Need to get things right.

I am brand new to TacomaWorld, however I have owned my 06' since 08' (2nd owner). Over the years I have kept up with maintenance, minor repairs, and a couple fender benders. It still runs great and I have added a few perks (mainly superficial).. I seek the following recommendations..

1) Ever since I got a larger tire and wheel I have had ongoing issues with wheel rub. I have cut away anything that I could to reduce it, but it is still ongoing on the front while turning hard. My wife would sooner go back to the stock wheels but I think the new wheels look much better. Without going with a full lift, would a two inch leveling kit solve my problems?

2) I have steering wheel shake at around 45-55 mph. Is that a result of the bigger wheel? I regularly have them rotated and balanced. It's not terrible but... annoying at times.

3) Should I consider changing the gear ratio? I believe my 06' V6 SR5 comes out of the factory with a 3.73. Stock wheels were 245/16 - new wheels are 265/16. I am not going off road outside of an unimproved road. In the little research that I have done - I find a lot of folks say that should have been the first thing to consider before the wheel upgrade.

I appreciate any feedback you may have!

 

Welcome to Tacomaworld. Sounds like you could use some Bilstein 5100's up front & possibly some AAL's in the back, its a relatively cheap way to level or lift your truck. I wouldn't worry about re-gearing unless you go with 35's.

 

You should clear a 265 on stock suspension with no issues, have you had an alignment that gives you forward caster? At least 1-2° would be ideal for you. It's not stock spec so you'ed have to request it up front but you're probably rubbing slightly on the cab mount.

How *tall* is your 265 wide?

You shouldn't need gears for a 265/75/16 nor a lift for that matter.

 

1. No lift kit to fix rub. It is likely rubbing on the mudguard at full lock. Removing the mudguard is an easy to check. This is what mine did with no lift, mudguard, and larger 265/75s on F5 aftermarket wheels. The offset of the wheel affects where they will rub when turning. It is a geometry issue. OEM wheels have a lot of positive offset. (essentially, dont' stick out of the wheel well). Aftermarket wheels tend to have less offset. This stick the wheel farter out of the wheel well. https://www.elementwheels.com/custom-wheels-offset. The result is that the back outer edge of the tire arcs into your wheel well differently. Go turn your wheel full lock and have you wife back up a little. It should become more apparent if you can observe it like that.

2. Bad tire balance. Often shows up at mid-range speeds. Common with larger, heavy wheels/tires, and also the sign of an inept tire shop. Find a better place that knows what they are doing. They simply should not shake if they are balanced correctly and the tires are not damaged/defective.

3. Fuck that. You do not need to regear for your needs. Are you having any power issues? If not, ignore all the guys you need to regear to go to the mall so they can say they regeared. Romp on the gas peddle at WOT and see what you think. Plenty of people on this site will try to talk your wallet out of a lot of money for no good reason.