Fitting 33-Inch tires on 5th gen 4runner Without Body Modifications!

It's time, time to discuss how to fit 33-inch tires on a 5th gen 4runner without modifying the body. No body mount chop, no bumper cutting, and no fender liner mod. This is how I fit true 33-inch tires on my 4runner.
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[@LadyToyz]

I came here looking for the 255/85 answer, I dont want to purchase 2 sets of tires... Must Have Answers!! This lady can't wait lol...I subed and hopefully will see the answer I need soon. Great vid BTW... It explained enough for those that don't have a suspension clue and didn't leave those of us that do too bored. Keep up the keeping up.. It's past this old ladies bedtime... Peace!

[@EmbarkWithMark]

Well, if I can get a hold of 255/85s I'll try it. It's tough though, tire prices seem to go up every time I look at them.

[@minifunkable]

I installed ironman stage 3 FCP with their metal bumper. Ppl say it rides better but mine are stiff and rough especially on local roads. You feel the roughness. Highway isn't bad. Stock was more comfortable on city driving.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

What weight rating did you choose for the springs?

[@minifunkable]

@@EmbarkWithMark 3 front since I put metal bumper, 2 rear.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

@@minifunkable oh, I was asking what spring rate, not the height. I went 2.5 front and rear and mine rides great so far. Spring rate (light or heavy spring) has a huge affect in how the vehicle handles extra weight. If you went with a heavy spring and the front bumper is fairly light, than that could be one reason you feel the suspension is more firm. If you don't have one yet, a winch might add the extra weight you need to soften things up. (if you went with a heavy spring).

[@minifunkable]

@EmbarkWithMark I didn't know there was light or heavy spring rate for ironman. I thought only height. 3" front 2" rear I got since I got their metal raid bumper. It is so stiff stuff in my cargo clunks.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

Yes, Ironman have different spring rates depending on how heavy your rig is. My only guess is that you have heavy rated springs front and rear. Probably not enough weight in the rear. I’m unsure of your exact issue but you’re the first person I’ve come across to say Ironman is stiff. Might be worth spending some time troubleshooting.

[@stephencarbajal5657]

Interesting because I installed the OME BP51'S with UCA'S and threw 285/70R17 with a set of method wheels and 0 offset, 0 rubbing even at full flex. Something to also note is not all tire manufacturer size tires aren't true to size. Love mine

[@EmbarkWithMark]

True, all tires are different sizes between brands. You could get 285/70r17 that runs small because of the brand. Did you do any mods? Fender liner mod? Any rubbing at full lock and flex? Also know that 285/70r17 is a good bit smaller than 255/80r17. It's nice that a larger narrower tire fits well.

[@stephencarbajal5657]

@@EmbarkWithMark no trimming at all not even the mud flaps removal. Also no rubbing full tuck or lock.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

@@stephencarbajal5657 What tires are you running?

[@stephencarbajal5657]

@@EmbarkWithMark the new BF KM3's

[@EmbarkWithMark]

@@stephencarbajal5657 Ahh. Those seem to be pretty nice. I will say, I’ve run a lot of BFGs and they all seem to run a bit small that’s probably why you have no issues. With that said, I really like BFGs and have ran a lot of their tires. They’ve always been good to me. Glad you like your tires!

[@trailrunnah8886]

Great video, I really like the way you explain the negatives of a wider tire. Not a lot of people get that, I see a lot of people commenting in the different groups about needing wheel spacers to cure rubbing, and it's like no it's going to rub more! Question about the 255s: I know they are only available in e-load, and quite a bit heavier than the stock tires. How did the extra weight and stiffer sidewall impact your ride quality? I really want to do this size on mine, but I do 99.99% of my driving on the street, I really don't want a rough ride from e-load tires.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

Yea, I'm sure where the spacer came from or why it's so popular but here we are. We lifted the 4runner the same time we put the tires on. I can't feel any difference as far as harshness goes. We run a lot of different terrains and really can't say the tires make the ride rough at all.

[@InGratitudeIam]

You definitely took a great approach. Like you, I run 33" "pizza cutters" (255/80 R17) on my 5thGen 4Runner. The wheels are the TRD Pro with a +4 offset and are 7" wide. The improvement in traction off road, as well as wet and snow on road is insane. It's amazing. Plus, I'm able to go offroad and keep up with the Jeeps. You just need to pick the right line and go slowly over rocks. If you really want to go with 35" tires, you should. Just know what to expect when going to that larger size because it gets complicated. You might even have to do some fender work and possibly a BMC. Sandy Cats has some great YT videos on this. If you go to 34" or 35" a few things will happen. Stability goes down when off-camber and you'll start breaking steering components and CV joints. Unsprung weight goes way up. Look up the difference in weight between a stock size, a 33" tire and a 35" one. It's considerable. And if you haven't already, you'll need to regear the f/r diffs. The amount of stress you would impose on the drivetrain with 34s or 35s is considerable. More than likely, you'll need to upgrade your brakes as well because of the increase in unsprung weight and the increased leverage exerted by the larger tires. Stopping power will suffer and braking distances will increase. Your gas mileage will also take a considerable hit. So will acceleration. You should consider doing a regear and improving your brakes (Wilwood is great) before going larger than 33s. And if you go off road, consider replacing the radiator with a CSF radiator designed for the 4Runner that is all aluminum and nearly twice the capacity. The 4Runner is an amazing platform. The engineers knew what they were doing.

