Help me decide on Tacoma wheels

[Salmon]

I think it's time I admit to myself that I screwed up, and I need help. I don't know why I have such a problem with wheels (and other associated componentry) but they seem to be the one part of my truck that kicks my butt time and again. I've spent hours googling the topic, I've read every build thread I can find relating to Tacoma wheels, I've read some very informative discussions about wheel measurements, etc. And despite all this, I think I've just made what will probably end up being an expensive mistake. It's time to admit I'm lost and ask for help.

Here's my situation: I have a 2004 Tacoma, with Deaver 10-leaf spring packs in the rear and Icon coilovers in the front, with otherwise stock suspension components (A-arms, etc). I also have upgraded to OEM Tundra front calipers. Total suspension lift is somewhere around 1.75". My goal is to maximize ground clearance while maintaining as much reliablilty and road-handling as possible by minimizing the suspension lift. With the type of driving I do, having crazy articulation is not really a big deal. I have done a fair amount of fender trimming already. I would like to be able to run 255/85 R16 BFG MTs (the newer style tread pattern), because I already have those tires in my garage. For my next set of tires, I think I will probably pick tires a little shorter and wider.

Here's how I screwed up already: I did all my research (or so I thought), and bought the aforementioned tires along with five 3.5 backspaced 16x8 steel wheels. I had a local shop install tires on wheels (thus voiding the return policy), and brought them home, only to discover that the wheels will not clear the new, bigger calipers. It's not even close, so I suspect they would not even have cleared the original Tacoma calipers. To make matters worse, I scratched the crap out of the back of the new wheel in the process.

Here's what I'm thinking: I really don't get the hype about all these styled wheels everybody puts on their offroad trucks. I'd actually prefer to get a set of simple black painted steelies. It seems like I should be able to buy new wheels like that for about $50 apiece. Am I delusional? Is there some sort of method to actually figure out exactly what will fit my truck, besides trial-and-error? Is there some reason that I should be interested in fancy schmancy $150 wheels (besides looks - to each his own)? Should I be worried about the wheel's strength under a non-rock-crawling 4500-lb truck?

Here are some possible solutions I'm considering to salvage what I can from this SNAFU (Somebody, please take pity on me and help me out of this mess): Can I just buy OEM Tacoma spare wheels to use full-time? Could I just put the taller/narrower tires on the stock alloy 16x8 wheels, without them rubbing the frame (fender trimming makes the frame the only interference I'm concerned with). Are there any other sources of wheels that I am not aware of, that might be a better option? I did shop craigslist and other online sources for about 4 months before I pulled the trigger on these new wheels, but never found anything that looked promising.

Note: I am not interested in running wheel spacers or grinding the calipers down. Enough people have safety concerns about those options that I am not willing to experiment.

Other note: I will probably have 5 nearly-new steel wheels for sale this Fall when I get back from deployment. One wheel has scratches all over the back side. Steel with black powdercoating, 16x8, 3.5" backspacing, 6 x 5.5" bolt pattern. Minimal clearance in the caliper-area. Sorry, I've been away from home several months and can't remember the actual brand or model.

 

[madrock05]

Pics of the rims?

 

[austintaco]

I am guessing that you really want steel wheels? I have a very similar setup as you. I have Tundra springs and brakes up front and AP expo springs in the rear. I am also running 255/85/16 Coopers. For rims, I have 4runner limited wheels that I stripped and painted black.


They have held up really well. Whenever I get them rebalanced, I usually mask of the area and spray the wheel weights and any other spots that might have chipped. It's usually just the weights and around the lug nuts that need a quick spray.

Watch CL, and you can pick up a set of rims for $200, and then just spray them or have them painted. I have a write up on how I did the wheels here:
http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133214

 

[Salmon]

Madrock,
Sorry but I have no pics with me. I'll post the wheels for sale in an appropriate thread when I get back home but it will be a few months.

Austintaco,
I've always heard that steel wheels are better offroad because they can be hammered back if bent, or even welded if cracked. But realistically I can't see myself ever trying to actually repair a wheel. If I bend a wheel or dent a bead on a rock, I will put on my fullsize spare, drive home, and buy a new wheel. But it seems like steel wheels are also cheaper, too. And that definitely appeals to me. I will add 4runner limited wheels to my searches. Do you know what year(s) or dimensions I need to look for?

 

[Martinjmpr]

I thought the Tundras all had 17" wheels? Wondering if maybe you need to go to 17's to clear those calipers?

Seems to me you're going through a lot of evolutions to keep your 16" BFGs. In the long run it might be better to just sell the wheels/tires on CL and invest the money in a set of 17's. As much as I like 16's, it does seem like 17 is becoming the new "standard" in cars and light trucks.

As far as the wheel/tires not working out, well, being a cheapskate, I never buy anything new without first checking to see if I can find it on CL. You can also post messages on this board and elsewhere - that's how I lucked into 5 FJ Cruiser 17" steelies with BFG MTs mounted that had over 50% of their tread left for $400, it was someone on this board who was local to me who had them for sale.

So don't buy anything new without checking first to see if you can buy it used - lots of folks "upgrade" their wheels and tires and don't want to keep the old ones but they haven't got around to listing them for sale. If you let people know what you want, you may be surprised when someone says "I have a set of wheels and tires in my garage that I'll sell you for a hundred bucks." It does happen.

 

[xjaugie]

If I remember correctly Rocky Road outfitters has black steelies with the correct backspacing for tacomas with tundra brakes. You might want to check them out.

