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- #21
Next major change I made was rolling stock. Since I bought it, this 80 had stock 16" wheels with BFG ATs in 315/75R16 size (close to 35" diameter).
While I liked the way the truck looked, acceleration was terrible with the larger tires and stock final drive gearing. 35s are overkill for the type of offroading I've done and plan on doing, so in the interest of being slightly quicker off the line and improving city fuel economy, I wanted to go down to a ~33" tire. Specifically the new BFG AT K02 in 285/75R16.
I could've used these on the stock wheels with no problem, which would have worked well. However I've always loved the aesthetic of steel wheels on a 4WD Toyota. 17s are too large, in my opnion, so I started looking at the options for a 16" steelie. Turns out there are several common Toyota designs for spare wheels as used on Tundras, Sequoias, and Tacomas.
I found a 16x7" Tundra spare on craigslist with a well-used 285/75R16 BFG already mounted, $75 picked up. This was my trial fit part just to confirm that the wheel wouldn't interfere with the hubs and that the higher positive offset wouldn't sink the wheels & tires too far in and cause clearance issues. The stock 16" alloy wheels are -5mm offset, and these steelies are +15mm. So the centerline of the wheel would move inward by 20mm but the wheel is also narrower by 1.5 inches, meaning the backspacing is actually increased by 1mm. I used a wheel & tire calculator to visualize the difference.
With the confidence that this would work, I found a semi-local used wheel shop selling the Tundra spares in 16x7, ET+15, for $45 each. These are a slightly different design from the spare I picked up (fewer holes...16 vs 18) but the fit is identical.
From there I ordered the tires from 4WheelParts online, which had the best deal I could find. I had them mounted & balanced at the local 4WheelParts shop in Redondo Beach. The old 315s were worn very oddly, with cupping and uneven shoulder wear. They were also incredibly loud at low speed - not the typical mudder humming, but a low frequency thumping type noise from the wear pattern. I managed to sell the old tires on craigslist for $200 to a guy running the same size but in far worse condition - for him, they were an upgrade.
With the new KO2s mounted on the steelies, this 80 is so much quieter and more pleasant to drive on the highway. It's almost luxurious now compared to my old frame of reference. I've gone on two offroad excursions with them so far and am very impressed at their performance on loose dirt and granite (trip reports to follow). I'm sure they will be much better on snow and ice as well, but we'll have to wait a while to test that.
Wheel specs:
16x7 steel spare from 2001-2004 Tacoma, 2001-2003 Sequoia, 2000-2006 Tundra
Wheel Hollander number: 69392
While I liked the way the truck looked, acceleration was terrible with the larger tires and stock final drive gearing. 35s are overkill for the type of offroading I've done and plan on doing, so in the interest of being slightly quicker off the line and improving city fuel economy, I wanted to go down to a ~33" tire. Specifically the new BFG AT K02 in 285/75R16.
I could've used these on the stock wheels with no problem, which would have worked well. However I've always loved the aesthetic of steel wheels on a 4WD Toyota. 17s are too large, in my opnion, so I started looking at the options for a 16" steelie. Turns out there are several common Toyota designs for spare wheels as used on Tundras, Sequoias, and Tacomas.
I found a 16x7" Tundra spare on craigslist with a well-used 285/75R16 BFG already mounted, $75 picked up. This was my trial fit part just to confirm that the wheel wouldn't interfere with the hubs and that the higher positive offset wouldn't sink the wheels & tires too far in and cause clearance issues. The stock 16" alloy wheels are -5mm offset, and these steelies are +15mm. So the centerline of the wheel would move inward by 20mm but the wheel is also narrower by 1.5 inches, meaning the backspacing is actually increased by 1mm. I used a wheel & tire calculator to visualize the difference.
With the confidence that this would work, I found a semi-local used wheel shop selling the Tundra spares in 16x7, ET+15, for $45 each. These are a slightly different design from the spare I picked up (fewer holes...16 vs 18) but the fit is identical.
From there I ordered the tires from 4WheelParts online, which had the best deal I could find. I had them mounted & balanced at the local 4WheelParts shop in Redondo Beach. The old 315s were worn very oddly, with cupping and uneven shoulder wear. They were also incredibly loud at low speed - not the typical mudder humming, but a low frequency thumping type noise from the wear pattern. I managed to sell the old tires on craigslist for $200 to a guy running the same size but in far worse condition - for him, they were an upgrade.
With the new KO2s mounted on the steelies, this 80 is so much quieter and more pleasant to drive on the highway. It's almost luxurious now compared to my old frame of reference. I've gone on two offroad excursions with them so far and am very impressed at their performance on loose dirt and granite (trip reports to follow). I'm sure they will be much better on snow and ice as well, but we'll have to wait a while to test that.
Wheel specs:
16x7 steel spare from 2001-2004 Tacoma, 2001-2003 Sequoia, 2000-2006 Tundra
Wheel Hollander number: 69392
- Wheel Diameter: 16
- Wheel Width: 7
- Number of Lugs: 6
- Bolt Pattern: 6x5.5
- Design: 16 Hole
- Material: Steel
- Offset: 15mm
- Piece: One
- Placement on Vehicle: Universal
- Hollander Number: 69392
- OEM Part Number: 426010C010
- Identification Number: SEP
I am pretty sure it was your 80, I specifically remember seeing that TEQ sticker and the absence of the rear bumper....then of course I had to walk up to it and check the tire size and I remember the 285's. Keep up with the postings, good stuff man!
