Hello and thanks for welcoming me to the forum. I’m a newbie to the world of larger and rugged vehicles. I’ve always been a smaller and nimble car owner. Now with the LC, I’m exploring and enjoying my bigger vehicle. I’m slowly adding accessories to it and now want to aggressively ass lights then camping items with the desire to get “away from it all” for a while. I’m recently retired and handy and looking for fun on the road… and off road.
Hi, I’m a newbie
- Thread starter XPLR-LC250
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Welcome to Land Cruiser! It sounds like you have a good plan in retirement which is critical - keep moving and dreaming! Ive had my '26 LC now for about 9 months and I smile every time I get to drive it. It's a wonderful vehicle on or off the road. Enjoy your retirement and enjoy your Cruiser!!
Be careful with that aggressive ass lighting! 
Seriously though, welcome! The best advice I can give is just start camping in whatever form it takes- afternoon drive to check out a park or trail, reading about a destination that captures your imagination, cooking a meal on the patio with your intended camping gear, or heading out for a night or two's shakedown trip. And one of your best early tools is a notepad and pen- make lists of everything, it'll help show what you need and what you have. If you're "outdoorsy", you probably already have 90% of what you'll need. Except recovery gear- kind of special and you either have it or you don't. The need for it depends on if you travel somewhat alone (vehicle-wise), how remote the locations you intend to visit are, and how much money you're willing to shell out on either recovery gear or recovery services (you don't need any gear provided you have $10K laying around to pay a service to extract you. You might even get change back!)
Best luck to you! (Btw, up state? Down state?)
Seriously though, welcome! The best advice I can give is just start camping in whatever form it takes- afternoon drive to check out a park or trail, reading about a destination that captures your imagination, cooking a meal on the patio with your intended camping gear, or heading out for a night or two's shakedown trip. And one of your best early tools is a notepad and pen- make lists of everything, it'll help show what you need and what you have. If you're "outdoorsy", you probably already have 90% of what you'll need. Except recovery gear- kind of special and you either have it or you don't. The need for it depends on if you travel somewhat alone (vehicle-wise), how remote the locations you intend to visit are, and how much money you're willing to shell out on either recovery gear or recovery services (you don't need any gear provided you have $10K laying around to pay a service to extract you. You might even get change back!)
Best luck to you! (Btw, up state? Down state?)
- Jul 7, 2025
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The only piece of advice I will give is to actively manage load and load distribution. This is a topic all unto itself, but something someone can easily get carried away against and ignore. Bone stock the LC is a heavy rig that mostly wheels light and forgiving. At my current 300# loadout (including doggos) I can start to perceive the difference off-pavement. Adding in the wife and three kiddos, it starts to feel like a legitimately heavy rig. This may not be applicable to your footprint or style of off-road, but I'm primarily wheeling on sand and washed-out backroads where it absolutely is.
@DubDub is absolutely correct on managing the load and loading, especially if you're intending to use a roof rack, especially especially if you're intending to use a Toyota supplied roof rack
Another credit to the honorable Dub- his thread on gear carried:
'What is your LC's permanent loadout?'
Another credit to the honorable Dub- his thread on gear carried:
'What is your LC's permanent loadout?'
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- #6
Thanks. Great advice. Mid-state.Be careful with that aggressive ass lighting!
Seriously though, welcome! The best advice I can give is just start camping in whatever form it takes- afternoon drive to check out a park or trail, reading about a destination that captures your imagination, cooking a meal on the patio with your intended camping gear, or heading out for a night or two's shakedown trip. And one of your best early tools is a notepad and pen- make lists of everything, it'll help show what you need and what you have. If you're "outdoorsy", you probably already have 90% of what you'll need. Except recovery gear- kind of special and you either have it or you don't. The need for it depends on if you travel somewhat alone (vehicle-wise), how remote the locations you intend to visit are, and how much money you're willing to shell out on either recovery gear or recovery services (you don't need any gear provided you have $10K laying around to pay a service to extract you. You might even get change back!)
Best luck to you! (Btw, up state? Down state?)
Welcome. Congratulation on the new LC. Don't go crazy with upgrading your truck, its very capable straight from the dealer. Maybe some AT tires and a premium horn upgrade (so folks can take your seriously). Have fun.
Welcome from KY!
Welcome...
Enjoy the ride !
Enjoy the ride !
- Thread starter
- #13
Funny, the horn was the first upgrade I did. I’ve done nothing too extensive yet. Only minor upgrades: dashcam, front seat jackers (big improvement), aesthetic amber marker lights beneath hood lip, cargo area lighting, snap shades on windows, sunglass storage near map lights, Bullet Point mounting system on dash (pricy but very solid).
Additional lights and tires would likely be the extent of it.
Do I keep the 20” rims or replace with 18”?
Welcome & congrats! Let us know if we can assist with any way in your build, whether that be guiding you to what suits your needs best or sourcing any parts!
I think the 20" wheels look great. If you aren't heavily wheeling and crawling, it's more of an aesthetic decision. 18s will ride slightly better and have slightly more grip at the limit, but both work and look fantastic. A/T's on 20s look sweet!
I think the 20" wheels look great. If you aren't heavily wheeling and crawling, it's more of an aesthetic decision. 18s will ride slightly better and have slightly more grip at the limit, but both work and look fantastic. A/T's on 20s look sweet!
When i got my truck it had the premium 20-inch wheels with Nittos and it looked awesome but i knew before i bought the truck i wanted Nittos on 18-inch TRD wheels that poked out more, so i waited 25k miles to make the change. Its up to you if you want more rubber between the wheel and the ground but it helps if you want to go off-off-road. I decided to go with 18 inch wheels with C-rated tires to save on MPG's. Folks that are hardcore usually get 17-inch wheels with E-rated tires (heavy and strong) and dont mind the gas tax. Here is a helpful link on wheels -
@Markarian421 has a detailed spreadsheet on many tires that will fit onto the LC, I believe it also includes the information from the Ed Martin video too
