White Lettering In or Out? Four-Wheelin’ Toyota Owners Sound Off

Aesthetics doesn’t play a big role in off-roading, but many Toyota owners like the classic white letter look.

Just about as long as there have been tires, manufacturers have been highlighting the brand logos in bright white, and one YotaTech forum member recently posted a thread asking for other of-roading Toyota owners whether they install new tires with the “whites” in or out. “Scenic WonderRunner” also showed off a gorgeous set of classic factory wheels that he bought for an amazing deal, but the bulk of the thread focuses on whether the white lettering should be facing the world or facing the suspension, and why.

The Introduction

When the OP first started his thread and introduced the “white in or out” question, he offered some background on why he is posing this discussion to the group while also talking about a new set of old wheels that he got for an insane deal.

A couple of years ago I bought a brand new set of BFG 31″ All Terrains. I had them installed on my 1988 4Runner with the white letters in. Because some folks told me that when you hit the rocks bad, they will ruin your white letters and your tires will look horrible. I have even heard some say that white letters out makes it look like you have whitewalls while your truck is rolling.

I now have one alloy that is a bit hard to balance (I need four weights on it now). So I found a really clean new set of 1988 Toyota alloys. Only $16 bucks each at Discount Tire to have them swapped and balanced. So I thought this would be the perfect time to put the white letters out if that change is a good thing.

These new to me Toyota alloys have the gray painted look which would actually match my silver truck better. They are just like the ones I have except for the gray look. And they are cleaner than mine currently are.

So the question is….

Do you prefer to have your white letters on the inside or on the outside? And does this rock damage rule really apply? And will I look like I’m rolling down the road with white wall tires with the white letters out?

I’m just wondering about others ideas on this subject. And what you prefer.

Here I am with black side out high above Lone Pine, CA. looking at Mount Whitney. Of course my black sidewalls are much cleaner once I get home and clean them and spray on a shiny tire dressing.

He also included the picture above of his 1988 4Runner in action.

Wheel Discussion

While the purpose of this thread was to get the community’s input on the position of the white tire lettering, the early portion of the thread focused on the new-to-him factory wheels that the OP bought for $16. Yes, $16 for each wheel. As you might imagine, that generated a great deal of discussion, with several people offering insight on the wheels.

The first was “dropzone”, who pointed out that they came on his 1986 SR5 4Runner, while “Nervo19” elaborated on the wheels and his experience with them.

Those rims are gorgeous. They were part of the SR5 upgrade. I’m not sure what they cost alone and I did buy an ’88 new. I bought a DLX and had Outlaw II’s put on them for $500 or so.

While “highonpottery” suggested some modifications to those new rollers.

nice wheels, they look super clean! one of my favorite toyota alloys. kinda sad i sold mine to get wider wheels to fit my new tires. if I were you, I would consider painting the shadowed recesses of the wheels black. i found a pic of this mod here on YT, but can’t find it anymore for some reason. it really made these wheels pop visually and was a very subtle addition that many people won’t notice.

The process of installing those new wheels would turn out to be a bit of a headache for the OP, but in the end, he got those new-looking wheels for next to nothing.

White Lettering – Yay or Nay?

As for the main aspect of the discussion, the first few members who posted spoke out against the white lettering facing out, but as the thread got longer, more and more members spoke up in favor of the white letting.

A handful of members shared pictures of their own Toyota off-road machines with the raised white letters sticking out, including “tj884Rdlx”, “Melrose 4r”, “gsp4life” and “gyates93”.

The thread goes on for three pages, but after going through all of the posts and tallying the votes, 65% of the members who spoke up did so in support of the white letters facing out, while the rest either voted to have the whites facing in, or they didn’t care one way or the other.

Click here to head into the forum to share your input on this topic or to share pictures of your Toyota with the whites in or out.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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