Lifted Rx300 With Big Tires

[Bykfixer]

5 hours ago, pandita said:

Guys, I absolutely love this thread. I've been trying to find an RX300 for weeks now and I might be picking one up tomorrow if the sale goes through. I just had a question for you guys, I am absolutely terrified of having a catastrophic transmission failure at some point. The one I'm looking at has 170k 2003 single owner, anything I should look for specifically? 

I also plan on throwing on some big tires and a lift. 🙂

If it has a snorkel on the front to suck in air and a big smoke stack sticking out of the roof on the rear for exhaust, you should probably avoid that one. Chances are it has been swimming once or twice. 

[hewitttech]

170 K on the trans or engine is not bad at all if properly maintained. I did crazy rejuvenation work to clean up internals and just a transmission drain and fill and had no problems. However, one thing you may really want to take a look at is if there are any transmission or oil leaks between the engine and transmission and the transmission and the front differential. If you see oil or transmission leaking at either of these points on the cases I would maybe avoid those vehicles.
After a lot of hard wheeling, mud and water crossings my seals started to leak at both locations. First the differential/trans started leaking a bit of trans fluid and Blue Devil product fixed it quickly. Then the engine/trans started leaking a bit of engine oil and the Blue Devil Rear Main Seal treatment worked well again. It was not leaking when I sold it after a couple extra thousand miles. The engines do run a little hot and the front exhaust crossing where it does might also contribute to seal hardening in that area. The Blue Devil Rear Seal and Transmission seal products really worked well but pulling and splitting the engine, transmission and front diff apart to fix those seals was not something I was willing to do if it didn't last. I just happened to almost break it in half on a giant pine log and after fixing that, timing was perfect luck into my GX and I sold the RX for it. It still screamed and drove great though even at 230k miles and a rough use 20k miles it was lifted for off road fun. I still miss it, it was a lot more fun rally slinging it around but you can't do anything hardcore 4x4 in it.

[T Money]

So the methods 17in rims are 8.5 wide and 245/65 ko2 have a recommended rim width of 7-8"...I know that brickwall put his 245/65 ko2 on an 8.5 rim(outside of recommended). Does anyone know if this posses any problems or if it actually matters that much? I am looking to put 245/65 ko2 on some 17" black rhino chamber wheels which are also 8.5" wide. I just wanted to know if anyone had experience with these sizes and if going outside the recommended width by .5 would cause any problems.

[Broc Luno]

Probably no problems ...  The biggest issue is off road in rocks.  The rim width will expose more sidewall to rock cuts.

Usually for off road in tough country we use a tire about an inch wider across the tread than the rim width.  That pinches the sidewall in a bit and protects it.  The tread is the widest part, so takes almost all the abuse.

Yours will be somewhat different ...

[T Money]

Thanks Broc!! 

I really want to go up a tires size but I'm just so sure I can't fit it without upgrading the suspension. I'm going to get that 1.5in Northwood lift but that doesn't help with clearance at all.

Gonna go with 245 65 on a 17(overall dia. 29.5). In an Ideal world I would fit 16in rims but that doesn't work on the awd 2nd rx's due to the size of the front brakes. If I can somehow manage to fit a bigger tire size I would want 255/65 17 (overall dia. 30.1). Even the 245s might be very close so we will see. I want to talk to a shop and get their opinion also. 

 

The wheels I'm gonna get are black rhino chamber wheels 17in -18mm offset. The negative offset will hopefully make it so I do not need wheel spacers at least I would need small ones if anything. they are 8.5 wide however if the sidewall thing is a problem I could go down to 8in wide rims however all the ones I've found are a +30 offset so I would definitely need wheel spacers not sure which route to go.

Also I don't plan on doing any hardcore off-roading as it is still only an rx. It will still be off road so I'm honestly not sure what kind of obstacles i might face and if the extra sidewall clearance is gonna save me or not idk.

