Sport vs Off Road based on wheel options

Hey guys and gals of TW. I have been a lurker for a while now and finally made an account. I looked at a thread on here about bronze wheels the other day (mostly SCS....had me drooling) and it got me wondering which truck I should get, Sport or Off Road?

1) I am currently in the hunt for a Tacoma (2016,2017,2018, 2019 idc as long as its third gen) and was leaning towards a Sport but it looks like the Off Road comes stock with 16 inch wheels and I eventually want to mod my truck for tires and wheels regardless of the trim. So my question is, can I have SCS 16 inch wheels on the Sport? I know they come stock with 17 inch wheels so that is my concern right now. I am going to go test drive the two this weekend.

2) One last thing. Will the Sport be capable of heading off road to a deer stand? Because that is the extent of my off roading. I mainly lean sport because highway will be most of my driving due to work, woods on the weekends.

Any input is appreciated!

 

You can put 16s on a sport np. The sport will do fine offroad, your tires, skill, and 2wd vs 4wd would all have a bigger impact than the trim on light off-roading. OR just has a locker.

 

Sport can handle the 16 inch wheels, yes. Wheel choice shouldnt affect your decision on trim. The sport does just fine for moderate off roading, especially with an aggressive tire. The big thing is that you have to go a wee bit slower, because the sport's stock suspension can be bone-rattling on washboard.

Here are the main differences:

Sport: Stiff suspension / sway bars, designed for solid handling on highway. Has hood scoop and painted fenders. Has electronic slip control mode, that roughly mimics a rear locker.

Off road: equipped with rear locker/crawl control/terrain select. Softer suspension.

 

Test drive both models to see which you prefer, wheel and tire choices are open to what you like.

 

I have 16" SCS on my Sport.

 

Recently had an opportunity to buy a nice set of 16’s. The reason I didn’t get the 16’s is some day I’m putting over sized brakes (e.g., Tundra) on the front.

 

No problems with 16 inchers on a sport. You could even go 18". All the same. 16 inchers are favored a bit more on off road applications because the wider sidewall is a bit "bouncier" but 17" will do just fine. As a matter of fact there is a wider selection of tires in the 17" rim size. I'm thinking of moving to 17's down the road when I wear out my current set. Just something to think about before you jettison your wheels and tires.

 

I actually went with the Tacoma TRD Sport for several reasons, but one was the fact that it DID come with 17" wheels. I came from a 1996 Tacoma that was known for having an awful ride, and it had 14" wheels. Common sense dictates that larger wheels will feel less bumps in the road, just because they are bigger. Man, I have to say that the ride improvement from my old '96 to the 2019 TRD Sport is like night and day! I LOVE the way my new truck rides! To me, not knowing or caring anything about off roading, but I would also think that in the stock trucks, that the sport would obviously sit up higher because of the extra one inch size wheels, which I would think, would make for a better off road truck. But again, I am not an off road person!