Thoughts on 255/75r17?

[r2m]

update. getting a very little rubbing at the front of the running boards when the suspension articulates. ie, hardly ever on surface streets.

not sure if ill do a body lift first or do the suspension lift.

anyone have the 255/75/17 tires and can confirm theyll fit underneath w an oem trailer hitch?

Please tell me you really didn't mean "body lift"!
I will always counsel against a body lift unless absolutely necessary. An example: on my last 100 series Landcruiser, because the front end has torsion bars, the max suspension lift one can get is less than 2 inches. I wanted to run 35" tires and the only way to do that was with a body lift. So I built my own body lift a modest 1.75" body lift. In this instance it was my only choice.

But if it were possible to have achieved a suspension lift of 3"-4" WITHOUT the body lift I would absolutely have gone that route.
The reason: With a suspension lift you not only lift your vehicle for tire clearance, but also your approach, departure and breakover angles AND no extra ground clearance. You also get more articulation with a lift, meaning a lot more suspension travel.

Body lift:

1. Higher CG
2. No increased approach, departure and breakover angles, just factory clearance.
3. Same suspension travel as factory. No extra travel when negotiating stumps, rocks and ruts.
4. No extra ground clearance you may need to roll over some of the obstacles mentioned above.
5. Suspension lift makes it easier to crawl under your vehicle for inspection and maintenance, if you're that kind of guy.
6. Depending upon the body lift, you'll have to move the radiator cowl and maybe even the radiator down.
7. You'll have the get an extension for your shift lever. I had to make an extension for the 4Lo lever on my lathe for the Landcruiser.
8. In short, the ONLY thing you'll gain with a body lift is tire clearance.

If all you'll ever do is soccer games, violin lessons and the mall, then a body lift is fine. If you want adventure, you'll want a suspension lift.
Advice from a "been there, done that" (many times) person.

 

[pacard17]

i have a slightly different opinion after having a 1" BL on my 4runner. CoG isnt a factor...at ALL. (when i think about all the crap people put on their roofs w the cargo area stuffed to the roof...but i digress).

w a 1" BL, id get exactly what i want: tire clearance. but if i need to move cowlings/radiator and extend the shifter, Id probably hold off tbh. need to research more.

btw, it wasnt an either/or for me. it was a both thing ....just the order i planned to do it. i wont go bigger than a 3" lift. diminishing returns, more mods. probably 2.5".

this "project" is going to be geared towards overlanding/towing an off-road trailer (not rock crawling) just enough to put distance betw me and people when i want to get "out there". probably add airlift bags in the springs. works well on the 4runner. finally figured out plumbing compression fittings were better airtight fittings than plastic/brass t's. very little sag, if any.

appreciate the perspective

 

[BobTheBrogrammer]

I know this is just me, and it's an unpopular opinion, but that is a god-awful amount of brain power and effort to go to in order to have a matching spare. I just run the OEM spare in the OEM space, with OEM KDSS bushings, and an OEM hitch. The number of flats I have experienced in 4 decades of "my-style" of off roading, (which are 4, all in one week-long trip where I had 2 very mismatched spares, and trips to a tire store along the way for patches) and the negligible impact of running mismatched tires for a very, very, very short time and distance, make this game of running a matching spare have the most insanely negative return on investment, both mental and financial, amid any aspect of owning and operating the GX.

I will humbly be the first to post here, CL, and every known GX social media group on the planet when running my OEM spare with 32" tires grenades ANY part of my driveline, but for now, I'm pretty confident in the Torsen transfer case, and the ability of my differentials to differentiate, that I don't lose ANY sleep over it. Literally none...

A five tire rotation saves you literally no money over a 4-tire rotation, and if you have a matching spare and are NOT diligent about 5-tire rotations, you'll eventually end up with a spare that is over an inch larger in diameter than your other tires anyway. These rigs aren't Subarus, or other makes with a viscous coupling, and it's well documented how much difference the Torsen transfer case can withstand. But I think a lot of GX owners just like to have a(ny) reason to throw cash at mods.

In the links below are examples of "my-style" of off roading and some pictures of actual terrain you can survive traveling on with mismatched spares. Granted, it's 60 series, v GX, but I ran dozens of miles with t-case in 4lo with 3 different sized tires on. Was running 33x10.50x15 BFG AT's, the 2 spares on the driver's side were significantly smaller than that, and different from each other. I had one flat on the uphill, and then 2 flats at once on the wash-out. I got the one flat repaired during a stop in Globe, AZ mid-trip, so I always had 2 spares. After getting 2 flats at once, I drove for probably 80 miles with no-spares (a little stressful), but got them both fixed in Cibeque, AZ ( a really, really, really small town) before hitting the highway home. I see the argument posted a lot that you HAVE to replace a tire with an exact match, and you CAN'T do that in small towns, etc etc. Sure, "IF" you majorly blow a sidewall or something, that's true. But those are the rarest of events, right? C'mon, even if you blow a sidewall, and can't find a match in the smallest town you're in, buy the closest size you can for the least money, and use that as a spare for the rest of the trip until you get home. It's still THOUSANDS of dollars cheaper than some of the options out there to run 5 matching oversized tires on the GX.

Clearly, if we're talking Rubicon-level rock crawling, then yeah, I'd probably throw a matching spare in the back. But if you're doing that, you probably don't want an OEM trailer hitch and OEM KDSS bars on there anyway.

A flat while climbing a rough dirt surface

forum.ih8mud.com

8000 lb rig, Really??

forum.ih8mud.com

I might be new here but from all the research I've done on the topic I agree with you here. I even reached out to torsen directly and one of their product engineers had this to say about the topic:

Thanks for contacting Torsen. I expect that the difference between tire sizes is not a big deal if used for short duration. Because the Torsen is in the center, the speed difference across the unit is actually less, since that difference occurs across the axle first, which divides the difference in half before if crosses the center differential. So, it should be fairly benign. Just the same, if you do use, I would caution against running too fast or going long distances. And if you do, check the condition of your axle and transfer case lubricants afterward.

Im still running street tires as I've managed some (short) black diamond trails on them and will just run them down before I replace them but I fully plan on throwing on a set of 32-33" for my next set and just running a 31.5" spare or something to minimize the size difference where possible. Im just not ready for a tire carrier yet... But who knows, maybe by the time I wear these Michelins out ill be in the market for one.