Time to Replace My "Original" Tires -- Considering Lift and Going Bigger? Grocery-getter. (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jul 19, 2018
Threads
3
Messages
43
Location
Austin, TX
Replaced the stock Dunlops right after purchase in late 2018, and they've been great. I went with BFG KO2 265/65r18s. At the time, my priority was to stay with stock suspension and be able to run a full-size spare (which is still there and unused/unrotated).

My LC is at the dealership right now for its 50k service, and I think I'm getting close to needing new tires. As this is something I will live with for roughly the next 5 years and 50k miles, I want to choose wisely. The easy choice would be to get the same tire again, which I would happily do.

I always considered, though, at this point perhaps starting to do some mild upgrades. I've always thought it might be neat to eventually do the following:

a) 2" or so lift (seems like the Ed Martin guys are always using the OME BP51 with roughly 2")
b) Some bigger tires (maybe stick with BFGs or open to considering some others)
c) Maybe wheel spacers?
d) Some chrome delete all around
e) Eventually maybe consider ARB front bumper, roof rack, and possibly a rear bumper with tire carrier. Although, I sometimes wonder if I really want the extra weight up front with a bumper, the loss of sunroof utility and wind noise from a rack, or the more cumbersome open/close of the rear with a tire mount rear bumper (not to mention having to open it to use tailgate as bench).

All of these considerations are purely for the "looks cool to me" factor. I don't really need any of this. I consider this my daily driver, although I kind of rotate between three vehicles (1971 Bronco and F250 diesel) depending on where I'm going and what mood I'm in. The LC is my default around-town ride and also gets some road trip duty (although lately I often grab the F250 keys for longer highway trips). The roughest terrain I see is muddy parking lots at baseball fields or needing to jump curbs to park at school functions where the parking lot is too small and perhaps the occasional dirt county road.

Arguments for or against putting a lift on and going bigger on tires? This seems like the first step away from "stock" and could give my LC a more aggressive/fun look while still not going too far down the modification rabbit hole. Curious to hear any negative considerations that I might not be appreciating, especially for someone who uses their LC as casually as I do.

Thanks in advance -- Zep

img_20181113_131723-jpg.1832229
 
you may want to consider the overall height of the vehicle if you park a lot in structured parking/decks as shown in your pic. when i go downtown it's pretty tight and sketchy in some of those structures and all i have is a yakima roof rack and the toyota front strut spacers.
 
If you’re doing this only for the “looks cool to me” factor and don’t need any mods for use reasons, I suggest spending some (actually a lot) of time in the member build threads on the FAQs. You’ll get a lot of ideas. Only you can decide what’s cool, so if you don’t need advice for uses, just look at what others have done, pick a look, a go for it.
 
Get some Michelin Defender LTX tires. They do not look cool but man do they ride smooth and surprisingly handle rocky terrain well.

If you want bigger just go up one aspect ratio.
I'm afraid I'm a sucker for the AT look. I've always wished Michelin made a more aggressive tire, because you're right; they're the best.
 
you may want to consider the overall height of the vehicle if you park a lot in structured parking/decks as shown in your pic. when i go downtown it's pretty tight and sketchy in some of those structures and all i have is a yakima roof rack and the toyota front strut spacers.
Thanks. Something I hadn't actually considered. I don't park downtown much, but I do want the option to pull into garage if hail comes to town, etc.
 
I'm afraid I'm a sucker for the AT look. I've always wished Michelin made a more aggressive tire, because you're right; they're the best.
Completely fair! @Ttoner80 has turned me onto the idea of the Cooper AT line, probably will be my next tire if Michelin does not make a bigger defender. They are lighter than others.
 
Keep your stock suspension. What makes sense is Michelin Defenders or something similar, but clearly that’s not what you’re interested in. If you must have AT’s, Falken Wildpeaks now come in a lightweight P rated version in 285/65r18 which is what the off-road version of the new Sequoia comes with. These will be bigger than what you have but will probably perform better on road since they will be softer and lighter.

Another option is General Grabber APT’s in a P rated 275/70r18, which may have a small amount of rubbing at full lock on stock suspension but will definitely work.

A heavy, hard riding, LT rated off road tire is really pretty dumb if you don’t go off road.
 
Last edited:
It's easy to sucked into a build, especially as we see so many on the 'gram and social media. Other than a pretty picture, what they don't show is the realities and compromises. Toyota built a finely tuned instrument that's hard to make much better but very easy to make worse. Especially for a daily use vehicle where balance is key.

Watch weight. It's the great equalizer and has impacts to performance, efficiency, and satisfaction in using the vehicle.
 