[@WendzDarKnight08]

I have stock SR5 rims with 285/70R17. 2.75 lift in front with no modifications. No rubbing on road but slight rubbing on off roads. Would love 35’s but for now 285’s are fine.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

Thank you for sharing your experience! This is pretty normal for a 285. The nice thing about the 255 is they are a taller tire and have zero rubbing on or off road. 4runners really don't like wider tires.

[@WendzDarKnight08]

@@EmbarkWithMark I was debating 255’s but I live in the desert. Wider tires seem to do better in deep sand. Narrow tires are good for snow/ice. We hardly get ice out here in AZ 🇺🇸 I do love the taller 75 tires.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

@@WendzDarKnight08 I also live in the desert. My experience is opposite, lol. :) I’ve done lots of testing with my Jeeps. The narrow tire seems to always do a bit better. With that said though, run what you like! 👍

[@ericparayno211]

Thank you sir !

[@EmbarkWithMark]

Most welcome!

[@ericparayno211]

@@EmbarkWithMark definitely do a follow up if you try out the 255/85/R17’s

[@f16grinch3]

So 2.5” lift in front and nothing in the back? Great video. Thank you.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

2.5” all the way around. Thank you!

[@nickt3144]

Awesome info Sir, thank you. BTW you look and talk like a Jeremy Renner but not confined to an office.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

You are welcome! You think so?!

[@MyProjectsFL]

Not sure you can answer this question, because it sounds like you had the lift before the tires, but I'm running a 2" level kit, so just the front was lifted a little and wondered if i could fit the 255/80-17's on the thing with no mods at all? It seems possible, would you have any info to share about that? I also watched your, "would a 255/80 spare tire fit" video, that was also nice to know.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

I'll give you all the info I have. Yes, I installed the lift and tires at the same time. I fit 255/80/17s stuff without any rubbing at all. Which, by my measurements, tells me that the wheel wells are big enough to fit this size of tire. That is to say I think this tire would fit a none lifted rig with minimal adjustments. A lift kit on a 5th gen 4runner does not add clearance for bigger tires, because of how IFS works. I think you'd be fine with a 255/80r17. I do have an aftermarket upper control arm to help fix the geometry of the front end after lifting 2.5's. That does help center the front tire. Thank you for watching my other video, glad you are enjoying them. :)

[@MyProjectsFL]

@@EmbarkWithMark Thanks, time will tell on this, as I do intend to get those tires soon. Do you know if it would be better with the Off Road rims of the Pro rims? It appears the Pros are slightly more narrow 7" vs 7.5" off road, since going to a smaller tire. I'm just wondering what off set each rim offers. I mostly did the 2" puck light on the front to level lit out, if i gained anything for tire fitment, great, but that wasn't my main goal. Like my Bronco, the 4Runner just looks so much better level adn without the rake.

[@viperc18]

Would changing out the front bumper (upgrading to a metal w/ winch) allow me to run the Falken Wildpeak R/T01 tire [33x12.50R17]. I also will be doing the 2” coil over lift.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

Most likely not. The front bumper is easy to deal with by pushing forward the plastic inner fender well (or removing it with the bumper your talking about). The issue with tires that wide, your going to most likely need a body mount chop, spacers to kick the tires away from the upper control arm, and you might have to do some trimming in the fender well where the pinch seam is. If your going to do all that work, I would be inclined to look at the C4 oversized tire fitment kit. Personally I'ld just look for a 255/80r17 tire you like and not bother with all of that work.

[@viperc18]

@@EmbarkWithMark I found a set of Toyos that are less expensive. Thanks for the help

[@viperc18]

Additional question. Would the viper look, albeit a body mod, negate the 12.5 width issue? This is my first 4Runner.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

@@viperc18 It would not. For 12.5 wide tires, regardless if you modify the front bumper, you'd still need to do a body mount chop to the cab mount behind the front tire, and have to mess with pinch seem and fender well. Plus with a tire that wide your going to have to play with wheel spacers to get the tire away from the upper control arm while not going to far out. The bigger the wheel spacer the worse the tire fitment issue will be. The best advice I can give you is, 4runners hate wide tires not tall tires. I hope this helps.

[@Smokey0284]

Have you ran the tires without UCAs? I'm hoping they'll work without issue on an Eibach 2"/1" lift/stock UCAs.

[@EmbarkWithMark]

I’ve not. Not to say it won’t work, it very well might. I would consider UCAs a need as soon as the lift exceeds 1”. It really is a good thing to have. Correcting the alignment and geometry is well worth the cost.

[@LukeChiao]

⁠wa curios about this as well because the eibach kits seem to work w/o aftermarket UCAs

[@EmbarkWithMark]

@@LukeChiao All depends on lift height. Personally I would not lift a 4runner passed an inch without touching the upper control arm.

[@LukeChiao]

@@EmbarkWithMark Thanks - Your video and Tinkerers" really gave me a better understanding of the 4runner's IFS.

[@LadyToyz]

if the wider 265 doesnt rub, why would the narrower 255? I'm running eibachs as well, in search of cheap factory rims so I can buy the Mickey Thompsons 255/85 and see if they work.

[@austindevlin7681]

But will this size tire fit without a lift

[@EmbarkWithMark]

I’m pretty confident you could fit these tires with no lift, but this is just a confident guess. If I had access to a stock 4Runner id see if they’d fit properly.

[@austindevlin7681]

@@EmbarkWithMark were you located? lol, you can use mine.

[@luisdelfin18]

Hi guys, what kind of budget do i need to do a work like that?

[@EmbarkWithMark]

Depends on a few factors. How much lift do you want, and are you going to do the work yourself? I recommend looking at the tires you want to run, than the lift, than the components to make everything work correctly ( I.E. upper control arms, rear trac bar relocation bracket).