Tire of Choice....

otiswesty

Regular guy
I think that 275/70/18 tire size is perfect and look great on your rig. Obviously works well with the ET of 43 and full compression even without any spring spacers.
No reason not to run 16" wheels in a 2017 G550. Although a 33" tire has a lot of air to let out even on a 18" rim. I ran this size for 8 years before going to 16" alloys.

The General Grabber is a great tire that seems to last forever. I have had some late side wall failures after 30K+ miles and a lot of low air pressure hot ambient off-roading, otherwise I recommend them heartily. Usually I have run 2 sets of them with a studded winter set and a summer "road" set with me pulling the studs to replace the road/off-road set after my first failure. When I go on a big back country trip, I could bring 2 studded spares just in case.:ylsmoke:

This tire popping rock just jumped out at me when I saw the pic! You must have barely avoided it with the rear tire.
 

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otiswesty

Regular guy
...does anyone have experience with the coding of this vintage G (2014) for the larger circumference (from ca. 30.7 stock to 33" proposed above) in the star system ?

My understanding is that the newer G's have a detuned ESP to reduce hyper-reactivity so that you will not have the "anchor out the window" effect of the early 463s with ESP.

OT, but I have recently test driven a local 2017 G550 and almost freeway crashed it at high speed on the test drive due to overconfidence in the BAS (braking assist system). Frankly, I have to say that the first and second gear torque limiter make it drive functionally about the same as a 1999 G500 despite the higher torque and HP ratings. While the game changing safety of ESP and ETS on ice and snow is pretty amazing, most of the functionality of the vehicle is pretty much unchanged since 1979. The people who infer that the new G-class is "light weight" and under performing either can't afford one or are without knowledge of their inherent capabilities with 3 diff lockers standard. Improved interior comfort and sound dampening does not necessarily mean reduced functional capabilities.

I have owned a 1985, 1995, 1999 and 2002 G-class. I have to say that the 1995 seems to be a sweet spot absent the V8 capabilities.
 

1range

Adventurer
Well she is lifted and the ST MAX are on! Ride is much improved around town! Have not ventured down the hwy yet!
 

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zimm

Expedition Leader
So I put on a set of 18s, with Ko2s. I will say the ride is considerably better! But, I still think my end game is ST MAXX after the lift.

I've never been into the black wheel fad (got black birddogs on my 60, so i'm guilty myself), but sure does look right and proper.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
maybe its the short control arms that cause the tire to favor one side of the wheel well, but i think i liked the look better pre lift.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
and a RR has a much more advanced suspension than a G, so i dont think you can compare tire/wheel combos between them. the G needs more sidewall, which aint a bad thing if it actually sees terrain.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
Well she is lifted and the ST MAX are on! Ride is much improved around town! Have not ventured down the hwy yet!

That looks fantastic! Which lift did you go with? 40 or 50mm? Tire size? What's your impression of the new ride and handling?
 

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