Custom Rims and Tires, Pros and Cons

[yobeez]

Good evening all. Happy New Year.

I'm in this predicament. My Car is at 90k miles and I am about to change my tires. But I was also thinking of buy a new set of rims and tires. The Rims i'll keep to the same 18", but the tires I want, I want that offroad look on it, which has a lot of meat on the tires...

Is it worth purchasing a rim and tire package of what I described above? Also this 4runner is my everyday car. I work and live in NYC, and I am also on the BQE majority of the time, so there will be pot holes, and a bunch of dumb drivers on the road as well...

Your suggestions? Anything helps...

Pros and Cons please.

 

[gshadow325]

Pro: Looks, Ride, everything else in between
Con: Can cause a huge dent in your wallet

Narrow it down to budget and what supporting mods you going to do with a tire and wheel package.

Stock wheels limit width of tire
Stock suspension limit height of tire

Tires are a huge debate. it is driven by opinions and money. so far i have come to the conclusion, coopers are for the cheap budget minded, goodyear for the quality before money, bfg's those that care about quality and reputation and are nto really concerned about price.
wheels read above
SUspension, read above.

Me, IMA cheap bastard. So i bought a set of 18" American Racing AR901's $600, used set of BFG All terrain Ko's (awesome tire, awesome used price with 75% tread $240 all 4), used fj coils $120 shipped, used tacoma bilsteins shocks $120, daystar spacers $150, suspension labor $200 = $1430 got me 4.5" over higher, new wheels ect....i roll thru manhatten like its nothing. was on the cross bronx the other day heading up to old greenwich ct and it ate everything up without missing a beat. i just went around the pothole dodgers.

 

[gshadow325]

food for thought.

from a few minutes ago.

2003 4runner v8 awd
18x9 wheels 285/65/18 BFGoodrich All Terrain TA KOs

vs

2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
22x10 285/35/22 Carbon Series Tires

Left the same place @ same time, i arrived 20 minutes earlier
who's faster NOW? LoL

 

[HokieRunner]

Good evening all. Happy New Year.

I'm in this predicament. My Car is at 90k miles and I am about to change my tires. But I was also thinking of buy a new set of rims and tires. The Rims i'll keep to the same 18", but the tires I want, I want that offroad look on it, which has a lot of meat on the tires...

Is it worth purchasing a rim and tire package of what I described above? Also this 4runner is my everyday car. I work and live in NYC, and I am also on the BQE majority of the time, so there will be pot holes, and a bunch of dumb drivers on the road as well...

Your suggestions? Anything helps...

Pros and Cons please.

Meaty tires leaves it pretty wide open. Everything from Mud Terrains to an aggressive looking but more streetable all terrain. Have you narrowed it down to a few different tires?

Given the vagueness of the question with regards to tire and wheel (keep in mind the pros/cons aren't all GIVENS but rather generalized possibilities):

Pros: looks (this appears to be your goal), off road ability, better traction in adverse weather conditions, new wheels can provide a different offset for a wider track width/stance

Cons: price, MPG suffers (depending on weight, tread pattern), decreased braking performance, increased tire noise, stiffer ride

Most aftermarket wheels will weigh more than OEM rims as will most off road tires so keep in mind you'll be adding unsprung weight.

 

[gshadow325]

dont forget pro's and con's are subjective to opinion

pro for me might me a con for others. hence the cayenne vs 4runner picture

 

[TheeMikeB]

If you live in NY and are on the BQE all the time IMO getting an aggressive off-road tire is a waste. Would you wear hiking boots to play basketball?

Having said that, NY does get snow and in-climate weather. Consider an AT tire like the BFG, it doesn't have aggressive mud lugs which will get torn to shit on the road but provides and aggressive look and also will handle the snow and slush you will encounter on your daily travels.

As for rims... that's 100% personal preference, you will not really see any performance or other gains in new wheels if you are just on the road. I personally think Toyota trucks and Toyota in general has always had good looking quality rims.

 

[MikeInNH]

If you live in NY and are on the BQE all the time IMO getting an aggressive off-road tire is a waste.

Don't equate NYC with the rest of NY. Especially when you get up to "Real Snow Country" - between Syracuse and Watertown.

 

[TheeMikeB]

Don't equate NYC with the rest of NY. Especially when you get up to "Real Snow Country" - between Syracuse and Watertown.

I realize that and I've been upstate NY several times. (Actually born on LI)

But the OP didn't say he wanted good off-road tires for snow wheeling. He said he wanted an off-road 'look' and that most of his driving is on the BQE. I recommended an all terrain tire that will handle the snow and the road equally.

 

[gshadow325]

Don't equate NYC with the rest of NY. Especially when you get up to "Real Snow Country" - between Syracuse and Watertown.

