Injohneer

I still haven't made up my mind on buying rims - probably waiting til my birthday in April - but I am still thinking about it and am considering 16" rims.

What are you guys running?


What are the pros/cons of going to a 16" rim on the 2nd Gen 4Runner?
I haven't done much research, but here's what I was thinking. Chime in and verify for me:
Pro - will fit larger brakes if needed for SAS or brake mods (way on down the line, but always a possibility ?)
Pro - will fit on a 3rd Gen 4Runner (Something makes me think the bolt patterns are the same, but the 3rd Gens have larger brakes that require the 16" rims?)

Con - less sidewall, less flex
Con - tires cost a little more (and you have to learn a different sizing methodology)
Con - may have a smaller range of big tire sizes (shouldn't matter much on an un-chopped 4Runner with <6" of lift, I never plan on going higher)

Other things to look out for?

95SASMudRunner

I run 15's because thats what I have always had, thus I have tires to fit them. 15" tires are much easier to come by esp. if you are looking for used ones. And alround are cheaper... as far as brakes go I have a SAS 4runner and the front calipers are grinded down around the corners bc the old rims had bad backspacing,both sets of new rims Ive put on have had no problems.

norcalsvx

15" are cheaper but i think in the future 15" will be hard to get and 16"and up will be the norm

rdharper

In addition to the others reasons for using 15" rims, the lower sprung-to-unsprung weight ratio is preferred for most types of driving.

Put the money you save into dinner for your significant other. Guaranteed satisfaction.

TOYZILLA

I run 16" on my 4runner now but will buy 15" as to there is a better tire market & availabilty.

d0ubledown

i run 16's coz i have to since my runner came with the bigger brakes n i put tundras on. not much of a difference in sidewall size either...youre talkin half n inch top/bottom etc.

there are just as many sizes for 16's as there are for 15's...well ones that i would want to run anyway. only advantage i've found is there are more 15's available for swapping used sets in and out of. i also think there are load rating differences between the two...if that matters to you or not. 16's can be had with a heavier load rating.

JamesD

I have both 15" and 16" rims. The 15" has more available sizes. I bought the 16" due to looks. On a 15" rim with big tires like 35's or bigger, the rim looks like a dohut. With 16's and a larger tire it looks more proportional.

James

davenjai

I had 15 and put on 16's for looks. Hell The new Titans are all coming with 18's, when they become norm, I'll get em. Stock size is a 32 and that's all I need. If you want 33+ then 15's are still the way to go.

91_4x4runner

The larger rim you go with your tire, the less sidewall flex there is when turning, thus, slightly better handling.

That said, I prefer 15's so I have more sidewall

Injohneer

I agree somewhat, and that's another consideration I had.
I think 15s will always be around, but I have a feeling the larger sizes will take more of a market share. Part of this will be forced on us by the vehicle manufacturers...

For example, the new Tundra comes with 18" or 20" wheels... Probably needed to clear the new, bigger brakes.
Yikes, those are going to be expensive to put rubber on.

04 Rocko Taco

you will need 16" inch rims on a 3rd gen runner (mentioned inyour first post) but some 15's do also fit, and almost any 15 WILL fit given some grinding of the wheel/caliper (which I recomend against, the fluid vanes run VERY near the surface on the calipers, and are real easy to get into) Wheelers Off Road makes a great set of 15" Steelies that fit on the newwer runners and taco's as long as you dont have the VSC option, if you have the VSC, kiss all 15's goodbye.

That being said, I am buying the wheelers 15's to go on my 04 Taco (equipped stock with the 16's)

Tacoclimber

After recently getting new tires, and seeing the price difference between 15's and 16's, I wish I woulda gone to 15's. But oh well, I do think the 16's give a slightly more proportioned look...

Injohneer

The weight factor depends highly on the tire size, brand & make and type rating, perhaps moreso than the rim weight.
I'm considering running Firestone Destination MTs due to hearing good things about them. I want to run 33" staying around narrower than 12.5" if possible.

The 16s:
285/75 R16's (33.1" x 11.3") come in at 47 lbf. (Tire Rack)
16" rims of one style I'm considering are 24 lbf.
for a total weight of 71 lbf.

The 15s:
33x12.5x15 (33.0" x 12.5") come in at 60 lbf. (Tire Rack)
15" rims of the same style weigh in at 20 lbf.
for a total weight of 80 lbf.

So with this tire, I'm better off with the 16's by 10 lbs or 14% because I can get a narrower 33" tire.

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With my current tire, the BFG All-Terrain TA/KO, 15" rims are better for weight:

33x10.5x15 (32.7" x 10.6") weighs 47 lbf. (Tire Rack)
Plus the 20 lbf rim, yields a total weight of 67 lbf.

But most 15" tires don't come in 33x10.5s. So normally I would be stuck with the heavier 33x12.5s:
33x12.5x15's (32.7" x 12.4") weighs 52 lbf. (Tire Rack)
Plus the 20 lbf rim, yields a total weight of 72 lbf.

If I kept the same tire, going to 16's would be a bad idea, adding 12 lbs or 18% of the weight (over the 33x10.5):
285/75 R16's (32.8" x 11.4") come in at 55 lbf. (Tire Rack)
Plus the 24 lbf rim, yields a total weight of 79 lbf.

1stgenrnrdude

im running the stock 15's that came on my year, for one, i dont really need new rims because i havent bent these ones (yet) and its much cheaper to buy tires for..

d0ubledown

if youre worried about weight, run an alloy, and not steelies. its a much more noticable difference...weight wise.

Paul H.

I run 15's on my 4Runner and 16's on my Taco. Both are stock sizes.

rdharper

Dumb question for the day..

Almost have to guess the correct answer to even ask the question.

Can you buy the 16" rims and match tires such that you have the same tire rev's/mile?

If so, in that case, I think you'd reduce the total weight of tire+wheel thus actually improving sprung to unsprung weight ratio.

Not to mention better sidewall control (theoretically).

Pretty expensive improvement, but what the heck.

Injohneer

No, the new tires would have more tread on them and you'd have to wear them down before the weight was equal. ha!

That was pretty much my point of post #13, that the tire has a lot to do with the weight factor. But I really don't care about the weight...or I'd be running stock tires!

fork

im a fan of sidewall. and cheaper tires. so 15s

Cargun

John, I see a set of 255/85/16's in your future. And when you blow one I got TWO spares! Near zero mile (at least on road) BFG MT's.

I'd look for the tire you want and select the wheel that fits it. A lot of time there are sidewall differences between the 15 and 16" tires. Look for the "P" or "LT" designation, and look at sidewall load capacity and load rating (probably a C for your app.) to get an idea of how they compare.

There is so little difference between 15's and 16's I wouldn't get one over the other. If you want a tire that's 15" only, go with that, if you want one that's 16" only, there ya go..... if your tire comes in identical 15 and 16" versions get whatever is cheaper/more pimp looking.

Me... I'm looking for a set of 18's for my Chevy