Tested: Do 35" Tires Really Fit the 6th Gen 4Runner Off-Road?

[Trail4R]

Fitting vs. Clearing – There’s a Big Difference - How Much Work Does It Take To Actually Clear 35" Tires? ​

There’s been a lot of talk on other forums and in the Facebook groups about how “easy” it is to fit 35" tires on the new 6th Gen 4Runner, and yes, they do fit and clear with minor trimming… on pavement. But, if you actually plan on wheeling your 6th Gen, then there are some things you need to know before trying to fit and/or clear 35" tires.

Before reading this post, check out: Fitting 35" Tires Trimming Guide and the Crash Plate Removal Guide.

First, let's look at the wheel/tire setup.

Wheel & Tire Setup:​

• Tires: 35X12.5R17 Arroyo M/T
• Wheels: Lock Invader Beadlocks +25mm offset
• Lift: 2.25” Peak Suspension front preload collar kit + 2” rear spacer (stock springs)

The more lift you have, and the more positive (+) offset you have, the easier it's going to be in order to actually clear your 35" tires, but there are other factors here as well.

The factory 6th Gen 4Runner wheels are around a +45 to +55 offset, depending on the model you get.

Staying at a +45mm offset or dropping down to a +35mm offset is going to be the most common and probably your best option if you're looking for the best fitment on and off-road.

If you drop down to a +25mm wheel, you risk having more rubbing and more clearance issues. I do not recommend anything lower than a +25mm offset for the 6th Gen. You just open yourself up to more problems.

Now for the lift, a full 3" lift in the front and rear is going to be your best option for fitting and clearing 35" tires, but you will still need to trim the following areas if you want the tires to fully clear off-road. Trimming will vary depending on lift and offset, but minor trimming will remain regardless... again, if you plan on fully clearing your tires off-road.

Trimming Areas Required for 35" Tires on the 6th Gen:

1. Front bumper plastics
2. Front fender flares (inner and outer)
3. Front fender sheet metal
4. Front felt fender liner (complete removal or trimming)
5. Removal of all factory crash plates
6. Rear fender flares (inner)
7. Rear fender flares (outer)

Do 35" Tires Fit?​

Yes, 35” tires physically fit the 6th Gen, and they’ll run fine on the street with minimal trimming. But once you start flexing the suspension off-road, it’s a different story.

Here's what we ran into:

• Rear fender flares popped off almost immediately when the tire stuffed into the wheel well under compression.
• The tire contacts the body and flare at full flex, even with the 2” spacer in the rear.
• Up front, there's slight contact at full lock and stuff, but manageable compared to the rear.
• Up front, even after trimming for 35" tires, we still contacted the inner felt fender liner before reaching bottom-out events.

Do 35" Tires Fully Clear Off-Road?​

Fully clearing 35" tires at full lock, stuffed on the trail, proves to be a bit more challenging than most people make it out to be.

35" Tires fit on a 6th Gen 4Runner on the road with this setup, but not off-road.

35" tires do not fully stuff into the wheel well off-road with the specs we're running above, and will cause the rear fender flares in the rear to pop off.

Our felt liner in the front has also started to fall off from big, high-speed hits in the desert after our NorCal Signal Peak run. We broke a handful of clips off the felt liner, and it was dragging on the tire. I had to cut out a big section and zip tie it further back into the fender well.

What's It Going To Take To Clear Bigger Tires?​

To run 35" tires and clear them off-road, we need extended bump stops to limit the uptravel in addition to a full-height 3" rear spring, and even then, trimming of the actual fender flare will be required in order for the tire to fully stuff into the well without causing the fender flares to pop off.

Just like the 5th Gen, the center point of the axle/hub is closer to the inner portion of the rear fender, causing the fender flare by the rear doors to easily pop off if you break off the two lower clips.

35" Fitment is Beyond a Spacer Lift​

If you want to truly clear 35” tires on the trail, here’s what we’ve found you’ll need beyond just a spacer lift:

• 3” full-height rear spring (spacer alone isn’t enough)
• Extended bump stops to limit uptravel and protect fender flare tabs
• Fender flare trimming in the rear to allow the tire to stuff without popping plastic clips off
• (Optional) Additional body trimming, depending on your wheel offset and tire width

Final Thoughts:​

The 6th Gen makes fitting 35s easier than the 5th Gen, thanks to more factory clearances and slightly better geometry, but clearing 35s off-road is still a real challenge without the right supporting mods.

Don’t get fooled by street setups, these other forums, and people in the Facebook groups saying how easy it is.

Off-road is the real test, and we seem to be the only ones putting in the work to call out what it actually takes to run 35" tires.

