Wheel/rim dilemma.

[Caoboy]

Need some help on deciding which wheels to keep, and which wheels to sell.

Originally on the rig were some 15x10.5 with some 32x11.5x15 Sport King AT.



Currently I'm running some '08 Tacoma Sport wheels (17x7 or 7.5 with 265/65/17 Bridgestone Dueller HT's them)



I purchased these because I was originally told by the wheel shop that the 15's were too big/wide of a tire and tore up the bushings up front. There was a rubbing issue, which I have since discovered was just an inner fender well flap. I believe the steel wheels are 15x10? Something along that line.

They were too big/heavy it seems, as the 17's I put on made the vehicle much more responsive, as it went from a 32" to about a 30.5" tire, not to mention it's narrower.

My dilemma would be that while I am OK with the 17's...there are pros and cons for sure.

15's-
Pros: I can get more tire for the same money. Better selection of tires. More sidewall in a given height.
Cons: Don't know how narrow I can go with these wheels. Current tires are junk, very noisy, haven't measured the tread but I'd rather just replace the tires anyways. I don't like them. Definitely seems a cheap all terrain.

17's-

Pros: Narrower, more road friendly, Lug centric (better balancing?)

Cons: Tires are more expensive being 17's. Less selection. Less sidewall.



Now I like the look of both wheels, so cosmetics aren't really an issue (really, they shouldn't be lol) But which seems a better wheel? For this rig, being an auto, anything 32"+ is bad, or so it seems to me.

What range of tires can I run on a 15x10" wheel? How can I make sure it's a 10" wheel? I was thinking of running a strip of tape on each side of the rim and measuring the width that way.

Which would you keep?

I primarily run along groomed/partially groomed fire roads. No rock crawling, just backwoods camping type stuff.


The tires I was looking at for the 17's were either Yokohama Geolander AT/S or General Grabber AT2. I would like to be able to compare tires of that style in a 15x10 size but don't know what I should be looking for.


Either way, one of these sets of wheels will be getting sold.

[keezer37]

For all the faults of the 17" Tacoma Sport wheels, anything is better than those aftermarket wheels. I think my buddy had those on his '76 Dodge van back in the early 80s.

I've a set of the 17"s sitting in the basement. Look at the inner side of your tires with the 17"s on. How much space do you have between the tires and suspension? I mention this because the 17"s have abysmal backspacing: 5.25".
If the center hole of the 17"s are the same size as the hubs of your truck, they are referred to as hubcentric. Lugcentric is typical of aftermarket wheels where the center hole is drilled out large to be compatible with a greater variety of vehicles. A wheel that relys on the lugs to do the centering can sometimes have balancing issues.
Turn your steering wheel to full lock and check your clearance also. So you know what you are dealing with.

Besides, chrome sucks.

[JeffRRC]

IMO the 10" wide wheels are ugly and way too wide. If you don't like the 17" wheels just buy a 7-8" wide 15 or 16" steel wheel and choose the tire of your choice. Personally I would go with a 16" for the wider range of available tires. Just my $.02.

[NorthernWoodsman]

^ agreed.

Sell them both. You can score wheels on craigslist very easily. 16" definitely has a wider range of tires to choose from, but 15" Toyota wheels are cheap as heck on craigslist. I scored five SR5 wheels, 15x7, for $50. I had them blasted and powdercoated and threw on some 33x10.50x15 BFG AT's and have a full-size spare.

[Tim A]

I like the look of the 15s.

[BIGGUY]

That looks to be a '90-'95 4Runner? The stock size wheel/tire for that was 7-8 inch wide 15" wheel with around a 225x75x15 tire which was close to 28" tall and 9" wide. If it came with the factory upgrade, it would have a 8-9 inch wide wheel with the 31x10.5x15 tire on it. I think all of the ones with the upgrade package came with a swing away tire carrier and the regular package put the spare underneath.

If yours originally came with the regular tires, the 15" set is way bigger and would rob quite a bit of power and with also being wider and more aggressive, would handle a bit more sluggish too. The 17" combo you have is a lot closer to the smaller stock size and is also more of a street tread so it would handle a lot different and you would notice the power increase too.

I had a '90 4Runner that I bought used. It came from the factory with the smaller tires, but the previous owner had added some 31s to it. It was low on power and got bad mileage too. I had a '90 pickup that came with the factory upgraded tires and gearing for them and there was a big difference in power and mileage. The 4Runner was an auto and the pickup was a 5 speed and both had the v6, but it still shouldn't have been so different. My sister had a '90 4Runner with the 4 cylinder, 5 speed, and smaller tires and could leave me sitting on flat ground. I only gained the advantage on hills. In my pickup, it was no contest with her as I could just run away.

[Box Rocket]

Those Chrome wheels are not 10" wide if I were to bet. Pretty sure they are 15x8. You can run a number of tires comfotably on that size wheel. Tires for the 15" wheel are going to be much cheaper. The steel wheels are more serviceable. Alloy wheels crack, steel wheels bend and can be hammered back into shape if necessary.

For the fire roads that you run typically I would choose the 15x8" wheel. Lots of those roads are very rough and washboarded. Airing down a taller tire on a 15" wheel will smooth out those roads much better than with a 16-17" wheel.

My vote is for the 15" wheel hands down.

[jronwood]

17" tires are becoming more popular and selection is improving. That said, I hate 17" tires.

Jronwood

[NorthernWoodsman]

That looks to be a '90-'95 4Runner? The stock size wheel/tire for that was 7-8 inch wide 15" wheel with around a 225x75x15 tire which was close to 28" tall and 9" wide. If it came with the factory upgrade, it would have a 8-9 inch wide wheel with the 31x10.5x15 tire on it.

If yours originally came with the regular tires, the 15" set is way bigger and would rob quite a bit of power and with also being wider and more aggressive, would handle a bit more sluggish too.

I have the SR5 wheels from this era of trucks. They are aluminum 15x7 and would've come factory with 31x10.50x15. The sticker on the driver side door frame should tell you what tire your truck came with originally. As for running bigger tires...I am running larger tires, but am currently stuck with my factory 4.10 gears. It definitely robs some power, but not nearly as much as everyone claims. That being said, I still want and plan to upgrade to 4.88's as soon as I can afford to. As for handling, I find it to be quite the opposite. After installing my 33's the truck felt like it was on rails going through corners. I love the handling of the larger, and better tires. Can't wait to get my new tie rod ends, idler arm, pitman arm, and sway bar bushings installed. Should handle great then.

[Caoboy]

On my door sticker it says 225/75/15...so that's the 4.10 gears then right? That just makes things worse...lol.

Another advantage I see to the 17's is that I can upgrade brakes if needed, which I can't do on the 15's. I know 16's would allow that too.