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Hey guys! New to the forum, excited to get started! Didn’t see a sub for regular Outlanders, just figured I’d post here because I know there are a lot of owners asking the same question I was... what is the biggest tire I could fit on the stock rims without rubbing.
Always wanted to do some light overlanding with the family, bought a 2017 Outlander GT S-AWC new and was disappointed by the lack of off-road products and info available for the car. I lurked your forums for a while looking for info on the biggest tire I could fit on stock wheels without rubbing... found a thread but the 235/60/18 suggestion wasn’t as aggressive as I wanted. Really wanted info on the 255/55/18 so I could put some proper A/T tires on my Outie. Every time I measured it out, felt like the tires would fit... but since nobody had done it yet, feared that was a answer in its self.
Stumbled upon two almost new 255/55/18 BFG KO2’s on offerup for $140, decided at that price it was worth the gamble to see if they fit. If they didn’t fit, figured I could unload them on a Subie owner. Went to my local Discount tire and told them what I was planning... all the guys told me it was not going to fit. Welp, I did it anyways and to everyone’s surprise... They fit! All the guys at the shop were crowding around the car amazed, complimenting how it looked... was super cool. Ordered the other two for a matching set and here are the results!
Test fit. Rear Front
Have driven 50 miles and no issues yet with rubbing... You can definitely feel the tread, not as smooth of a ride... and a hum at 40+ mph that gets louder as you go faster... but, they look fantastic, feel invincible driving the thing, it’s the beginnings of a battle ready zombie apocalypse mobile lol.
I opted for the BFG’s, but Nitto makes the Terra Grappler g2 in the same size and a little cheaper.
Also did a little more research to find a lift kit. Just ordered a 1.5” spacer kit from Fat Bob’s Garage in Utah. They’ve built 2 Outies with the kit (1 dealer car, 1 customer) so far, and was told the customer loves it... has 10,000 miles on it with heavy off-road use and has had no problems with it yet. I paid $211 shipped for the kit and will receive it next week. Will keep y’all posted on the install. Here are some pics of the dealer install from their Facebook page. The kit is not on the website, you need to call them for more info.
Hope you enjoyed reading about my journey... Hoping to get Outies more popular with the overlanding/modding crowd so we have more aftermarket parts. So much stuff for Subaru’s, but crickets for tasteful Outlander mods. Thanks for reading!
I must admit your gear LOOKS really great with the custom tires.
However, there might be a few major concerns about your choice:
1. The tire shop you visited has liability and they were correct not to mount or recommend this combination. A 255 mm wide tire is outside of the sizes that can safely be mounted on a 7" wide wheel. You would need a wider rim to make this a safe alternative. People in this community (both for OS and for full size Outlander) explored the option of mounting wider and larger tires but all selected wider wheels for much wider tires: Tire Measuring (see also links within to the individuals, who went on this route) Galactica 2016 Outlander Build
2. The increased tire noise, the poor ride quality, and the increased consumption would outweigh the benefits of the appealing look and a certainly better off-road capability for most of us.
If you drive mostly on dirt roads then I could very well understand your choice. If not, you may experience buyers regret sooner than you think, not to mention the safety concerns.
Nonetheless, I wish you safe driving above all and best of luck for your modifications.
Thanks for the concerns! I don’t know, my stock Tacoma Off-road has 16x7 wheels and is running 265’s from the factory. You might be correct with regular street tires, but for All Terrain tires it’s probably fine. I’ve seen a bunch of Subaru owners running 255 on 7” stock wheels and having no problems... Discount Tire was hesitant because of the potential rubbing, not anything else.
As for the noise, been driving on the highway all weekend and not much of a difference... you hear a slight whistling noise, but that’s it. My wife was the true test, and she’s totally fine with the slight increase of noise...
Ride? It’s pretty good actually! Like I mentioned before, you feel the tread slightly at very slow speeds (5-10 mph) but not bouncy at all. It’s not stock, but not rough either... It actually inspires a lot of confidence, kinda like wearing boots vs sneaker while hiking.
Only thing I’m concerned with is the drop in mpg, but I live in Texas so gas is cheaper and my wife doesn’t drive much during the week.
It looks great, not much downside, helps us to get to more remote places during our camping trips... We’re happy with the tires. Remember, these aren’t just any all terrain tires... the BFG KO2’s are the gold standard of off-road tires... maybe I would be having issues if I opted for a cheaper option.
1.5” lift is coming in this week... Looking into a bumper guard so I could mount a light bar, and a Hitchgate solo to mount a full size spare... Outlander Overland Edition here we come!
1.5” lift is coming in this week... Looking into a bumper guard so I could mount a light bar, and a Hitchgate solo to mount a full size spare... Outlander Overland Edition here we come!
Looking forward to the lift. Do some install pics and notes of what issues or time it took. Looking to do the same thing to the wifes 14 Outlander. She's running 245/60R18's. Kenda Klever's. Ran them on the girls Jeep and really liked the on road off road ability. People would be surprised how well the SAWC Big O can wheel and handle some crappy terrain. Keep working. I'm rooting for ya.
