Hola Folks!

Old CL family member here but with a new handle, new Lexus, and Drivers school candidate moniker ... but it’s good to be back. I’ve already introduced myself in the roll call thread and this Thread here will be my main one in regards to my 2018 GX460 Premium. The purpose of this thread is provide us GX owners with additional information that they may already know or not know.

As with most of us, I’m someone who cannot leave any of his vehicles bone stock. Conversely, I’m not one who takes it to the fullest either. I love to use my vehicles practically and can call on them whenever they are needed. I will be submitting photos and info of things I will be adding to my GX here that I wish to share the knowledge with. I probably won’t add too much, but at least I’ll have it documented. Not much info out there exists other than the great ClubLexus empire here. So I wish to continue to contribute however I can for the greater good of this Second Gen GX platform as it evolves.

For the things I chose for my vehicle, it’s not THE absolute way to do it. We each have our own tastes and we should follow them accordingly. It will serve a gauge to what we each have in mind. Other GX owners will have an idea of what my posts will present. My purpose with this GX is to have an off road capable vehicle ready to go camping and take me to lesser visited fishing destinations around the country.

Feel free to ask me any questions. I am not one who closely guards his info. We’re in it together.

So without further ado, I’ll “kick” this off with new shoes. For me, this was the first no-brainer. I do not dig the sunken in look of the factory 18” wheels wrapped in Bridgestone rubbers. I love the rugged look of the off road equipped Tacoma’s and 4 Runners(a car highly considered if it weren’t for the killer deal on this GX). In fact, I upgraded the stocks on my 2006 Tacoma. Without a lift or any suspension mods, it totally transformed the look without sacrificing much at all. So the same had to be done for my GX. After doing a lot of research, I ultimately decided on down sizing to 17” wheels to display a higher profile sidewall all terrain tire. Wheel choices literally beat me into sleepless nights for the last few weeks. As fortune and fate would have it, I came across a brand new set of Method wheels for a pretty reasonable price. So I scooped them up the day after signing the papers for this GX.

The tires were easier to decide on. All Terrains were without a doubt my choice. With light to moderate trail riding in mind, I would need a set that would be both quiet and smooth on paved roads yet will be able to tackle the dirt, mud, and snow if needs be. Extreme off roading and rock climbing is not what I’m using this car for..lol. After going back and forth between General Grabber AT2’s(what I’m running on my Tacoma), the Toyo Open Country A/T’s, BFG KO2’s, and the Falken Wildpeak AT3’s...I went with the Falkens. Here’s why. At roughly $139 a piece after taxes, they were easily the most affordable. That’s not why I chose them. After reading numerous reviews, they are as advertised. They are super quiet on the highway. They look the best of the bunch in my opinion. They look super aggressive without the typical fuss associated with a tire of that nature. They are quieter than Grabber AT2’s on my Tacoma. So far, they have exceeded my expectations. I have yet to put them them on a trail. This will happen fairly shortly, so stay tuned. The same will be noted about tread life progress of these tires.

Here are the Specs on my set up.

Wheels:

Method MR305 - 6x5.5 lug pattern

17x8.5 with a 0 offset(gives it that slight poke) but I like that look for an off roading vehicle.

Backspace is 4.5” (clears factory calipers)

I’m not running the center caps(personal preference and have since painted the rear hub centers black)


Tires:

Falken Wildpeak AT3

265/65R17 (the over all diameter is 30.5”, which is the same as the factory 265/60R18 tires)

Inflated to 38psi

So far, this combo is ultra smooth with a slight(I mean real slight) road hum at highway speeds. Some of my friends couldn’t tell the difference when they rode in it prior to the switching. No shimmy or vibrations are felt. They balanced out perfectly on the Hunter equipment. They don’t rub for now. Turning lock to lock in either direction does not rub up front. It comes close, but doesn’t touch. I surmise that it will slightly rub if my vehicle is loaded down while off roading. This is due to the fact that the wheels negatively moved outwards beyond the fender and the aggressive shoulder lugs of the Falken tires. So far so good though. I don’t plan on lifting her for now. I just wanted more capable shoes. I’m happy with how she sits right now. Sorry for lengthy initial post...Until the next update!

Thanks bud...I always thought the GX’s would benefit greatly from a wheel/tire set that was slightly more aggressive ... I’m just glad the one I chose didn’t change the ride/comfort if any at all...

Just a quick update...got the FrontRunner Slimline II rook rack system installed this weekend...I’m pleased with the entire system...installation wasn’t difficult ... took longer than normal because I didn’t want to rush things ... being a smaller dude, help from a friend definitely helped ... the instructions from FRO were pretty spot on...I would suggest laying out all of the parts and grouping them together...I also added the Expedition Rails, keeping the front end open by using 2 End kits...this will work nicely for all of our travel bags up top with a net securing them down...the only drawback with these is that the require the removal of the corner caps to slide the railing feet out if you don’t want the added height when not carrying items up top...here is a quick shot...more cleaner pictures will come at the end of this week hopefully ... cheers y’all

3 month update! Acquired a 5th Wheel/Tire along with a custom hitch mounted Spare Carrier...seeing areas less frequented lately

Looks great, would do something similar if I did anything.