Much like most things I did a lot of research before choosing wheels and tires. I had originally wanted TRD Pro wheels with a 285 tire but again, reminded myself to keep mild and stay happy on the street.
Wheels – I learned that the TRD Pro wheels are only 7″ wide and less than an inch more offset than my OEM TRD/Trail wheels. While they would work fine I didn’t want to spend a decent amount of money on wheels and still have those limitations. I got to the point that I decided to run my OEM wheels with 1.25″ spacers and a black coating. I’ve seen several rigs set up like this and the results are great. Not only did I have the wheels already, OEM quality, but looked sharp. Fast forward a couple days and Discount Tire is offering a great holiday sale so again, after more research, I opted for a set of Level 8 MK6 wheels in 17×8 with -10 offset. These put me at the stance I wanted, a slightly wide wheel, looked great, and with the sale pricing will probably work out cheaper than keeping my OEM wheels.
Tires – I was open to most any tire with just a few requirements. They had to handle great on the road, good off road, be a reputable manufacturer, look aggressive, and not cost an arm and a leg. I also wasn’t sure what size to go with. In a perfect world where fuel mileage and power isn’t an issue I would have shoe horned 285’s under there and trimmed as needed. The more practical side of myself and nature of this build said to stick with stock size, maintain as close as I could to the mileage I was getting, and not make this thing much more sluggish. It also eliminates the need for a lot of trimming and there is something to be said for the peace of mind that goes with knowing your spare tire will actually work correctly. I ended up choosing the Falken Wildpeak AT3W in stock size of 265/70/17. These tires have been getting great reviews, are snowflake rated, look great, have a great mileage warranty, and are very affordable.
This tire and wheel combo balanced out great and rolls smooth on the road. The overall weight is nearly identical to the OEM tire/wheel combo. I am happy to say that if I had to order wheels and tires again I believe I would do this exact same setup still. Big thanks to Discount Tire, specificaly the one in Tualatin, OR for taking great care. These guys were on the ball throughout the whole process. Professional and friendly.
Discount tire – https://www.discounttire.com/store/or/tualatin/s/1612
Flaken Tire – http://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeaka/t3w-tire
Level 8 Motorsports – https://www.level8motorsports.com/off-road-wheels-rims-mk6.php