Atomic 4Runner said:
I have a new 06 Ltd. due to arrive within the next 4 weeks. It is coming with the 18" wheels standard on the Limited. I am concerned that it will be more difficult to find tires for 18" rims vs. the 17" rims which have been around for a long time.
I plan on keeping the 4Runner for at least 5 years. I have been offered an even swap of new 17" rims and tires for the 18" set. Would the handling be noticeably improved with the 18" rims and lower profile tires? I have the X-Reas suspension option on the Limited.
Would you keep the 18" tires and wheels, or would you swap for the more common 17" set?
Your ideas will be greatly appreciated.
I'm in the unique position of having had both the 17" Sport Wheels and now the 18" Limited wheels. I now have about 2000 miles on the 18" wheels so I can give a pretty good explanation between the difference of the two.
When I changed from the 17" to the 18" the first thing I noticed was that the ride was a little stiffer, but not bad at all. This is to be expected because I reduced the sidewall height by about 2 inches. One thing I can say is that the 18" wheels really exploit the benefit of XREAS. Turn in is much quicker and the car feels even more stable during the long sweepers. I've even noticed a reduction in roll throughout a corner.
True, there are less tire choices for the 18" wheels as far as variety and price, it really depends how you are going to be driving your truck, mostly on-road, mostly off-road, even mix, etc. The tires I am using are the BFG Radial Long Trail T/A's which are essentially a highway-terrain tire, meaning that they are all-weather, all-road. The reason I chose these tires is because they offer good traction in snow and mud but are a quiet comfy on-road tire, and they were $89/tire from tirerack.com. I don't go off-road alot, maybe a couple times/year, so the shorter sidewall and less aggressive tread suit my needs fine. I don't think there is even an all-terrain tire made that will fit an 18" wheel which are 8" in width (the BFG A-T T/A is offered in a 285 width, but I think this is too wide for the wheel and would rub). Some brands I found during my research that fit the wheel is Michelin's Xterrain, Yokohama Geolandar H/T, and the BFG Rugged Trail T/A which is a more aggressive tire than I have, but still a highway-terrain tire. The stock tires I'm pretty sure are Bridgestone Dueler H/T's, which aren't horrible, but aren't great either. I've had a good experience with the tires I bought but anything seems better than the 17" stock Donelops.
One thing you need to realize is having the 18" Limited wheels is like having 4 round pieces of solid gold. Well, not really but you get the idea. These are one of the only 18" wheels (certainly the best looking) that fit Toyota's 6 lug pattern; a pattern that fits 4Runners back to mid-3rd gen, Tacomas, Sequoias, Tundras, and Land Cruisers. There are literally at least 30 different models of Toyota 4x4 these wheels will fit, so don't go trading them off evenly to a set of 17" wheels. These wheels are worth AT LEAST $200/wheel. I just sold my used SE wheels for ~$150/wheel. If you really want some cash for them try selling them to the dealer when your 4Runner arrives, the dealerships typically sell this wheel for around $500 each new.
My TPMS sensors swapped without issue from my 17" wheels to my 18" wheels and I haven't had the light come on since.
Check out the thread about my wheels:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15940
This is all I can think of right now, sorry about the long post, but if you have any other questions I'm sure I could answer them.
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