Maugan VX, did you take a picture of my VX?
I have a 2000 Ebony with the Nitto's, too, and I love them. They really make the car look beefier and they ride great.
I wouldn't be too worried about the trimming (I know I was terrified to cut into my baby), because all you really have to do is knock a little corner of the cladding off (a triangle about 3 inches long by 1 1/2 inches high) way inside the fender well. Super simple and painless.
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair."
-Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless