[packetpilot]

This past Friday, I had some new "worthy" rubber mounted on five newly-purchased 20" OE "Style 520" wheels. I haven't taken them in the dirt yet, but that shouldn't be more than a few days away at most.

I figured I'd share some specs, impressions, and photos in case anyone using their L494 regularly in challenging terrain has the platform's weakest link in their crosshairs.

Spec	OE Scorpion Verde 275/45R21	BFG KO2 275/55R20
OD	30.8" / 78.232cm	31.8" / 80.772cm
Weight	37lb / 16.78kg	53lb / 24.04kg
VMax	186mph / 299.34km/h	112mph / 180.25km/h
Max Load	[email protected] / [email protected] bar	[email protected] / [email protected] bar
Mounted On	21x9.5 et49 LR044850 "Style 5007"	20x8.5 et47 LR044848 "Style 520"

To my surprise, it seems there must be an implausibility override that favors the GPS speed over the wheel rotation, as the speedometer doesn't read faster than actual speed when referencing an independent GPS speed source. (I haven't tested at speeds above 80mph to help confirm my suspicion, but perhaps a "trip to Mexico" will help me confirm.)

Handling on the road seems great; I'm running the "light load" recommended PSI +2psi based on some load table calculations I did, and I'm pretty shocked at how little cornering capability I sacrificed.

The full-size spare fits fine, and using the spare hoist doesn't deform the pinch seam beneath the weatherstripping any more than it'd already bowed. Related: I've used that hoist at least a dozen times -- aside from doing a few "dry runs" at home, I wound up with two flats in a 90min span a couple weeks back in Washoe Valley, which is what prompted this wheel downsize/tire upgrade. Granted, the flats were my own fault for trying to get away with airing down 45-series tires on 21" wheels, but soon after delivery, I promised myself I'd destroy the stock wheels & tires before upgrading. I didn't expect to be bitten twice though in such a short span, but that's another story for another time.

Anyway, here are some pics (here's a link to the album they're from, which might get more additions later). I'll probably update the thread later w/ some off-road impressions.

Hopefully one day I'll have the wheels refinished (possibly powder coated) in Dark Atlas to really make the colors click.

 

[ScottTX]

I have the exact same wheel (but in black) and tire combo on a 2016 td6...love them and get a lot of compliments on them too.

 

[stemikel]

Is there any rubbing when you place the rig into entry/exit mode?
Steve

 

[packetpilot]

Nope, no rubbing as far as I can tell at full lock and doing slow circles both ways. I suppose there could be a wee bit that I can't hear, so maybe sometime soon I will take a front tire off and look for a patch of newly-abrased fender liner.

(Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself for yet another flat!)

 

[sushisean]

Looks great. Where’d you get the wheels and what did you pay?

 

[packetpilot]

Looks great. Where’d you get the wheels and what did you pay?

Without being too vague, I found some take-offs online and was able to snag the set of five for a little less than what one of the wheels would've cost new from the dealership (i.e. under a grand).

I did what I could to physically verify authenticity, since the price seemed potentially too-good-to-be-true, and I'd feel uncomfortable (and potentially unsafe) running non-OE wheels.

 

[espmad]

Nope, no rubbing as far as I can tell at full lock and doing slow circles both ways. I suppose there could be a wee bit that I can't hear, so maybe sometime soon I will take a front tire off and look for a patch of newly-abrased fender liner.

(Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself for yet another flat!)

I'm looking into getting the exact same setup (LR044848 wheels and 275/55R20 K02s) but I was not sure if 275 would work well with an 8.5" wheel as that wheel's width is usually used with 255 tires

Did you have any mounting issues? Driving issues? Excessive sidewall flexing? Etc.

Thanks

 

[packetpilot]

I'm looking into getting the exact same setup (LR044848 wheels and 275/55R20 K02s) but I was not sure if 275 would work well with an 8.5" wheel as that wheel's width is usually used with 255 tires

Did you have any mounting issues? Driving issues? Excessive sidewall flexing? Etc.

Thanks

Since the BFG specs table (visible here on TireRack) indicates the "measured rim width" at 8.5" and the "rim width range" at 7.5-9.5", I figured it was a safe pairing at worst, or the optimal setup for this tire size at best.

There've been no issues as far as I can tell. If anything, I've got a bit more wheel protection w/ the sidewall bowing out past the wheel a little bit.

I did consider the 275/60R20 since its load range is still D, but I've got a hunch the extra 1.1" in the OD (32.9") would risk rubbing the fender liner fore of the front wheels at lock and/or prevent it from fitting in the spare well.

 

[espmad]

Since the BFG specs table (visible here on TireRack) indicates the "measured rim width" at 8.5" and the "rim width range" at 7.5-9.5", I figured it was a safe pairing at worst, or the optimal setup for this tire size at best.

There've been no issues as far as I can tell. If anything, I've got a bit more wheel protection w/ the sidewall bowing out past the wheel a little bit.

I did consider the 275/60R20 since its load range is still D, but I've got a hunch the extra 1.1" in the OD (32.9") would risk rubbing the fender liner fore of the front wheels at lock and/or prevent it from fitting in the spare well.

Great info! Thanks for sharing!