20 inch sporty wheels on 2010 Prado GRJ150R VX Sports Automatic is legal?

[lalsyd Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lalsyd]

Hi guys,

I am planning to buy one 2010 Toyota Landcruiser Prado GRJ150R VX Sports Automatic with 100K on clock on this weekend. Since I fell down with the look and external condition I Paid deposit already.

When I did test drive on saturday I found some issues as follows:

1. felt like little under powered for a 4L engine and looks like I need to press hard on the pedal to move faster (which is almost like my 2008 corolla).The salesman was telling that the drive mode may be different because it was showing "ECO" in green color in dial. (From my understanding car shows how you drive..if you drive economically only it shows ECO). I had driven one 2008 model grande few weeks back and found it was very responsive.

2. vibration in the dash and bumpy in a very good road (Dealer was telling it is because of the wheels and he offered brand new tyres on front) but I am not convinced. (Note: The wheels are having sporty look and low profile tyres in it)

so I have arranged one pre-purchase inspection with MTA (http://www.mtavehicleinspections.com.au/) yesterday and his report is came as good (7-8 out of 10)

He mentioned only the wheels issue mainly in the report. He told front tyres have to be changed and do a proper wheel alignment will solve till some extent. His opinion is low profile tyres in sporty wheels will be having that rough driving feel.

I need a smooth drive because I am having new born twin babies (3 months old). (they are the main reason for car upgrade)

He told me that it may illegal to drive with 20 inch wheel instead of 18 inch wheel in prado and advised me to check with RTA. He told these tyres are not useful for off-road but good for road. I am not worried about that because I don't have any plans to go off-road.

Is it true? I don't want to pay heavy fines for that 20 inch wheel. (I live in NSW- Blacktown area)

Please advise. I am going to buy this one in this weekend.

Thanks in advance

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

Buy a van.

Mate, it's a four wheel drive. Smooth ride is never at the top of the list. Every pothole will jar, the dash will always creak and rattle... seriously, look at how much plstic is there... it's gotta rattle. If you want something to tote your two kids around in.... buy a van. A four wheel drive for what you want is an extension of what mother nature wants you too be happy with.

Changing the 20s for 18s will smoothen the ride a little but then you will find the suspension too bouncy and excessive body roll.

[lalsyd Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lalsyd]

Buy a van.

Changing the 20s for 18s will smoothen the ride a little but then you will find the suspension too bouncy and excessive body roll.

Thanks RanJ..My main question was Is it legal to drive 20inch wheel with a prado in NSW

I have attached the photo of the wheel along with this mail.

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

you actually had multiple questions in there that I answered.... re: the 20s... your best line is to call the people who make those decisions. The RTA (or whatever they call themselves now. They will give you the most definitive response.

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

Thanks RanJ..My main question was Is it legal to drive 20inch wheel with a prado in NSW

I have attached the photo of the wheel along with this mail.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12781[/ATTACH]

Cant give you a definitive answer, as these things vary from state to state. However, going from 18's to 20's I would say is legal, provided you do not deviate from the permitted track increase / decrease and the rolling diameter stays the same (or within allowed specs).

But, for what it is worth, ditch the 20's. They would DEFINITELY contribute to a harsher ride and rubber would be more expensive.

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

I wonder how the suspension is after riding around on that for awhile.

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

I wonder how the suspension is after riding around on that for awhile.

Like you said previously - its a four wheel drive. If he wanted sports car handling then I am sure he would go get one. So the rest of us on bog stock 17's must have really shocking suspension....

A certain amount of body roll is expected in a 4wd! Simple fact is, his car came from the factory with 18's. 20's would definitely give a harsher ride in comparison.

Just as inflating to 40+ compared to low 30's on the Toyota Tyre Placard would also contribute to harsher ride.

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

lol, I'm on 16s with my 90 series.... it suspension must be shagged. Oh wait, it is. I have a snapped strut. lol. back on topic!

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Not sure if NSW have the same rules as Q. Anyway to be legal here the overall diameter of the tyres has to be within +15 and -25mm. So a 265/60 18 is nominally a 775mm or 30.5" tyre. You can go up to 790 or down to 750mm. If you are running 265/50 20s then the diameter is ok.

In addition to diameter there are rules about load rating and track. The load rating must equal or exceed the factory load rating. I think this is where you may have trouble so check what size the tyre is and what the load rating is. From there you are only allowed to increase the track by +25mm and not allowed to decrease the track at all. So measure what you current track is tyre centre to tyre centre and compare that with the dimensions in the manual. There is some speculaltion that you are ok to increase the maximum track on the range of vehicles by +25mm which would mean the GX but I am not so sure this is correct. I haven't gone into any detail on that.

Having written all that you are far better off with an 18" wheel tyre combination. Sure it wont be 'sporty' but there is no such thing as a Prado VX sports anyway. It is a 4wd and with KDSS handles pretty well for a 2.5t lump. But to call it sporty? Um no.

