A LIFT ISN'T WHAT ALLOWS FOR BIGGER TIRESThat a lift will enable you to fit bigger tires (& corresponding wheels) is only true if we look at the truck just sitting at rest in a driveway and your wheels/tires have enough of a load rating. The true limiting factor is something else.
HOW TO DETERMINE THE LIMITLet's consider tire fitment in the context of a dynamic environment. Consider what happens when you run over a deep rut or bump and the suspension fully compresses until the axle hits the rubber bump stops on the frame. We need to assess whether there is no contact between the the tire and fender at that point when they come closest to each other; that would be when the axle hits the bump stop.
The best way to check clearance is to remove the springs and lower your truck until sits on the bump stops. Since these trucks may be used off road, you may want to consider checking clearance at full flex. With the truck on a lift and with the springs uninstalled, use a transmission jack to lift one wheel at a time until the bump stop touches the axle. This simulates maximum flex. At that point, check for clearance. If your tire touches your fender well, your options are to either extend your bump stops or install smaller tires.
TIRE FITMENT ON OUR TRUCK AS A BENCHMARKOn our truck with a THOR lift (2.75-inch lift at the front and a 2-inch lift at the rear), we have 35-inch diameter x 11.5-inch wide Nitto Ridge Grappler tires. These are on our 1993 Mercedes Puch 300 GE.
With this setup, we do not experience any rubbing except when the axle is fully articulated and the front wheel is fully turned. Even so, the rubbing is only slight.
From our experience in analyzing, driving and observing a wide variety of G-Wagens from late 80s models to 2018 models, we believe that the spacing in the wheel well is generally the same in all of these models. This is why we believe that this tire size would likely apply to all G-Class trucks from the W460 models all the way to pre-W463a models. In other words, we believe this tire size would fit all the way to 2018 models for the US market and 2017 models for the European market.
Please see the attached pics.
"THOR Hammer" Wheels Diameter: 20" Width: 9.75" Backspace: 5.75"
ET11 (offest of 11mm)
NITTO Ridge Grappler Tires Diameter: 35" Width:
11.5" On 20" wheels


If you're interested in installing 18-inch wheels like the
Alpha Equipt Echos or
Alpha Equipt Command wheels, then an equivalent tire size would be 285/75R18 Nitto Ridge Grapplers.
NOTE: The reason we specify precisely the Nitto Ridge Grapplers is because we have experience with them on our own vehicle. Different tire manufacturers may show the same nominal sizes on their sidewalls, but the actual size may not be the same. This is because tire manufacturers don't all follow the same standardized way of measuring tires, so one measurement to one company may be measured somewhat differently by another.