16" OR vs 17" SPORT Rims

Hey, I have an '08 TRD Sport with the 17" rims on it. I'll probably be getting new tires later on this year, before next winter. I've come across a set of the 16" Offroad rims on CL for $125. I kind of figure that 265/75/R16 tires are a little cheaper than 265/65/R17 tires are. I plan on going +1 with the sizing as you can see.

So, I figure I'd save 50 bucks or so by having a more common tire size in the 16" rims. My question is what are the advantages to having a 16" rim? More protection to your tire? Will it mesh well with my sports suspension? Will I be able to tell the difference in the ride?

I plan on having this truck for a while. So I figure if I buy tires again the price of these rims would pay for themselves. And I could keep the 17" rims and put snow tires on them or something.

 

Hi,

I live in Atlanta, so I don't (usually) need snow tires. I think you should use the smaller 16" alloys for the snow tires & keep the 17" sports for dry weather. {I have 18" 4Runner alloys on my 2009 TRD Offroad Tacoma.}

With snow tires, I've read you usually want to get narrower, taller tires. So you should be able to keep the same rolling diameter on the 16" snow tires as the 17" stock tires for the speedometer. (though they might be taller...)

The taller 16" tires will likely have a higher aspect aspect ratio. That means a bigger side wall and a slightly better ride. Ultimate cornering ability should theoretically decrease with the increase in aspect ratio due to side wall flex.

You do have the advantage of knowing the stock alloy wheels are a perfect fit. You should be able to swap them yourself with a floor jack & breaker bar. The "right thing" would be to snug the lugs with a torque wrench.

Ken (thawing out in the ATL)

 

You would not have any difference in ride if you stayed with similar tire styles. The OR and Sport compensate for the 1" rim difference by just changing the tire dimensions. They both result in the same size being turned by the motor. The Sport suspension is tuned slightly different, but you wouldn't be changing anything except the rim and then getting a taller tire- so that cancels that out. You would have more tire choices and better prices with the 16"- and personally I think the OR rims are better looking.

 

I agree with the 16" rims looking better. I may give this a try. $125 seems dirt cheap for 4 of these.

 

You potentially WILL have a different ride between the two. The whole idea behind shorter sidewalls is a more responsive suspension. You will feel the bumps more and the steering will be quicker. Taller tires with higher sidewalls will soak up the bumps a bit more and the steering will less responsive.