What rim size to choose 17" or 18"

[Suomi200]

It has gotten to the point where it is time for new tires. Since the LC currently is running orignal 20" but i prefer the look of more rubber.
This is not meant to become a tire thread but i would like a discusion about rim sizes. I am going for looks but the choise still needs to be practical and functional.
The vehicle will primarily be driven on asphalt and dirt roads during all season. Living in an area with a lot of snow and ice.

Toyota orignal minimum size is 18" in the aftermarket there is 17" available.
-What are the pros and cons of one compared to the other?
i am going to assume the wont be a lot of clearance between the brakes and rims which may cause issue when driving in the terrain and during snow build up.
-Which has the most tire sizes brands availble? This would be area dependent (i am in europe)
-Anybody who has gone up or down in size and why?
-Maybe it is better to choose a tire and go for the available rim size?

On a personal level i am most likely not going to need the extra ground patch you can get from a 17" when aired down.
Please let me hear your opinons and experience. a general discussion would be interesting.

 

[TimCFJ40]

17's are optimal for the most sidewall, lighter wheel/tire setup etc. No real downsides IMO.
18's are nearly as good, and are available in a ton of OEM toyota wheel styles off of 5 lug Tundras, Sequoias, Cruisers. You won't find a higher quality wheel than the OEM wheels without spending a lot of money. Run of the mill aftermarket wheels (Methods, Icons, etc) are not nearly as high quality as the OEM wheels.

In the US, IMO, the obvious answer is some stock 18" OEM wheels from a Tundra, but I am not sure what the availability is like in Finland. Good sets show up around here under $100 per wheel and sometimes as low as $100 for 4 pretty regularly.

 

[Sandroad]

Since you live in a wintry area, I would choose the last option on your list and decide on a tire first, then a rim to fit. I agree with @TimCFJ40 about OEM for your use case.

 

[Sajan]

Since you live in a wintry area, I would choose the last option on your list and decide on a tire first, then a rim to fit. I agree with @TimCFJ40 about OEM for your use case.

Agree, this happened to me on another car. I chose rims first (18") and for that size, only one all-season was available, no good summer high performance tires.
I ended up selling those and getting 19" that had more options.

So make sure there are tires you like available in the size you want before deciding rim size.

 

[TomEf]

275/70/18 is basically the default size for 3/4 ton trucks. It's a great size to make your LC look a little meatier without needing to mess with anything, get into a load range E tire, good for tire options, and great for pricing since they're so common.

 

[Sajan]

275/70/18 is basically the default size for 3/4 ton trucks. It's a great size to make your LC look a little meatier without needing to mess with anything, get into a load range E tire, good for tire options, and great for pricing since they're so common.

It's interesting the default 285/60R18 LC200 size is not that common.

31.5": 285/60/18 - 9 options on tire rack under All-terrain (off/on road)
32.1": 275/65/18 - 58 options
32.6": 285/65/18 - 18 options
33.1": 275/70/18 - 38 options

Looking at availability of used Michelin defenders LTX m/s 2, same deal..
31.5": 285/60/18 - 1 tire left
32.1": 275/65/18 - 11
32.6": 285/65/18 - 5
33.1": 275/70/18 - 5

 

[GTV]

17’s all day, it’s no contest. Much more tire options (sizes, types, load ratings, etc), generally less expensive and more commonly available.

 

[TeCKis300]

17s are great but it's not all a win win.

These rigs are fat pigs. 17s give up cornering response, sidewall stability, and increase roll. Get into taller tires, and 18s may be an advantage.

Personally, I think 18s are a great middle ground. If you want sidewall, go up in overall tire diameter.

275s are a poor choice IMO giving up stability, cornering traction, and ride quality to stock, which IMO is not an upgrade. 285/65R18 are a solid default. With so many 295s, 305s, and larger available. Don't skip leg day.

 

[Sajan]

17s are great but it's not all a win win.

These rigs are fat pigs. 17s give up cornering response, sidewall stability, and increase roll. Get into taller tires, and 18s may be an advantage.

Personally, I think 18s are a great middle ground. If you want sidewall, go up in overall tire diameter.

275s are a poor choice IMO giving up stability, cornering traction, and ride quality to stock, which IMO is not an upgrade. 285/65R18 are a solid default. With so many 295s, 305s, and larger available. Don't skip leg day.

so 285/65R18 (32.6")?

275 looks skinny for sure. i have 275/65 right now.

 

[TeCKis300]

so 285/65R18 (32.6")?

Yes. A most excellent size.

 

[Supra Turbo]

Agree with TeCK, 285/65/18 is the most common +1 upgrade for a reason. Having run a few of the more common sizes in 17s and 18s, I would personally not go with anything narrower than 285, especially if running a lift and even more so, if running a high offset wheel (+40-50+).

 

[Sajan]

Agree with TeCK, 285/65/18 is the most common +1 upgrade for a reason. Having run a few of the more common sizes in 17s and 18s, I would personally not go with anything narrower than 285, especially if running a lift and even more so, if running a high offset wheel (+40-50+).

