Changing Tire Size or Wheels? Read this first!

[Infinus]

Forgive me if this is a stupid n00b question. I'm new to this type vehicle as all my old cars were of the low and fast variety.

I currently have a 5th Gen limited and I'm thinking of swapping out the factory wheels for a 17 or 18 with a beefier tire. When doing this how much of a difference can I have between the diameter of the new tires and the factory spare before I run into issues with the drivetrain? From what I understand stock has a diameter of 31.57 in. If I go with a 275/70/17 I'd be at about 32.16. Is this doable if I need to run on the spare since on the limited I cant do the swap the wheel and put it in 2WD trick? What are the limits?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[3s1kill]

Forgive me if this is a stupid n00b question. I'm new to this type vehicle as all my old cars were of the low and fast variety.

I currently have a 5th Gen limited and I'm thinking of swapping out the factory wheels for a 17 or 18 with a beefier tire. When doing this how much of a difference can I have between the diameter of the new tires and the factory spare before I run into issues with the drivetrain? From what I understand stock has a diameter of 31.57 in. If I go with a 275/70/17 I'd be at about 32.16. Is this doable if I need to run on the spare since on the limited I cant do the swap the wheel and put it in 2WD trick? What are the limits?

Thank you all in advance.

I heard not to go over a 33" tire. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[CF_Machete]

Forgive me if this is a stupid n00b question. I'm new to this type vehicle as all my old cars were of the low and fast variety.

I currently have a 5th Gen limited and I'm thinking of swapping out the factory wheels for a 17 or 18 with a beefier tire. When doing this how much of a difference can I have between the diameter of the new tires and the factory spare before I run into issues with the drivetrain? From what I understand stock has a diameter of 31.57 in. If I go with a 275/70/17 I'd be at about 32.16. Is this doable if I need to run on the spare since on the limited I cant do the swap the wheel and put it in 2WD trick? What are the limits?

Thank you all in advance.

you should be fine with a 275/70/17, though you may need to push your fender liner fwd and trim your bumper, but I can't see that you'd rub on the body mount.

If you have to trim your bumper, check out the limited mod thread for ideas, pretty sure it would look stock after the smoke clears.

 

[Infinus]

I heard not to go over a 33" tire. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

you should be fine with a 275/70/17, though you may need to push your fender liner fwd and trim your bumper, but I can't see that you'd rub on the body mount.

If you have to trim your bumper, check out the limited mod thread for ideas, pretty sure it would look stock after the smoke clears.

Thanks for the replies guys. Perhaps I should rephrase my question. I’m ok with how big of a tire to go with. What I’m unclear about is if my spare will still be usable without messing up the 4WD. The difference between the diameter 275/70/17 and the oem tires is 0.59 inches. Will using the spare screw anything up or do I need to replace it?

 

[CF_Machete]

Thanks for the replies guys. Perhaps I should rephrase my question. I’m ok with how big of a tire to go with. What I’m unclear about is if my spare will still be usable without messing up the 4WD. The difference between the diameter 275/70/17 and the oem tires is 0.59 inches. Will using the spare screw anything up or do I need to replace it?

A 275 / 70 / 17 is roughly 32 inches diameter. It will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Essentially the 275 number is the tire width in millimeters, and the middle number 70 in this case is the sidewall ratio.

(275*.7)*2=385 mm of side wall or roughly 15 inches. 15+17=32

 

[Rack]

I may be a little off topic here, but I think its relevant to bring up. I have a 2011 SR5 (purchased new in 2011) with 265/70/17 Michelin LTX M/S tires and stock suspension

I just got around to taking an off road driving coarse. there were eleven Vehicles involved in the class. My stock 2011 SR5 could not do a couple of obstacles on the coarse. There was issues with approach and departure clearances.
There were three 4Runners in the group. One was modified with tires and a lift. The other one was a 2016 SR5 completely Stock with OEM tires.
My 2011 did not had the ground clearance when aired down to 18lb.
The other stock 4 Runner had no problems with ground clearance at the same tire pressure. Upon closer inspection we determined the difference was in the front and rear body panels. My 2011 front and rear bumpers have a different approach and departure angle than the later model. So adding some lift of a couple of inches and/or larger tires might compensate for the difference between model years.
I took this coarse more to see what the truck really needed for its intended use. Not to hone my skills. It appeared to me that the 4Runner is a very capable off road vehicle needing very little modification for my use.

 

[4runner425]

Nice read.

 

[Valentine21]

great info! so no go on 9" wheels?

I have a 15 TE KDSS and I was thinking about just going wider to 17x9 Grid GD7 w 265/70/r17 that I haven't picked out yet but now I'm a little skeptical. I thought the trail KDSS had enough room to fit a 9 tire as long as it wasn't a 285 size tire. I don't want to make a $1700 mistake

 

[479NWA5thGEN]

I have a 15 TE KDSS and I was thinking about just going wider to 17x9 Grid GD7 w 265/70/r17 that I haven't picked out yet but now I'm a little skeptical. I thought the trail KDSS had enough room to fit a 9 tire as long as it wasn't a 285 size tire. I don't want to make a $1700 mistake

I have a 9" -12 offset wide Black Rhino Warlords and I love the look. 265s aren't bad but you are running wider than the tread width. I recently lifted 1.75 with Bilsteins and I now rub so had to do the fender liner mod. With AT/MT tires you will definitely rub.

