gatorbait231

So as a senior year gift my parents bought me a 2010 Toyota Tacoma Regular Cab. I've recently gotten a job and now have enough money to buy some rims and a lift but for a truck that only has 4 cylinders is and is only rwd is that stupid? I just think my truck looks stupid with such small wheels (15" rims) and 15" rims just look stupid so if I get a lift I'll need to get bigger tires bigger rims and all that. or should i just buy some nice halo/angel eye lights.

Raptor22

Just get 31" tires on the 15" rims and you will be good. Lifting a 2wd truck is dumb and going with bigger rims is a waste of money. The tires for 15" rims are cheaper and the truck will ride better. Just go with slightly larger tires for looks and it ill be good.

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Kenny McCormick

I'm with Raptor on this one. 2WD trucks just don't work lifted, and should only be lifted if you also plan on converting them to 4WD in the process. The engine, however, makes no difference, 4-pots are fine too.


As for 15" rims....that's what Raptor and I have on our half-tons. They're small by modern standards but they work, and you can get quality brand-name tires for ~100-piece in the 235/75R15 size. One thing you have to be careful about is that the larger tires don't overstress the powertrain. A larger diameter tire puts more strain on your powertrain and will drop the engine's RPM in all gears, seeing as they go a longer distance down the road per revolution. Only way to find out if it objects is to put a set on and see what happens, though. It's not really a big deal with Raptor and I's larger engines, but your I4 may be set for economy and object to the size jump. It may also overstress clutches in the gearbox, good way to tell this if it's an auto is that it has to kick down more than it used to on the freeway.

Your speedo will be a couple MPH slow as well, so you'll have to take that into account, and you might also have fender clearance issues. Our '84 F150 had 31x10.50R15 tires on it when we bought it, and the tires rubbed on the front fenders in corners and over bumps. It's 2WD. Raptor's F150 has the same size tire on it and it clears fine, but his is 4WD and has a factory lift versus a 2WD model so there's clearance present.

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Mike

Definitely don't lift it.

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tofunater

I wouldn't lift it, but I would level it. Most trucks have between .75-1.5" of drop from back to front. Leveling the truck improves the stance and overall look while also allowing you to fit slightly larger tires without rubbing issues.

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gatorbait231

So basically what your all saying is dont lift and if anything just level it. And 15" rims are the basic wheel size. I just want to customize my truck to make it a little more original or specific to me ya know. Since its a RWD wouldnt getting larger tires mess with the gear ratio and larger tires in the front mess with the speedometer?

Kenny McCormick

It will also negatively impact the handling if you ever decide to haul or tow something that's heavy. Trucks are raked like that for a reason, that reason being making it handle decently predictably when the ass end is loaded up with crap. Levelling them does make them look good but it's not something I would advise on a truck that is likely to be used as a truck.

An aftermarket wheel in a 16x8 or 16x9 would be a nice way to go. Drop the sidewall height to compensate, get better handling out of it. Probably better MPG too, less tire flex means less fuel wasted on rolling resistance.

Already detailed that in my first post. A slight increase, say from a 235/65R15 to a 31" tire, won't effect the gearing severely enough to damage anything if your engine has sufficient low-end cajones. If it's an automatic the easy way to tell is to drive it normally and pay attention to how often it has to kick down on hills, when passing, etc. If it kicks down more often than normal the engine is struggling to cope with the diameter increase, and if it is struggling a slight increase in rear end ratio(Example: 3.08 to 3.27) will take care of things. It may drop MPG slightly though, depending on gearing options. If it isn't kicking down a lot, the drivetrain is handling it nicely and you should have no problems long-term.


If it's a manual it likely won't care either way, first gear is steep enough that such a small increase in tire diameter will not have a noticeable effect on clutch lifespan.

No. The larger wheels in the back will also mess with the speedo. Cars take speed readings by measuring the RPM of the transmission's output shaft. The diameter of unpowered wheels/tires has exactly 0 bearing on speedo accuracy, only the driven wheels do, which on your truck is the rear wheels. And yes, a larger diameter tire will make the speedo read slow. The larger tire will travel farther per revolution than the stock tire, which means it turns slightly slower at a given speed. Since the gauge is measuring the RPM of a part directly connected to the rear tires, a drop in tire RPM will produce a corresponding drop in the speedo reading. 70 may become 67. If you have a smartphone download a GPS Speedo app and dobulecheck things.

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pbasil1

Slam it. Lower it on some 18-20" wheels and it would look great.

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gatorbait231

Theres no way im lowering my truck pbasil
alright, thanks Kenny youve given me some food for thought. I'll Prob skip on the wheels and lifts for now maybe ill put in a new sound system system or an xm radio

Kenny McCormick

Aftermarket wheels are fine, just don't go overboard. A +1 wheel set with a good pattern would be a great way to customize your truck.

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