Wheel offsets

Im looking at purchasing some aftermarket wheels for my 4Runner but the offset / backspace thing has me somewhat confused. My question to you guys/gals since most of you have a lot more knowledge than me on this subject, The OR wheel are 17.5 have a +15 offset and a 4.50 backspace so my questions are 1) Will a wheel at 8.5/-12/4.28 backspace get me closer to OEM or 2) A wheel at 8.5/0/4.75 backspace get me closer to OEM? Thanks!

 

I think the second one is your better option to keep things from rubbing up against internal components like control arms and steering. Depending on tire size above stock, the rubbing can appear on outer areas, though, like mud flaps and forward fenders/liners.

7.5” wide with +15mm offset means that the mounting surface is 15mm toward the outer surface of the wheel from center, resulting in the 4.5” of space. You can do the math for the wheels you’re considering to get the backspace you desire. There are several YouTube videos out there that can help you visualize the idea a bit more clearly.

 

Positive offset brings the wheel closer to the suspension, negative pushes outward.

The wheel with more backspace will be more likely to rub on suspension parts, while the wheel with less will more likely cause the tire to rub on the fender and mud-flaps.

I ran stock size tires with -6 offset, and rubbed on the mud-flaps while turning. This can sometimes be solved by heating up the mud-flap with a heat gun and pushing it tighter to the firewall. I never got around to it, though.

All that said, 4.28 is closer to 4.5 than 4.75. Most folks seem to prefer some negative offset to push the wheels out for a more aggressive look. I would probably go with the -12 offset and do whatever was needed to fix any rubbing.

 

Yeah, the wheels I really like have the -12 offset with 4.28 backspace. I was thinking the -0 offset with 4.75 back space were closer to the OEM and would need less trimming or modifying. I’m looking at 285/17/70 KO2’s. I had them on my Chevy and liked everything about those tires.

 

You'll be trimming or modifying to fit 285's regardless, so you might as well get the wheels you like best!

I just took off stock size KO2's in lieu of some 285 Toyo Open Country AT3's. I loved the KO2's, but I think these Toyos might be a little better in some circumstances.

I'm not sure how you are about rotating your tires, but I do it every 5K and the KO2's I just pulled off with 29K miles are still at 12/32", or about 80% of the original tread depth!

 

Im looking at C Load tires and comparing the KO’s with other brands in C Load, KO2’s are lighter. I’m not doing any Rock Climbing in my truck just offroad camping and stuff like that.

 

You're correct! I was curious, so I looked. The KO2 is 3# lighter than the Toyo in a C rated 285/70/17.

Don't get me wrong.. The KO2's were excellent in pretty much everything I threw at them! They were fantastic all around tires, in my opinion. It just sounded like these Toyos should be a bit better in snow and rain, so I thought I'd give them a shot.

 

I was looking at 275 C rated Falken wildpeaks and surprisingly the 275’s are about 6#’s heavier. Buy the way your build is looking sharp.

 

Thank you! I was all over the place trying to decide which tires to get. There are a lot of really good options out there.

 

Looking at Method's in 17x8.5 0 offset and 4.75" bs, on factory suspension with 265/70/r17 Toyo AT3 would I get any rub. I know all vehicles are different just wondering in case I do decide to get the wheels, tires are definitely coming.