Thanks @Krakker ! Excited to see how she performs in rough terrain with AT tires and a couple of more inches in clearance.
Planning on installing the strut lift next week. Just did a assessment today on the complexity of the install... front is pretty straight forward but the rear struts worried me. Seemed like a lot work to get access to the bolts (need to remove plastic side panels from the rear doors and back)... Did a trial run, and through trial and error, managed to take half off in 45 mins. Now that I know how to do it, should only take 15 mins to remove both sides... not too bad. Hoping the actual install would take around 2 hours, fingers crossed.
Still trying to DIY a bull bar or something to mount some rally lights on the front... Don’t really like what’s available, and the ones I think are interesting are from out of the country and crazy expensive.
Will keep you posted on the progress! Thanks for the well wishes, our family loves the car and excited to try some new things with it!
Tire update - We’ve driven about 500 miles on the BFG’s and love them! MPG is pretty close to stock... if we’ve lost any, maybe 10-15 miles at most per tank? No complaints yet, very slight rubbing on full tilt only on one side every once in a while... maybe on a hill at a certain angle causes it? Anyways, super happy with the tires!
Last edited by skimmilkskim; May 11, 2019 at 05:12 PM.
Reason: Add more info
@Krakker Just installed it... was planning to take pics as I did the install but that went out the window when I kept on hitting road blocks during the installation process. What I thought would be a 2-3 hour job became 8 hours... was quite the struggle... but now that I’ve done it once, 3-4 hours for the job. Everything was pretty straight forward, thing that killed me was compressing the springs... I didn’t have a hydraulic one, only the kind that you manually clamp with a socket... hate it, it’s a complete pain in the butt.... I could answer questions, pretty much have a mental blue print if you decide to do it... took it out for a spin and handles well, feels exactly the same... but a lot higher! 1.5 inches make a big difference, coupled with the larger tires. Car looks much larger... and looks fantastic! Next on the list, lights! Looking to fabricate hood mounts for LED lights.
Let me know what you think!
Looks Damn fine.
You're right, it looks bigger all around with the added lift. Kinda looks like it should have been that way already. Puzzling why they don't make this a larger platform like the Montero. It's plenty capable off road with the right tire. Gotta say, I'm impressed. Might have to talk the wife into getting the lift for her 14. I think it would look killer.
Any findings on how the alignment is? Is the Camber in the front still the same?
you're outlander looks awesome! i recently put some rigid podlights on my outlander sport, didn't fab anything. used "samlight" mounts. they're no drill clamps.
@jb3rddensity Thanks for the heads up! I’ll look it up, exactly what I was looking for.
@Krakker Just took it in to the shop... camber is slightly off (by like .1) and was told that it’s sooo little that it won’t mess with the longevity of the tires.... so no need for camber bolt / arms!
So you talk to your wife yet? Excited for other Big O owners to lift their rides!
Looks Damn fine.
You're right, it looks bigger all around with the added lift. Kinda looks like it should have been that way already. Puzzling why they don't make this a larger platform like the Montero. It's plenty capable off road with the right tire. Gotta say, I'm impressed. Might have to talk the wife into getting the lift for her 14. I think it would look killer.
Any findings on how the alignment is? Is the Camber in the front still the same?
Mitsubishi makes a bigger SUV, the Pajero Sport (Toyota Highlander size) for Asian and Australian markets with a really advanced 4WD system but it is not imported to North America. In the UK it is sold with the name of Shogun Sport.
@AWCAWD I’ve been drooling over Pajero Sport pics for some time now... definitely think there’s a market for them here in the states, but what do I know
Mitsubishi makes a bigger SUV, the Pajero Sport (Toyota Highlander size) for Asian and Australian markets with a really advanced 4WD system but it is not imported to North America. In the UK it is sold with the name of Shogun Sport.
Originally Posted by skimmilkskim
@AWCAWD I’ve been drooling over Pajero Sport pics for some time now... definitely think there’s a market for them here in the states, but what do I know
That's what I was getting at. Here in the US. I wonder how long it'll be before Mitsu starts pushing their way into the larger SUV market here in the states. Heck even Hyundai and Kia are digging into the larger family sized market. They wait too long and they're ghosting sales......
That's what I was getting at. Here in the US. I wonder how long it'll be before Mitsu starts pushing their way into the larger SUV market here in the states. Heck even Hyundai and Kia are digging into the larger family sized market. They wait too long and they're ghosting sales......
Perhaps Mitsu is taking a page out of BMW's playbook with their X series or Porsche with their Cayennes and Macans... wink wink. Like waiting to see what all the other manufacturers 'have produced' then Bamm! unleash this thing in the USA.
Great looking rig mate. Was the lift just a strut spacer setup? I am in need of tires soon. Have been thinking about these as well. Thanks for sharing.
Apr 28, 2019, 10:45 AM
