Why go 17" over 16" rims?

So I'm looking at picking up the F5 wheels from SCS very soon. I wrote into SCS and I got a reply within a few hours... ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON!!! Just awesome customer service. Anyways, I asked what they would recommend since I plan on going with the 255/85/16 route and they told me the 16x8 with 4.5"BS would be the best bet.

It got me to thinking... what are the advantages of going 17" rim over 16"? Since it's SCS it's not going to rub the caliper or anything... Just cosmetic preference?

 

With 17s you can fit the bigger brake kit if you want, you also have the option to run a 37 inch tire.

 

More tire selection with 17" wheels. I went with 16" and will most likely be running 255/85 too.

 

Tire choices as well impact that decision. I stuck with 16's and went 255/85/16 and have been happy with them. Also looks impact the decision as well. I think the Ray 10 looks better in a 17 than a 16 IMO. I was leaning towards 17s so I could run the 35/10.5 KO2 which only come in 17s but after some research they are barely 33's so I just went with the 255/85/16s.

 

Depends on how you plan to use the truck and the type of tires. 17's were sort of the bastard child when I put them on my Tundra back in 03. Tire selection was limited. Now the reverse is true and it is harder to find 16's than it is 17's. Also, many of the 16's are only available in D or even E ratings so most of your choices are pretty stiff tires made for 3/4 & 1 ton trucks. For my Pro I ended up with P rated tires as I could not find any C rated tires that I liked in a 16. The only real advantage to a 16 is you get 1" more sidewall for any given size tire vs a 17 which is nice if you do a lot of off road stuff. If the wheels I wanted were available in 16 or 17 inch size I'd go with 17's simply because of the greater tire options.

 

Did you need to do a CMC with the 255/85?

 

Correct on the tire load rating. I switched to 17s to run KO2s in C-load which is much lighter than the heavy E-load version available for 16", which would result in more mpg/power loss while causing a worse ride.

Note the sidewall difference is actually only an effective 1/2" difference between the wheel and the ground, which isn't much at all.

 

So the lower the rating the more comfortable it'll be on the road plus better gas mileage?

 

In short, yes.

Tire ratings go:
P<C<D<E

Tacomas come with P-load 4ply tires. Every step up adds 2 more plys and makes the tires heavier (affects mpg/performance) and stiffer (affects ride) but also more robust.

A 1-ton full size truck will run E-load tires.

If you take your truck off roading on more than just forest service roads, switching to a C-load tire will provide a stronger tire sidewall with lowest impact to performance. I actually like the mildly firmer sidewalk on the C-load better than the P-load.

 

There are some odd tire sizes that you can get in a 17 that you cant get in a 16.... that stated watch out and do your research, as some of those odd sizes tend to have less tread depth for the same style of tire.

For me, id never go for a tire size that needed a 17 and there is PLENTY of selection in a 16in rim.... and i think for tires 35in or smaller a 16 looks way better.

 

So I just checked and every possible tire I'm looking for in the 255 range are all E rated regardless of whether or not they are 16 or 17.

I could try to get 255/85/16 and my tire choices from Tires.com and Tirerack are:
BFG mud terrain km2 in E load
Dick Cepek Extreme County in E load
Cooper Discoverer ST maxx in e load


In 255/80/17
BFG mud terrain km2 in E load
Cooper discoverer ST maxx in e load


I don't see any other load rating.

 

Another secondary reason to go with 17's instead of 16's is to have a little extra space behind each wheel, that [in theory] cuts down on the amount of smaller rocks getting stuck in there when 4-wheeling. I have never actually seen or experienced this problem though. I can't imagine it's really an issue.

 

What is CMC

 

You might try some thread searching on the tire size. 255's are gaining popularity around here, and several folks have reported installing C versions IIRC.

 

cab mount chop.

255 80 or 85 on OE spec wheels (at least on 3rd gens, but I suspect 2nd too) will clear everything with no lift required.

It's the slightly narrower tire and the proper offset/backspacing/width that helps this to happen vs the common use of 285s to get to 33"

 

255/85/16 is the size I was wanting to go to next time I buy tires. I've got about a year and a half into a set of Durtrac's (245/75/16 C rated) and really like them. Unfortunately it doesn't look like they make them in 255/85. So I'd have to go 235/85/16 and those only come in E rated. Or switch to different tires altogether.

 

Because 16s are awesome

 

I went 17s so that way I can swap wheels w/ my 4Runner whenever I want

 

i have never seen a 255/85R16 size tire in nothing but a load range E and agressive MT style tread. I really wish they made that size in a load range C milder AT tire.

 

You can get the Duratrac in a 265/75/16-C.