The Rago GX 550 Breakdown

If you’re looking to transform your Lexus GX 550 into the ultimate overlanding build, this breakdown of our build should give you plenty of ideas of how you might want to approach your build. We'll be covering our wheels & tires, suspension, lighting, camping setups, and more upgrades on our GX 550.

Our Lexus GX 550 began as the 2024 Overtrail Trim in Earth and Black Onyx color. Our GX also came with the factory Overtrail rock rails and roof rack already installed. Over the past few months we have transformed this build into an extremely capable overlanding machine, ready to handle extreme terrain with the comfort you expect from a Lexus.

Wheels & Tires

We upgraded our wheels to the KMC IMS wheels in Matte Bronze with Gloss Black Lip. The wheel size we went with is the 17X8.5 25mm offset, 6X139.7 bolt pattern. These wheels worked perfectly with our selection of tires from Toyo Tires, the Open Country R/T Trail. For a slightly oversized look, we got 35x12.50R17LT tires for this build which have proven to both look great, and perform great everywhere we’ve taken it.

Suspension

We partnered with Elka to upgrade the suspension on this build with their 2.5" external reservoir design. The The stock clearance on our 2024 GX Overtrail is listed as 8.86 inches, as opposed to the 2025+ getting a standard 1-inch lift to reach 9.84 inches. With our upgraded suspension, wheels, and tires, we measured our GX 550 at 10.25” clearance at the rear differential and 11.25” at the lowest point of the mid skid plate (Wheels, Tires, Suspension, bumpers, and roof rack installed).

Lightning

This entire GX 550 build is fully equipped with clear lens Baja Designs lights. Baja Designs also equipped our 4Runner build last year with the complete Amber set-up, so this was an easy choice for the GX 550. 

Center Bumper Light: Clear 30” ONX6+ Light Bar

Side Bumper Lights: 2 x Clear 10” Driving/Combo Lens S8 Light Bars

Ditch Lights: 2 x LP4 Pro Clear, Driving/Combo Lens Pod Lights

Roof Rack Mounted Lights: 6 x LP6 Pro Clear, Driving/Combo Lens Pod Lights

Rear Bumper Lights: 2 x S2 Pro Clear, Spot Lens Lights

Roof-Top Camping

During the development of this build, we went through two different versions of roof-top camping. The Desperado Hardshell Rooftop Tent ended up on our most recent build-out with the Rago roof rack for the GX. This tent fits perfectly on this rack and is a super easy set-up and take-down when you're at your campsite. A heavy-duty roof rack like ours should be a go-to when it comes to mounting large & heavy roof accessories like the Desperado tent. The double-walled sides and 9 aluminum crossmembers ensure heavy gear like this is rigid on your roof, limiting the wear-and-tear on the hardware while traversing unpaved terrain. 

Earlier this year we had our smaller tent, comparable to the Vagabond 2.0 Rooftop Tent mounted on our factory roof rail crossbars. This is a great solution for those of you looking for a more subtle OE+ look that is still extremely capable. These crossbars mount directly to your factory roof rails, keeping a factory look. They have dozens of mounting points and are a great option for roof-top gear mounting without going for a complete roof rack.

Off-Road Bumpers & Accessories

Our build is currently equipped with both full width front and rear bumpers. These high-quality steel bumpers both offer the maximum protection, and our front bumper greatly improves the approach angle and room for larger wheels and tires. The front bumper is equipped with a concealed winch plate and D-Ring mounts for recovery situations. 

The full-width rear bumper offers impressive protection and improved clearance for the rear of your vehicle, with mounts for auxiliary lighting. We also offer an alternative center-mount rear bumper that covers the width of the rear hatch.

Molle Storage Panels

Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be a Rago Fabrication build without our signature molle storage panel system! The GX 550 shares the same molle panels and shelf as the Toyota Land Cruiser 250 Series, and they continue to be a fantastic solution for gear organization for both platforms. Just like photographed above, the rear window panels and add-on molle shelf can keep your lighter gear secured while heavy/bulky equipment occupies the main cargo area. Nobody wants their propane tank rolling over their food! Some of the gear our team has really enjoyed using recently are the Howl Campfires fire pit and ICECO portable freezer, and having the molle panel storage system keeps these easy to pull out as soon as we arrive at our destination.

Since we are running a roof-top tent, we also utilize our external molle panels for our potable water supply, and sometimes additional fuel with Rotopax containers. In order to accommodate both of our roof storage solutions, we designed our roof rack exterior molle panel, as well as a pair that mounts directly to the factory roof rails. The factory roof rail version can be installed independently without our crossbars!

As the GX 550 continues to grow in popularity for the overlanding and off-road communities, we look forward to seeing some awesome new builds and hope that Rago can help fill your needs from an OE+ look to complete overhaul.