When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
265/65 R18- 2019 GX Luxury- Stock suspension, no lift, no rub, no spare
This thread is so good! And I learned so much that I figured I would post some pics of my recent stock upgrade to 265/65R 18.
I went to America’s tire today and put on 265/65 R18 BF Goodrich KO2s.
This is a 2019 luxury version CPO with 24,000 miles on the odometer and the factory hitch, which I understand, has a little less space than some other hitch options. I went there wanting the tires and hoping that a smaller tread width tire would fit in the spare well. I bought a 255/70 R 18 as the spare which is the same diameter, but narrower and $50 cheaper.
Before with Bridgestone Duelers- 265/60 R18 Lots of before room
When I returned to the shop, the tires looked great on the rig, but they told me the spare tire would not fit in the spare well. That is OK with me because most of my driving will be within AAA range for flats and if I go off road, I will simply put the tire in the back or on an eventual roof rack or bumper carrier. I probably should have kept my original spare with no tread wear to sell, but whatever. I figure the added weight of the KO2's is offset by not carrying the spare since this is our weekend care / road trip car most of the time.
After- Much more aggressive. Slightly larger sidewall Plenty of room; no rub, no modifications Updated- 265/65 R18 DID fit in spare well (see post below), but the shop didn't replace it due to need to tilt tire when replacing it. You can also fit this with a different, non-factory hitch.
I chose this size (265/65 R18 after reading through many many forums (thank you everyone!) and decided that I would drive these until the CPO warranty is over in two years and then perhaps do a lift and bigger tires. Although it sounds like others have had success with wider 275's, I decided to stick to the narrower 265's for fit and also what some have said is better snow performance in certain conditions.
Fit- There is absolutely no rubbing in the front or rear, even with full steering lock. I wanted tires small enough to avoid rubbing, but also would get full articulation and wouldn’t change my speedometer too much. I didn’t do the zip tie trick or remove any bolts at all. I’ve only driven about 30 miles on them, but already noticed that the ride is MUCH smoother than the Bridgestone Duelers that is came with. It also looks much more aggressive.
I’m slightly disappointed that the spare does not fit, however, I like the look of these tires and the ride quality so far.
Just paying it forward since so many people helped me with their sharing. Let me know your thoughts, and if you have any questions.
Can someone tell me why stock 460 wheels are rubbing on my 2008 470? Everything I’ve read says this should be an ok fit but there’s definitely rubbing happening!
Can someone tell me why stock 460 wheels are rubbing on my 2008 470? Everything I’ve read says this should be an ok fit but there’s definitely rubbing happening!
I think you'll be better served asking this question in the 470 section. everyone posting in this thread has the 460, and this thread is specific to Stock wheels with larger tires on 460's. also, without stating the size of the tire, nobody will have any ability to respond to your question when you post in the 470 section.
For those wanting a bit more of an aggressive setup, I was able to fit 275/70r18s on stock wheels on my completely stock GX. This size equates roughly to a 33x11, the tires are E rated Falken AT3Ws. The actual measured size with weight on the tires & 34 psi is 33.5x11.25. I have seen two reports on here about others fitting this size on an oem GX and I’d have to say that this is not remotely possible with the minimal trimming others have reported. I am comfortable with cutting to make tires fit, but I would not recommend this setup for anyone with less appetite for cutting and trimming your rig.
In order to make these fit at stock height, I did an aggressive body mount chop, trimmed the front and rear lower portions of the wheel well liner, trimmed the front bumper & steps, and am running 1.5” spacers. At least a 1” spacer is necessary to clear the UCA. Additionally I have the UCA cams set to move the wheel as forward as possible. I have about 1” of clearance at full lock & stuff on the body mount after my trimming. This is just a temporary setup, I will be adding Camburg LT and 37s within the next year.
Here are a few pics of the body mount chop and tires on the GX. It’s worth mentioning that the picture of the BMC does not show the pinch weld plastic being removed and the actual pinch weld being hammered flat. This is not necessary to fit this size, however is necessary for my future plans.
.
