4th Gen 4Runner wheel & tire guide

Did you buy a 4Runner to occasionally cruise gravel backroads? Of course not. You got one to hit up some logging trails, dunes, or maybe crawl some rocks. If you plan to use your Runner the way it’s meant to be used, wheels & tires are one of the first things that needs to be addressed.

In this fitment guide, we’re taking a close look at the 4th Gen 4Runner (2003-2009 in the US). This info might be applicable to other Yoda models and generations with independent front suspension - like the Tacoma for example.

Quick links

• Basic fitment info
• Skinny vs wide tires
• OEM+ fitment
• 33-inch-fitment
• 35-inch-fitment

Basic fitment info

• Nut pattern: 6x139.7
• Nut thread: m12x1.5
• Center bore: 106.1mm
• Nut torque: 81 ft/lbs

You’re not here to learn about stock wheels, but it’s good to compare aftermarket to stock specs so you can anticipate how much clearance you’re going to lose. Nothing worse than ordering what you think is a direct-fit just to have it rub like crazy.

Your factory wheels will be one of the following:

• 16x7 +30 // 265/70R16
• 17x7.5 +30 // 265/65R17
• 18x7.5 +25 // 265/60R18

You get something between 16 and 18” from the factory. All of these tires are the same diameter - 30.6”. For aftermarket wheels, almost everyone runs 17’s, so that’s what you’ll find in this article. You could always run 16’s or 18’s, or if you’re building a pavement princess - 20’s. Just use this info and get the equivalent tire for whatever size wheels you choose.

17’s are the go-to, but what width and offset? Wheel width doesn’t matter as much as tire width, 8 to 9” is a good size for these rigs. Offset IS a big deal because lower offset will result in less clearance. To get the mean look you want, you’ll want at least a zero offset. A lot of Runners with aftermarket wheels are using a negative offset, for example: +/1 -10.

If you’re in the market for wheels you’re probably getting lower offset. Bear in mind that most will require some additional work, be it: lifting or trimming. A good rule of thumb is that when turning lock-to-lock, you’ll lose ½” of clearance for every 1” your new wheels poke out (compared to stock). If you put 1” spacers on your stock wheels, you’ll lose ½” of clearance when turning. Confused? Don’t worry, in the ‘OEM+ fitment’ section you’ll find examples that illustrate this well.

This guide is organized by tire size, feel free to skip ahead to learn more about the tire size you are looking to run.

‘Skinny’ vs wide tires

Pizza cutters, as they’re commonly referred to, are popular on these rigs. This is a big topic that sparks a lot of debate, but here’s a quick summary

Pros:

• Less sprung weight - better fuel economy and acceleration
• Cuts through loose terrain like mud, sand, and snow
• More clearance, especially for upper control arms
• Less tire often leads to a more affordable tire

Cons:

• Wide tires float on surfaces like deep snow or sand - better in some cases
• Less stability on and off-road, the truck isn’t as wide so it will feel like it wants to roll if you’re in a precarious spot on the trails or take a freeway on ramp too fast. Lower-offset factory wheels can help.
• There are fewer options for size, plus not all models come in skinny specs.

There isn’t an exact width that qualifies certain tires as ‘skinnies’, but we’d say that anything narrower than the factory 265 would count. 255 is the most common.

Shop all your tire needs here

Enough talk, what do these specs look like?

OEM+ tire fitment

Some of you might be looking to keep the factory wheels and suspension. You’re after a larger tire, but otherwise wanna keep everything OEM. In this case, the largest size you can go to is 265/70R17. This is about 31.6”, or 1” larger than stock. Your factory wheels will still be sunken, but it’s better than nothing.

The ‘04 2WD pictured here is on factory sport wheels with 265/70R17 tires. Otherwise, not much to say about this one. Unfortunately, this is as far as you can go without needing additional work. But good news, this is one of the most widely supported platforms for mods.

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What happens if you run the same 265/70R17 tires, but with lower offset wheels? These wheels are 8.5” wide with a -10 offset. This means they poke about 2.5” compared to stock. Based on the rule of thumb you can expect the minimum clearance when turning to be reduced by 1.25” (extra poke / 2 = reduced clearance).

31.6” tires are already a tight fit, so when combined with negative offset wheels, lift and or trimming is needed. This 4Runner is on a set of Bilstein 5100s with Moog FJ Cruiser springs. Bilstein 5100s are very common on these trucks, when paired with the FJ springs you can get more lift - this one is lifted about 2.5-3” - the result is zero rubbing issues; even the factory mud flaps were retained.

