Pros and Cons to changing from 20" to 17"?

I have a 2017 Limited with stock 20" wheels. I really prefer the look of 17" wheels and i'm considering changing over.

What should I be weighing for pros and cons? Other the look how should I expect ride quality to be affected etc?

I've always had cars and it was just a matter of snow tire or summer tire etc..

 

20" wheels have no advantages over a 17" on the 4Runner beside looks (subjective). The 17" will offer more tire options (at better pricing), better off road capability and a softer ride (unless you go E rated or something). A low profile tire would be a bigger deal on a sports car that you were trying to squeeze every drop of handling out of.

 

Ok that’s really what I was hoping to hear. So for instance my wife drives regularly on the highway for 30-45 min and uses the 4Runner. Would there be any noticeable difference in ride quality in that situation?

 

I highly doubt she would notice anything at all. On the 4Runner, there really isn't a downside to going with 17" wheels. I can't remember the weight of the Limited wheels, but I wouldn't be surprised if going with 17's ended up the same weight or even slightly lighter (again assuming 265/70/17 passenger rated).

If you go with a wider 17" wheel, you may need to do some trimming or push the fender liner around, but that's it.

 

There is more cushion between the road surface and wheel on a 17" versus a 20" so the ride will be considerably better. Less shock transmitted to the chassis.

 

That would be great. As it is now I find myself avoiding even small pothole type stuff because it’s quite jumpy as you go over.

 

As long as you don't go E rated, 17's will be much more forgiving as moon landing said. Do it!

 

This is also true off road.

 

Ive seen mention of E rated tires, what does that mean exactly?

 

It's a LT(light truck)ply rating. Could be 6, 8, or 10 ply tire, for example.

 

If I could, I'd have a 16" wheel on our trucks because of the reasons listed above. Unfortunately, our calipers don't allow for 16" wheels.

 

I’ve ran E rated tires ever since I got into off roading, and some of you make it sound like you put flinstone era tires on lol. My E rated 33’s ride soft, comfortable, and give very very minimal vibrations on highway rides. Just think it’s funny, not preaching

 

I upgraded from P275/55R20 Falken Wildpeaks to P285/70R17 Falken Wildpeaks. It was a noticeable improvement in comfort moving to 17s. I'm also happy to see more sidewall for chance for curb rash.

As for E load tires my wife hated the ride. So I moved to Load C KO2 on my TRD Off-road. But even Load C KO2 is firm ride compared to non LT Falken Wildpeaks. They are very soft, almost like a regular All season tire.

I don't think my wife would ever let me buy another Load E tire even though I have the softest ELKA suspension.

 

Maybe it’s an aluminum bed 150 thing?
So many on that forum went to E and couldn’t stand it, many sold at a loss, mine went back to tire shop and swapped but it was bad

 

Ok perfect I think this is what i'm going to do. Now just to find out what to do with my 20s? Is there a market for them? I have brand new tires right now...

 

I sold my tires and wheels separately. 275/55R20 tires were sold almost immediately. Stock 20in wheels took few weeks to be sold on Craigslist.

 

Do you mind me asking what you got for them? Both tires and wheels.

 

550 for 4 tires and 550 for 5 wheels.

Correction- 550 for wheels as well;

 

Sweet! Not bad at all.

 

Another question.. what do I need to be careful of when going from 20" to 17"? I hear people talk about "rubbing" and having to trim the fenders etc... what's the deal with that? Is it possible to just buy 17" wheels and tires and have them fit from the get go?

 

Rubbing will depend on the tire and lift combo. I don't know what combo works at stock height.

Mine's lifted so I wanted to fit 285/70R17 tires. I have 1.5in lift rear and have no issues. But even with 2.5in lift in front I had rubbing issues. I had to push the inner fender liner forward about and inch to avoid rubbing. After pushing it forward I drilled 2 new holes on the bottom of the fender liner so I could use the existing 10mm bolts.

 

The 17's would work the best on and off road; summer & winter. The 20's are terrible on any gravel surfaces (I used to own a 2014 Limited) and not enough side wall. I use 17" Michelin Defenders on both my Tacoma and 4runner Off-Road Pro and both handle very well. The 17s are quieter than the 20s in my experience.

 

Do you guys know if a 20 inch spare tire will work on the 4runner if im currently using 17"..

I just changed my wheels from 20" to 17" on my trd sport and i totally forgot about changing the spare when i was there.

 

Hmmm I am willing to bet your spare is on a steel 17” wheel.

 

As long as the tire size is the same should be fine.

 

I’m running 285’s LT E load rating and the ride is very soft and comfortable.

I’m not sure where or how the LT E load rated tire got such a bad rap.

My guess is that it’s probably the suspension upgrade that was done along with the tire upgrade.

 

There's a whole thread about me going from stock 20" Limited rims to TRD 17" rims and E Load. In the size spec'd by Toyota for all its other 4Runners. Do it. Maybe not E Load (or maybe? I like mine). But def do 17" and stock size tires.

 

Its not. Its on a 20 inch wheel. My car came with 20 inch from the factory.

 

Just like a few people are pushing back on the bad rap of the E load, I'm going to push back a bit on the bad rap that 20s get here. Smaller sidewalls do have an advantage, they handle better. They don't flex side to side near as much. Yes, there's a trade-off and you'll feel the bumps better, but I test drove a Limited and I didn't feel like the ride was harsh at all.

For the street oriented trims, the Limited and Sport, I think Toyota probably made the right call with the 20s.

 

I think this is a fair point for the more street-oriented models like the Limited. There's still a lot of sidewall -- it's nowhere near a low profile tire setup. Buuuut, the ride and handling advantage on the Limited really comes from the XREAS suspension. I switched to 17" rims and my ride is firmer -- yet really good -- due to going E Load.

I think E Load on 17" rims makes a lot of sense on the models that come with 20" rims, cause the added weight and stiffness of the E Load tires are offset quite a bit by lower-weight rims and gaining more sidewall. I was worried I'd made a mistake, but so far I'm really digging it.

My experience and reasoning here: https://www.4runners.com/threads/finally-new-wheels-and-tires.24544/