Last edited by willworkforboost; 11-05-23 at 11:11 AM.
thanks for your post and pics, willworkforboost. proportions and placement of your tires and wheels are exactly what I would like, but I don't have the nerves or budget to do the mods you have. looks great, though. thanks for sharing.
I was preparing to purchase spacers for my Lexus GX460 tire upgrade however, after installing the Michelin Defender LTX 275/65 R18s - spacers seem much less necessary. The Michelin Defender physically and visually fills the wheelwell quite well with no rub. Very pleased with the performance.
Michelin Defender LTX Installed.
My GX looks same as yours. Just removed 1.25" spacers to remedy vibration. Do you have a pic of the side profile of the gx. I'll probaly go with this setup and be done with it
2017 GX460.
100% stock suspension. I did swap out the infamous bolt for a rounded screw and no rubbing. I did that prior to installation so not sure if it was needed.
275/65/18 BFG KO2s.
I'd love to swap out my wheels for some FSport wheels but the slight difference in offset makes me think I'll need to do cutting. Can anyone confirm?
Also, has it been confirmed that a 275/65/18 KO2 will fit in the spare location without modification?
Here's my contribution.
I'd love to swap out my wheels for some FSport wheels but the slight difference in offset makes me think I'll need to do cutting. Can anyone confirm?
You can plasti dip those in anthracite or black and get a whole new look for not a lot of money. I’ve got 40k miles on the ones that I did that do and have only done minor touch ups after each oil change.
Thanks to this thread, I was able to decide quickly on a new set for my '22 GX Premium. I'll leave this post here and I hope it can help someone else, too. Thanks, OP, for this thread!
Stock Bridgestone Dueler H/T lasted just under 40,000 miles.
Tires: Falken Wildpeak H/T HT02
Size: 265/65/18
Cost: Full set (all 5) @ $192/each - Total with fees is $1,165.44 at Discount Tire, Prosper, TX
Setup: No rub, no mods, no lift, stock premium wheels (black)
The spare fits in the spare wheel well with a couple of inches to spare, it looks like. See pictures for details.
Front Rear Profile front angle Profile rear angle Wheel well hitch side Wheel well sway bar side Wheel well sway bar side (phone directly beneath, on the floor)
Just a quick update on these tires... since I do 60% highway, 30% city/local roads, and 10% off-road, I find these to be a great choice. After driving 120 miles total (just got home), I can report back with some of my findings that forum members might find interesting/helpful. Although road noise and vibration is minimal, I can definitely feel and hear it compared to the factory Dueler H/Ts. It's negligible, but it's there. There's also some felt rolling resistance and obvious weightiness to these tires. Acceleration is a bit lethargic in that regard, but otherwise very, very smooth. The gas mileage hasn't suffered by much, though. Just by my estimation since I haven't done a full tank yet, I think I'm losing about 1 mpg. We'll see about my drive tomorrow, which will be another 120 miles, starting with a full tank. Also, my speedometer is finally 1:1 with the GPS! I no longer have to do mental arithmetic when setting cruise control. I haven't tried these under wet conditions or snow yet, obviously, so that part remains to be seen. So far, though, these seem to be great highway tires (obviously, H/T = highway tread). The big, aggressive lugs look nice and rugged, but for sweeping curves, straights, and at high speeds (85-90mph), they handle very closely in comparison to most good all-seasons. Having experienced the factory Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts for 39,000 miles, I can say I would never buy those again. These, on the other hand, I definitely will. In fact, I'm considering these for the '21 NX 300 once the Yokohama Geolandars on that car are bald. Great tires, too, to be fair, but these Falken Wildpeak H/T HT02s look so much cooler especially for highway tires.
Recently installed a 2.5”/2” lift with Bilstein 5100s and OME springs with SPC UCAs. Tires upgraded to 285/70 17, but had to swap for 275/70 17 due to tire rub in rear of front fender well. Unfortunately 275s still rubbed. I had already done the screw replacement and used a heat gun. I also had 2 different shops align it hoping they would be able to adjust the camber enough to prevent rubbing, but no dice, even with the adjustable SPC UCAs. Ended up trimming out a chunk of the inner fender liner and that did the trick, no more rubbing.