These 9six9 wheels are TE reps, however, they’re probably the best reps you can buy. This truck is running the regular type as opposed to the kind with a deep lip. We made a whole episode about these in our ‘All About’ series if you wanna learn more.

If you’re interested in picking up a set of these, or a set of real TEs (we have both), you can check them out in our shop.

33-inch tire fitment

You could consider this the in-between size. 33’s will require lift and some trimming, but should be doable for just about anyone.

Here’s a ‘03 Limited 4WD with the same Bilstein 5100 kit. This one’s set at 2.5” of lift with a 1” spacer in the rear. It’s a similar suspension setup to the last, but this one is on larger 285/70R17. These are equivalent to 33” tires. Again, the wheels are 17x8.5 -10, which provides a good amount of poke for rigs with a small lift.

33’s will take a bit more modding to fit, but you don’t need to do a body mount chop. The way to avoid a BMC is with aftermarket upper control arms and adjustment to get more caster (bringing the wheels farther forward). Along with a proper alignment you’ll need to do some light trimming on the body panels, mount the fender liner deeper in the wheel wells, and possibly pound the pinch welds flat. However, you SHOULDN’T need to cut or weld any metal.

Here’s a visual reference of what needs to be trimmed. You probably won’t need to take this much material off for 33’s, but the idea is the same. The rear shouldn’t need any trimming.

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If you get wheels that are more aggressive, you might need to do a BMC in addition to the other mods. This is another truck with a Bilstein 5100 kit - this one’s set at 1.75”. A difference here is the addition of ½” body lift.

Body lift is cheap and gives more room for the suspension to travel, but comes with some headaches like raising the center of gravity and creating a weird gap between the frame and body. We recommend sticking with regular suspension lift for 33’s. Possibly consider body lift for larger stuff.

35-inch tire fitment

Everyone wants 35-inch tires… at least until they realize the work that’s involved. If you wanna go this route, be warned, it involves a lot of cutting. Here’s a breakdown of what is needed to get 35’s under a 4th Gen Runner.

• Lift - at least 3”. Either just 3” of suspension lift or some combination of suspension + body lift. More lift will mean less trimming
• BMC is required
• Upper control arms (such as SPC) help to add caster, moving the wheels forward. Also corrects positive camber
• Adjustments of the cammed-bolts allow for even more caster
• Cutting and hammering pinch welds are a must
• Body panel mods - same as with 33’s, but more. Plan on removing material from front, back, and top of fenders
• In the rear - 3” of lift (like the front) + springs for a bit more lift. Similar trimming to the front, but the back is a lot easier
• Avoid wheels with too much backspacing as they tend to rub the upper control arms
• A metal front bumper isn’t required but saves you the trouble of hacking up the OEM plastic one

This 2005 is sitting on true 35’s with just a 3” lift from Rough Country, no body lift. Less lift means more trimming, but with a sawzall and enough time anything is possible. The owner reports there is zero rubbing, however there doesn’t look to be a ton of clearance in the front. It’s possible this setup would rub when the suspension is fully compressed. One option is extended bump stops, although they’re kind of a bandaid fix.

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Here’s a set of 35’s with the same Bilstein 5100 kit we’ve seen a bunch of times. To go with the Bilsteins, Old Man Emu heavy duty springs and a 1” body lift were used. A modest body lift combined with a kit like the 5100s might be the way to go; you get the additional ground clearance from the lift, but also don’t have to do as much trimming. This one still needed some trimming on the front and rear bumpers.

You might know American Racing as a maker of muscle car wheels, but they also have a lot of cool options for your truck.

Check out American Racing wheels in 6x139.7

Wrap up

Congrats, you got a 4Runner - you’re now unofficially part of the 17-inch-wheel-only club. Better not get caught riding around on those 18” TRD Pros… In reality, you can run 18’s if you want, just size the tire accordingly. 20’s though??? Well… it’s your vehicle at the end of the day, do whatever you want.

Whatever wheels you get remember that offset plays a big role in whether they’ll rub or not. If you wanna get some different rims, at the very least look into a Bilstein suspension kit - they’re affordable and give you adjustability much like car coilovers.

If you have a modded runner of any type: OEM+, 6 inches of lift, squatted, lowered, it doesn’t matter, feel free to upload it to our Vehicle Gallery - a great place to help others by sharing your build, or get inspiration for your own rig.