Community - 2024 Tacoma SR5 Best Tire Fitment | Falken Tires

2024 Tacoma SR5 Best Tire Fitment

In this episode of 'Will It Fit?' with Falken Tires, we connected with Scott at HTW Motorsports on another 2024 Tacoma SR5 project fitted with P285/70R17 Wildpeak A/T4W.

Jeremy, Falken Tires: YouTube, we are back. Another episode of Will It Fit? Where we explore different wheel and tire fitments on some of the most popular platforms out there right now. And you might recall that we've already done a brand new fourth gen Tacoma, right?

Jeremy: So why are we doing another? Well, we got a lot of comments on the last video. Specifically concerning the wheel offset. And, you know, they wanted to see another video where the wheels didn't stick out so much. And we listened. We're here. We're going to show you another 2024 Tacoma project. Similar sized tires, everything except this time the wheels are not sticking out as far.

HTW Motorsports
Jeremy: Scott of HTW Motorsports, here in Upland, California, will kind of run us through what these guys did to make this all work. But, for Scott, how long you been in business here in Upland?

Scott, HTW Motorsports: 40 years. Family-owned operation, my dad started it 40 years ago.

Jeremy: Right on. And so when he started it 40 years ago, probably lift kits and truck customization was not really much of a thing, so what did the business start as?

Scott: Lots of tires, and wheels. Good old tire shop. In about 1990, I took over and from then on, me and my brother have run the business.

Jeremy: Right on! Well, they’ve been gracious enough to take some time out of their day. We’re shooting in the back alley because they're so jam packed hustling in the shop. That’s a good thing. They're busy. And we didn't want to hear all those air guns, right. So we are out here, in the back alley, filming. But let's talk about this Tacoma.

Suspension and Wheels
Scott: Okay, so first off, we were supplied a 1.5” leveling kit from Rough Country. Installed that in there. Aligned it. That was set. Then Black Rhino supplied 17x9” zero offset. Normally on these new ‘24 Tacomas we would not run that offset because they do stick way out. But, being that Rough Country supplied these brand new ‘24 fender flares, now the offset’s lined up perfectly with this. And you wouldn't want it in farther.

Jeremy: Yeah. So just like we mentioned, you guys didn't like seeing the tires stick out so much. So look, this is how they solve that. They got these nice looking flares here. There's no pocket style. They look super clean. From a distance we weren't even sure if they were factory.

Scott: And direct bolt-on, very easy installation. Everything else as far as we removed the mud flap and the bracket, that was the only thing required with the offset that we ran, and we’re running a 33-inch tire at P285/70R17, the new Falken Wildpeak A/T4W. Great tire. We run the P-metric on this because it's a smaller truck. You don't need the LT which would make it ride very rough.

P-Metric vs. LT Tires
Jeremy: Yeah, that's what we do. Right? So like he said, this is the non-LT, what is often referred to as P-metric version, 285/70R17. So the sidewall is not going to be as stiff. It's also got a longer tread life than the LT version.

Jeremy: Our tread life warranty on the P-metrics is actually longer.

Jeremy: Some people, for off-roading, would want the LT for the stronger sidewall. So in this particular size, if you were going to get the LT285/70R17, you would get the three-ply DURASPEC sidewall.

Jeremy: So that would be one consideration between the P-metric and the LT version. If you're doing a lot of off-roading and you want that extra sidewall durability. But that does come at the cost of more weight and a rougher ride. So you got to kind of weigh the pros and cons here and decide what's really important to you.

Front Lift, No Rubbing Concerns

Scott: We talked about this Rough Country lift, or level. Level would be the right word. Front only, rear is completely stock. And it is, as you can see, almost perfectly level. It is sitting very nicely. The level consists of just a spacer in the strut. Strut spacer in the top.

Jeremy: And then you mentioned aligning it was that was that an issue? I know sometimes it can be harder and you got to install like camber kits. No, nothing like that. So we're back to factory alignment. No big deal. The reason why they're doing an inch and a half is because they changed the trucks, and they're not as sloped down as they used to be.

Scott: And then plus you want to make sure all the angles are correct for the control arm, which they are.

Jeremy: So as Scott mentioned, the guys removed a bracket here as well as the mud flap, which, in our previous video on the Tacoma, you'll notice that they did as well. But what they didn't do was remove this front valance.

Jeremy: And we have moved it 20 different times around here in this tight little alley parking lot, and it still did not rub. So, I don't know if under full flex and hard cornering you're going to get some rub. But if you want, that can always be trimmed or taken off. Yeah, exactly. So again that seems like another optional thing to do here.

Jeremy: And you guys did not trim any sheet metal or anything like that, correct? No drilling, everything bolt on. Direct fit.

What Wheel Offset Is Best?

Jeremy: So, was a zero offset popular for Tacomas? Yeah. Prior generation, zero offset. But now, if we're not running the fender flares, I recommend a plus offset wheel, 17x8.5” with probably like a plus 25, plus 20, plus 30.

Scott: But most of the ones that everyone's building right now for the Tacomas is a plus 25 and a 17x8.5”. That's what they seem to be doing. And that's when you don't have to run the fender flares and it will be flush as well. Right. Slightly aggressive. They come out maybe like a half an inch. So when you run that plus 25, you have any clearance issues with the upper control arms or anything like that?

Jeremy: No, everything's good. So that's another option for ensuring that your wheels don't stick out. You either do some fender flares, which I think adds a nice touch. Or you get that positive offset which brings the tire in further.

Scott: Now, the Ranger trucks and Broncos, that's the same wheel specs as these now. So same hub-bore, same everything.

Scott: So this has the same hub-bore as the new Rangers and Broncos. Same bolt pattern. Fortunately that requires a higher offset. And so the wheel companies already had those, which is great.

Jeremy: I know previously a lot of guys would buy Tacoma wheels or Toyota lug pattern wheels and put them on their Broncos and Rangers, but then they had to run hub-bore adapter / spacer to make sure that you were getting it centered there on the hub-bore. Most people aren't going to put fender flares on for the most part.

Scott: So the ideal thing is a plus offset wheel. 17x8.5” plus offset is the best fitment. Have you worked on any of the new Tundras? Yes. They're back to the six lug pattern. Same hub-bore and everything. And they changed the lug nuts on the new Tacomas to 14 millimeter, which is the same as Tundra.

Jeremy: Okay, so we got a little bit of consolidation. And I guess making things a little easier for the aftermarket industry, right?

Jeremy: I forgot to mention, but this again is an SR5 model. Have you had any of the TRDs in the shop yet?

Scott: We just did a TRD. So when you do a TRD, I know they're a little taller from the factory, right? But not very much. A little but not much. So we still end up doing some kind of level on them. We actually did the same level and it worked out great. And I did run a plus offset with the 285 and the same thing. We removed the mud flap and the bracket.

Conclusion
Jeremy: I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day. I know you are a busy man, shop owner, running a business. And you can't spare a lot of time. So, again, really appreciate it and appreciate you having us out. Thank you very much. Thank you, Scott. And, again, always looking for suggestions. Check out our other videos if you haven't already. Maybe we've got the application you want to see covered. If not, drop it in the comments.

Jeremy: Let us know what you want to see next. We know Tacomas are hot. Everybody loves tacos, I love tacos, he loves tacos. Taco Tuesday. Yeah, it's not Tuesday, but we can pretend, tacos every day. Tacos every day. But, yeah, we're interested. You know, maybe we want to see a Cybertruck. See a Cybertruck? Let's do a Cybertruck.

Jeremy: I don't know, maybe we'll make it happen. We'll do our best; anyway. That's it for Will It Fit? We'll catch you next time.