[T Money]

On 8/24/2020 at 3:38 PM, JMW256 said:

Hi Everyone, I have been watching this forum for over  a year and am impressed with all of the cool lifted RXs. Last year I bought a 2004 RX330 with intentions of lifting it. I purchased the Russian spacers but was not impressed. I tripped on a amazing lift from Norhwoodsperformance.com. It is a 1.5 inch lift with bolt on spacers that  already account for the  camber adjustment. It is not necessary to take apart the strut assembly to install. All that is needed is to remove the strut assembly and bolt the spacers on top. After the install I had an alignment done and needed minimal adjustments. No camber bolts. I am running 245  65 17 Yokohama AT tires. The Moto Metal wheels have 5.5 inches of backspacing. Ideally 5 inches of backspace would be perfect. Yes they are very close in the back but they don't rub. I looked into the 08 to 13 rear highlander strut swap but decided not to go that route .  With my lift and the increase in tire diameter I got a sold 2 inches of lift. That's over 9.5 inches of clearance.  The RX is solid. It rides very good and corners well.  Yea off road it is does surprisingly well. I am currently working on a front skid plate and LED lights. If anyone would like me to post more details on installing the lift I have lots of pictures.

Hey JM I see you fit 245 65 17s on your 2nd gen. You have 5.5in of backspacing and the wheels I'm looking at would have 4in of backspacing. Do you think it would give me much more clearance from the struts? I want to try to get 255 65s on it which are a 30.1 diameter opposed to the 29.5 of the 245 65. Just curious on what you think.

[03rx30]

On 4/14/2021 at 11:24 AM, RXOR_02 said:

Does anyone know what his wheel specs and tires are? Most importantly, I know he is obviously lifted as he stated earlier in the forum but I don't think he's on here much to reply. I'm wondering if his wheel and tire setup would work on a stock suspension with no lift and whether it would clear front and rear struts. Kev Ho old rx300 rig used to run 16x8 with a +18 offset. I'm hoping to run something similar 16x8 but with a +0 offset on stock height and struts. I hoping to find answers as I don't want a lift or do spacers. Trying to keep it stock height but clear my struts and fender. Thanks. 

Let me know if you find the answer to your question. I am in Los Angeles. Where in CA are you?

[03rx30]

On 6/29/2021 at 11:14 PM, pandita said:

Guys, I absolutely love this thread. I've been trying to find an RX300 for weeks now and I might be picking one up tomorrow if the sale goes through. I just had a question for you guys, I am absolutely terrified of having a catastrophic transmission failure at some point. The one I'm looking at has 170k 2003 single owner, anything I should look for specifically? 

I also plan on throwing on some big tires and a lift. 🙂

Mine is original owner. Just routine maintenance. 186k Miles. 0 issues. 

[JMW256]

Hey guys just wanted to give you some information on the Gen 2 RX max tires size. I have the light blue RX 330 posted a couple pages ago. As you might know I lifted it with the Northwoods lift. I am running a 29.5 inch diameter tire (245/65/17) Yokohama Geolander AT on 17 x8 rims with a 5.5 inch back spacing. It is really tight in the back by the lower spring perch. There is 1/8 inch clearance. I have never had any issues with scraping. You would have to use some wide wheel spacers to push the wheels out past the perch to run anything bigger than a 29.5 inch tire.

So Brickwall used Toyota Highlander 08-13 rear struts which allow a 31 inch diameter tire to be used. This is a direct bolt in and also gives a little over an inch of lift. I lifted a 2013 Highlander and ran 255/70/17 tires on 5.5 backspace rims. The Highlander suspension is very similar to the 99 to 09 RX.

[1joshuao]

Hi Everyone, I am glad to have found this thread!

As of last month, I am the second owner of this stock '05 RX w/ 125k.

In the last 30 days we have been on a few beach adventures. I was impressed how easily the AWD handled with 18" wheels and street tires in very deep, dry sand.

She will never be a rock crawler, but I have many more bucket list overland adventures to cross off, so I will keep everyone posted on any relevant mods.

 

[krashh]

oh my god, this branch is just heaven for me. I greet all off-road lovers on rx. I have px330 2005 Arab. I am from Kazakhstan, I am writing through a Russian-English translator. So sorry for the bad translation))

Edited October 15, 2021 by krashh

[krashh]

[krashh]

01.09.2021 в 05:57, JMW256 сказал:

Привет, ребята, просто хотел дать вам некоторую информацию о максимальном размере шин Gen 2 RX. У меня есть голубой RX 330, выложенный пару страниц назад. Как вы, наверное, знаете, я поднял его на лифте Northwoods. Я использую шину Yokohama Geolander AT диаметром 29,5 дюйма (245/65/17) на ободах 17 x8 с задним расстоянием от 5,5 дюйма. Сзади у нижней пружины очень туго. Зазор составляет 1/8 дюйма. У меня никогда не было проблем со скабливанием. Вам придется использовать некоторые широкие проставки для колес, чтобы запустить что-нибудь больше, чем 29,5-дюймовая шина.

