Why so many 16" OEM wheels!?!?!?!

As the title says...why?

My '08 came with 17's. They're nothing special, but now I'm in need of new wheels(I think salty NY roads led to corrosion...leaking rims) and scour the various aftermarket sites for TRD wheels. I really like the look of some of the later factory TRD pro wheels, however, almost all of them are 16's. Makes no sense to me and just hoping someone can explain why the high end factory wheels would be a smaller size than mine, which weren't/aren't part of the premium package.

 

16's are a better wheel/tire ratio for off roading.
The 17's were on the sports and I think the limited got 18's at some point. More for a lower profile tire. More wheel = less side wall.

 

They're a smaller size because many Tacoma owners that buy models like the TRD Off-road and TRD Pro like to take their trucks off road and with the smaller wheels you get a bigger tire sidewall. You have less chance for rock rash, and can air down some for traction.

 

the 4runner TRD Pro "SEMA" wheels are 17s. https://parts.olathetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-trd-17-in-matte-black-alloy-wheel-ptr2035110bk they'll fit no problem

 

1 inch is not much.

 

Now THOSE are the kind of logical answers I was looking for. Thanks folks!

 

You can get the same overall tire height and width with 15", 16", 17", 18" and 20" tires. The only difference is the size of the hole in the middle of the tire. The smaller the hole in the tire means more rubber between you and the ground. Which is better for off road driving. Going to a larger wheel means the tire will have more stability in high speed turns on pavement. Which is why they are popular on sports cars, or sporty trucks.

Going to a larger wheel means larger brakes can be used. That is a big reason we don't see 15" wheels used as much anymore and some vehicles can no longer use 16" wheels to clear brakes.

At one time 16" tires were cheaper than 17, 18, or 20" tires even though the overall size was the same. The gap is no longer as big as it used to be, if at all. At least when comparing 16 and 17" tires.

 

That’s what she said.

 

Unless you're buying P-rated, 17s are much cheaper tires than 16s, and you can get C-rated LTs instead of total overkill D- or E-ranges. I paid much less for my 265/70R17 KO2s than I did for 32x11.5R15s, even though they're close to the same dimensions.

I settled for a set of 4Runner takeoffs from ebay. Not as cool looking, but I couldn't argue with OEM Toyota alloys for $300 shipped.

 

Sounds like you were in a similar situation as I am. I've got KO2's with about 30k on them, still a good bit of life left, but need new wheels. I'm looking at some SEMA wheels.

 

Do the Gen2 factory steel rims and factory alloy wheels have the same offset/fitment? Looking to purchase some 2013 alloys for my 2012 Tacoma Access Cab.

 

The simple answer to a complex question is no! My 2009 Tacoma Access Cab 4WD has steel wheels 16x7 with +30 mm offset. Many of the alloy wheels I saw had offsets +25mm (or less), this won't cut it since less than a +30mm offset will create clearance issues with the front disc brake calipers. Also, one of my concerns, especially with such a large offset, is the difference in material properties between steel and alloy. Steel vs. Aluminum, steel is 3 times stiffer when you compare their respective Modulus of Elasticity (30x10^6 lbs/in2 vs. 10x10^6 lbs/in2)! This concerns me in regards to the vibration characteristics of the wheels at high speeds. I have seen posts where some folks have stated that when they switched to less stiff materials they did experience front end vibrations. Frequency response is a linear variation and a decrease in stiffness by a factor of 3 is significant.

Spoiler alert "I'm no expert on any of this" you need to conduct your own research and draw your own conclusions!

 

Appreciate the science. Thanks for your response.

 

I wonder if those dimensions match the stock 17" sport wheel.
Isn't there an aftermarket one of these?

IDK if they come in 16", and if they're worth counting out to stick to only 16" options for the reasons others have listed above

I never understood how Toyota cold possibly consider this a "sporty truck" if it's not a low X-runner that can pull a decent corner G.
My TRD Sport sits high and has soft ~31.6" tires, so even if I gas it through a corner to try finding out what Limited Slip Diff really means (early year), it just doesn't really work