 

[83Mule]

I would not run a 265 on a 9'' rim.

 

[Valentine21]

Thx, Ur Rig didn’t look bad w the 265 & Warlords. What’s it look like now w the lift?

 

[Landonai]

Would installing a lift before changing the tire size adversely affect the lift in any way?

I'm currently rolling with 275/55/R20's that came on the truck. The plan was to switch out to 285/70/R17's on my Ray10's, then install an Icon stage 2 on my 2016 SR5. However, due to the tires not coming in time, I'm going to be doing the lift first, then switching out the wheels...

 

[3s1kill]

Would installing a lift before changing the tire size adversely affect the lift in any way?

I'm currently rolling with 275/55/R20's that came on the truck. The plan was to switch out to 285/70/R17's on my Ray10's, then install an Icon stage 2 on my 2016 SR5. However, due to the tires not coming in time, I'm going to be doing the lift first, then switching out the wheels...

No it won't affect the lift at all. It may look a little goofy with a big lift and small tires though.:biggrin2:

 

[Ricky2Martin]

You should include a little info about the power wheel for off-road spacers, since so many people use them and ask questions...

Stock tire size with 1.25" spacers = removing mudflaps, trimming front bumper, and pulling fender liner forward.


Just a thought.

Thx, Ur Rig didn’t look bad w the 265 & Warlords. What’s it look like now w the lift?

 

[Asilomar]

Hi, I read most of this thread but have questions?
I have an 18 OR Premium
I want to make it look a little different, and would like to change the wheels.
I am not interested in changing tire sizes or lifts.
I like the Method trail series wheels and of course the TRD PRO wheels.

Is there any reason pro or con, besides looks to consider? Are the Methods to wide for stock tire? Clearance with wider wheel? Quality of wheel?

Thanks

 

[dreadpyrat]

I know this is all designed to help but I feel more confused.

Say a fella wanted to keep the OEM tires and not do a lift - jsut change the wheels to something snazzier.

Q1
I see the wheels need to be 17s since that is stock...but what does the offset need to be?

Q2
To complicate the question, can you run a little wider of a title on a 17inch rim, without needing to do a lift and/or mod the fender clearance? I wish the tires protruded away from the body a bit more on the stock setup...hoping to address this simply.

 

[mrblah]

Hi, I read most of this thread but have questions?
I have an 18 OR Premium
I want to make it look a little different, and would like to change the wheels.
I am not interested in changing tire sizes or lifts.
I like the Method trail series wheels and of course the TRD PRO wheels.

Is there any reason pro or con, besides looks to consider? Are the Methods to wide for stock tire? Clearance with wider wheel? Quality of wheel?

Thanks

If you were stuck between two wheels, i'd consider price, weight, width/size, availability, and production process (cast vs forged, etc).

For instance, I settled on SCS f5's because it was:

1. Price: very affordable
2. weight: lighter than my stock trail rims.
3. width and size: came in 17x8.5 and I wanted negative offset for some aesthetics.
4. production process: didn't matter to me for the 4runner, but typically a forged process leads to a stronger and lighter wheel with a premium price.
5. availability: ships in batches so not always available (only con about SCS wheels)
6. aesthetics: I wanted a simple wheel design with no fake deadlocks, and a step lip.

I also considered methods, FN's, TRD Pro's, but they didn't meet all of the above requirements:

1. Methods: model I liked had fake deadlocks and heavy, but is always available.
2. TRD Pro: Good quality, OEM, but didn't like the narrow width.
3. Fn's: Model I liked didn't come in 17's, I wanted to remount my old tires.

Keep in mind, this is all my personal opinion, but this is how i rationalized my purchase.

 

[mrblah]

I know this is all designed to help but I feel more confused.

Say a fella wanted to keep the OEM tires and not do a lift - jsut change the wheels to something snazzier.

Q1
I see the wheels need to be 17s since that is stock...but what does the offset need to be?

Q2
To complicate the question, can you run a little wider of a title on a 17inch rim, without needing to do a lift and/or mod the fender clearance? I wish the tires protruded away from the body a bit more on the stock setup...hoping to address this simply.

answer to question 1: Offset will depend on width and backspacing, but generally, the more negative the offset, and the wider the rim, the farther the wheels will poke out.

Answer to question 2: The more negative offset you go, the greater the poke, and the greater the chances are that you need to make some modifications. Also, tire size come into play also whether or not you will rub or not.

FYI: I'm simplifying it a lot....

 

[RoyAndyMN]

Question on Fit

I have a 2010 SR5. Will Wheels(rims) from a 2019 TRD 17” Off Road fit my stock 2010 SR5?
I’m looking for allowable Bolt Pattern, Wheel Bore & Offset.
Bolt Pattern (5th Gen = 6×139.7mm(5.5″) or 6×5.5)
Wheel Bore (5th Gen = 106mm – the size of the center hole on your wheel)

THANKS!

 

[gearguywb]

Swapped stock wheels and tires for a set of black TRD wheels and Goodyear DuraTrac 255/75/17's