Поэтому Brickwall использовал задние стойки Toyota Highlander 08-13, которые позволяют использовать шину диаметром 31 дюйм. Это прямой болт, который также дает подъемную силу чуть более дюйма. Я поднял Highlander 2013 года и проехал с шинами 255/70/17 на ободах Backspace 5.5. Подвеска Highlander очень похожа на подвеску от 99 до 09 RX.

could you advise me which to choose? install spacers https://northwoodsperformance.com/product-category/rx330-2004-2006/? on all 4 wheels or install highlander shock absorbers in the back? Or is it better to put a spacer on the hub and take out the wheel? I have 235/60/18 and the rear distance is as small as yours, after driving through mud / clay, this mixture clogs between the tire and the shock absorber and starts to smoke. due to the fact that the wheel is too close, the dirt does not receive enough clearance so as not to rub against the wheel and not create a high temperature.

[JMW256]

So I am running a 245/65/17 tire (29.5 diameter) on aftermarket rims that have a 5.5 inch backspace. The 235/60/18 has a diameter of 29.1. It appears that you are running  Lexus rims which will have a backspace of about 5.6 to 5.75 inches. You have 3 options to improve clearance.

First you can run the wheel spacers. H@R makes an outstanding quality 1 inch wheel spacer that pushes your wheels out and helps with the sidewall clearance issues but not so much the  issues with the rear lower spring perch. You can get a little crazy and blow the wheel out past the perch with thicker spacers but it may cause some wheel bearing issues and the look may not appeal to you.

Second  option: purchase new wheels with a back space of 4.75 inches. Then you wouldn't need to worry about any potential issues with a spacer and get the benefit of more sidewall clearance.

Third do the highlander rear strut conversion. That would solve all your rear tire clearance issues. I do believe that Nathan at Northwoods performance would be willing to sell you the front strut spacers and front anti sway links separately. You may need to add a 1/4 inch spacer to the top of the rear Highlander strut setup depending on your specific needs.

The picture below is a 255/70/17 tire on the rear of my 2013 Highlander. 31 inch tire. Notice the clearance. That would be the same strut setup on the rear of our Lexus RX.

 

 

[Broc Luno]

In Kazakhstan with all the unimproved roads, I would do the Highlander rear spring/strut upgrade.  Probably easier to get the parts off a wrecked car.  Wheel spacers are OK, but they do put extra load on the wheel bearings.  I would try for a build that would minimize any unnecessary strain on suspension parts. 

 

Have fun and be safe :)

[krashh]

4 hours ago, Broc Luno said:

In Kazakhstan with all the unimproved roads, I would do the Highlander rear spring/strut upgrade.  Probably easier to get the parts off a wrecked car.  Wheel spacers are OK, but they do put extra load on the wheel bearings.  I would try for a build that would minimize any unnecessary strain on suspension parts. 

 

Have fun and be safe 🙂

Well, will the shock absorber rod be short for full disclosure? Highlander suspension will be stiff?

[Broc Luno]

Ride should be similar, maybe a bit stiffer ...  Compression will not be compromised much.  But droop (drop) will be limited.

Suspension modification are always a compromise.  You have to trade something for what you want ...

[JMW256]

Check out the Monroe application website. It  gives detailed specs of the OEM Lexus struts and the Highlander struts. 

[krashh]

5 hours ago, Broc Luno said:

Ride should be similar, maybe a bit stiffer ...  Compression will not be compromised much.  But droop (drop) will be limited.

Suspension modification are always a compromise.  You have to trade something for what you want ...

Understand

[krashh]

15 hours ago, JMW256 said:

Посетите веб-сайт приложения Monroe. В нем приведены подробные характеристики стоек OEM Lexus и стойки Highlander. 

I can't find this site, can I have a link?

[Jerardo]

On 6/12/2018 at 9:41 AM, hewitttech said:

I just want to keep this thread alive so maybe more people can appreciate what these vehicles can be. The RX300 has had a few more mods and things tightened up since I last posted and is doing Great! 230k on the odometer now. I completed a full front engine seal job with new timing belt water pump tensioner and new lower timing cover (crank pulley wore holes through it the way it seals). New front CV shafts, New Lower Steering U-joint/shaft and a reman. steering rack.  New front subframe mounts all torqued back to spec. I was chasing a problem with the alignment wanting to go left after turning right and right after turning left. It was the lower steering shaft which was a lot easier to replace than dropping the steering rack and subframe.   Have now replaced both oil control valves which completes ALL important engine sensor/control replacements and made a noticeable difference in how it runs.

