15"vs 16" wheels

[cr500taco]

I've been running the stock size 31X10.5x15 wheels on my 97 Tacoma 4WD. It's a daily driver driver. I have a buddy whom offered to give me his stock 16" rims off of his 2nd gen Tacoma prerunner, that have just been sitting in his garage for years. I've been looking into tires, lately because I need new ones, soon and Cooper stopped making the STMaxx for 15s for what ever reason. What's the difference in performance off road and on road between a 31"x10.5x15 and 265/70/16 wheels in the same tire? It seems like there are more tire options in 16s compared to 15s, like the STMaxx for example. Plus, I have a matching 15" spare. So, I would need to find a matching 16" rim to have a matching spare.

 

[Dave in AZ]

I get most of my tacoma tire info here:

Wheels & Tires

Discuss and ask questions about wheels and tires for your Tacoma. Use our tire size calculator to compare tires.

www.tacomaworld.com

Here is one on fitting other taco wheels on 1st gen:

The OFFICIAL "Can I run other Toyota Wheels On My 1st Gen?" Thread

Alright, Ive noticed this question keeps popping up. Its actually the 1st thing I asked when I joined this site. Can you run other Toyota Wheels on a...

www.tacomaworld.com

I looked at putting 16" on my 98 Tacoma OffRoad, but after reading a lot, decided the 15" were good. There are still several 15" AT good options. One thing, to do the tundra larger brakes mod, you do need to go 16" wheels.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Road tests on bigger wheels years ago brought out pros and cons. First, tho, the backset needs to be close or it pushes the tread more to one side which may cause rubbing. This is the #1 problem with swaps.

Lug pattern must be identical, spacers create issues and double the lug failures.

A larger diameter affects the drive ratio and reduces the leverage of gears. It doesn't take off or climb as well. Going lower profile to retain the same diameter makes the ride harsher and reduces improved grip when airing down. Less sidewall to puncture tho.

Larger tire assemblies usually weigh more increasing rotational inertia, reducing stopping ability. Along with the change in effective gear ratio, many see a minor mileage drop because they still want the truck to accelerate like it did. And prices generally go up, with less sizes available. Large rims cater to what the factory offered, with less upsizing than we had even ten years ago.

And for all that, a locker does far more in traction than bigger tires. What you dont hear anymore are the experienced 4WD who told us lockers first, then tires. I'm like you guys, needed tread to replace bald hiway tread, budget said stick to stock size on factory rims. I got some traction with open tread, a locker was 3x better. Made the real difference.

Big diameters can roll over bad terrain better, but there is always a bigget pothole, and we often drive on pavement more than dirt. Balancing the two is the better choice. We improve incrementally. Unimogs jump ahead, but they arent all that getting groceries.

This answer has a lot of good true info in it. But it takes having read a LOT, to realize it... that 3rd paragraph, each clause could be a whole post. I wouldn't have recognized the packed info here, before I watched a hundred videos on tires. Thx

 

[laxtoy]

TireSize.com - Compare Tire Sizes, Specs, Prices & more

Use our tire size tools to calculate specs, speed, gear ratios and more. Browse tires by size, vehicle, or brand and compare prices online all in one place.

tiresize.com

Great resource for comparing tires, do a search by tire size and it’ll give you specs of every manufacturer’s offerings- dimensions, weight, lists retailers.

16 inch wheels have more available tire sizes than 15’s. After 15 years of 16’s- 285/75-16’s, 295/75-16’s, I plan to go to 17” wheels, more available sizes, especially in larger diameters (33”-35”) combined with narrower widths

 

[tacollie]

2nd gen rims have more offset than you want on a 1st Gen Tacoma in my opinion. It'll works but it'll push the tires inward. I put 2nd gen rims on my 02 and ended up getting wheel spacers but I was also running 255/85r16s. If they were 1st Gen 16" wheels I would say go for it.

 

[beef tits]

I’d stick with 15”. More sidewall = more flex potential. Plus tires are cheaper. How many tire size options do you need? One.

