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Posting this thread for those who might be looking for such info in the future because I felt the Information on this topic was a bit scarce when I was researching.
Vehicle:
I got a 2023 G550 in mid July and immediately went on a road trip from the rocky mountains to Oregon & California Pacific coast and back putting on 4K miles in the first 2 weeks of ownership. Very impressed and satisfied with the vehicle on the interstate highways as well as back roads.
Intentions:
Being in the rocky mountains I have experienced a fair number of off-road trails with my prior off-road worthy vehicles (LR4, Land Cruiser, Jeep JK, 4Runner TRD Pro) and plan to do the same with G550, so I looked for 18" wheels that would work with some off-road worthy tires. The 20" OE wheels will get dedicated winter tires in the winter.
Wheel Choice:
I ended up ordering 463 Industries CG01 18 inch (Overlanding Edition) wheels which have a +20 offset, making spacers essentially unecessary. I like the fact that these wheels are compatible with Mercedes center hubs caps as I did not want to have 3rd party logos on the caps. Point is that not all wheels are compatible with OE caps.
Lift:
I considered getting the LeTech or Eurowise lift but after a lot of thought, I decided to leave the suspension alone. I have tinkered with enough prior vehicles and decided to leave this vehicle on stock suspension for the foreseeable future.
Tire Choice:
I considered BFG KO2s, Nitto Terra G2s, Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws and Nokian Outpost. In the end I went for Falken Wildpeak RT01 tires in LT275/65R18 (32.3" diameter, E rated, 55 lbs). This is a recent offering from Falken tires and sits between their Mud Terrain and All-Terrain. I think RT stands for Rugged Terrain (or something like that). My first impressions are quite positive in terms of road noise and handling but long term opinion will be formed in the long term.
Tire Size Choice:
The choice of tire size LT275/65R18 was based on the desire to get 0.5-0.7 inch additional ground clearance without a lift. The consensus is that a 32" diameter works without any concerns. RT01s are 32.3" - so I was not sure if this setup would have any rubbing. So I actually ordered 2 sets of tires (Discount Tire) and requested a test-fit i.e. if the RT01 had obvious clearance/rubbing issues, I'd buy my second choice Nitto Terra G2s, which are 32". In. the end, these specific tires on these specific wheels with my vehicle's OE springs seems to have no rubbing in normal situations. No issues lock-to-lock. Once I hit some trails, I will know (and share) if there is any rubbing while articulated.
Spare Mount:
Jack from Jack Wagon Overlanding recommended 911 Motorsports reverse mount. I was able to install it with a little assistance from my teenage son in less than 30 minutes. So it's a simple DIY thing. There are 3 versions of this mount offering 3 amounts of clearance from the back of the vehicle. I got the mid option, but I think with the wheels I got, the least clearance would have been plenty enough.
Shoutout: @JACWAGN from JackWagonOverlanding was very helpful in sharing information and advice. I felt very comfortable working with Jack.
Do you think you could fit any larger tire diameter, or is 32.3” the max?
I think it's pretty much maxed out at this tire size without a lift. I am eager to hit some trails and find out if there are any clearance issues at all, when articulated. I will share my experience on that, hopefully soon.
If you want 33" tires then a 1.5" to 2" lift is a must. Also - keep in mind that wheel offset plays a part in gaining clearance - so a different wheel with a higher positive offset might not yield the same result. Unfortunately experimenting with different wheels and tire sizes is not practical so we have to rely on owner's experiences with specific combinations.
Reporting back after some moderate off-roading. Absolutely no rubbing experienced with my setup.
This is Loch Lomond which is rated as moderate by OnX and as Blue by some other publications i.e. nothing crazy but it's not just a dirt road either.
Mountain Sheep Road in Badlands National Park South Dakota.
Easy trail with a few rutted sections that stretched the G. A modest test of its articulation. No rubbing experienced with my setup.
Falken Wildpeak RT01 are great tires on the highway and fantastic off-road.
As a bonus, they do not pick up too many small rocks, unlike most AT tires do on gravel roads. The rock ejectors do a nice job of getting rid of rocks that are picked up, so I am not too worried about rocks getting thrown onto the paint etc. I drove at 45-50 mph on a gravel road and was pleasantly surprised that I did not hear any rock shower that I have come to expect from my experience with other AT tires.
I am very pleased with my tire choice.
Wanted to share some feedback about 463 Industries CG01 Overlanding Edition wheels.
The Good: I like the rugged look and the fact the stock center caps fit.
The Neutral: Since the CG01 Overlanding Edition wheels come in white lettering and because I wanted all-black look, I agreed to pay a fee for the all-black look. It was $100 a wheel for this blacked out treatment. No big deal. I was willing to pay for it.
The Bad: Well I am now noticing some of the white lettering under the black paint and I have only had the wheels for a few weeks. The manufacturer 463 is offering no help .. so $500 wasted. I will try to manage with touchup paint etc. but I wanted to share this experience, in case anyone else has the same thought about doing a black-out treatment. Don't pay 463 Industries to do it. Just buy the wheels and let a local shop powder coat them.
