Newb help with aftermarket wheels

This is a direct re-post from the wheels/tires forum. They directed me over here so perhaps one of you can help me. Post follows below:

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I have been in the market for a 1st gen Tacoma for a while as I want something to run around town with, put a small John Boat in to take fishing & to just generally help out when we need to haul stuff. I have never owned a truck before but all my truck owning buddies swear by the reliability and longevity of the older Pickups and Tacomas.

Every deal I saw in Craigslist was snapped up right away and last night I managed to get in first and pick up a 1999 for a very good price. It has some scratches that I can fix and a few dents which I probably can't but as I said, I got a great price, I was not expecting a lot cosmetically and the guy had taken amazing care of the truck mechanically. He had owned it for years and had to sell as his wife was pregnant and they needed something a little bigger.

Here is a link to a picture (large):

http://confitdesign.com/images/profile.jpg

I have never been into modding anything and really have no interest in it. The back is lowered with blocks which can be removed easily to get it back to stock height. However, he has also added aftermarket wheels to the truck.

Here is a closeup (large):

http://confitdesign.com/images/wheel.jpg

The look of these do not bother me too much but I bought the truck for function over form. I am not expecting to do any heavy offroading in it but I will be taking it on some potholed roads and trails to get to fishing spots, will this damage these wheels? The rims are 17 inches and the tires are 225/45 R17.

Really it is the thinness of the tires that worries me. Would I be able to get bigger tires on these? The tires are turned slightly to the left above so if they were straight it looks like there would be not much room in front of the tire but plenty behind. Perhaps this would even out if I took the blocks out of the truck though? If not, I would consider selling these rims/tires & getting some stock wheels fitted...do you think they are worth much? You may think I'm crazy but I also prefer the look of the stocks. I am not out to make a statement (although the color does that well enough!).

Any help for this complete newb would be much appreciated & I'm looking forward to becoming part of the community.

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Thanks in advance for any help.

 

I'm on my phone and can't see the pictures buuut, if you
Get rid of the blocks a bigger tire shouldn't be an issue
17 inch rims really arnt huge... compared to the 20's mine
Came with. You could shop around for stockers and sell your
Current set up or make a trade and maybe make some
$$ as well.

 

Thanks Thorpedo...have you had a chance to look at the pics yet? Any idea if those rims are worth much? They say S12 on them but they don't look like any S12's I can see online.

 

Okay so I managed to find out they are SR6 SR Racing rims, I read the SR as S12.

This brings me on to another question. I am going to lift the truck back to stock height this weekend and am then going to look at getting myself some different wheels. I was thinking about calling around junkyards to see if they had any stock wheels for a 99 5-lug. Could someone help me out and tell me what the stock size is?

Also if you think I am better off getting another wheel/tire combo please let me know. I don't really care about how they look, I just want something that will stand up to potholes, dirt roads and some very minor offroading.

 

http://www.sizemytires.com/vehicle/1999/toyota/tacoma
^ that says there apparent original sizes for a 1999 single cab, if you get rid of the lowering stuff on the truck im sure you could put 235's on there. i do think id look around for a stock 15 or 16 inch rim because it will allow for more rubber. check junk yards, craigslist, ebay, ext. or save for some cool rims of your choice depending on how much people are charging for old stock rims it may be a better deal to pick something out you like. i Saw the pictures and think you could probably get a lil something for those wheels if you put them up for sale online or drive to the rim shops in the not so nice side of town and pawn em off haha, thats what i plan to do with the 20's my truck came with since i have 16 pro comps waiting to be put on

 

Yeah I am going to call a bunch of junkyards this week to see if I can find anything...I'm thinking of 14s or 15s so I can get some bigger tires.

 

I'd go with 15's or 16's if possible. Not sure if any other 1st gen 5 luggers have had this problem, but when my father tried to get new tires for his stock 98 14" rims, they only had one tire in the 215/70-14 size at the Firestone shop. I'd try to go with a 15" or 16" wheel just so that you have more tire size options. Other toyotas like the camry have used 15" wheels, so hopefully they're not too hard to find.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep my eyes peeled for some 15's.

 

I have my stock steelies sitting in the shed at home if you want stock wheels...

 

That would be great. How much would you want for them?

 

Welcome to TW btw! Hotty Toddy!

 

Just PMed you back