I have a 2005 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V8. It has a 3 inch Toytech lift and 275/70R17 Cooper Discoverer AT3's on factory wheels. The driver side front tire rubs on the sway bar when you cut the wheels all the way to the right. It isn't too terribly bad and it only starts to rub when its nearly at full lock. Can I fix this issue with a new set of rims? I only ask because I have two bad rims that won't hold air and I was just curious if I could possibly kill two birds with one stone. I can get some pictures when it stops raining.
Can I fix a rubbing issue with some new rims
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TowMeOut
New member
I went with smaller tires and much more modest lift but I was worried about the same issue. I managed to find a set of the 5th-gen "snowflake" rims at a local dealership for crazy cheap ($250 with lugs). They've got 15mm more offset (or is it considered less??). Either way, they poke out an extra 15mm and I'm running narrower tires than stock (255/75R-17). This site might help you figure it out:
https://www.wheel-size.com/size/toyota/4runner/
Just remember though....going "out" will help fix your swaybar rubbing problem but may push the outside of the tire into the fender liner. Everything is a tradeoff. There's a lot of back and forth to figure out all your specs but the "tire calculator" on the same site is handy. You can put your vehicle, then the lift and tire specs, and it calculates the clearance to your suspension and fenders. It was pretty close with my modest lift/tire swap.
https://www.wheel-size.com/size/toyota/4runner/
Just remember though....going "out" will help fix your swaybar rubbing problem but may push the outside of the tire into the fender liner. Everything is a tradeoff. There's a lot of back and forth to figure out all your specs but the "tire calculator" on the same site is handy. You can put your vehicle, then the lift and tire specs, and it calculates the clearance to your suspension and fenders. It was pretty close with my modest lift/tire swap.
Macallan
New member
Do you have the "swaybar relocation kit"? Its a shim between the swaybar bushing and frame. It may help a little.
SBR-129 - Front Sway Bar Relocate Kit
SBR-129 - Front Sway Bar Relocate Kit
Macallan
New member
But looking for new wheels, have you seen this thread:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/213850-fn-fx-pro-wheel-pic-thread.html
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/213850-fn-fx-pro-wheel-pic-thread.html
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Sorry for the delayed response. It has been a busy week. I did have an alignment done after I had the lift put on. I do think that I have a set of UCAs that came with the lift. I'm not 100% sure on that, Ill have to look. When you look at the vehicle from the front, the front tires do appear to cant in at the bottom. I do not have the sway bar relocation kit installed. I wouldn't be opposed to going that route if it would fix my problem. I just happen to need two new rims and I want to make sure that I explore all avenues before I buy factory rims and live with the rubbing issue. I'd be a little mad at myself if I went that route and found out that I could have fixed it with a whole new set of rims with different specs from the factory ones. Like I said, it has been a busy week and it has been raining off and on, but I plan to get out Saturday and snap some pics and post them up. Thanks for all the help y'all.
S p a r k y
New member
How do you not know if it came with UCA's or not? They are not easy to miss. And from the sound of it, you had someone else put it on? The UCA's should have been something that was done as well. If you have some and the installer did not install, you will have to pay again for someone to install.
Sounds to me like either the install is incorrect of the alignment is incorrect. But to answer your question, if you get new WHEELS with a different offset than stock, it will help with the rubbing. If the WHEELS have a lot more negative offset, you will then rub on the bumper or possibly mud flaps, but those are both easy to fix.
Definately take some pics, something doesn't seem right. So you may or may not need new WHEELS. If it comes to needing two stock WHEELS, then craigslist can be a really good friend to find WHEELS.
Sorry "rims" just really bothers me lol
jrm
New member
It sounds like
you dont have aftermarket UCAs if you had the alignment done and the wheels remain positioned as your describing them. Aftermarket UCAs would get the tires off your sway bar, allow you to keep the OE wheels and allow you to retain the 3"s due to their widening of the camber/castor adjustment perimeters. The other option depending on the TT lift you purchased would be to reduce the amount of lift you have which will allow you to run 275/70/17s on OE wheels BUT youll have to do some moderate trimming. Not to mention that this might also improve the drive ability of your truck due to the lower center of gravity...
you dont have aftermarket UCAs if you had the alignment done and the wheels remain positioned as your describing them. Aftermarket UCAs would get the tires off your sway bar, allow you to keep the OE wheels and allow you to retain the 3"s due to their widening of the camber/castor adjustment perimeters. The other option depending on the TT lift you purchased would be to reduce the amount of lift you have which will allow you to run 275/70/17s on OE wheels BUT youll have to do some moderate trimming. Not to mention that this might also improve the drive ability of your truck due to the lower center of gravity...
It has been several years since the lift was put on and I honestly can't remember what came with the lift. I didn't have the time to put the lift on myself so I had a garage do it for me. This is my wife's old car and is now becoming my daily driver so that I don't have to put so many miles on my truck. I guess the rubbing didn't really bother her so I never really looked into it. I used the term "rim" to avoid any confusion. I too call them wheels. Two of the tires have a slow leak. I have looked at them and had them looked at by my tire shop on multiple occasions and found no punctures or foreign objects. The wheel and tire were cleaned before re-seating the tire on the wheel so I am guessing the wheel is junk. They're both kind of chewed up around the edges. The other two wheels and tires are fine, no issues with leaks on them. My ultimate goal would be to fix the rubbing issue if possible (by whatever means necessary) and either get 4 used OE wheels or 4 new aftermarket wheels. It is nice and sunny today so I am going to take pics when I get home from work this evening. Thanks again for all your help.
So like I said before my wife never complained enough to get me to go out and seriously look at the rubbing issue on the 4Runner. I never stuck my head under the front of it to confirm what the tire was rubbing on. So I had her hop in the drivers seat and turn the wheels for me. Turns out the tire is rubbing on the front skid plate! :redbrick: Before when she mentioned it, I just stuck my head in the wheel well and saw what looked like a spot had been rubbed off the sway bar so I assumed that's what it was rubbing on. There is only about 1/2" , if that, till it is rubbing the sway bar though. I'm going to cut off a little bit of the skid plate and see if that gives me enough clearance to not rub on anything. Here are a few pictures of the wheel in the wheel well so you can see how much/how little room I have. If I get an aftermarket wheel that just pushes the tire out a little closer to the edge of the wheel well, do you all think that the tires will clear? I looked at the amount of space that's there during the full arc of the wheel and even if that arc is moved outward away from the centerline of the truck it shouldn't contact anything. At least I don't think ... The factory 17's have 30mm offset is that correct? If so, I would want a wheel with a numerically smaller offset to push the wheel outward right? Or do I have that all bassackwards?
This is the minimum amount of clearance between the front bumper/wheel well and the tire with the wheels turned toward the passenger side.
This is the minimum amount of clearance between the rear of the wheel well and the tire with the wheels turned toward the driver side. There is about enough room to fit one finger between the tire and the wheel well. This is the closest the tire comes to touching the wheel well.
This is the same as the above picture just panned out.
This is the rubbing that lead me to believe that the tire was rubbing on the sway bar.
I do have the TT UCA installed btw.
This is the minimum amount of clearance between the front bumper/wheel well and the tire with the wheels turned toward the passenger side.
This is the minimum amount of clearance between the rear of the wheel well and the tire with the wheels turned toward the driver side. There is about enough room to fit one finger between the tire and the wheel well. This is the closest the tire comes to touching the wheel well.
This is the same as the above picture just panned out.
This is the rubbing that lead me to believe that the tire was rubbing on the sway bar.
I do have the TT UCA installed btw.
