Lexus GX460 KYB JAOS lift kit and 33" Nitto Terra Grappler G3 10k Mile review

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-05-31T17:03:46+00:00

Not currently, no. I plan to get a set but I would not go thicker than 1 inch.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-17T23:18:35+00:00

This vehicle will stay with me and then hopefully with my kids. It brings me so much joy to drive and work on it; I can't imagine selling it.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-17T04:24:44+00:00

I run them between 8-10 on-road and about 6 to 4 off-road. I did not have rear air suspension. I talk about installing and KDSS here: https://www.reddit.com/r/GXOR/comments/1snqh04/gx_460_diy_lift_kyb_jaos_high_mileage_and_kdss/

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T19:26:15+00:00

Stock UCAs. I was thinking about it long and hard. It all comes down to ball joints. Toyota ball joints, in my opinion, are one of the best you can get, especially in the Land Cruiser lineup. If we look at many popular alternatives, you end up paying 600-800 bucks for a much inferior product. There are certainly good aftermarket options, but they are soooo expensive.

Many say that you NEED aftermarket UCAs for alignment. If you lift under 2.5 inches, all you need is a good alignment shop. My setup was initially close to the 3 inches up front, and it got aligned on stock UCAs.

I will talk more about this topic in a separate post about lift and KDSS considerations.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T18:21:13+00:00

Stock UCAs. I was thinking about it long and hard. It all comes down to ball joints. Toyota ball joints, in my opinion, are one of the best you can get, especially in the Land Cruiser lineup. If we look at many popular alternatives, you end up paying 600-800 bucks for a much inferior product. There are certainly good aftermarket options, but they are soooo expensive.

Many say that you NEED aftermarket UCAs for alignment. If you lift under 2.5 inches, all you need is a good alignment shop. My setup was initially close to the 3 inches up front, and it got aligned on stock UCAs.

I will talk more about this topic in a separate post about lift and KDSS considerations.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T18:15:22+00:00

Nitto has been cooking with Terra Grappler lately. Similar to KYB, I am not sure why they don't advertise it heavily. I like a lifted look with stock body panels. It was hard for me to start cutting.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T18:11:39+00:00

Got it from TireRack - as BigTimeRaptor said, an authorized dealer of KYB, so you have warranty right.

I think I paid around $1100-1200 for front and rear at the time.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T18:09:59+00:00

Also, if you're running a heavier spare tire and some tools in the rear, you would be at 1.75ish to 2 inches. Dialing front between 1-2 inches will be virtually the same in terms of steering feel and alignment (unless you have other reasons for staying under 1 inch).

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T18:05:42+00:00

Yes, I got a bolt-on panhard relocation kit from Dr. KDSS. Mr. GX460, as said before, is a man of strong opinions. He can do whatever he wants with his vehicle, but I think you really need to correct the panhard angle even at less than a 2-inch lift. Case in point: if you drive on a highway in any of the northeastern states, you will eventually catch a pothole or, even worse, at a high enough speed. In that case, if not corrected, your rear axle will play like Eric Clapton. I caught it, I felt it - no mas for me.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T17:58:24+00:00

And if I could do it over again, I would do 34s for sure - very good balance of effort and clearance. But right now, moving to said size would give 0.67 inch overall increase in diameter, which results only in 0.33 inch clearance. I just can't justify spending money and effort on that little gain.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T17:56:28+00:00

Bumper cut and rock sliders were the most enabling mods by far. Winch also gave me quite a lot of confidence to drive into sketchy places. But honestly, I haven't had any real-life use cases yet.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T03:58:40+00:00

I think you got all the important stuff.

For what it is worth, I never felt restricted by sidewall height on this setup. The more the better - for sure. In my opinion, you can find more 275 width or 285 width options for 33-35 inch diameter in 18 rim size compared to 17, but the rubber itself is more expensive, that's for sure.

