What tires for an 06 GX470?

[Tieguy77]

Hey Guys,

Picked up my first GX yesterday and I felt some strange force pulling at me to begin customizing it almost immediately. Right now she's running stock tires and I'm curious what folks here would recommend that provides the best all-around mix of performance for off-road, pavement and Vermont Winters. I would really like some aesthetic value too. (would love to see pics of your rigs)

At the moment, I do not want to do a lift. I have experience with Duratracs, but this was on a Diesel pickup. I loved them, but they were noisy and there's only so loud I can turn the radio up before the Mrs. starts to notice that her Lexus isn't so quiet anymore.

Might be looking for a bit of a Unicorn tire but with so many options out there, I basically want something that looks and performs well year round. Going on stock wheels for now, but certainly must upgrade wheels come summer time.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Lifted]

Have you checked this thread?

Media - GX470 Wheel/Tire/Lift Picture Combination Thread

Another forum I am on has a thread like this and I found it extremely helpful in picking tires and lifts. For those who would like to contribute, post your combination of the tire size/brand/type including lift and any modification to fender, running boards, liners or bumpers. If you have...

forum.ih8mud.com

Wealth of information here too:

start [GX Offroad]

lexusgxor.com

 

[HomersCanyonero]

And the first post on this thread talks about what’s possible on stock oem wheels and the spare location.

GX470 Primer for the Ideal Mild-Build for Under $3000

You just got your GX470 and want to do a mild build to improve looks and off-road capability. You want to stand out over the mall cruisers and soccer moms, but want to keep costs under control. This primer doesn't consider any other repairs or basic maintenance your GX470 needs. First, lets...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[GXO]

Heck out kenda Klever RT. They have stocking sizes and they are cheap. Quieter than Duratracs, like a KO2 and a ridge grappler had a baby.

 

[ltmx]

I love the BFG KO2. I have had them on other vehicles and they're pretty good in the snow and more capable off road than I am as a driver. I have them in the stock size (265/65-R 17). That is smaller than most folks on here, but I actually prefer a slightly narrower tire for snow performance, and it helps a little on price.

Enjoy your rig!

 

[Tieguy77]

Thank you everybody!!!! I've got some reading to do.

 

[Tieguy77]

Edit below

 

[Tieguy77]

Based upon everything I am reading, the largest tire size that I can go with without any mods is 265/70/17. I am considering duratracs and while it may be a stupid question, would the stock 265/65/17 be less of a "burden" on the truck. At the moment, I do not plan on lifting the truck or doing any suspension mods. I don't want to do any trimming or fender liner modifications at this point either. Aesthetically, I have always preferred the look of a tire that fills the wheel well more....maybe that's just me. That said, this truck will probably see quite a few highway miles and more than it's fair share of snow/dirt roads.

I ran duratracs on an F350 pickup and loved them.....but they were pretty loud. But then, the GX is considerably more refined that my old diesel was. Curious to hear anyones experiences with the duratracs on the GX470, I think it's safe to assume that neither size would require any re-gearing.

Thank you all for the great resource!

 

[HomersCanyonero]

For me, there’s no re-gearing needed for tires up to 33s. Not sure for 34s and higher.

Also, I always convert the tire sizes into inches for the height and width. It’s easier for me to compare to the stock height and width.

if you stay at 32.2” high or less and 10.4” wide or less, then you should have no rubbing issues, no problem fitting into spare location, no suspension upgrade, etc. Just put the new shoes into the oem wheels and you are good to go.

here are some tire conversions for you to get the idea on how far off stock you are...


265/65R17 = 30.6" x 10.4" 682 revs (stock)
255/80R17 = 33.1”x10”
235/85/17 = 32.7” x 9.3”
285/70/17 = 32.7” x 11.2” 634 revs
255/75/17 = 32.1” x 10”
275/70/17 = 32.2” x 10.8”
32x10.5R17
265/70R17 = 31.6” x 10.4”

 

[Tieguy77]

For me, there’s no re-gearing needed for tires up to 33s. Not sure for 34s and higher.

