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My 2008 Toyota Tacoma with 4 cylinders and 2-wheel drive
has 72,000 miles. It is definitely time for brakes and tires
plus I am considering adding some real simple rims.

Current Tire Specifications: 215 / 70 / R16

Questions:

a) any advice on what to do with the current tires & rims?

b) was told aluminum rims are lighter hence help you get
better gas mileage than the heavy stock rims, is this true?

c) considered going up one inch to R17, better appearance
and slightly better clearance for dirt road antenna access.
Any advice regarding the costs and benefits of this?


FYI: Since this will probably cost me about $1,000 I have
been to 4 local places and a Toyota dealership asking these
questions. Would just appreciate some input from someone
who will not profit from my decisions, thanks guys!

b) It's a truck. Any advantage to gas mileage by reducing the weight of the rims will not be noticed. People use lighter rims to increase suspension performance, but usually only noticable in racing applications.

c) Usually when people increase diameter of the rim, they decrease the sidewall profile on the tire to keep the diameter of tire the same. If you want a bigger diameter to increase clearance, you could do it with a bigger off road tire on 16 inch rims just as well as a 17 inch rim. A 16 inch rim and more sidewall would give you more cushion on the offroad excursions. A 17 inch rim and shorter sidewall to maintain overall tire diameter is contrary to better offroad performance. Be advised that your speedometer and odometer will be affect by the increased tire diameter.

Edit to add my personal preference: I have only ever bought aftermarket rims for performance benefits on vehicles that I actively race. On any vehicle I don't race, I've always kept the stock rims since changing them usually is only for the look of the rim. Not that there's anything wrong with that; I want to change out the rims on my current vehicle purely for looks. I'm just having difficulty dedicating the 3 to 4 grand it would cost for that "upgrade".

i'd check actual weights, but common mistake people make when outfitting their whips with custom wheels is putting giant chromed-out wheels on the car without upgrading the breaks - in these cases, the wheels are heavier than the stock ones, causing the brakes to work harder to slow down the increased mmomentum generated by increased weight of wheels. take a look, you'd be surprised how often you see giant wheels on tinted out chrysler 300's, rocking stock brakes.

Well since I do not sell crack or wear my pants low and sagging
it is probably safe to assume I would not be balling big wheels.

But hey, thanks man for the word of caution.

If you increase the overall height of your tires that will increase the torque required to turn them and will probably reduce mpg.

This won't increase your mpg but if you live in the South and drive a truck apperently it's the accessory to have.

http://www.thatsnutz.com/...0v668e3bskv7vnfcqtr4

I even picked out a good color for you

Ha ha, thanks man

Thanks everyone for the input.

667 dollars later I have new tires, rims, and a good warranty.

I stayed with the stock dimensions which are: 215 / 70 / R15

Drove about 400 miles this weekend, the ride felt smooth,

and the fuel economy comparable. See attached photo for style.

Pimp Ride, Tom!
Shit, had i seen this thread sooner, i'd have told you to stay stock. I mean, dude, you have a full-sized pickup truck. If it can't handle dirt road driving, the manufacturers should quit making them!
Then again, my advice would be to buy a Chevy!

you have a full-sized pickup truck

It just looks bigger because I was using a wide angle lens

Actually just a little 4 cyclinder truck, but it does have the
extended cab which is great when there is 4 on the load or
I need to carry a lot of gear during wet weather.


my advice would be to buy a Chevy

I had a Chevy S-10, bought new, circa 1993, and liked it
till I got hammered, lost, and ran it down half a mile of
railroad tracks - narrowly avoided arrest that night

No, i said CHEVY, not cheeeeevey
see attached pic for your truck's dad.
No worries though, you'll save gas....we can just put yours in the bed of my truck! ha ha ha!