NYC is a whole different animal. Roads are so bad sometimes you think you were wheelin

 

[DBM123]

How concerned are you with your fuel mileage? It seems that most people report a loss in fuel economy when switching to more aggressive tires. Depending on how aggressive you go, tire noise can be a real problem. That may not matter to you much, though.
Unsprung weight can make for a worse ride over bumpy surfaces, too, especially at higher speeds. Keep an eye on the weight of the wheels you are looking at. Some aftermarket wheels are ridiculously heavy, which will negatively effect ride, mileage, and acceleration. Same goes for tire weight. IIRC, the MB 352 wheels from discount tire are pretty decent for weight, and don't cost much. If you want to spend more money for an even lighter wheel, FN wheels have some very light wheels for 4runners.

There are some all terrain tires that are reported to have very good street manners and decent rolling resistance, like the hankook ATM RF10. They also work wonderful in the snow, according to tests/reviews. I was going to buy some, but ended up with michelin LTX MS2's (which don't look nearly as 'cool' as the RF10's).

 

[yobeez]

food for thought.

from a few minutes ago.

2003 4runner v8 awd
18x9 wheels 285/65/18 BFGoodrich All Terrain TA KOs

vs

2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
22x10 285/35/22 Carbon Series Tires

Left the same place @ same time, i arrived 20 minutes earlier
who's faster NOW? LoL

love the black on black you got going on. But Since my truck is Silver/ Metallic, I'd purchase the chrome package...

Do you see or feel any different with those rims and tires vs the stock rims and tires? I've been contemplating this for years, since i drove it off the lot in 2005. So Far my truck gives me no problems what so ever, just gotta spend money for the routine maintenance.

 

[yobeez]

How concerned are you with your fuel mileage? It seems that most people report a loss in fuel economy when switching to more aggressive tires. Depending on how aggressive you go, tire noise can be a real problem. That may not matter to you much, though.
Unsprung weight can make for a worse ride over bumpy surfaces, too, especially at higher speeds. Keep an eye on the weight of the wheels you are looking at. Some aftermarket wheels are ridiculously heavy, which will negatively effect ride, mileage, and acceleration. Same goes for tire weight. IIRC, the MB 352 wheels from discount tire are pretty decent for weight, and don't cost much. If you want to spend more money for an even lighter wheel, FN wheels have some very light wheels for 4runners.

There are some all terrain tires that are reported to have very good street manners and decent rolling resistance, like the hankook ATM RF10. They also work wonderful in the snow, according to tests/reviews. I was going to buy some, but ended up with michelin LTX MS2's (which don't look nearly as 'cool' as the RF10's).

I'm very concerned with my MPG, my braking, transmission, etc. I know that the bigger the rims you go the heavier it will be etc, so I'll just keep it with the 18, 17" look but with just a meaner meatier looking tire. If it really is a big difference I really wouldn't even do it. But it's been on my mind for quite a few years. It's not a necessity, but I do have to buy a new set of 4 tires
b/c the treads are thinning out now. So MIght as well think about getting the whole shabang done, or just the necessity.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

If you have aftermarket wheels and damage one you may not be able to find a replacement after it is several years old. They constantly change the style. OEM wheels are easy to find on ebay or this forum for sale site if you need one.

 

[NJshadow93]

If you have aftermarket wheels and damage one you may not be able to find a replacement after it is several years old. They constantly change the style. OEM wheels are easy to find on ebay or this forum for sale site if you need one.

Can confirm this. My friend got a set of rims for his car, they were dark gray with an orange lip. Last winter he hit a curb and messed up the wheel among a bunch of other things. His model was discontinued so he had to settle for the same brand in black with a red lip. We ended up painting all four rims black to match, but luckily he was at least able to get the same brand and wheel and only had to settle for a different color.

 

[gshadow325]

Can confirm this. My friend got a set of rims for his car, they were dark gray with an orange lip. Last winter he hit a curb and messed up the wheel among a bunch of other things. His model was discontinued so he had to settle for the same brand in black with a red lip. We ended up painting all four rims black to match, but luckily he was at least able to get the same brand and wheel and only had to settle for a different color.

yea, this problem comes with the territory. BUT 18's are much harder to damage on a t4r vs 18's with stretched 185's on a slammed civic with 30 degrees neg camber

 

[gshadow325]

I'm very concerned with my MPG, my braking, transmission, etc. I know that the bigger the rims you go the heavier it will be etc, so I'll just keep it with the 18, 17" look but with just a meaner meatier looking tire. If it really is a big difference I really wouldn't even do it. But it's been on my mind for quite a few years. It's not a necessity, but I do have to buy a new set of 4 tires
b/c the treads are thinning out now. So MIght as well think about getting the whole shabang done, or just the necessity.

MPG? get a prius LoL
Braking? Our 4runners brakes suck already LoL, i did not notice any change for better or worse EXCEPT, braking was terrific during this past snow storm!
Transmission? I dont feel or see a issue. these are pretty durable trucks
etc? you can talk your self out of it real easy, so bottom line is up to you.