Now the good stuff. New slotted and drilled rotors in the front with EBC Yellowstuff pads and front braided-stainless lines! This is what it was missing! With the heavy rubber and towing my boat the Lexter feels like it would almost do a stoppie now if the rubber on the front would stick. K&N Filter because paying $20 for a stock air filter makes no sense when a $40 K&N and recharge kit will last the rest of its life. As an added benefit it actually does make a tiny difference in power when winding out the engine which is pretty much the only way I drive it. The engine is now running amazing and just now seems to be broken in.

My rubber spring lift has sagged just a tiny bit in the rear so considering designing some strut mount spacers and having them machined as a better permanent option.  It has been through some nasty mud but I still try to avoid anything I can get bogged down in. If you can keep the wheel speed up you can get through most of it but only if there is a bottom and you don't have one wheel break free. I have had luck applying the brakes and gas at the same time as psuedo limited slip but again not a lot of low end torque, it is not a mud truck!. Better traction on dirt and gravel than on the road.

 You can pick one up relatively cheap for what you get. I have had Scouts and Landcruisers. Right now this is more fun... and I still have heated seats! I literally have people checking it out all the time and regularly get complimented on it because if nothing else it is different.

Ca

 

On 6/12/2018 at 9:41 AM, hewitttech said:

I just want to keep this thread alive so maybe more people can appreciate what these vehicles can be. The RX300 has had a few more mods and things tightened up since I last posted and is doing Great! 230k on the odometer now. I completed a full front engine seal job with new timing belt water pump tensioner and new lower timing cover (crank pulley wore holes through it the way it seals). New front CV shafts, New Lower Steering U-joint/shaft and a reman. steering rack.  New front subframe mounts all torqued back to spec. I was chasing a problem with the alignment wanting to go left after turning right and right after turning left. It was the lower steering shaft which was a lot easier to replace than dropping the steering rack and subframe.   Have now replaced both oil control valves which completes ALL important engine sensor/control replacements and made a noticeable difference in how it runs.

Now the good stuff. New slotted and drilled rotors in the front with EBC Yellowstuff pads and front braided-stainless lines! This is what it was missing! With the heavy rubber and towing my boat the Lexter feels like it would almost do a stoppie now if the rubber on the front would stick. K&N Filter because paying $20 for a stock air filter makes no sense when a $40 K&N and recharge kit will last the rest of its life. As an added benefit it actually does make a tiny difference in power when winding out the engine which is pretty much the only way I drive it. The engine is now running amazing and just now seems to be broken in.

My rubber spring lift has sagged just a tiny bit in the rear so considering designing some strut mount spacers and having them machined as a better permanent option.  It has been through some nasty mud but I still try to avoid anything I can get bogged down in. If you can keep the wheel speed up you can get through most of it but only if there is a bottom and you don't have one wheel break free. I have had luck applying the brakes and gas at the same time as psuedo limited slip but again not a lot of low end torque, it is not a mud truck!. Better traction on dirt and gravel than on the road.

 You can pick one up relatively cheap for what you get. I have had Scouts and Landcruisers. Right now this is more fun... and I still have heated seats! I literally have people checking it out all the time and regularly get complimented on it because if nothing else it is different.

Can you show 

Can you show how much tred does the lug nuts on the 2" spacers hold 

[03rx30]

My 2001 I am offroading it quite a bit, and also am using it some snow. 

For me, having wider tires isn't as important, as a bit taller tire, and more aggressive. 

I was thinking of going with BF Goodrich k02 or some WildPeaks AT3 or something like that

Would you guys recommend staying with 225, and going higher sidewall, OR going narrower 215 or fatter 235?

Mine is AWD, and stock suspension and stock wheels

[T Money]

I would definitely say go wider. You want your rims protected as much as possible also helps with grip. 

[03rx30]

1 hour ago, T Money said:

I would definitely say go wider. You want your rims protected as much as possible also helps with grip. 

Thank you 

 

i have no problem going wider

 

do we know what is max size i can fit - width and tall and order a set of ko2 tires, on stock suspension and stock wheels? 

[T Money]

Ehh not to sure about your gen but I know 2nd gen the max size is 245/65 17 (29.5" dia.)

(Probably needs 0 offset wheels or wheel spacers tho)