So, after reading through many pages of discussions about mounting 275/55R20 on the stock 5th Gen Limited Wheels, I just couldn't get over the fact that almost every manufacturer recommended a minimum of a 7.5 rim for that size tire. While I was/am interested in choosing a different tire than the 2 all-season OEM options for my 2011 Limited, I would prefer to mount a tire that was "approved" for the rim size. With that criteria set, I looked into the Continental CrossContact LX20 in P275/55R20 and found that TireRack approved them for a 7" rim as many other had stated. Then the engineer in me whispered "verify...", so I went to the Continental website and noticed that the CrossContact LX tires were approved for the 7" rim, but the CrossContact LX20's were approved for a minimum of a 7.5" rim. WTH??
http://www.continentaltire.com/www/download/tires_us_en/themes/light_truck___suv/highway___street/img/data_sheet_en.pdf
http://www.continentaltire.com/www/download/tires_us_en/themes/light_truck___suv/highway___street/hidden/printable_datasheet_en.pdf
I sent an email to Tirerack AND Continental, where Continental quickly responded with the following email:
"
Continental tire rim mounting question
Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Renae) 11/11/2013 03:47 PM
Dear Daniel,
[Web Inquiry: 131110-000007]
Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.
The 275/55R20 should be used on 7.5" to 9.5" rims. This is a typo on our web site and Tire Rack's.
Sincerely,
Continental Tire the Americas, LLC
Customer Relations"
I had also asked Continental if the tire was not recommended for this rim size simply because they did not test this particular rim size, or if it was specifically restricted due to its size (as others have posted regarding sidewall stress and potential cupping issues). As I sort of expected, they kept their answer simple and did not respond to that part of the question.
I know that many on this board would love for this Thread to go away, and I also know that there are many 4Runners running 275/55R20's on stock Limited rims and very satisfied with their purchase. I was pretty comfortable purchasing the larger tires on the stock Limited rims thinking that there was at least one or two manufacturers that allowed a 7" rim with this tire size, but now that I know it was an error, I am less likely to deviate. I am now leaning toward picking up some 5th Gen SR5 or Trail 17" rims with snow (Blizzak) or AT (LTX A/T2 or something more aggressive and fun ) tires for the winter and run OEM Geolanders for the rest of the year.
I'm new here and have appreciated this site and its many members that have helped me become more familiar with my 4Runner. Thanks!
