34x10.5 tires on 3" lift

Hey everybody, I was wondering if anyone is running 34x10.5r17 on their 4 runner. I am planning the build and will be putting a 3" lift on my 24 orp. I never see much about this tire size and am curious how much trimming was needed and/or bmc. Any info and pics would be greatly appreciated.

 

This guy did it:




So did this guy:

 

35x12 17. Cut, relocate, flatten. Rinse and repeat!

 

stuffed!

 

Hey,
Nice, looking forward to your feedback if ya do.

Are you going to have an orp with kdss?
What’s the wheel offset?

I did 3” lift, Load E 32.7x11.2, 0 offset 17x9’s (and UCA’s at 3.5° castor)
Minimal cutting, a sliver off front lower fender.

Added wheels spacers and required:
cutting, chopping, and bmc

The infamous @Yotaholic runs 33.8x11.2, no spacers?

 

Here's some photos of my 34x11 setup (285/75/17)
I could have gotten away with less trimming but I added spidertrax spacers.
Count on a body mount chop and folding the pinch welds. Minwin makes 3D printed end caps if that is an issue with your setup.

As Nova said just try it and cut whatever gets in the way. 34's can fit with relative ease. 35's and up things get a little more tricky.

 

I was just thinking about this yesterday. A lot of folks get confused about height versus width when they start to rub, and that they think rubbing is caused by the size (in their world that means height). Often, although I don't have much experience with 33"+ tires on a 4Runner, rubbing can be caused by width, not height. If you think about the purpose of a wheel spacer for instance, it's to move the tire out, but the same thing is accomplished by running narrower tires (moving the inner sidewall away from suspension/body components).

So, a lot of words to say, I don't know specifically, but it's a consideration I have. I've done this in the past on several other vehicles in order to fit taller tires where they would typically rub when choosing a wider tire. The BFG AT is offered in 34x10.5 and I would look hard at that over a 33x12.5. I'd rather have the height than the width.

 

Lift doesn't determine how big a tire you run on an IFS vehicle. Unless you're willing to pull the trigger on long travel, it's all in how much you're willing to cut and how much wheel travel you're willing to sacrifice.

 

^These points are huge and often overlooked.

Lifting does sacrifice down travel. With Toyota IFS you should try to stay under 2.5" of lift.
This will maintain some downtravel while adding ground clearance. It also preserves your CV's and doesn't throw off suspension geometry too bad.

I learned this the hard way. Went with 3" OME kit (similar to what OP has planned) and had no almost no downtravel.
The shocks always seemed maxed out regardless of what springs I used.

Eventually I moved to Dobinsons LT shocks to maintain decent articulation and keep that 3" lift height.
Front articulation is still lack luster without a true long travel setup... But the rear articulation makes up for it imo

 

I too interested to learn more about this size 34x10.5r17 (Not 285/75R17). Load D is also a problem for me in addition to the size. Load C is my max so far.

 

Not many manufacturers making this size. Maybe it will catch on soon?

Honestly I think this is because it's so close to a 285/75/17. The difference is less than .75" of width according to most manufacturers.
You can typically find 285/75/17 in a couple different load ratings.
It seems to be a more common tire size

 

Yup. Lift just changes your neutral point and up/down travel ratio... your suspension arc will remain unchanged. Pair that with larger tires and you lose total travel too because you'll need a longer bump stop to not bury it in the fender.

This is why I'll never understand the fascination with >33" on these trucks. If you want to look pretty at Costco then by all means, but if you want usable large tires, you had better have the wallet for LT and the stomach to pull out the grinder and hammer. Otherwise, go get a Jeep where it's just a lot easier to throw on a $3k Metalcloak kit that will let you do 38" with no other mods.

 

I don't think it will. I was hopeful, because I like the 10.5" width more than the 285mm width. But, the BFG is more expensive in 34x10.5, by a LOT, than the 285mm widths. The 285mm tires are OEM on a number of vehicles, maybe that's why.

I want more 10.5 or 265mm tire options, 265/75 or 265/80 would be nice.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they dropped the size for the KO3... they've been making if for years now, it's the only one they make in that size, and I think Toyo is the only other mainstream manufacturer who makes one other tire in that size. Instagram doesn't like skinny tires no matter how great they are off road.

 

True lol

 

You’re right on that stuff!

I had the stomach to pull out the grinder and hammer LOL
and just started eliminating parts of fenders and liners. Energy bump stops on to do list
I did not have the wife’s consent to stomach LT $$$

 

That's my impression as well, with 2.5" of lift and 1" spacer; 275/70/17's rub my front bumper just a fuzz at full turn. I'm hoping that the 265/70/17's Im getting Monday just may clear

 

I also wonder, on independent front, when lifted, if the front wheels actually move in. Reason being is that w/ 1" spacers front and back, the rear wheels stuck out grossly after being lifted. Pre lift I don't remember that being the case. Removed rear spacer, wheels line up.

 

Yes lifting Toyota IFS will cause you to lose a small amount of track width.

The rear track width will stay the same after a lift but the axle itself will push toward the passenger side. This can be corrected with an adjustable panhard bar or modifying where the panhard bar mounts.