As mentioned above if you are going to stick with 20" tyres check your local Department against Transport for details.

[lalsyd Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lalsyd]

Like you said previously - its a four wheel drive. If he wanted sports car handling then I am sure he would go get one. So the rest of us on bog stock 17's must have really shocking suspension....

A certain amount of body roll is expected in a 4wd! Simple fact is, his car came from the factory with 18's. 20's would definitely give a harsher ride in comparison.

I am ok with it.

Just as inflating to 40+ compared to low 30's on the Toyota Tyre Placard would also contribute to harsher ride.

thanks for your comment .. This means..Will a 20 inch wheel damage the suspension?
In that case I need to change the wheels and tyres which will be big expense.

so should I forget my deposit and find other one?

since I am not going to off-road the mechanic is telling no much problem other than legal issue. Dealer is saying 2 inch addition is allowed in NSW as long is it is not projecting outside or something like change the shape of the vehicle.

please advise what should I do now? (43K price is worth for 2010 Toyota Landcruiser Prado GRJ150R VX Sports Automatic with 100K on clock with full log book?..done services in Toyota dealer..1 year warranty)

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

How the suspension is now can be determined by the mechanic. Spending the next 5 years on those tyres will cause suspension damage over time. It will provide you with a rough ride now and shake everything loose in the car. I would strongly advise to change the wheels. Yes it is a bigger cost which you must factor in. Despite it being legal (unconfirmed) I wouldn't wouldn't want that ride quality.

Also, thats a lot of Ks for a 3yo car.... and I would think a lot of money for those Ks. I'm sure you've been given the "highway Ks" story. In my opinion, no such thing. It's gonna hurt your resale value. Especially petrol.

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

Will a 20 inch wheel damage the suspension?
In that case I need to change the wheels and tyres which will be big expense.

so should I forget my deposit and find other one?

Increasing rim size to 20 inch should not technically damage your suspension. The rolling diameter stays the same, the rim gets bigger whilst the height of the sidewall gets smaller.

Technically speaking, your shocks would be copping it a little more as the tyre on the 20" rim doesnt flex as much (therefore absorbing some of the impact) as the tyre 18" rim.

It would be marginal though - not worth crying about. I guess it depends on how much of a deposit you would lose, and whether there are better bargains out there or not.

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Second hand Dealer will say anything to sell a vehicle. Do as others have suggested. Get the wheel size and offset, the tyre size and load rating. Take it to the RTA and ask them if it is legal.

Look at the tyre compared to a standard 18 inch. The 20 in wheel is taking up 2 inches usually occupied by relatively soft rubber and compressible air and replacing it with unyielding aluminium. The ride will always be harsher when you do this. You can reduce air pressure to compensate somewhat, but this will cause premature wear of expensive tyres.

Do you love your babies, or do you want to shake them?

If the wheels/tyres are not legal, demand your deposit back.

[lalsyd Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lalsyd]

[QUOTE=mjrandom;431717]Not sure if NSW have the same rules as Q. Anyway to be legal here the overall diameter of the tyres has to be within +15 and -25mm. So a 265/60 18 is nominally a 775mm or 30.5" tyre. You can go up to 790 or down to 750mm. If you are running 265/50 20s then the diameter is ok.


Thanks for detailed reply.
From the report it says all tyres are FALKEN ZIEX S/TZ 04 : 265/50R20 111H XL

from the site I can see

Size 265/50R20 111H XL
Product Code 28261011
UTQG Rating 460 A B
Load Index 111
Load Type XL [extra load]
Speed Rating (mph) H [130 mph max]
Sidewall Style BSW [black sidewall]
Tread Warranty (mi) 50k
Rim Width Range (in) 7.5 - 9.5
Meas. Rim Width (in) 8.5
Overall Diameter (in) 30.6
Section Width (in) 10.558
Tread Width (in) 9.0
Tread Depth (in) 0.40
Max Load (lbs) 2469
Tire Weight (lbs) 42.5

My mechanic's report says:

Kerb marks to wheel rims.
Non-standard / oversize wheels and tyres fitted. Recommend to check with local authorities for compliance.
Some uneven tyre wear. Carry out wheel alignment and front end assessment.
Suspension should be monitored as oversized wheels can cause premature wear to bushes and joints.
Undercarriage is in good overall condition showing no major wear or faults.

Should I worry too much about these?

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

Me personally, I would ask for the wheel alignment to be carried out and the assesment done to see what has caused the uneven tyre wear. Uneven tyre wear can be several things.... beginning with over/under inflating tyres but thats a really easy one to spot when you know what to look for...Suspension will wear a tyre completly differently and can usually be corrected without replacement of parts. Sometimes, the wear is happening because of suspension components, simply wearing out and needing to be replaced, this can be costly and I would request the dealer takes care of it and gives you a report on what was done before you take delivery