 

[DaveInDenver]

2nd gen rims have more offset than you want on a 1st Gen Tacoma in my opinion. It'll works but it'll push the tires inward. I put 2nd gen rims on my 02 and ended up getting wheel spacers but I was also running 255/85r16s. If they were 1st Gen 16" wheels I would say go for it.

FWIW as he says 2005+ rims are ~5.25" backspacing while the 95-04 Tacoma would be ~4.5" from the factory. I went the other way, using 3rd gen 4Runner rims on my 2008 Tacoma. I did notice the handling changed, the turn radius feels a little larger due to the increased scrub radius.

As far as 15" vs 16", just my $0.02 but I'd consider 16" only if you can't get the size and type of tire you want in 15" anymore. More sidewall is nice for off highway but the reality is the number of 15" options is shrinking for LT tires. There's a few and if you want one of them no reason to jump to 16" necessarily.

I will say one place where 16" and 17" tires have the advantage is taller and skinny AT and less aggressive MT options in the 33x10ish dimensions. Seems like just BFG AT in 33x10.50x15 and Kenda Klever in 33x9.50x15 still.

One thing not mentioned specifically to the 1st gen Tacoma is if you do jump to a 16" rim you can also upgrade your front brakes to larger calipers that would not fit into 15" rims. I don't know if you've ever felt the brakes on your truck were lacking but going to the S13W calipers would be an option with 16" rims. They'll otherwise bolt right on in place of S12 calipers. This is the so called "big brake" upgrade you'll see sometimes referenced.

 

[Dave in AZ]

I've been running the stock size 31X10.5x15 wheels on my 97 Tacoma 4WD. It's a daily driver driver. I have a buddy whom offered to give me his stock 16" rims off of his 2nd gen Tacoma prerunner, that have just been sitting in his garage for years. I've been looking into tires, lately because I need new ones, soon and Cooper stopped making the STMaxx for 15s for what ever reason. What's the difference in performance off road and on road between a 31"x10.5x15 and 265/70/16 wheels in the same tire? It seems like there are more tire options in 16s compared to 15s, like the STMaxx for example. Plus, I have a matching 15" spare. So, I would need to find a matching 16" rim to have a matching spare.

You should probably look here and see what actually fits on that truck, without rubbing. This is the Tacoma World tire size fit reference.

Largest Tacoma Tire Sizes On Stock Suspension

These are the largest tire sizes that will fit a Tacoma with a stock suspension: For 2016+ Tacomas: 265/70/17, 265/75/16 or 265/65/18 For 2005+...

www.tacomaworld.com

For a 97:
For 2004 and below Tacomas: 265/75/16

Lifted 5 lug trucks can run up to a 31" tire, depending on the lift used.

I did the calc for you... 265.75.16 is just 31.65" tall. Zero height gain vs the 15" rims options. I went allll thru this with my 98 Tacoma, decided to stick with my 5 lug 15".

 

[DaveInDenver]

You should probably look here and see what actually fits on that truck, without rubbing. This is the Tacoma World tire size fit reference.

Largest Tacoma Tire Sizes On Stock Suspension

These are the largest tire sizes that will fit a Tacoma with a stock suspension: For 2016+ Tacomas: 265/70/17, 265/75/16 or 265/65/18 For 2005+...

www.tacomaworld.com

For a 97:
For 2004 and below Tacomas: 265/75/16

Lifted 5 lug trucks can run up to a 31" tire, depending on the lift used.

I did the calc for you... 265.75.16 is just 31.65" tall. Zero height gain vs the 15" rims options. I went allll thru this with my 98 Tacoma, decided to stick with my 5 lug 15".

Fitting stock trucks is a kind of an interesting point. Take that post with a grain of salt since the limitations stock remain even with increased ride height due to such things as hitting the frame, cab mount, fender lip or pinch seam, unless along with lift you lower the bump stops to limit up travel, for example.

Lifting an IFS Toyota is really just changing the static ride point within the same travel window. So say from the factory the travel was 8" and Toyota put the ride at the middle such that you have roughly 4" up and 4" down travel. A 2" lift in the majority of cases just means you now sit at 6" up and 2" down.

Going to a mid travel suspension is usually increasing travel, to say 9" total, and can result in a more balanced up and down within that window with a little bit of lift. But this can come at the expense of over traveling things like CV axles and ball joints if done indiscriminately.