$70 more per tire between 285/65 and 285/60. (defender m/s 2)
20% more for 1"
Yikes

 

[TomEf]

17s are great but it's not all a win win.

These rigs are fat pigs. 17s give up cornering response, sidewall stability, and increase roll. Get into taller tires, and 18s may be an advantage.

Personally, I think 18s are a great middle ground. If you want sidewall, go up in overall tire diameter.

275s are a poor choice IMO giving up stability, cornering traction, and ride quality to stock, which IMO is not an upgrade. 285/65R18 are a solid default. With so many 295s, 305s, and larger available. Don't skip leg day.

I never noticed the missing centimeter when I had 275s, but I also added spacers pretty quickly. That said, I'm a big fan of my 295/70/18s.

 

[grinchy]

17s which clear the brakes (most do), will lead to more tire options in all sizes, guaranteed 1/2” more sidewall across all sizes, probably a lighter wheel/tire total weight, and probably also more available, cheaper tires, depending on your region and what others are generally running.
It’s hard / impossible to find OEM 17s (rock warriors are the only 5x150 option in North America). Steelies were also a ROW option, but have to be located and imported. So basically options are just the typical cast ‘bro’ brands and custom forged TE37s (expensive) for 17s.

 

[Suomi200]

Thanks for all the replies I did a little more research after i posted and came to the conclusion that choosing rim size after tire is the way to go and thus it did turn into a tire thread

I am honestly jealous at the amount of larger tires that are available in the states. looking at what i can get here it is
13 at 275/70/18 Mostly cheap brand or MT with michelin LTX A/T2 as the stand out choise
6 at 285/75/17 Mostly MT and Cooper Discoverer S/T maxx a possible choise
48 at 285/70/17 with the choise of BFG trail-terrain, GG AT3 and Cooper S/T maxx
BFG AT and MT are available but to expensive for going mostly on road.

At first glance i was thinking 275/70/18 would be a good size how ever for the sake of availabilty (also incase of emergncy) the trade off to 285/70/17 might be the way to go. looking towards the BFG trail-terrain but need to do more research before i make a desicion.

At the moment i am at stock height and running 305/50/20 and they are just to wide and heavy as a combination. personally i prefer skinnier tires especially in snow and muddy roads (not roots or mud pits).
Having read about the michelin defenders it would have been nice to try but they do not seem available.

regarding cornering on skinny tires it is an interesting though never noticed it really on the 235/85 on my defender. However a tire with stronger side wall should make up for that.

 

[Suomi200]

17s which clear the brakes (most do), will lead to more tire options in all sizes, guaranteed 1/2” more sidewall across all sizes, probably a lighter wheel/tire total weight, and probably also more available, cheaper tires, depending on your region and what others are generally running.
It’s hard / impossible to find OEM 17s (rock warriors are the only 5x150 option in North America). Steelies were also a ROW option, but have to be located and imported. So basically options are just the typical cast ‘bro’ brands and custom forged TE37s (expensive) for 17s.

Rim wise everything regardless of size and brand will need to be imported or bought second hand (genuine) 5X150 are rare in this Finland and cruiser wise i believe there are about 150 in total for all year models (stopped selling 2015) on the road. That said europe is a slightly bigger market so something should be possible to find.

 

[grinchy]

Rim wise everything regardless of size and brand will need to be imported or bought second hand (genuine) 5X150 are rare in this Finland and cruiser wise i believe there are about 150 in total for all year models (stopped selling 2015) on the road. That said europe is a slightly bigger market so something should be possible to find.

You can likely get the 17” steelies in your country. There are stacks of them at a breaker in the UK, takeoffs from the Gibraltar dealership that does the UN sales. I’ll dig up the part numbers and you can try your Toyota dealer.

 

[grinchy]

Here’s the web page for the Steelies in United Kingdom.

Land Cruiser Wheels

Toyota Land Cruiser 17 inch steel 'Pepper Pot' Single wheel and tyre on sale now at Cabmasters - Loads more new old stock van, truck and 4x4 parts for sale at Cabmasters

cabmasters.com

Here’s a part number
42611-60A61

These are all 17x7J. A nice fit for skinnies, if you can find the Kenda RT in 33x10.5x17 or 35x10.5x17

 

[Sajan]

this is a good point about 275 vs 285 in 18"

Availability: If you ever shred a tire in a remote area, you are significantly more likely to find a 275/65R18 or 275/70R18 at a small-town shop than your stock 285/60R18.

 

[Suomi200]

Here’s the web page for the Steelies in United Kingdom.

Land Cruiser Wheels

Toyota Land Cruiser 17 inch steel 'Pepper Pot' Single wheel and tyre on sale now at Cabmasters - Loads more new old stock van, truck and 4x4 parts for sale at Cabmasters

cabmasters.com

Here’s a part number
42611-60A61

These are all 17x7J. A nice fit for skinnies, if you can find the Kenda RT in 33x10.5x17 or 35x10.5x17

Thanks for the link and part number, i might send the guy in the UK a message and see what he takes for a set.
i can check what toyota charges here for the rims but if it is like all the other parts it probably isn't worth it