Mixing OEM and TRD Pro Wheels
 

Odd question, I am thinking of getting some TRD Pro wheels for my 2007 SR5 when I change tires but am unsure if I should get 4 or 5. I heard that the offset of the TRD Pro wheels is different from standard wheels so does that mean I cannot use the OEM spare and need to buy a 5th TRD Pro wheel?

It does not matter on rim width, only on tire diameter. As long as you have the same tire diameter for the spare and current tires you will be ok. Different diameters will throw everything off as one tire is spinning faster or slower than the other.

I went with 4 to save some $. with the understanding that If I needed to change a front tire I'd likely need to pull a TRDPro rim from the rear up to the front and put the spare on the Rear to avoid rubbing during turns.

As inscarguy mentions having different tire diameters WILL throw off anything with a computer. You'll probably need to limp it out to get the tire repaired and expect that the dash will light up.

I ran into this even on my 97 taco when a tire shop talked me into only changing the rear tires. Could not shift into 4WD on the fly and if put in 4WD bad noises and handling. I've not yet tried putting a stock spare on my 4th gen to see how angry it will get since with the v8 I have no 2WD option.

Went with a good patch kit and compressor, Hope to go years w/o needing the spare. Will likely get a 5th TRDPro rim and "full sized" spare on next tire purchase then figure out where to mount the larger than stock spare.

Boort

How does only changing the rear tires affect the ability to shift into 4wd? And why would the spare rub during turns? Isnt your spare a full size spare? Unless you lowered your car, why would it rub? I am probably missing something, but just curious.

Im guessing boort went with a different tire size including the spare but as the OEM spare has a different offset that would rub on the front but not on the back.

I am sticking to OEM tire size so if I got only 4 TRD pros I am assuming if I need to run the OEM in the event of a blowout it would work but only as a temp measure as it could upset the 4WD having one wheel running a different offset not sure though.

By only replacing the rear tires on the Tacoma the difference between the diameter of new tires on the rear and older ones on the front was enough to cause a geometry issue that made shifting into or out of 4WD very difficult. This is on an older Tacoma with the manual J handle T-case shifter so I can't imagine what would happen to a 4thGen with the electronic transfer case shifting.

You're right that with the Stock sized spare on stock rims it would not rub. I don't know about all Stock 4th Gen rims but the ones on my 2006 SE have a different offset than the TRD Pro rims. IIRC the TRDPro rims put the rubber a bit outward when compared to Stock. Like having a set of spacers. So when I increased tire size the having the rubber placed a bit outside made getting all of the clearances easier with the TRDPro rims. Since my truck is clearanced for the placement with the TRDPro offset going back to Stock rims with a larger tire would likely rub.

The Spare is a stock full size spare but when it is installed with the larger aftermarket offroad tires it is different enough to cause problems. The % difference is similar to a car with a donut spare. My experience donut spares was that you should never put one on the front tire, and should stay below highway speeds. I seem to remember a warning sticker on the donuts that I've had to install or remove covering those 2 topics. When I had my lift and tires installed I talked to the team as Slee who agreed that with the larger tires I could expect the issues noted above If I had need to run a stock spare but that if put on the rear tire it should get me out of the woods w/o extra damage to the driveline.

Boort

@andynj

Correct I have a lift and larger tires but with a stock spare (The larger tires would not fit under the belly and I don't have a rear bumper of other swingout spare for the back yet.)

I can't think of why the offset would cause a problem with 4WD. Esp. if only used a short time. Though it could throw off the steering geometry a bit having one wheel riding a bit inboard from the other 3 I doubt it would be enough to notice.

Boort

Cool thanks @Boort , I think I will just order 4 TRD Pros as you did and keep the OEM spare. Technically I could just keep the OEM tire too as its brand new but its from 2007 so a bit leery of that although its looks fine and no signs of dry rot.

I seem to remember years ago that consumer reports ( I think it was) put 4 spare donuts on a car and drove it across country to show that they aren't as flimsy as they look. They are tested to DOT standards, etc. No reason they would be more dangerous in one location vs another.

OEM vs TRD
 

I just did this myself. Stock offset is a positive 30mm. The TRD wheels I got were a zero offset of 4mm. Your stock wheels are also 7.5" wide and the TRD wheels are 7" wide ( at least mine are).

The combo of the two takes the tire position itself and moves it towards the front bumper slightly. I am about to go to 33 x 10.5 Kenda Cleaver RT's.

Here is a photo showing the differences on my setup - currently on 265/70R17's.

This is the link to the site with the visualization - good luck: http://https://www.1010tires.com/Too...et-Calculator#