 

[Salmon]

Martin,
Thanks, that's some good advice. Just to clarify, the area where my wheels interfere with the calipers is not along the radius, but in the area between the bolts and the bead. The worst interference is at the inside edge of the caliper, maybe roughly 6" from the center of the bolt pattern. Not sure if that makes any sense, but the point is that extra radius will not fix my problem. I think I saw a diagram once that called that measurement a wheel's "X-factor" or something, but that could be wrong.

As far as going to 17s instead of 16s, that might be an option to increase my choices. The concept of using a narrower, taller tire, and airing down to increase footprint and therefore flotation in sand appeals to me though, and it seems like wheel diameter would have an effect. Can anyone comment from experience on how much I would lose in "footprint-increasability" with less sidewall, compared to a 16" tire of the same overall height?

 

[Salmon]

xjaugie,
Just saw your post. That's awesome, thanks for the tip. I think I'll start a list of wheels that will fit for my purposes, and update as I find more options. I can't be the only one trying to figure this out, can I?

Wheel choices that will fit a 2004 Tacoma with Tundra calipers:
4Runner Limited wheels - credit to AustinTaco
Rocky Road Outfitters custom backspaced wheels - credit to xjaugie
Tacoma TRD alloy wheels
1st Gen Tundra steel 16x7 wheels - credit to Revco

 

[toyota_jon]

I've done the tundra brake upgrade on my tacoma as well, and I'm currently running 235s on the stock 16" 5 spoke wheels. No lift. My tires only barely rub the fender at full lock and under compression. It hasn't ever been bad enough to worry about trimming. I've heard not all stock toyota wheels will clear the tundra caliper but mine do just fine.

 

[Salmon]

My stock wheels clear the Tundra calipers too. I have the 16x8 alloy wheels that came with the TRD Tacomas. I'm surprised to hear that you don't have any real rubbing issues though, because I have shorter tires than you and my frame has shiny spots from the wheel rubbing it on both sides. AND I have a (small) lift. I do a lot of long road trips, and also hopefully soon a bit more "expedition"-style trips, so I wouldn't mind having two sets of wheels with tires on both (one road-oriented and one offroad-biased). That way I could do the long trips with less road noise, better on-road traction, better fuel economy, less wear on drivetrain and steering components, and with the added benefit of keeping all those road miles off my more expensive MTs.

I may just start shopping for more of the OEM wheels on CL. At least I know they fit. And with the number of Tacomas I see with aftermarket wheels, all those stockers must be available somewhere.

 

[Revco]

I'm running 1st gen Tundra 16x7 Steel Wheels on my 1st gen Tacoma with 265/75/16 BFG AT KO's, they are the same backspacing as my stock Tacoma 16x7 steel spoke wheels with 265/75/16 Dunlop Rover HT's. They fit the same, rub the same, and ride the same. I put a wanted ad on the local craigslist with a photo of 1st gen Tundra wheels and had two emails by the next day, I wound up buying mine from one of those guys that same day for about half as much as the more popular 17" FJC Steelies were going for around here, plus they were already wrapped in the BFG AT's and had decent tread, so I really scored. I plan to run 255/85/16's on mine as well, but I'll probably add some Spidertrax wheel spacers to widen the stance a bit.

My truck, bone stock...

Stock photo of 16x7 Tundra steel wheels

Mine, after a bath...

Installed on my Tacoma...

 

[Plannerman]

Salmon,

I've got a set of 17" FJ steelies sitting in my garage. I don't have tires mounted to the wheels, but I'm not too far from you (Riverside) if you're interested in seeing how they fit.

To answer your earlier question about overall footprint of tires on different rims, consider that there are many, many variables that go into determining that. Load rating and sidewall stiffness play a big part. Also, consider the terrain you drive. I ran MTs for a short time because I wanted to try the taller-skinnier thing, but they were less ideal than ATs for the areas and conditions that I drive.

 

[Salmon]

Revco,
Are you running Tundra calipers too? What I am finding is that lots of wheels have the same bolt pattern, backspacing, radius, and width, but the variable that I didn't account for which screwed me was the clearance in the caliper area.

Plannerman,
I may hit you up to check out those steelies when I get back to USA in the Fall, if the offer is still on the table. As far as the taller/skinnier thing, I agree a lot of it is terrain-dependent. The most common traction issue I run into (like 95% of the times I start to lose traction) is just loose sand. So I think the ability to air down and get maximum increase out of my footprint might come in pretty handy. But I'm interested to see how much it will affect the other characteristics of the truck, like fuel economy and sidewall flex while on-road.

 

[Revco]

Yes, I have the Tundra setup on mine. My original wheels fit with the brake upgrade as well. I went with the black Tundra steel wheels because they are simple, strong, and I prefer the look of them over anything else out there. Plus, they match my stock spare, so I can always have 5 tires in rotation. I also knew they'd fit over the Tundra calipers because, well, they were put on a Tundra on the assembly line. My truck has the 199mm Tundra brakes, not the 231mm. The 199's are overkill for my little regular cab.

I can see how other wheels may or may not fit over the calipers, it all depends on the thickness of the wheel material in that area that is close to the caliper. Just because all of the measurements are the same with the size, bolt pattern, and backspacing, doesn't mean the thickness or profile of the wheel centers is the same.

 

[trump]

I have the 16x7-4.75bs Toyota steelies and clear the 13WL (231mm) Tundra brakes without issue.