I agree with the last couple of comments. Skip the lift and pick a tire with reasonable weight/rolling resistance in the stock size, or one size up like you have.

I have the standard ~2 inch OME lift and KO2s in the same size as you. If I did it again I would skip the lift. It's been nice to have on a few offroad excursions and camping trips, but downsides IME include worse MPG, rougher ride unless loaded down for camping, and more awkward handling around town.
 
^I agree with the last three comments. I'm similar to you except that I might make it out to the woods/mountains/deserts in AR/OK or West TX every couple of months. And once a year I get to explore off road in the Rocky Mountain states. I have the Toyota OEM front spacers installed, which gives you a better approach angle (and slightly more aggressive appearance). In the rear, I have the air bags, which I can adjust depending on the situation. I have 275 70 r18 tires, which adds a little more to the ground clearance. I also have the added weight of White Knuckle Off Road sliders. Overall, I think my ride is slightly worse than stock but not by too much.
 
@Ttoner80 has turned me onto the idea of the Cooper AT line, probably will be my next tire if Michelin does not make a bigger defender
Michelin does make bigger Defenders XLT tires. I run Cooper AT3 XLT to get me to the trails, through the trails, and home. They are probably bigger for 95% of the stuff I do but for the 5% it's a compromise to get the job done. Had the 5% that I do not involve difficult/hard trails, the Defender XLT would be more than enough.
 
Michelin does make bigger Defenders XLT tires. I run Cooper AT3 XLT to get me to the trails, through the trails, and home. They are probably bigger for 95% of the stuff I do but for the 5% it's a compromise to get the job done. Had the 5% that I do not involve difficult/hard trails, the Defender XLT would be more than enough.
Sucks that I am running the biggest Defender size in a 17. I believe 18s allow you to squeeze out another inch or two in diameter.
 
Toyota oem strut spacer. Quality alignment. 285/65/18 of your flavor. Ko2 is hard to beat for looks and performance. Especially if you’ve been happy with them in the past.

Leave it alone otherwise. It’s a deep deep expensive rabbit hole
 
Toyota oem strut spacer. Quality alignment. 285/65/18 of your flavor. Ko2 is hard to beat for looks and performance. Especially if you’ve been happy with them in the past.

Leave it alone otherwise. It’s a deep deep expensive rabbit hole
 
Your truck looks pretty good to me with the ATs you are running. If you want to go for a certain look without messing with the daily functionality too much, you could consider fitting a basket rack to your current rails or maybe doing a half rack from one of the platform vendors like FrontRunner or Rhino. Add expedition style railing around the back of the rack and viola!
 
It's easy to sucked into a build, especially as we see so many on the 'gram and social media. Other than a pretty picture, what they don't show is the realities and compromises. Toyota built a finely tuned instrument that's hard to make much better but very easy to make worse. Especially for a daily use vehicle where balance is key.

Watch weight. It's the great equalizer and has impacts to performance, efficiency, and satisfaction in using the vehicle.
Your comments about Toyota have always been my main reluctance to start making changes. It's the same reason I like to follow a recipe when I cook; someone already figured out the best setup/combination. Why should I mess with it too much? Appreciate the comment.
 
I agree with the last couple of comments. Skip the lift and pick a tire with reasonable weight/rolling resistance in the stock size, or one size up like you have.

I have the standard ~2 inch OME lift and KO2s in the same size as you. If I did it again I would skip the lift. It's been nice to have on a few offroad excursions and camping trips, but downsides IME include worse MPG, rougher ride unless loaded down for camping, and more awkward handling around town.
Exactly the input I'm looking for. Thank you.
 
Toyota oem strut spacer. Quality alignment. 285/65/18 of your flavor. Ko2 is hard to beat for looks and performance. Especially if you’ve been happy with them in the past.

Leave it alone otherwise. It’s a deep deep expensive rabbit hole
....and I just read a 17-page thread about the Toyota OEM spacers....phew!
 
Your comments about Toyota have always been my main reluctance to start making changes. It's the same reason I like to follow a recipe when I cook; someone already figured out the best setup/combination. Why should I mess with it too much? Appreciate the comment.

Thanks. I also liken these to recipes. Some recipes are more forward with more visual appeal with others being more nuanced. Best depends on the individual and there's something for all types.

I don't want to spoil the modding fun as it's part of the appeal. Just have to understand the impact and compromises. I tend to favor OEM+ recipes as they are the easiest to live with for the way most use their cars. Others know what they want and exactly how they'll use their vehicles which requires more specific tailoring and trade-offs.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom