• Welcome to Tacoma3G.com, a free resource for 2016-2023 Toyota Tacoma owners!

    Tacoma3G is a beginner-friendly 3rd Generation Toyota Tacoma (2016-2023 model-years) forum. We are a community of people who are focused on good information and good vibes. T3G is the passion-project of a USMC/Toyota technician.

16s or 17s?

BrotacoTRD

BrotacoTRD

3️⃣ Silver
We all have research this through older forums before when deciding on moving up in tire size, cab chop, overlanding, offroading, and just daily driving in general...there are a variety of tire options now a days but still comes down to pros and cons on each individual...considering all that being said. I run...

265/75/16r Falken AT3w

I kept it cheap for a few reasons. Close to stock setup, a bit more rubber, taller side wall, better traction, size reliable for mpg little of both minimal offroading and occasionally overlanding since my other car gets like 7miles or lower and Cali gas prices are ridiculously expensive.

What do you guys run?
 
I like 16's for more sidewall vs wheel because I do actually off-road and that is the typical rule of thumb (not that 1" of rim makes that much of a difference honestly). I would have gone 15's if it did not require so much work. Also 35's have been cheaper for me in 16" rims, running 315/75R16 Falken Wildpeak MT01's with them Gloss SCS SR8's.
 
I found there to be much more variety for 17" tires than 16", especially lighter weight All Terrains. Plus, the availability of the 34x11.5" sizes for 17" rims sold me, whereas on 16" rims you pretty much have to jump from 33x11.5s straight to 35x12.5s, and width is the real killer on these trucks, at least more so than height, so 34" tires seem to be the sweet spot for big tires with less extensive headaches. IMO, that makes 17" wheels the only way to fly nowadays.
 
Last edited:
my spurrrr taaayre. 285s until i get back to Cali on saturday.
20180625_164001.webp
 
I kinda ended up with 16’s by chance, and haven’t really given much thought to it. Got a great deal on a set of wheels, and kinda got stuck where I’m at. Currently on 265/75/16 BF Goodrich KO2’s, but I have a set of 285/75/16 Milestar MT’s gonna give a try after these KO2’s are done. Got the BF Goodrich KO2’s drinking the koolaid of the forums and being a rookie, but can honestly say after 10k miles on and off road for me I have nothing bad to say yet.
 
0uTkAsT said:
I found there to be much more variety for 17" tires than 16", especially lighter weight All Terrains. Plus, the availability of the 34x11.5" sizes for 17" rims sold me, whereas on 16" rims you pretty much have to jump from 33x11.5s straight to 35x12.5s, and width is the real killer on these trucks, at least more so than height, so 34" tires seem to be the sweet spot for big tires with less extensive headaches. IMO, that makes 17" wheels the only way to fly nowadays.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I still have stock 16s but I think 17s are more future proof meaning you should always be able to find the wheel you want in a 17” whereas it may not come in a 16”. I kinda found that out today when I was looking to get some Black Rhinos but saw they don’t come in 16.
 
Tyler said:
Agreed. I still have stock 16s but I think 17s are more future proof meaning you should always be able to find the wheel you want in a 17” whereas it may not come in a 16”. I kinda found that out today when I was looking to get some Black Rhinos but saw they don’t come in 16.
Click to expand...
Yep, same goes for tires. Some aren't even offered in 16" sizes any more. Good luck finding a 33" tire for 16" rims that aren't E-rated and heavy as hell, and try finding any 34" tires for 16" wheels at all.

Everyone's got their opinions but 15s were phased out nearly 10 years ago and 16s are heading the same direction now, slowly but surely.
 
0uTkAsT said:
I found there to be much more variety for 17" tires than 16", especially lighter weight All Terrains. Plus, the availability of the 34x11.5" sizes for 17" rims sold me, whereas on 16" rims you pretty much have to jump from 33x11.5s straight to 35x12.5s, and width is the real killer on these trucks, at least more so than height, so 34" tires seem to be the sweet spot for big tires with less extensive headaches. IMO, that makes 17" wheels the only way to fly nowadays.
Click to expand...

I prefer my 35's if only for looks, re gear made them just as drive able as a 34" tire. I have run the 255/85R16 and if there is an efficient tire size that also grants you clearance it is that one size right there. Tall, skinny and taller by a few decimals than the 17" version (if we are playing a height game then .2" is the difference between love and like.) And when you jump to the 35-37" tires they are less expensive in a 16 overall we have found, even though there is more rubber being used. I paid 160 a tire for my Falken MT's in a 35 where as Evan paid 180 per tire for the 17" in the same size. I have never run an AT so I have no leg to stand on when it comes to diversity in a 17 vs a 16" rim. All the 35"+ tires I could want to run come in a 16" version. I think if you know what tire you want in what size and you know how much you want to spend every time you replace it then you are right, that should play an huge factor in decision making on the rim size.
 
Tyler said:
Agreed. I still have stock 16s but I think 17s are more future proof meaning you should always be able to find the wheel you want in a 17” whereas it may not come in a 16”. I kinda found that out today when I was looking to get some Black Rhinos but saw they don’t come in 16.
Click to expand...