Just to be clear... my feedback is not about the wheels. The CG01 wheels are good. If you are OK with the white letters then you will be satisfied.
My feedback is about the $500 they charged me for the black-out service which I would be OK if it actually was a good job but unfortunately it is not good.
Can you give your feedback on the reverse wheel mount? I'm concerned about the extra strain it puts on hinges with the extra weight farther away from the door.
Can you give your feedback on the reverse wheel mount? I'm concerned about the extra strain it puts on hinges with the extra weight farther away from the door.
I was also concerned about this exact thing. I asked Jack (Jack Wagon Overlanding) and he said the reverse mount would hold up the added weight and also handle added stress during off-roading. So far it is solid. I have not experienced any issues on or off-road. I've been on a road trip and on a few red/blue off-road trails. If I do experience anything that does look suspect, I will use this thread to share my first hand experience. From what I understand, this is not a new product and 911 Motorsports have been making a version of this for a while and has been used by quite a few G wagon owners - so its been vetted.
Now we can certainly not compare it to a solution like the LeTech spare wheel solution that is used for 4x4 squared and also on the Professional Edition but then its 5-6 times in terms of cost plus the installation. I am sure at 6X the cost that solution is much more solid and able to handle much more weight and stress, but thats a compromise I have been willing to make and so far it does not feel like too much of a compromise.
Not only is 463 Industries not willing to take responsibility for their paint job, they won't even provide a color code for the black wheels, so I can order some paint independently and do the touch-up myself.
I will give their customer service a solid D-minus. An unfortunate case of a company making a decent product but failing to provide any customer support or stand behind their product/service.
I would give JackWagonOverlanding an A for being willing to help answer questions, before and after sale, and for assisting in trying to get support from 463 Industries.
Did you have to use adapters or spacers for the wheels?
Thanks for the feedback on the reverse mount - I may purchase it so I can actually use a matching spare in case of a flat. I was concerned more on the load on the hinges and confident the actual product is solid. My aftermarket setup is also heavier than the OEM setup.
Not only is 463 Industries not willing to take responsibility for their paint job, they won't even provide a color code for the black wheels, so I can order some paint independently and do the touch-up myself.
I will give their customer service a solid D-minus. An unfortunate case of a company making a decent product but failing to provide any customer support or stand behind their product/service.
I would give JackWagonOverlanding an A for being willing to help answer questions, before and after sale, and for assisting in trying to get support from 463 Industries.
Most body/paint shops should be able to match the color and provide you a Pantone reference if touch-up is the way you want to go. Or, take them to a powder coat shop, have them stripped and refinished in one of the dozens of black finishes to choose from. The bolts might add some complexity/cost -- are they real and removable, or cosmetic? It might cost a few $$, but you'll be pleased with the results.
Most body/paint shops should be able to match the color and provide you a Pantone reference if touch-up is the way you want to go. Or, take them to a powder coat shop, have them stripped and refinished in one of the dozens of black finishes to choose from. The bolts might add some complexity/cost -- are they real and removable, or cosmetic? It might cost a few $$, but you'll be pleased with the results.
I believe the bolts are removable .. I will have to check.
I have used a local shop for powder coating old Toyota wheels and they did a fine job - so they'll be able to fix this without worries.
I am just unhappy about wasting $500 ..
I believe the bolts are removable .. I will have to check.
I have used a local shop for powder coating old Toyota wheels and they did a fine job - so they'll be able to fix this without worries.
I am just unhappy about wasting $500 ..
If it makes you feel any better, I just spent $500 repairing squirrel damage to a wiring harness on my skid steer. A box of ammo is much cheaper!
jamgolf - Just want to give you a shout out and thank you for this! I just went for the same setup on my OEM 18inch wheels, in case someone else got the same 5 spoke 18" OEM Wheels. Even through it's got a +43 (ET43) offset, it cleared, no rubbing. Same size LT275/65/R18 of the Wildpeak RT01.2022 G-550. Need to take it out on the trail to shake it down.
A +20 offset on the wheels essentially eliminates the need for spacers.
I am not using any adapters or spacers.
Note: I do not have adaptive suspension.
hey jamgolf, love your update and info here about the 18” wheel options, this is something I am considering doing. Question: I believe we all (2023 G550) have active dampening (or so I am led to believe - I have on mine). How would this affect the build with 18” wheels?
apologies if it’s obvious, I’m new to car modifications 😺
hey jamgolf, love your update and info here about the 18” wheel options, this is something I am considering doing. Question: I believe we all (2023 G550) have active dampening (or so I am led to believe - I have on mine). How would this affect the build with 18” wheels?
apologies if it’s obvious, I’m new to car modifications 😺
Actually not all G550s have the active dampening. Mine does not.
I am not sure how much of a difference there is in springs/clearence, so my experience with these 18" wheels and tires is specific to the "non active damper" G550 units.
I doubt there is too much of a difference and worst case you might have to drop to a tire size that is one size down from 32.3" tires that I've got.
Good luck!
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