Also, I always convert the tire sizes into inches for the height and width. It’s easier for me to compare to the stock height and width.

if you stay at 32.2” high or less and 10.4” wide or less, then you should have no rubbing issues, no problem fitting into spare location, no suspension upgrade, etc. Just put the new shoes into the oem wheels and you are good to go.

here are some tire conversions for you to get the idea on how far off stock you are...


265/65R17 = 30.6" x 10.4" 682 revs (stock)
255/80R17 = 33.1”x10”
235/85/17 = 32.7” x 9.3”
285/70/17 = 32.7” x 11.2” 634 revs
255/75/17 = 32.1” x 10”
275/70/17 = 32.2” x 10.8”
32x10.5R17
265/70R17 = 31.6” x 10.4”

Great info and advice thank you!

 

[z00t3ch]

Amazon product ASIN B01MEF3A0P

 

[Tieguy77]

Amazon product ASIN B01MEF3A0P

Oooh nice price thank you!

 

[z00t3ch]

Oooh nice price thank you!

I've had mine for almost a year, maybe 15k miles so far, love 'em! They're triple snowflake rated.

 

[Tieguy77]

For me, there’s no re-gearing needed for tires up to 33s. Not sure for 34s and higher.

Also, I always convert the tire sizes into inches for the height and width. It’s easier for me to compare to the stock height and width.

if you stay at 32.2” high or less and 10.4” wide or less, then you should have no rubbing issues, no problem fitting into spare location, no suspension upgrade, etc. Just put the new shoes into the oem wheels and you are good to go.

here are some tire conversions for you to get the idea on how far off stock you are...


265/65R17 = 30.6" x 10.4" 682 revs (stock)
255/80R17 = 33.1”x10”
235/85/17 = 32.7” x 9.3”
285/70/17 = 32.7” x 11.2” 634 revs
255/75/17 = 32.1” x 10”
275/70/17 = 32.2” x 10.8”
32x10.5R17
265/70R17 = 31.6” x 10.4”

Decided on duratracs. Specs seem to show 10.7" wide on the tire at the 265/70/17 size I've seen no complaints of rubbing

 

[GBinAZ]

I put on Cooper AT3 4S a few months ago. great on road, great on forest service roads. smooth and quite on the highway.

No snow time on them yet.

I specifically did not get LT version as I didn't need it.

 

[Tieguy77]

I put on Cooper AT3 4S a few months ago. great on road, great on forest service roads. smooth and quite on the highway.

No snow time on them yet.

I specifically did not get LT version as I didn't need it.

Any considerations for 255 vs 265?

 

[z00t3ch]

Decided on duratracs. Specs seem to show 10.7" wide on the tire at the 265/70/17 size I've seen no complaints of rubbing

I was set on Duratracs myself until I read how soft the compounds are, had to be realistic about how much pavement this truck would see, we tend to fantasize that we're gonna off-road every weekend but truth is my truck has been in one muddy cornfield 1x in the year I've had it just to test the new tires, then every plan I made to off-road it got cancelled due to rain this year. Truth be told the all seasons it came with were probably better for my situation than even these Kumhos, though I do want to be prepared for Ohio snow.

 

[GBinAZ]

Any considerations for 255 vs 265?

I went with these

255/70/17

I little taller than stock, a little narrower than stock. No regrets so far.

 

[Tieguy77]

Thanks Gentlemen. I actually ordered the Duratracs shortly after my last post. The Tire guy looked at me like I was INSANE and couldn't figure out why I would put those tires on my Lexus. Z00t3ch is spot on, I have these fantasies of treks through the wildest of terrains etc...but in all reality the truck will spend the overwhelming majority of it's life on the highway. I hope I didn't make a huge mistake.

That said, with my pickup sold down the road, it will be nice to have a capable vehicle to handle some of the unplowed VT roads. Naturally the fellow behind the counter made it sound as if I would be destroying my car by adding these tires....I went up one size from stock to the 265/70/17. I was a little concerned about the specs which say that it is a 10.7" tire vs. the factory 10.4" but it seems so many run them on a stock vehicle I should not be worried about rubbing.

 

[z00t3ch]

By no means a huge mistake, just potentially a waste of grip as they wear down against mostly dry asphalt. You may get a snowstorm that makes you thankful you went with those.