Hey man, sweet ride!
I’m about to switch to the same tire as you. Would you recommend it?
Also, I like the combination lift / tires you choose. Any pics from the side?
Thanks!
I don't really see the point of upsizing tires unless you are doing some pretty serious trails. There are a lot of negatives for a pretty minor "improvement" in performance. Actually, the same argument can be made for a minor lift.
That said, the tread and sidewall design of a tire can make it look bigger or smaller. I moved from the stock tires to stock sized Wildpeak at3ws and they look much larger to me.
I have a 2.5”/1” lift on my Pro with 275 E rated KO2’s. A C rated or even an SL tire would be a better overall choice, which, a few manufacturers make in a 275. I think a 275 is a perfect size with a small lift as I like my mud flaps and not modifying anything else. Also, I had only a 1mpg drop in mileage and power loss was negligible.This is the second 4runner I've lifted, and I can honestly say that the tread pattern of the tire makes a much bigger difference than the size of the tire when it comes to appearance. I've got 275 K02 E rated on mine right now at stock height, and will be going back to 265 p rated Falkens when I install my lift soon. E rated tires are very much overkill for a 4Runner unless you plan on significant miles off road.
Running wheel spacers?
So here is an idea and what I ended up doing after trying several different sizes with my 2.5 lift.....
255 80 17 Ridge Grapplers. They weigh exactly the same as the 265 70 17 c rated version of the same tire. I do have SCS wheels with -12 offset, but this gives me a 33.4 inch wheel, performs great, and doesn't absolutely kill MPG. I personally thought the stock size looked silly at this height and tried to find the best compromise.
I've put roughly 13K miles on stock size KO2's with a 2+ inch Dobinson lift for about half of the time. They've performed well on and off road and I've been able to take them on a few off road trails. Everyone's need is different so If you don't feel like you need the additional clearance this is a great size given the load rating choices and weight. I'm looking to move up to 285/70/17s for both slightly more clearance given some of the other mods I'm doing to the rig and set up (improving clearance and towing a trailer). For reference, here are two images of my rig, one without the lift (stock size tires) and the other with it.
I see you have 505 springs in the back. Did you end up with 2” of lift out of those? On ExitOffroads site, it says it’s 1.5” but seems everyone is getting 2” unless you have a 200lbs in the back... thanks...