95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

How much grinding to fit 15" wheels?

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Old 06-01-2005 | 10:50 PM
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BajaRunner's Avatar
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From: 5th Gen San Diegan, California
How much grinding to fit 15" wheels?

I hate my 16 " wheels...

To buy tires, its like 2x the price than for a 15".... I keep seeing these killer deals for 15" tires/rims...

I WANT!

How much grinding of the calipers do I need to do? The drums are okay, right?
Old 06-01-2005 | 10:58 PM
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i beleive all there is do do is trimming of the front calipers..... supposedly wheelers offroad has rims that fit, but i have heard their service sucks, and they don't always fit.....

there are a few writeups on here about this i think
Old 06-01-2005 | 10:59 PM
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i go tmine from wheelers offroad, i loved their service and will buy from them again!!!!! i have 15" rims and they work and look great!
Old 06-01-2005 | 11:15 PM
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Thanks guys,

I have to say that Wheelers offroad service has been good to me so far...

However... I heard that the wheels to NOT fit 4runners with 16" option...only Tacos.

I haven't seen a writeup or anything, I just want to know how much I would dactually need to take off, and how long it would take me... :/
Old 06-01-2005 | 11:21 PM
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www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=43683
Old 06-02-2005 | 05:10 PM
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Originally Posted by SC4Runner
Thanks guys,

I have to say that Wheelers offroad service has been good to me so far...

However... I heard that the wheels to NOT fit 4runners with 16" option...only Tacos.

I haven't seen a writeup or anything, I just want to know how much I would dactually need to take off, and how long it would take me... :/

you grind off as much as you need...as for how long and how much...well that'll depend....it's not like you can measure how much u take off anyways
Old 06-02-2005 | 07:34 PM
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Check the door jamb sticker..does it say you have 15" wheels? Your 16's may have been a dealer option, and you may have factory 15" brakes.
Old 06-02-2005 | 09:40 PM
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Well, Im wondering is it like 1/4" off just the corners, or like 1/2" off the whole thing... Thats what I mean by how much? A LOT OR A LITTLE?
Old 06-02-2005 | 10:46 PM
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Look at the gap now (with 16's) and then visualize a 15" rim being 1/2" closer (radius). On my Alcoa rims there is ALMOST enough room as is so I'd think you'd only have to grind down 1/8-3/16" max. With some steel rims I could see them possibly fitting w/o grinding or with very minimal grinding since the steel rims are thinner material than alloys. Or you could swap Tacoma brake calipers on there. I think they will bolt right on to your spindle, you may need the rotors too but with all the Taco guys going SAS there are plenty of cheap parts available.

EDIT: FWIW I've had good experiences with Gary @ Wheelers in the past. I'd Call him and ask about the rims in question.

Last edited by SEAN_at_TLT; 06-02-2005 at 10:48 PM.
Old 06-03-2005 | 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by jimabena74
i beleive all there is do do is trimming of the front calipers..... supposedly wheelers offroad has rims that fit, but i have heard their service sucks, and they don't always fit.....

there are a few writeups on here about this i think
As a datapoint, they did damn fine by me recently. Got my rims and bits quickly and properly. They fit the front, but damn, just BARELY. Maybe 1/8" clearance on the right and closer to 1/16" on the left. But they do fit!

2004 V6 4x4
Old 06-03-2005 | 03:03 PM
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Yes, follow the advice concerning reading the door jamb. If your rig came w/ 15" wheels, then you possibly have calipers for such and 15" rims should fit just fine. If you had 16" rims factory, then you are SOL.

I have ordered NUMEROUS things from Wheeler's Offroad and Gary is A#1!



EDIT: A lot of these problems could be solved w/ some test fitting of a 15" rim.

Last edited by waskillywabbit; 06-04-2005 at 08:54 AM.
Old 06-03-2005 | 06:55 PM
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you dont need to grind at all, at least for the tacos. i tried my buddys 15" steel rims on my truck and all they need is a 1/4" spacer to completely clear the caliper, i know im getting some steelies when my current tires wear out, 16" tires are too expensive! also, a 1/4" spacer is so small that it doesnt really have any negative effects.

and i've always had good service from wheelers
Old 06-03-2005 | 11:13 PM
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Originally Posted by waskillywabbit
Yes, follow the advice concerning reading the door jamb. If your rig came w/ 15" wheels, then you have calipers for such and 15" rims should fit just fine. If you had 16" rims factory, then you are SOL.

I have ordered NUMEROUS things from Wheeler's Offroad and Gary is A#1!

I beg to differ.
Last summer a couple of us on this forum did some testing and found that though the info on the door jam stated we were supposed to have 15" wheels, we had rotor/calipers for 16" wheels.
I tried 6 different 15" wheels and none would fit around the calipers.

I've contemplated putting Tundra rotor\calipers from the Tundra's that came with 15" wheels.
Old 06-04-2005 | 12:28 PM
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You could always order some rotors and calipers for the 15" setup. That's all that's different I think.
Old 06-05-2005 | 01:31 PM
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I'd rather have the stopping power of the larger calipers. When I tried some 15's a while back, it wasn't even close. I think the larger rims are becoming so popular that I'd just stick with the 16's.
Old 06-05-2005 | 04:49 PM
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I would think with some good brake pads on Taco 15's and the difference would be minimal. Ideally though I suggest going up to 17" wheels since you can get 35x12.5x17's for a good price and then you would have PLENTY of room for the TRD big brake kit or a Tundra upgrade etc. That's what we went with on our Tacoma and I may eventually use 17's on my 4Runner too.
Old 06-05-2005 | 05:03 PM
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if you get some 15's with very little backspacing ,you shouldn't have to grind.but they may stick out the side of the truck more than you want them to.by the looks of your avatar ,a little wider would be good.
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