So that said, many people have no issue running a 33x9.50 or 33x10.50 (or roughly equivalently 255/85R16 perhaps) on stock suspension by selection of a wheel that pushes the tire out slightly, less backspace, to solve the frame clearance. You can flatten the fender pinch seam and gain clearance on stock suspension, which you'd have to do lifted as well.

You still need to consider the tread width at full stuff to decide if it'll hit the fender. That's often not a problem until you go wider than 10.5" but it's a variable none-the-less. I fully stuff a 265/75R16 on rims with 3/4" less backspace on my Tacoma without tearing off fender flares. Where it gets tight is clearing tire chains between the upper arm and fender. I can do it but it's very close and wouldn't work with 255/85R16. On 235/85R16 I had gobs of space for chains, no worries. That's a 32x9.25 tire, very skinny.

If you change control arms you can mitigate some of the interference, but even that's not always true. Some UCAs change the suspension geometry by moving the spindle forward slightly to clear a larger tire from the cab mount and pinch seam. This works but makes alignment harder to get right, so it's not magic but a compromise. You could put such an arm on an otherwise stock suspension to get the same results. Point would be that stock or lifted isn't the fundamental question as to tire size fitment, it's whether you also put a bump stop to prevent full up travel.

 

[dman93]

A little late to this thread and I didn’t confirm the numbers, but I’m assuming the OP mentioned 265/70-16 because it’s close to the diameter of the 31x10.50-15’s. 265/70-16 is the OEM tire size on 2nd and 3rd gen TRD OffRoad Tacomas and there are many tires available, but almost all are just P metric. Not a lot of LT tires available in that size. For that, if it’s important for off-road durability, it’s better to go with the similar diameter 245/75 as were fitted to base and SR5 Tacoma’s. Or a slightly taller and heavier 235/85-16.

 

[rruff]

You should probably look here and see what actually fits on that truck, without rubbing. This is the Tacoma World tire size fit reference.

Largest Tacoma Tire Sizes On Stock Suspension

These are the largest tire sizes that will fit a Tacoma with a stock suspension: For 2016+ Tacomas: 265/70/17, 265/75/16 or 265/65/18 For 2005+...

www.tacomaworld.com

Maybe the Tacoma people are smarter than the Tundra people... but I doubt it.

If you don't want it to rub at all offroad, then fore-aft clearance is what's important... when you are turning... not a lift. For fat 35s on my Tundra I didn't need a lift at all. Zero... I couldn't make it rub. With a lift, I have plenty for 37s. If maxing tire diameter and ground clearance is your goal, for IFS ~1.5" is the sweetspot (or intelligent max) for lift... and keep your stock UCAs.

Pay attention to wheel offset! You want to just avoid rubbing on stuff to the inside of the arc. If your wheels stick out too far you'll have more issues fore-aft.

The other one is caster and alignment. Caster is one of those things where having more is really no problem (camber and toe, not so!). On these trucks increasing caster moves the wheel forward, so if you have rub at the aft side of the wheelwell, this may fix it... which could negate the need for a body mount chop. The cheap way to gain fore clearance is heat/massage and space the liner forward and add spacers to the bumper mounts.

Anyway... if you think and pay attention to what is going on, you can fit big tires with very little lift or expense.

 

[aknightinak]

What's the difference in performance off road and on road between a 31"x10.5x15 and 265/70/16 wheels in the same tire?

The 15" has slightly more sidewall and a more secure bead seat than a 16, pluses for off road. On road, the shorter sidewall of a 16 will stand the sidewall straighter (balloon it less) and may feel less mushy in corners than a 15, but up to a 33" height, I don't think you would notice much difference. I always ran 15s on my T100, 31x10.5s, through to 37x13.5s, although over 11.5 wide, it required a wider rim than stock.

Plus, I have a matching 15" spare. So, I would need to find a matching 16" rim to have a matching spare.

No, the overall rolling diameter is what matters there, so you could mix the 15 and 16" wheels as long as the tires were the same size. For example, I have sets of 315/70/17s for my Tundra, but the spare is a 35x12.5x18.