Yes, it's always a sign of the highest possible quality when they're made by "whomever" and have been in production with a wide variety of LC fitments over many years
.Need help choosing tires; mainly concerned about weight.
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Yes, it's always a sign of the highest possible quality when they're made by "whomever" and have been in production with a wide variety of LC fitments over many years
The sign of quality is from me picking it up and looking at / touching them in person. I don't give a darn what name is one them- that's a silly consumerist mindset.
Just because I can't tell you the factory that produced them doesn't mean they're not a quality wheel. Method wheels are beloved and come out of a factory in China.
Had a set of TE's on my Integra Type-S and loved them.. but I paid over 4k for them and had to wait like 6 months to get them. The specs of these FN wheels are better suited for the LC (bore and width) and scratch the JDM style itch.
toyo at3 jiust came out with a 35x10.5x17 at 55lbs
Yes, it's always a sign of the highest possible quality when they're made by "whomever" and have been in production with a wide variety of LC fitments over many years
Hi @D-mac ,
I'm not sure how to interpret the context of your message, but I'd like to clarify that @culley ordered wheels from my company : FN Wheels. I've been in this business for almost 25 years, I have owned many Toyota trucks and SUVs (currently own four Toyotas), and I have specialized in Toyota fitments for close to 19 years now. I'm also one of, if not the last, companies that is still approachable, answers phone calls, posts on the forums and meets with customers all the time.
If you have any questions about our wheels I'd be more than happy to answer them.
Do any of your wheels match the offset of our Land Cruisers?Hi @D-mac ,
I'm not sure how to interpret the context of your message, but I'd like to clarify that @culley ordered wheels from my company : FN Wheels. I've been in this business for almost 25 years, I have owned many Toyota trucks and SUVs (currently own four Toyotas), and I have specialized in Toyota fitments for close to 19 years now. I'm also one of, if not the last, companies that is still approachable, answers phone calls, posts on the forums and meets with customers all the time.
If you have any questions about our wheels I'd be more than happy to answer them.
Hi @ultane ,
Good question.
My company (FN Wheels) has never been an OEM replica or OEM offset wheel brand. I offer offsets ranging from slightly more aggressive (OEM+) to significantly more aggressive.
I've been very active in in this thread discussing new wheels that we are developing with higher offsets, hub centric center bores, proper lug hole drilling for safe stud engagement, excellent brake caliper clearance, etc. Please take a look (there's a ton of good information in this thread):
High Offset Wheels (>=than 40mm)
Hey all thought we could have a thread that listed the high offset wheels (>=40mm) that would fit with stock suspension so as more manufactures produce wheels others can refer to the list. From my knowledge the two that are advertising 18 inch wheels equal to or greater than +40mm offset are...
www.landcruiserforum.com
To summarize briefly, we have a 17x8.5" +34mm offset wheel coming soon (I would consider this to be a moderately aggressive offset for most Land Cruiser owners, but not over-the-top), and we've developed two new 17x8.5" options with up to +48mm offset that will be available in the Spring. We're almost done with two new designs in 18x8" +40mm and 18x8.5" +48mm as well.
If you're looking to match precisely the OEM offset for the Land Cruiser 250 (i.e. 18x7" +70mm for a Land Cruiser 1958, 18x7.5" +60mm or 20x7.5" +60mm for a Land Cruiser 250), then your best bet is going to be to keep your factory wheels. Extremely high positive offsets (i.e. +60 or higher) impose restrictions on the design that make it almost impossible to incorporate any depth, concavity or intricacies. Such narrow rim widths/high offsets can also be very limiting if you want to increase your tire size.
Just let me know if I can answer any other questions at all. I'm always happy to discuss wheels with fellow Toyota enthusiasts.
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Thanks for the explanation. I’ve heard that Toyota is, or can, deny warranty claims on the affected areas of the vehicle when other than stock dimensions are used.
I guess I will give up searching for something that will be the same specs as the stock wheels.
You're very welcome. Thank you for raising good points.
Regarding Toyota warranty claims - I can say that I have never experienced or heard of anyone being denied a warranty claim for aftermarket wheels.
With that said, I can envision a scenario where someone goes into the dealership with a bad wheel bearing, worn out ball joints or bushings, or some similar issue and they were denied a warranty claim because they had installed 37" tires on negative offset wheels with a total assembled weight of 120lbs per corner. In my opinion that would be a reasonable cause for denying a specific warranty claim.
In my opinion it would be a major stretch to deny someone's claim for a suspension component if that person installed wheels with +30mm or even +20mm offset on their Land Cruiser 250.
Why do I feel that way? Because both the 6th Generation 4Runner Trail Hunter and the 4th Generation Tacoma Trail Hunter, which are ostensibly very similar to the Land Cruiser 250 (built on the same platform with some minor differences), come equipped with 18x8.5" +20mm offset wheels directly from Toyota. My argument would be that if those vehicles are factory equipped with 18x8.5" +20mm then the Land Cruiser components should be able to easily handle the same wheel specs.
