Tire upgrades on 20 in. rims?

[ahochste]

Has anyone upgraded from the Dunlops to a more trail worthy tire on the optional 20 in. rims? If so could you please post pics and initial impressions?

I currently have a LC Premium w/20 inchers sitting in the Port of Portland. The first thing I plan on doing is upgrading the tires to KO2s, Falken Wildpeak AT4Ws or Toyo Open Country IIIs. I want the three peak mountain snowflake designation and that severely limits my options, particularly when compared to 18 in rims.

I had Falken Wildpeak AT4Ws installed on my 20's today. They look fantastic! I'm heading out west in a couple of weeks to get them out on some trails. We'll see if you can't wheel on 20's like people seem to think.

 

[Altitude]

I have a LC with 20 inch wheels. I am getting a shimmy when going over bumps in the road. I am use to cars versus a truck type vehicle. Is this just normal? I am taking it to the dealer on Friday to have them check the balance on the tires. But, if they check everything and I still have the same problem, I wanted to see if different tires would help the problem? I want all season tires and want to stay with the 20 inch wheels. Please let me know if you have any advice. I don’t plan on doing any off roading. I bought the vehicle because I wanted something different, liked the way it looked, and wanted to sit higher! And, I am a Badass Bitch! Just kidding!

These have live rear axles in the back, which are more or less the old school axle design where you have a horizontal member connecting the wheels that’s driven by a bearing in the middle. It’s the way all cars were up to a point. Off road vehicles still use them in some cases, especially body on frame trucks like the Land Cruiser.

The live axles do shimmy a little on road imperfections. Someone might come along with a technical explanation for why, but they do. There may be nothing wrong with your vehicle. Probably still makes sense to have it looked at though.

Enjoy - get it off the pavement a little so you can experience the upside!

 

[T-Ern]

Toyo Open Country A/T 3 in 275/60R20.

 

[cruiser2nv]

Toyo open country AT/3 on 20 inch. 275/60R20

 

[Nick]

Went with a slightly bigger tire size (275/60 R20) and had the Continental Terrain Contact A/T installed.

View attachment 9289

Those have been my favorite tires. Always were excellent on wet roads wet breaking dry breaking cornering. I just absolutely love those tires! I always have put them as my first tire change on my vehicles. I even replace new hand cooks for those cause those hand cooks suck on wet roads. They came on my Hondas.

 

[mkg]

I ordered 275/60/20 General Arctic Grabbers for winter.. should be arriving in a week or two, and installed in maybe 3-4 weeks after. With snow on the ground ~5-6 months of the year, I had to have a dedicated set.
For next spring, I have a set of aftermarket 18s to throw on.

 

[crazycruizer]

I’m considering Toyo as well but looks like they won’t be available in my area any time soon. Alternatively, looking at Falken wildpeaks vs Nitto grapplers. Not really going to do a lot of off-road, I’m mostly driving on icy/snowy roads during weekends and I’m wandering if I should go with A/T tires, vs considering a dedicated winter set. But I’m not too excited about the idea of swapping them in and out. Any suggestions??