire is way off. It’s better on the LC as compared to the LX but still looks dorky in my opinion. I run a 275/70/18 which is a full 33” tall and it still feels too small at times.

Going with only a +1 larger tire will always leave ya wondering why you didn’t go bigger. IMO 33” is the minimum and should have been a factory size.

We had 33's on the LX as well and I only occasionally got some slight rubbing on the rear mud flaps, it was hard to even say when it would happen because it was random. I am still researching this topic and I likely won't make a move on this front for a few more weeks so I am far from committed to a particular size just yet. I appreciate the feedback and I will take it into consideration.

What’s the over/under on keeping the GX for a few years and leaving this alone until then? Who do you think you are you kidding @Tex68w ? Haha congrats on the new ride!

Haha, no numbers here, you'll have to start a pool with the others. That said, I will be keeping the LC rather mild, for now . The GX won't be leaving my possession prior to a new 4Runner/GX or possibly the new Bronco hitting the market. I don't like to buy the first year of anything and the aftermarket takes 2-3 years to catch up from there so it's safe for the next two or so years and I'd really like to continue building it out. I've even been flirting with the idea of going LT and 35's lately so who knows how in depth the build will get prior to its departure. My drivetrain warranty is up at 70K miles and I am already halfway there in just 16 short months, I won't even consider looking at something else until I have eclipsed that.

 

[Gazziza]

Speaking as an opinionated stranger on the internet who’s watched your power wagon and GX builds...

These trucks are way under-tired from the factory. The amount of body work as a proportion to tire is way off. It’s better on the LC as compared to the LX but still looks dorky in my opinion. I run a 275/70/18 which is a full 33” tall and it still feels too small at times.

Going with only a +1 larger tire will always leave ya wondering why you didn’t go bigger. IMO 33” is the minimum and should have been a factory size.

Agree. Life is too damn short for stock size tires, especially when they come undersized from factory. People talking about E-rated stock size tires...c'mon man!!!

 

[Tex68w]

Agree. Life is too damn short for stock size tires, especially when they come undersized from factory. People talking about E-rated stock size tires...c'mon man!!!

None of the tires I listed in the stock size are E-Rated lol, the KO2's are D-Rated and the others LT or XL .


I agree with everyone that has replied about the factory size being too small, standing here staring at them they are indeed too small. I am now leaning more towards going with the 275/65/18's or 285/65/18's as I fear the 275/70's that some others have suggested might be too tall and cause more rubbing than I would prefer without adding a lift. I wouldn't mind adding a simple 1-2" lift in order to better clear the larger meats but I did tell the misses I wouldn't mess with that and I would prefer to do the lift properly the first time. So much to consider lol.

 

[Madtiger]

FYI...some 285/65/18 do rub on the KDSS bar....

My (uneducated) opinion is that Toyota design tire/rim sizes that fit their parameters for safety, performance, and fuel economy. I doubt that Toyota “undersized” anything. Everything was design with the whole vehicle performance envelope in mind.

 

[Tex68w]

FYI...some 285/65/18 do rub on the KDSS bar....

Do KO2's? Are those what you're running, sans lift?

 

[Madtiger]

Do KO2's? Are those what you're running, sans lift?

I have stock sized...285/60/18 KO2s.

My concerns about bigger tires: Stupid Q: bigger tires and rubbing - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/stupid-q-bigger-tires-and-rubbing.1224369/#post-13346216

 

[Madtiger]

For example, when Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro got new rims in 2020 that were 4 lbs lighter each than 2019’s, Toyota retuned the who FOX suspension to accommodate the lighter rims.

I will be honest...this is probably (and only reason) why i am considering going to “wimpier” tires next time around...from my current BFG KO2 stock size to Michelin Defender XL stock size. I don’t envision myself off-roading in severe terrain much in my future.

FYI...the Defender XL is only 39 lbs each...i think that is either same or even lighter than stock tires! Yet, it is XL rated...i think able to carry more load than my current KO2!

 

[JohnPW]

Do you need LT tires on your wife’s DD? I’m guessing you will off road your Lexus and not her brand new LC? The ride will be rougher on LT tires, because of the higher air pressures required as well as the weight. You might not mind in an off road rig but I’ll bet your wife would prefer the softer ride of P or XL tires over LT.

If you do decide on LT tires anyway, you might search this thread for required pressures of different sizes:

Tire Pressure recommendation

I am running the Goodyear Duratrac in 285/70/17 on RW wheels. All the charts that I have found and somewhat understand look as if 49psi is the correct pressure I should run. I am stock, other than a Gobi roof rack. The specs on the Duratracs are as follows - Tire SizeLT285/70R17 Speed...

forum.ih8mud.com

Pressures for LT rated tires will be much higher, but the required pressures vary a lot between sizes...if you must go with LT I would pick a size with lower required pressures and/or more sidewall to reduce ride harshness.

Not an expert but from what I’ve read on this site, there are more rubbing issues with 285/65 than with 275/70r18. There is one AT tire available in 275/70r18 with a P rating, low pressure requirements and low weight: the General Grabber APT. At least one member here has it on a 200, reports no rubbing and was happy with the tire.

 

[Tex68w]

She will be driving at both of our ranch properties regularly and occasionally on the beach, so yes, she will see some slightly nasty roads from time to time. More so, she loves the look of an AT tire on a 4WD, it's usually a requested demand from her the minute we agree to buy a new vehicle. She has had BFG KO2's or Nitto Ridge Grapplers on her last four vehicles now and that won't change, she requests it.

The 275/65/18 measures 32.1x10.8x18 and weighs 56lbs and the 275/70/18 measures 33.2x10.8x18 and weighs 59lbs, which are most guys going with?