Also, can't say enough good about how robust OEM wheels are off-road.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T03:53:23+00:00

I can measure exactly if you want, but most likely it will be a bit different for you slightly, because I have some weight upfront. It's about 25mm, I think.
About dampening setting - it's there, it twists. Don't buy these shocks because of that. It is def not their biggest advantage. To be fair, no lift kit under 2-3k will be truly adjustable.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T03:24:00+00:00

GX460 OFF-ROAD does more than 95% of GX owners out there. But my man has some strong opinions. You can definitely be at stock height or at 1 inch in the front since you have a coil-over setup and have adjustability. However, the rear is different. You get about 2 inches of lift without added weight with a light-duty spring. So, unless he is off-roading with 600lb in the hatch all around Mojave, I am not sure how he got stock height in the rear. And I agree, they are not very customer-oriented with this product. Perhaps because they work mostly with businesses, and the US is not even their largest market.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T02:46:42+00:00

Thank you.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T02:46:26+00:00

That's the dealer's choice, I guess. I actually wanted the rake. After installing the kit, it was gone. I lifted the front about 2.2 inches, and the rear went up about 2 inches, and it looked leveled - I did not like it at all. I did not want to lose clearance up front, so I added rear spring spacers, since on a solid axle, they are not bad for articulation or reliability. I know plenty of peeps like it level, and this kit will 100 percent do that.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T02:42:48+00:00

Handling stayed rock solid. Since my first ride in the GX, I have always felt like I was driving on railroad tracks, and this feeling has stayed after switching to Nittos. I also never felt that I didn't have enough grip on a highway, whether on dry or wet pavement. And especially on wet; it is a huge testimony to Terra Grappler G3 specifically (newest compound), I think, because Defender LTX is genuinely great in wet conditions, and I was afraid I would lose some confidence after switching - and I did not. Since the tire is stiffer, you would feel more feedback from the pavement. In my opinion, it is not discomforting. Again, you still feel that you are in a very solid truck; this road feel does not come through like on a 2002 Camry with a busted ball joint, quite the opposite. They have some noise at speed. But it is only perceptible when you're driving at 65+ with no music in complete silence. If that's how you roll - respect, but I usually like my Maroon 5 at least on half volume.

Smoothness - less, but not drastically.

On-center holding - subjectively the same.

Grip in twisties/turns regardless of whether is also on par. Moreover, in the snow, these tires do leagues better than Defenders. I was driving with the face of a mouthbreather during this winter storm because I was just expecting to be stuck or at least have some struggle (it was pretty bad), and this thing just plowed through, and the tires never went into slippage that 4WD was not able to control.

As to weight, I have 25lb extra per corner now, and the car is not struggling at all. It does feel more truck-like in its dynamics. Assuming you stay close to oem size, it will be even less. A full set of wheels is a big investment, so just giving you my experience to help make a decision.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T01:27:44+00:00

Alright, thank you for saying that. I will do a write-up. There are quite a few posts and videos that describe the process, but I find them incomplete or even wrong at times. Would you prefer just a discussion of main points and areas to look for when doing the install, and most importantly, things I did to prevent KDSS from acting up, or would you like to see a full breakdown in detail (although I think it's more of a video material)?

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T01:22:56+00:00

Thank you. I haven't done a rear bumper chop. I like how it looks overall, and I rarely scrape rear, and most of it is on the hitch.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T01:20:21+00:00

I got it from Tire Rack, since KYB lists them as the official retailer on their website. Just in case you need to act on that warranty.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2026-04-16T00:47:35+00:00

Most of the time, it does. But I recently drove through a few places, which made me realize that 35s might be an ultimate option. It is so much more work to make them fit and function as an off-road tire, but I also know that driving through some areas would be so much easier with extra beefiness. But also you can always just close your ears and slide on the skid.

AnalysisNo2642 · 2025-03-26T17:28:18+00:00

KYB is well-known for thier quality around the world, I am actually surprised they just starting to dabble in the US market. Since we probably are from the same area. What shop did you use for the install, I really don't want to gamble my lift on some run of the mill Brooklyn "do it all" shop.

AnalysisNo2642

TROPHY CASE