What size tires fit a stock 45LV?

[WesternMaryland]

I am looking at a set of tires/wheels for my "new" 1966 LV

33X12.50 15 mud tires with 6 on 5.5 similar to outlaw wheels with 3.25 back spacing

Does anyone know if these will fit w/no lift. I plan to lift later, but right now I just want something better looking on my truck.

 

[bull]

looking at my stock LV I doubt they would fit without some kind of lift. Do you have any pics of your rig?

 

[WesternMaryland]

I have decided against the tires for now - they sound difficult to manage w/o power steering. Pics of the LV are on the come-a-long post from last week.

 

[fogblanket]

the lv presents a unique tire fitment problem. where most land cruisers you are hamstrung by the biggest tire that will fit on the front and not rub. it is the opposite with the lv. because of the low rear fender and narrow space between the fender and the frame you are limited to what you can stuff in there. especially without a lift. even with a small lift like a 2 or 3" lift most only run 33x10.5" tires.
on my lv I plan to run 33x11.2" tires and to do that and have enough room for articulation without rubbing my plan is to run a 4" lift to get the top of the tire below the bottom lip of the rear fender instead of having the tire tucked up inside the fender.
I think though over all you will have trouble more with the width of the tire than the height of it. the 33" tires for 16" wheels tend to be a bit narrower than the 33"'s made for 15" wheels. there are exceptions like the bfg 33x10.5 AT or the Intero LTB 34x10.5 . like my 33's are 285r16 which meassure out to 33.2x11.2" on 16" wheels where as the 33x12.5 for the 15" are that extra inch plus wider for the 15" wheel. and if htere is ever a spot where an inch makes a difference it is hear.
IHTH some Jason

 

[WesternMaryland]

Thanks - that is really helpful.

I haven't seen lift kits for FJ45s, and I'm not capable of a SOA
I have a local spring shop that beefed up my old trucks rear springs - maybe I should talk to them, or is there a kit that is perfect for the 45?

I am not looking to hardcore offroad - just wanna use stouter tires.

 

[fogblanket]

thats the million dolllar question. if you just want something a bit taller like the 33x10.5 then you only need a couple of inches and could use the OME suspension. check out the Matt's lv!! there are a few pics of his a few posts down on this thread.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=39575&page=98
you can see what I mean by the rear tires tucking in to the rear fenders. OME (Old Man Emu) i believe is the only out of the box suspension for fj45lv's and they make a top notch suspension if this is the route you go you will not be disappointed. they do tend to be a bit expesive so shop around for the best price from the various land cruiser venders. my plan since I want more lift than the 2" the OME offers. I calculate I need 4" to fit the tires I have, am going to get custom springs made by Alcan spring. custom is kind of a loose term for Alcan springs in that they have made lv springs and many springs for land cruisers before its just that they will build the springs to exactly what you and they work out as your requirements.
I would highly recommend calling them in any case you will get so much info and knowlege on suspensions in one 30 minute phone call.
in any case it sounds like you are looking for the same lift and tire set up that Matt used which is fairly out of the box and would meet your needs perfectly, its when you start wanting a bit more in the way of aa tire that it starts to get a bit more complicated as I have found out
Jason

 

[merbesfield]

I would recommend calling Kurt with Cruiser Outfitters. He knows all about OME and they do sell a kit for the LV. I did my homework and the cost was the same as other options which were not specific to the LV. Good luck.

kurt@cruiseroutfitters.com

http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/

 

[fogblanket]

if you do go the OME route do look around for the best price there are many OME venders out there and don't forget to get a quote for the shipping as well.
I know http://www.urbanlandcruisers.com/ in Atlanta would be closer to you than Utah. as well as http://www.4by4connection.com/ in Winchester VA. I know the owner was one of the first to have an lv with OME on it you might want to call him for some real world experience with the suspension.
Jason