I kind of agree with this, the thing is if you actually graph the "rim" (wheel market) even 17's are becoming less scarce and 18s and 20s are becoming the mainstays
 
mh.meier said:
I kind of agree with this, the thing is if you actually graph the "rim" (wheel market) even 17's are becoming less scarce and 18s and 20s are becoming the mainstays
Click to expand...
Nooooooo, that sounds as bad as self driving cars, lol. Even 17’s almost look too big to me. 18+ is out of the question. I’d just rock steelies in that case.
 
mh.meier said:
I prefer my 35's if only for looks, re gear made them just as drive able as a 34" tire. I have run the 255/85R16 and if there is an efficient tire size that also grants you clearance it is that one size right there. Tall, skinny and taller by a few decimals than the 17" version (if we are playing a height game then .2" is the difference between love and like.) And when you jump to the 35-37" tires they are less expensive in a 16 overall we have found, even though there is more rubber being used. I paid 160 a tire for my Falken MT's in a 35 where as Evan paid 180 per tire for the 17" in the same size. I have never run an AT so I have no leg to stand on when it comes to diversity in a 17 vs a 16" rim. All the 35"+ tires I could want to run come in a 16" version. I think if you know what tire you want in what size and you know how much you want to spend every time you replace it then you are right, that should play an huge factor in decision making on the rim size.
Click to expand...
I totally agree, I'm just speaking for myself and the vast majority that want to stick with all terrain tires and never plan to run 35"+. 34s really don't require any more clearancing than a 33" tire, which makes them the largest size possible without more extensive modifications, but they are only available in 17"+ rim sizes due to aspect ratio constraints. That's why I think the 285/75R17 is kind of the Goldilocks zone for rubber.
mh.meier said:
I kind of agree with this, the thing is if you actually graph the "rim" (wheel market) even 17's are becoming less scarce and 18s and 20s are becoming the mainstays
Click to expand...
Absolutely. Like I said, cars used to come with 13", 14" and 15" rims. As things got bigger and heavier they needed larger brakes and steering components so everything started getting upsized. Now 17" and 18" is the norm.

Who's going to be the first to run a 285/75R18 (35x11.5") on a 3rd Gen Tacoma? That would be pretty bad ass.
 
mh.meier said:
I do not in any way like the "big" rim look. Makes the tires look small and are inefficient unless you primarily drive on the street where a larger diameter rim is better for handling typically.
Click to expand...
This.

BUT. I would do anything for a 35x10.5 r16. I don’t love 35’s cause they are all 12.5 wide which is too wide for my taste.
 
mh.meier said:
I do not in any way like the "big" rim look. Makes the tires look small and are inefficient unless you primarily drive on the street where a larger diameter rim is better for handling typically.
Click to expand...
Of course appearance will always play a factor and I'm certainly not trying to talk anyone in to anything, but I look at it like this: Aspect ratio is a constant, so that 35" tire on an 18" rim has the same sidewall height as a 33" tire on a 16" rim or a 34" tire on a 17" rim. Same amount of rubber, same amount of cushioning, same amount of everything, only a taller overall diameter which means more ground clearance at the same given width. Width being our biggest enemy, it seems like a better option than 315s... if you can get past the looks.

Just playing devil's advocate. I don't plan on running it personally but I think that size has real potential on these trucks.
 
Last edited:
0uTkAsT said:
Of course appearance will always play a factor and I'm certainly not trying to talk anyone in to anything, but I look at it like this: Aspect ratio is a constant, so that 35" tire on an 18" rim has the same sidewall height as a 33" tire on a 16" rim or a 34" tire on a 17" rim. Same amount of rubber, same amount of cushioning, same amount of everything, only a taller overall diameter which means more ground clearance at the same given width. Width being our biggest enemy, it seems like a better option than 315s... if you can get past the looks.

Just playing devil's advocate. I don't plan on running it personally but I think that size has real potential on these trucks.
Click to expand...

Truth, just a ton more potential for rock rash and such on the rim. I agree that this is where it is heading but I want no part of it haha. Ill do 18's with the 42's that are going on after we finish our 3 link kit haha!
 
mh.meier said:
Truth, just a ton more potential for rock rash and such on the rim. I agree that this is where it is heading but I want no part of it haha. Ill do 18's with the 42's that are going on after we finish our 3 link kit haha!
Click to expand...
42s you say?

giphy-downsized-medium.gif
 
0uTkAsT said:
I found there to be much more variety for 17" tires than 16", especially lighter weight All Terrains. Plus, the availability of the 34x11.5" sizes for 17" rims sold me, whereas on 16" rims you pretty much have to jump from 33x11.5s straight to 35x12.5s, and width is the real killer on these trucks, at least more so than height, so 34" tires seem to be the sweet spot for big tires with less extensive headaches. IMO, that makes 17" wheels the only way to fly nowadays.
Click to expand...
What type of lift are you sitting on? I’m going to need some new shoes soon and planning and hadn’t considered 34x11.5’s. I was looking at 285/75r16 but want the 315’s just don’t want to spend more on suspension at this time. I have a readylift kit. Which gave me a little boost in front and back
 
Back
Top