Originally, I thought it was going to be easy to run 37" tires, but we need to figure out what it takes to run 35s first.

 

[4RunnerNation]

I’ve seen a lot of posts about fitting bigger tires on the 6th Gen, but not many people are actually wheeling on them and showing what it really takes to clear them. This is one of the first honest breakdowns I’ve seen. Losing both rear fender flares on the first obstacle, rubbing into the rear door sheet metal, and tearing the felt liners really puts things into perspective. There’s clearly more involved than just “minor trimming” like some people claim. Even with a true 3" lift, extended bump stops, and trimmed fenders and flares, it still sounds tight in the wheel wells if you’re actually using the suspension off-road.

 

[Trail4R]

@4RunnerNation yeah, a lot of people made it seem like fitting 35" tires was a breeze, and it is for the road but not for the trail.

I was really hoping to mount up some 37s sooner than later, but might actually require some 74W portals.

 

[4RunnerNation]

@Trail4R so what's the sweet spot you think for good clearance off-road without too much trimming? A true 34" tire?

 

[Trail4R]

@4RunnerNation - yeah a true 34" or a 285/75R17 (33.8 depending on brand) would work very well and clear much better off-road, but a larger 34" tire - something like a 295/75R17 (34.4") might cause a few issues. We were hoping to make 35" tires work with "ease" like everyone was saying but it looks like we're going to have to cut into the rear fender flares which I didn't want to do. Whatever though. All good. Pretty stoked on the platform regardless.

 

[Js950]

This post is very interesting, I'm about 3 years out to get a 6th gen 4runner and I'm wanting to get 37s on the 2025 4runner off road premium and have a 0mm offset for an aggressive stance , I know I'd have to do a lift kit and possibly a body lift and maybe some trimming, also the trd pro is out of the question because of not only the scarcity of them but also the fact that I'd have to rip everything out to get done what I want and the 10k dealer markup, any info that could help would be appreciated

 

[Archer80]

Thanks for the writeup, good info.

Anyone trying to run a 35" on a Pro? Are spacers going to be enough or do you need an actual lift, trimming?

And yes, I will be offroading so it just ain't to look cool... : )

 

[stellarbuilt]

Out here doing the Lord's work. Thanks BG for putting the 6G through its paces and taking one for the team. When you were at the shop, we were all looking at the collar kit, wondering how that was going to pan out with the 35" tires. Even flexed out, it looked like it could handle it but sometimes you don't really know until you get out there and actually test it. Sounds like the collar kit and the 2" rear spacer is better suited for a 34" tire and I would assume that you are jumping up to a full suspension soon and will continue to so some additional testing to see what it takes to fully clear the 35s. Even if you jump down to a 25mm, and a smaller wheel width 17X8.5 vs. the 17X9, not sure that would make a huge difference for fully clearing, stuffing, and articulating the 35s. We'll see you at the shop soon, buddy. lol

 

[Trail4R]

Out here doing the Lord's work. Thanks BG

Yeah, even if we changed everything;

35x11.50 on a 17x8 wheel with +45mm offset... is that the answer? I don't know, just need to get out there, start looking at these setups, and find the golden ratio.

Regardless, we have some work to do: new suspension, bumps, trimming, modifying the fender liner a little better, etc. Maybe throw some portals into the mix, mount some 37" tires, and find our way into some new problems. haha

 

[Trail4R]

This post is very interesting, I'm about 3 years out to get a 6th gen 4runner and I'm wanting to get 37s on the 2025 4runner off road premium and have a 0mm offset for an aggressive stance , I know I'd have to do a lift kit and possibly a body lift and maybe some trimming, also the trd pro is out of the question because of not only the scarcity of them but also the fact that I'd have to rip everything out to get done what I want and the 10k dealer markup, any info that could help would be appreciated

0mm is wayyyy too aggressive for this vehicle. +25mm might be as aggressive as you want to go. I mean to each their own, but 0mm offset would be a gnarly stance and cause a ton of rubbing everywhere. More than you're looking at here on +25mm. A full suspension for sure, and yeah, a body lift would help big time.

I plan on eventually going to 37s as well but we need to get this 35 situation figured out first. lol.

Some shots to show you the stance on the 17X9 +25mm beadlocks and 35X12.5R17s.

 

[Trail4R]

Thanks for the writeup, good info.

Anyone trying to run a 35" on a Pro? Are spacers going to be enough or do you need an actual lift, trimming?

And yes, I will be offroading so it just ain't to look cool... : )

I don't have any experience with a Pro, but it does come with a bigger suspension. You might be able to get away with bigger tires on the factory QS3 shocks, but you will still have to trim something. The wheel wells aren't as big as everyone made them out to be. The front is plenty big and is easy enough to trim, but the rear is the challenge; you can only trim so much fender flare before you start getting into the sheet metal on the door.