 

So reaching out on this
At the point where I HAVE to get new tires…inspection this month plus my KO2s are just, well, “there”…
There’s so much opinionated info out there on everything concerning our trucks n what not that talking tires always gives me a lil nervous pucker

285/70/17 E stock 17” OR wheels
SPC UCAs. BP-51s. BMC
Hefty full front Spidertrax 1.25”

Due to winch/bumper, my BPs preload is close to 10mm, not quite though

n I’ve been researching tires for awhile, listening to you fine people talk bout everything other than KO2s(I’d like to try something different…ever since they saw rain)

n the idea of the 34x~10.5(thought I saw a 10” available somewhere) n 285/75/17 were kinda a curiosity

I’d rather not have to worry bout more CERTAIN failures, loss of travel, etc but I know I already sacrificed this n that due to current setup

main goal originally was to lose the spacers…they kinda just happened

Like @Acesandeights said, I’d rather have the height than width

just ran into a guy at Wawa who really turned me back to just keeping my 285/70s n holding off but a lot of people here/online are saying “no issues” with 33.8-34.1

sorry for all that but looking to see if with everything I have done(willing to do pinch weld of course, don’t mind attacking the truck) if I’m in a realm where I don’t really need to worry bout this or that
Or if I’m just as screwed as everyone else

thanks

Edit:
Have 1” to bmc at full lock
I’m sorry for all the blah blah blah
I just “finished” my electrical stuff
Learning this stuff now too n appreciate all the help

 

TL/DR
There's a good reason why most stick with 285/70/17. It's a very good fit for the 4Runner.
34s aren't going to give much of an advantage over a 33. You will notice a little extra weight, but it's not terrible.

Longer explanation
If you struggle with gear hunting or don't like how slow the rig is now it WILL be a little worse with 34s.
I was told that the 295/70/17 tire size (w/o a regear) was "fine, if you're patient" After moving to 285/75/17 I'd agree with that.

Everything is a trade off. With a 34" tire your speedo will be a little off. Your gas mileage calculator won't work correctly. You will have to do some extra cutting and trimming. You'll find yourself using "S4" a lot on highway inclines. Your gas mileage in town will be worse.

That said,
I have no regrets going with 285/75/17 A/T4W. To me, the trade off was worth it. It's a little more capable off road, and driving on the street I don't notice much of a difference unless I'm really looking for it or really need to accelerate fast. Plus, if I'm being honest I like the way the 33.5-34 looks on the 4R. They fill the wheel wells nicely. Especially with the right offset wheels.

I'd say if you want 34s be ready for a regear. Whether you really "need" it or not, it will benefit the truck in every way.
If you don't want to regear, 33's are more than capable.

 

^THIS^

Exactly what I’m not dying to do as in, if I’m gonna regear, I’ll do this, this n this while I’m at it
Just no need right now

I see the pros n cons, n like you said
Minimal but there

think I’ll just stick with the 285s
Maybe thinner, who knows

guess it’s back to main goal of ditching spidetrax while retaining most of what I’m used to

trimming is not an issue but the regear is just not in the plans right now

 

Fair enough. I was prepped for a regear but it’s really not terrible so I’m holding off for now. I think this has a lot to do with living in Texas. Not a lot of elevation or hill climbs to deal with.

You mentioned you weren’t satisfied with the KO2’s in the wet. Next set of tires try out some 285/70/17 Falken AT4w’s

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with their rain performance compared to my old Nitto Ridge Grapplers

 

Using the BFG AT as an example.

The circumference is only 1% different between the 285/75/17 and 34x10.5x17, meaning the speedo difference will be be less than one mph up to 100 mph (insignificant).
The 285/75/17 weighs 10% more than the 34x10.5x17. That might be significant to most, as you may feel a difference in power; albeit probably pretty negligible to most.

I would much rather have the 34x10.5x17 than a 285/75/17, as I think the 34x10.5 fits better, has better off road performance and weighs considerably less. But BFG doesn't offer a 265/75/17 (34x10.5x17 equivalent).

If you're comparing the 285/70/17 to the 34x10.5x17, I think I'd look really hard at how the tire is larger in the wheel opening. Does it contact (or come close) due to height, or does it contact due to width? Width, when the wheel is turned, is the equivalent of a taller tire (horizontally). So a 34x10.5x17 may be smaller than a 285/70/17 when you measure the length from one "corner" to the opposite "corner" (again, effectively overall diameter/length horizontally). You may be able to get a taller tire, and better ground clearance 100% of the time, with a narrower tire.

ETA:
I know this is a dumb way of doing it, but it illustrates the point. If a tire is a rectangle (height and width):

34x10.5 = 33.5" high, 10.5" wide
285/70/17 = 33" high, 11.3" wide

The length from one corner to the other (makes a triangle) is:
34x10.5 = 35.107
285/70/17 = 34.881

The 285/70/17 is smaller from corner to corner, but only a maximum of 1/10 of an inch closer to any fender/bumper components turning lock to lock. I guess doing the math, with a 34x10.5x17 you get a 1/2" taller tire (negligible) with a negligible increase in rubbing, but maybe better off road performance being narrower.

TLDR: I guess there is no reason to buy the BFG 34x10.5x17 over a 285/70/17, unless you like the narrower width (which I do). But, the 285/70/17 doesn't really have much advantage either.

 

I don’t mind having things be a lil off for awhile till I’d take the “plunge” but I would be concerned due to my lack of knowledge when it comes to basic over mechanics…”Am I hurting this? Did I just break that? Etc”

1/handful tires on my list

I LOVE MATH lol
Thanks for putting that all in place for me n others to read
N it’s all things I’ve put into my consideration

Was really hoping that the answer wouldn’t be one of the usual scenarios which is what I’ve come to know with the truck…
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t…
To each their own…
It might work…
Stop thinking n grow a pair…

 

looks like a 10lb ham in a 5lb bag…lol

 

Mmm, ham

 

Is that right
Learn something new everyday

 

Sorry OP @Elkhuntr

Didn’t mean to hijack this one

Interested where your thoughts are now with all the info?

 

Op has a lot to read