I really think this is a non-issue though, as warranty denials related to wheel and tire changes (within reason) aren't something I've ever experienced in 20+ years of working with Toyota owners, working with Toyota dealerships, talking with customers who are employed by Toyota (both Toyota corporate and Toyota dealerships) and owning many Toyotas with aftermarket wheels myself.
Unrelated to wheels, but related to bogus warranty denials, I would like to share a very brief incident that I had with my 2005 Tundra back when it was brand new with just a few thousand miles on it. The air conditioning completely stopped working shortly after I bought the truck. I bought it in January 2005, so I hadn't really had much of a reason to use the air conditioning. When I brought it in for the warranty repair the dealership tried to deny the claim because of a few tiny pebbles in the condenser fins. After some back and forth I was able to get them to fix it, but it was extremely frustrating at the time. 20 years later I still have the 2005 Tundra, it has a ton of bent fins with debris lodged in the condenser and the a/c still blows ice cold.
Moral of the story - if they want to try to deny a warranty claim they can find just about any excuse. You just have to push back sometimes.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.
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I'm with you.. I've been holding off on new rims/rubber. I'd like to stick to 18" rims, and I feel like the longer we wait, the more options coming to market. I think we are looking for the same thing. Same (maybe slightly more) weight per corner than the stock 18s, slightly more aggressive offset without rub or need for new mudflaps/etc. I do have an argument for a 3PMSF rated tire over the crappy OEM rubber. I don't want/need to run dedicated snows. I like the tires you're looking at.. more highway focused, but look capable. 90% of my driving is pavement in this rig.
How much of a difference was there in ride quality? I am considering E load but don't want it to feel like im driving a brick.
There is a large change in ride feel, but since I added the new suspension at the same time I changed tires, it is impossible to help with this question about load ratings on the tire. I mean the whole package offers an improved feeling in my opinion. It is firmer but feels very tuned in, and precise, and I like it.
I am sorry I cannot offer more help but want to be honest with you.
E load will feel like a brick. I had 265/70R18 KO3 tires in an E load and after about 2500 miles I got rid of them. Way to stiff for me.
I do not have experience with multiple tires on the LC specifically, but having had E load tires on multiple other vehicles, I can tell you there are other factors at play. The suspension on the vehicle is a big one. I think the LC has a soft enough suspension to allow for a comfortable ride with E load. How much you inflate them makes a difference as well. I wouldn't go too far past 40ish PSI if you want to maintain relative comfort.
If you fill those tires to 50 or 60 (or more), you'll feel the bumps. You don't need that much air in the tires unless you're hauling/towing something HEAVY. Some people who don't know better do this anyway. This will also likely wear the tires unevenly. So don't do that
Don't get too scared when someone claims they'll feel like driving on solid wheels; there are countless people who drive "normal-duty" SUVs and pickups with E load tires and are just fine. My midsize pickup has E rated BFGs and I drive around town just fine - but I'm also used to it. Just keep them properly inflated for your use.
In the end, it is subjective. How it feels to you may very well depend on what you're currently accustomed to driving. If you're looking for a cushy old time Buick feel, definitely don't go E rated.
I guess I should clarify that the stock size 265/70R18 in E load felt like a brick. The larger tires in E load did not bother me so much. I ran 285/70R17 on my 4Runner for ten years in E load and it did not seem as harsh as the LC stock size tire in E load. But I also had a ICON Vehicle Dynamics suspension kit on my 4Runner as well so not exactly apples to apples. I will be putting the 285/70R18 E load Toyo Open Country A/T III tires on my stock setup LC to try out, you know, for science, to see how they feel and perform on the road as well as off. They were only 1 or 2 pounds heavier than the 34/10.5R17 Toyos that I have.
An E Range tire may ride firmer than an SR rated tire, but with the sidewall not having the strength as an E Range tire won't be as responsive and will succumb easier to a pot hole or something encountered on the trail or roadway. Fitting a wider tire or maxing out tires on a rim (width) also comes with its issues, and aren't going to be as responsive as one fitted properly to an appropriate width rim. Ideally the bead of the tire should be perpendicular to the width of the tread. A wider tire exhibiting sidewall bulge won't steer as direct and could be less stable in adverse handling and breaking situations. Understandably a less expensive tire will be lighter and yield a softer ride, yet there's an obvious trade off that some may never experience. Consider an evasive maneuver and your vehicle will react unlike it was designed to do, and that's not a good thing, especially if you lack the talent to hustle a vehicle through a bad situation. Too many unhappy with the ride quality of their vehicle and always looking for a remedy. A properly specced tire can make a vehicle and one not so can ruin a nice vehicle. If your vehicle rides too taught, contemplate purchasing one that better suits your desires?
