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 1st gen? Well, the short answer is YES! Some exclusions apply though.

Backspacing. What is it?

Backspacing is the distance between the part of the wheel that contacts the hub and the outer edge of the wheel.
How does this apply to you?

The stock 1st gen wheel has approximately 4.5" of backspacing. This makes the wheel stick out more to the fender edge, to allow clearance between the upper control arm and the back of the tire.
Newer Toyota wheels off of 2nd and 3rd gen Tacomas as well as 4th and 5th gen 4Runners have more backspacing. It varies from wheel to wheel but hovers around 5.25". This means these wheels will sit more inboard, or closer to the upper control arm than a stock 1st gen wheel.

Is this a problem?

Well, thats up to you. The stock tire size on a 2004 Tacoma 4x4 is 265-70 R16. This tire size, on 2nd and 3rd gen Tacoma wheels will fit on a 1st gen without any rubbing. Below is a picture of my 1st gen with this size tire and 2nd Gen TRD off road wheels. Pay attention to the distance between the knuckle and back of the tire.
Pretty close, huh? This setup will not rub, but lets compare it to the same size tire on a 3rd gen 4Runner wheel. This wheel has 4.625" of backspacing compared to 5.25" that the 2nd gen Taco TRD wheel has.
Pretty big difference, right?

So, now you know these newer wheels will fit on stock size tires. What if you wanna step up in size?

The short answer here, is to expect rubbing. Rubbing on the control arm and rubbing on the frame. It will mostly occur when you turn your wheels to lock, one way or the other. However, the biggest tire size you could go up to with only minor rubbing is a 265-75 R16. Any bigger, and spacers will be required to push the tire away from the control arm.

Spacers? What's the big deal?

There isnt one, per say. The topic of wheel spacers is more of a personal preference over anything else. A good quality hub centric spacer such as Bora or Spidertrax will last the life of the truck, trouble free. You will need a minimum of a 1" spacer to clear the lug studs.
So, what is the beef with wheel spacers? You may be wondering. The main argument is that it will put unnecessary stress on your wheel bearings, causing a premature failure. With a 1"-1.5" spacer, I wouldnt worry about it. My reason for taking my spacers off is one not many people will think about. Its that auto shops will not want to work on your vehicle with wheel spacers installed. It is too much of a liability if they screw something up by using an impact gun on the studs, when they should be hand torqued. (According to BORA) This made it hard for me to get my tires rotated or a flat fixed.

Whatever you do, DO NOT PURCHASE SPACERS FROM AN UNNAMED SOURCE. EBay, Amazon, etc... Anybody with a mill can crank these things out all day long, but very few are of any good quality. You want a name brand (Spider Trax or BORA) hub centric spacer. Most of the pictures online of wheels popping off are due to shoddy spacers, or improperly torqued ones at a minimum.

So, thats the skinny on newer wheels on early Tacomas. Another thing to consider, is if newer wheels will fit with Tundra Brakes installed. I myself, don't run Tundra brakes but Im sure others will chime in that do. @BartMaster1234

Lets get to the good stuff. Picture Time!

2nd Gen Tacoma TRD off road wheels. These have 5.25" of backspacing.


3rd Gen Tacoma SR5 wheels, a favorite of mine. I believe they have about 5.15" of backspacing.


3rd Gen 4Runner Limited Wheels. I will be getting these powdercoated, I got them for their 4.625" backspacing to step up in tire size.

Well, post pics if you have them. Hope this info answers some questions.

 

T4R 5 spokes, rattlecanned with rustoleum graphite wheel paint

 

Well done, that's some solid well presented info

 

I've seen Gen 1 on Gen 3 wheels. Looked great

 

Your point? Just trying to prevent people from asking this question so much.

 

My point is this topic has been discussed, and will continue to be discussed, ad nauseum. Prevent people from asking the question so much? That's an impossible task.


And why no mention of offset?

 

At the very least, this thread should be pretty easy to find, giving new forum members the info they're lookin for. Offset and Backspacing measure the same thing, no? Backspacing is just measured from the backside of the rim and offset is measured from the center line


And it's another place to post pics of my truck, so I'm not complaining

 

Figures, I take time out of my day to gather info on a topic that many newer members bring to light as they find these wheels for cheap, and someone comes in and starts hating on me. I realize that this subject will come up again, its an internet forum.

When we see 100 "how do I install 5100's?" posts a week, we have a reference thread to refer them to that's under one of the stickies, a well written write up explaining the ins and outs of installing new suspension.

I wrote this post, hoping for it to be stickied as a point of reference so when people come here asking this question, we can refer members back here.

About offset, it is what it is on the newer wheels, what matters most in my opinion (or atleast what is talked about most) is the backspacing.

 

I can confirm 3rd Gen TRD Off-Road 16” wheels will fit a 1st Gen with 13WL Tundra brakes AND Manual Hubs.

 

Says right here, "Yes, but only if you lower the truck. Give it a try and report back."

...and now in all seriousness, to actually be helpful for someone who stumbles on the thread: https://adventuretaco.com/what-size-tires-fit-my-lifted-tacoma/

 

(I know; but someone who stumbles in here a year from now...)

 

There's a juge community of members on here that never let us know they're on here because they're proficient at being well endowed in their search abilities and there's no need to waste their life arguing the dumbass shit that the normal posters are accustomed to doing.
So.
If you helped one person, and they never personally gave a 'thank you', that's not what matters. You gave your time. Aafaic you're an asset to the community.
If you spent your time giving info and prevent one or more people from asking the same dumbassed repeatedly asked question, from asking it? You're an asset to the community.

 

Not really "hating" on your post, and I'm not denying its usefulness either. My point was people are still going to ask the question, sticky or not.

Offset and backspacing are two sides of the same coin. However, backspace isn't indicated on the rim like offset is, at least not that I've seen. One isn't more important than the other.

My intent was good-natured ribbing. That was all.



I'll contribute to the thread. I currently have 17x7.5 +15 offset. Also have a 1" spacer, although I don't think it's necessary for the 255/80s to fit.



The 1" spacer was definitely needed to keep my tires off the frame with my previous setup: 285/75s on 3rd gen 4Runner Limited rims (one of my favorite Toyota rims).

 

The Gen 1 looks great with the Gen 3 rims. It's a match.

 

Can I just say that I don't like any of the "Gen" rims and I'm glad there is a company like SCS wheels that fills that void.

 

I like SCS and Method wheels a lot. I actually would ditch these OEM wheels for a set of Stealth 6's in a heartbeat, but I cant justify the cost right now.

 

My issues us finding wheel/rims that will fit "over/through" my front manual locking hubs. 2000 Tacoma 4x4. I would like to purchase the "SCS SR8" but I don't know if they will work with my "locking Hubs"? Anyone know this?

 

They fit a Landcruiser.

 

I can also confirm that the 17's fit with no rubbing on 275/70/17