15" rims 33 tires?

I'm new to this forum, and I'm in fact new to owning a Tacoma! Couple days fresh in fact. I just bought a 2011 v6 4 door 6' bed. I'm thinking about putting 15" rims, a 3" lift, and 33s on, but I've seen a ton of threads on tire sizes with none taking about 15" rims. Everyone seems to go bigger, is there a specific reason for that? Also I've seen a few talking about the back space on rims but nothing specifying how much there needs to be per any given size. I'll link to the rims I'm looking at.
Thank you!

$102 Pro Comp 51 Series Rock Crawler, 15x8 Wheel with 6 on 5.5 Bolt Pattern - Flat Black - 51-5883F

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/S...x?t_c=11&t_s=535&t_pt=101508&t_pn=PCW51-5883F

 

16" minimum to clear the brakes

 

15's only fit on first gens unless you grind the calipers a bit.

Just run a 16" wheel.

Also: bigger wheels (17" specifically) open up your 35"+ choice tires quite a bit. Most people who get 20's+ are just going for "looks" and sacrificing offroad performance drastically.

 

Easy enough for me, thanks!

I'll keep in mind about the 35"+ but I don't believe I'll go that big. I appreciate the reply!

 

Couple more questions, fairly quick, how much does the width matter? Pretty sure 8" is standard? And also I have the six lug wheels, is the bolt pattern 5.5? I'm pretty sure it is but I thought I'd ask while I'm here.
Thank you!

 

Yes, they are 6 on 5.5

 

Beautiful thank you!

 

Narrower means you risk less damage to the wheel, it also lets the tire flex more while aired down. Most tire manufacturers have a range usually +/- 1" that their tires can be safely put on. For instance, a BFG KO2 in 285/75R16 requires no less than an 8" wheel according to BFG.

Sure you can do safer, but the run the risk of a lost bead easier.

 

So long story short, wider=safer for off roading? What would you recommend for mostly city driving but also like weekend off roading and then snow play into the winters?

 

Not necessarily, if you're within the spec the tire manufacturer gives you'll be fine at a safe tire pressure. Too wide or too narrow have many downsides if not only instability.

I have 16x8" wheels for my 285/75R16's as small/narrow as I could safely get in each dimension as, for offroading, you want that tire to have as much flex as possible when aired down.

 

As far as the back spacing, most of the 3" lifts suggest 4.5" backspacing/ 0mm offset. But you should ask (or look at the FAQ) for your chosen lift kit to be sure.

 

Sounds good to me! I was probably going to make the same decision before knowing that, but I'm glad I now know why. Thank you!

 

Makes sense, the wheels I have bookmarked now have that, but I'll check the lift kit again before I buy anything. What does the backspacing mean specifically? Just the space behind the wheel?

 

Also very true, this is the equivalent of putting ~0.75" wheel spacer on as well.

 

It's the distance between the lugs and the back of the wheel rim itself. Less backspacing means it sticks out more.

 

Backspacing is the measurement in inches where the wheel hub sits in reference to the face of the rim. So from the face of the rim, the wheel hub sits 4.5" closer to the vehicle.
Offset is a different way of measuring the same thing. It starts with 0mm being the center point between the inner and outer edge of the rim. So 10mm offset is different from -10mm offset. One has more backspacing, the other has less, I can't remember which way it goes though. And I should note that those measurements are for an 8" wide rim. I hope I explained this clearly. If not you can search for info on this and you'll find a much better explanation somewhere on this forum.

 

This may be right, which is the opposite of what I thought. Its been years since I got my wheels and tires so I'm a bit rusty with the specs. I'd do a search for the info to make sure you're clear on what you need.

 

That makes sense to me. Thanks guys!

 

good luck op. Post up pics when you get everything installed

 

No no, you said it better than I did. The distance between the wheel hub contact surface and the inside wheel rim. 4.5" deep means the brakes are tucked "into" the wheel only 4.5" deep. 5.25" back spaced wheels are actually closer to the brakes/hub/spindle/etc.

A wheel with 0" backspacing on a Tacoma would stick out 5ish inches... plus, as @mbmack1 said, extra due to the diameter of the wheel itself.