What is a light wheel for a 4cyl

Picked up a 2015 4 banger 5MT a couple weeks ago and love it. I was hoping to keep it at stock height to keep things simple. Did want to change the wheels up a bit in the future though and maybe run a 265/70/16 tire to fill the gap. Ideally, a wheel lighter than the stock steelies would compensate for the heavier weight of a larger tire (currently 245/75/16).

Was looking at the Method 305NV in bronze 16x8. Think it would look fairly nice with the black truck I’ve now named Delilah.

Appreciate everyone’s thoughts

 

Most alloy wheels will save you a bit of weight compared to the steelies. When I had the 4cyl I updated to some Gear alloy wheels and went to 265/70/16 AT tire and didn't notice any power loss. The truck did ride better than when it had the 245.

 

That’s good to hear, I’ll check Gear alloys our as well

 

Don't think they have a lot of choices in a 16" wheel for our trucks. When I got them they had only one option. I'm sure Methods, SCS and others probably have more options in a 16" wheel. If you want OEM wheels checkout the marketplace people are always selling wheels there.

 

FN Wheels Konig Countersteer Off-Road 16x8

18lbs each.

Did wonders for my barely 100hp little 22R-E 4cyl.

 

Checked those out and they seem to be out of stock. Really dig the look though

 

Granted these are 17" wheels, but my FN Wheels (Konig) Six Shooters are right around 20lbs if I remember right. I noticed a little bit of difference compared to the stock alloys that are the 5 spokes (I think they are about 26-28lbs). Tires were the same, just swapped from stock wheel to the FN's. You may benefit going to a 17" wheel as well if you compare weights of wheel/tire combo. I believe the lightest wheels that work on the tacoma are Volk TE37's......but they are like $600 per wheel if you can find them.

You can also look into tires as well. There can be a considerable amount weight lost in the tires as well. tiresize.com has most tires, sizes and weights for the specific tire/size.

 

@Joeyourbro In your post you mentioned upsizing your tires to 265/70/16, however that size is identical in diameter to the stock 245/75/16, but is wider. I think you meant upsizing to 265/75/16, which is a common size to upgrade to.

As for wheels, the FN countersteer and five star both come in around 18.5lbs. Another option is the SCS F5, which is also just over 18lbs. Yes the FN’s all are out of stock, but if you are willing to wait a month or two you should be able to get a set. Also, SCS just announced that the F5’s will be back in stock tonight.

Have you considered running skinny tires, like a 235/85/16? They’ll generally be lighter with lower rolling resistance while being the same diameter as the 265/75/16. If you are considering it, something to think about is almost all aftermarket wheels are 16x8, which is too wide to run the 235’s. So you’d need to stick with 16x7. There are a lot of OEM options in that size with the added benefit of being far cheaper. Some great options are the 2nd gen TRD OR wheels, which are the lightest OEM wheel that I know of at 22lbs. They’ll also usually only run between $100-200 for a set.



Another arguably more stylish option are the 3rd gen SR/SR5 wheels. They weigh about 24.5lbs, but are a bit more expensive. I have found sets for around $400.



If you dig the look of steel wheels, the spare tire 16 hole steel wheels weigh 24.5lbs. They can be found for really cheap usually as well.

 

Glad you chimed in because I am highly considering getting 235/85/16 tires now. Firestone destination x/t in that size weigh only 39 pounds a tire, 5 pounds more than my stock 245/75/16 michelin’s defenders. Can eventually change to lighter TRD wheels for an altogether lighter setup than what I have now, but the stock steelies will have to do.

 

I will be getting those exact tires in 235/85/16 in the next couple of weeks. The 39lbs is very appealing. I’ve been meaning to get them but I’ve been sidetracked for awhile. I bought some 1st gen Tundra steelies that I’ll be mounting them on. If you get them before me, let me know how you like them!