Why go with 17" wheels over factory 18" wheels?

[Striker53]

Just wondering why everyone seems to go to 17" rims rather than the 18" that come with it?

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[Backcountry1]

From my limited knowledge I would say 17’s are better for off road as you can get more sidewall. Example a 34” tire on a 17” rim has more sidewall than on an 18” rim. Also, it seems easier to find C rated all terrain tires which offer better ride. Like I said this is just my take on what 17’s offer over 18’s.

 

[brumey]

SR5 has 17” stock.

 

[Mad Ghost]

Tire availability. Not sure about other brands but the 5th gen ran 17’s and there are 15 years and 100 of thousands of them on the road for each year. So lots of customers. First year on a new size and so far only a few thousand sold. I’m sure over time we will see more options for the 18

 

[HedgeHog]

My 4Runner came with 20”, winters are in 18”, to compensate, the aspect ratio is adjusted so you get the same rolling circumference for accurate miles/hour. As previously mentioned, you get a softer ride because the sidewall/bead size increase but also… its generally cheaper for the cost of the tires as well.

 

[odins_beer'd]

From my limited knowledge I would say 17’s are better for off road as you can get more sidewall. Example a 34” tire on a 17” rim has more sidewall than on an 18” rim. Also, it seems easier to find C rated all terrain tires which offer better ride. Like I said this is just my take on what 17’s offer over 18’s.

Right on the money, that’s why I find it so funny the off-road higher trims have bigger wheels. Then again the vast majority of people buying them will never use them heavily off-road if at all. Which is okay too.

 

[Joe Dirt]

That's my take exactly,
my fifth gen came at 17.
I went with Nitto Tires and Method Wheels only to find that the wider wheel squatted the tire down about an inch so i actually lost ground clearance by going with methods and Nitto Tires of the same Factory size.

Now fast forward to my 6th generation 4Runner it came with 18 inch wheels with 265 70s,
I will go 275 70 18 and a bilstein 6110 leveling kit all the way around and leave it at that.
Just my two cents.

 

[shackley]

From my limited knowledge I would say 17’s are better for off road as you can get more sidewall. Example a 34” tire on a 17” rim has more sidewall than on an 18” rim. Also, it seems easier to find C rated all terrain tires which offer better ride. Like I said this is just my take on what 17’s offer over 18’s.

That was my decision as well.

 

[3rdRunner]

I was surprised that my TH had 18’ wheels given its purpose was “overlanding” over potentially rough terrain where additional sidewall is desired. I would have preferred a 17” wheel for the additional rubber and much better selection of tires. Upgraded tires to 285/70/R18 and keeping stock rims only because I really like the TH look. We’ll see how it goes.

 

[zgreen]

I was surprised that my TH had 18’ wheels given its purpose was “overlanding” over potentially rough terrain where additional sidewall is desired. I would have preferred a 17” wheel for the additional rubber and much better selection of tires. Upgraded tires to 285/70/R18 and keeping stock rims only because I really like the TH look. We’ll see how it goes.

Hi Bill. With the bigger tires, did you do a pre-collar or spacer lift? If not, any rubbing at all? Thanks in advance! - Zach

 

[3rdRunner]

Hey Zach - still waiting on parts to get in but the upgrade includes Westcott Preload kit. I’ve gone ahead and re-pinned the liner up front and did the ARK Crash Bracket Delete to prep. I’ll let you know once everything is in place but I’m hoping to avoid rub issues.

 

[127.0.0.1]

more sidewall, more grip overall, more resistance to chunk hitting rims
more float when airing down

 

[rosnaby]

As everyone else has said. But i want to re iterate as someone with 18s, how annoying availability is… the lack of c load tires is really bad, and while a solid set of All terrains in 18s, SL load, like at4w, is basically the same thing as a c load, id rather just have more options in true sl, c, and e load… this is besides the fact the sidewall gives you more room to not f ur rims while doing things. Already scratched my 18s so bad on a curb drifting in snow… dont think 17s wouldve helped in that situation but if I was able to find a cheaper tire in C load, I very well couldve caught traction before smashing that curb lol.

 

[Nodak]

um ???

how does the SL load rating vs a C load rating have anything to do with traction?

 

[rosnaby]

um ???

how does the SL load rating vs a C load rating have anything to do with traction?

0 at all…Im saying im in analysis paralysis mode because my lack of options in 18s atleast near me, so i went out in 6inches of snow in highway michelin tires hahaha. Pretty sure i wouldve gotten 3peak rated tires before that storm because my options wouldve been better if i had 17s in my preferred c load.

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