 

[Js950]

I don't have any experience with a Pro, but it does come with a bigger suspension. You might be able to get away with bigger tires on the factory QS3 shocks, but you will still have to trim something. The wheel wells aren't as big as everyone made them out to be. The front is plenty big and is easy enough to trim, but the rear is the challenge; you can only trim so much fender flare before you start getting into the sheet metal on the door.

Thanks for the response, if I did a 25mm offset would I be able to get away with 37s without trimming the fenders/ sheet metal ? And what lift would you recommend for 37s for off roading with a full suspension travel ?

 

[Trail4R]

Thanks for the response, if I did a 25mm offset would I be able to get away with 37s without trimming the fenders/ sheet metal ? And what lift would you recommend for 37s for off roading with a full suspension travel ?

It depends on whether you're looking to run them on the road only or fully clear them off-road. If you want to fully stuff the tires in the rear, it doesn't matter what suspension you get, the 37s will make contact with the fender flares and rear door sheet metal before contacting the bump stops, limiting uptravel. If someone makes an extended travel bump stop, that might work to prevent the rear from reaching the flares and sheet metal but even then, you're really limiting travel all the way around. Sounds counterintuitive for a true off-road focused build because you'd be left with little to no uptravel.

There was a guy at Rodeo Rigs running a set of 37" Nittos on his 4Runner, and it looks like it clears on the road, but not sure if he has fully tested this setup off-road:

37" Nitto Trail Grappler M/Ts, Total Chaos Arms, and -10mm offset SCS Wheels

-10 is an insane offset for these trucks, and the second this thing gets off-road, those tires are going to contact the inner fender in the front (and rear), causing them to come off, or after too many repetitive hits, it just starts to burn away plastic material from all the friction.

I don't think 37s are the answer right now on these vehicles unless you're looking to run them on the road only.

 

[Trail4R]

Here is a look at the front fender flares and felt liner after a 1000+ mile trip around the High Sierras, and into the black rock desert over a few days.

Driver side looking up at the fender flare.​

The tire started to eat away at the felt liner as well, so I just bent it over and folded it back into the well, zip-tied it in place for a quick fix while we were out.

Same thing on the passenger side​

 

[Js950]

Do you think in the next few years that they will figure 37s out, or should I just do 35s with a 0mm offset ?

It depends on whether you're looking to run them on the road only or fully clear them off-road. If you want to fully stuff the tires in the rear, it doesn't matter what suspension you get, the 37s will make contact with the fender flares and rear door sheet metal before contacting the bump stops, limiting uptravel. If someone makes an extended travel bump stop, that might work to prevent the rear from reaching the flares and sheet metal but even then, you're really limiting travel all the way around. Sounds counterintuitive for a true off-road focused build because you'd be left with little to no uptravel.

There was a guy at Rodeo Rigs running a set of 37" Nittos on his 4Runner, and it looks like it clears on the road, but not sure if he has fully tested this setup off-road:

37" Nitto Trail Grappler M/Ts, Total Chaos Arms, and -10mm offset SCS Wheels

-10 is an insane offset for these trucks, and the second this thing gets off-road, those tires are going to contact the inner fender in the front (and rear), causing them to come off, or after too many repetitive hits, it just starts to burn away plastic material from all the friction.

I don't think 37s are the answer right now on these vehicles unless you're looking to run them on the road only

 

[Trail4R]

Do you think in the next few years that they will figure 37s out, or should I just do 35s with a 0mm offset ?

The real answer to fully clear with 37" tires on the 6th Gen 4Runner and fully stuff them with decent uptravel is to run portal axles. They should be available soon.

I'm running portal axles on my 5th Gen 4Runner with 37" tires, and that's the only way, IF you don't want to start cutting into your body.

A lot of guys are running 37" tires on the 5th Gen, but with that comes fiberglass fenders, removal of flares in the rear, and trimming the sheet metal near the doors to clear them. And even then, some guys are still rubbing. If a 3" rear spring is the answer for the 35", then what's the answer to comfortably run 37" tires off-road? Portals.

It will be interesting to see what happens when guys start long traveling these 6th Gens for 37s. On the Tacoma, it's already been done, but clearance in the rear on a Tacoma is a piece of cake. The 4Runner is incredibly limited by that rear door and all the sheet metal that surrounds that wheel well.

 

[Js950]

Thanks for all of the great info you've shared i appreciate your time and effort, now I know what I'm getting myself into lol, guess ill have to wait and see what happens with the whole 35's situation let alone the 37s