Tire change

New to this stuff. I have a 2015 4 door Tacoma 4x4. I would like to upgrade to 17 in wheels as there is no travel/clearance with 16 inch wheels (bent my skid plate and trailer connection having fun). Wondering if I can go to 17 or 18 inch wheels and what suspension/drive train mods would be needed. Need to keep a decent road ride for the wife.

 

Huh?.....

 

1" bigger wheels arent going to give you more clearance. Bigger tires will give you better clearance. You're talking about approach and departure angles.

 

If gaining ground clearance is the only reason you want to go up to a 17", then save your money and put it into the lift. Wheel size doesn't play that big of a difference in ground clearance. As far as the lift goes, there are a few questions. How often are you off road? How difficult (is it logging roads or the Rubicon Trail) is the terrain? Whats you budget? Sorry if I came across as an ass (didn't mean to ), just some things to think about.

P.S. Welcome to the club.

 

Forgot to mention it, but @moondeath is right. With the lift your going to need bigger tiers. And if you don't like plan A, there's always plan B:

 

I'm not really a hardcore off roader but I recently moved to Bullhead City, Arizona and sometimes when driving around I run into terrain that is difficult for my little stock truck. I was thinking larger wheels and tires would raise the frame but I would then need some type of lift to raise the body accordingly. I don't really like the look of extra large tires on small wheels. Don't know if larger tires would require steering box upgrade.

 

I'm changing from boating to dirting?

 

look at the OME 885 front springs and a 1.5" AAL in the back, that'll give you around 2.5" in the front and 1.5" in the back via suspension. Then you'll have no problem fitting a larger tire (just going to 265/75/16 or 265/70/17 will give you another .5" of ground clearance). There are taller/skinnier and/or taller AND fatter tire options, but then you start really having to pay attention to backspacing and considering other modifications to the wheel wheels to fit.

 

Thanks, excuse my ignorance but what are OME 885 front springs and 1.5" AAL. I like the clearance numbers.

 

I have the OME 885 coil springs paired with bilstein 5100s up front. They are a new coil spring to allow you to lift the truck. It is on the cheaper end of lift options, but not the super cheap and terrible options which would be spacer lifts. The 1.5" AAL is just an extra leaf that you would add to your stock leaf pack in the rear to gain extra lift.

 

Tire diameter is what you need to pay attention to. A 265/75/16 is the same diameter as a 265/70/17. I prefer more rubber and less metal so I like 16" rims. Not a fan of the trend to larger wheels especially on 4x4

 

Thanks for all of the information. My truck has 28,000 miles and since I need to head to the dealer I am going to look into all the information provided. I like the idea of upgrading coil springs and shocks. The factory shocks bounce to much for my liking. I will try to take a before and after photo. I will need my daughter to help since I kinda understand how all this new technology works but don't know how to use it. Oh well, just talking.

 

My truck comes stock with 265/75/16, is there a larger tire size.

 

Once you are setup your should check out the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association and the Mojave Road.
I have traveled the road more than once in a stock 1st generation with no problem. This was seven or eight years ago though.
links
http://www.mdhca.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Road
https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/mojave-road.htm
http://www.desertusa.com/desert-trails/mojave-road-page1.html

 

Umm..

 

5100s with 885s, rear AAL or leaf pack, stock wheels wrapped on Cooper ST Maxx 255/85/16 with Spidertrax on all 4 corners or aftermarket wheels of your choice and no spacers.

 

My mistake 265/70/16

 

The options for tires are limitless it just depends if you want to do any cutting in the fender

 

Going to a 265/75/16 will give you a 1" taller tire and is as big as you can go without lifting. 265/70/17 tires will be almost identical in width and height, but going to 17" wheels just costs more and won't lift your vehicle at all. In fact I think you'd be better off having the same diameter tire mounted on a 16" rim than a 17" rim. You have more rubber between the ground and rim with 16's. Also, remember for each 1" taller tire you only gain 1/2" ground clearance and tire manufacturers round up on sizes

The tires you have are 30.5" tall (advertised as 31"), 265/75/16's will be 31.5" (advertised as a 32" tire) and is a very capable size. There are darn few places you can't go with a 32" tire. Years ago people went everywhere with 31" tires and 33's were huge. Most guys never go bigger than 33" tires (actual size would be 32.5") and it requires close to $1000 in modifications to get 1" more ground clearance over what you have. Only 1/2" more than 265/75/16's which can be mounted with no modifications and no loss of performance. If you get into tires larger than 33" you really need major vehicle modifications including re-gearing the axles.

Anything is possible if you have the time and money. I've never felt at a disadvantage with a 32" tire on a stock vehicle. But if you want to throw money at it is your money.

 

Thanks for the information. Don't want to spend money needlessly just want to have fun and return home with no repairs needed. What are your thoughts about 2" lift with OME front springs 5100 Bilsteins and 1.5" AAL in the rear? Price seems reasonable without any further modifications.