3rd Gen 4Runner Wheels

3rd Gen 4Runner Wheel Buyers Guide

In the market for a new set of shoes for your 96-02 Toyota 4Runner? We have put together a comprehensive overview to help you pick out the perfect set for your truck. Before picking out a new set of wheels, it’s important to know the factory original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specs because if you know where you are starting from, it’s much easier to know how your new wheels will fit. 3rd Gen 4Runners came equipped from the Toyota factory with either 15″ or 16″ wheels.

3rd Gen 4Runner Wheel Buyers Guide

Just because your 4Runner came with 15″ or 16″ OEM wheels, doesn’t mean your new wheels need to be that size. It’s very common to plus size, and increase your wheel diameter with a bigger size wheel. Here are some common wheel fitment terms to get familiar with.

• Wheel Diameter –  The overall diameter of the wheel. OE size on this vehicle was either 15″ or 16″ depending on your trim package. The vehicle can accommodate 15 inch, 16 inch, 17 inch, 18 inch, 19 inch or even 20 inch wheel diameters by plus sizing. Note: as a general rule it’s never recommended to install a smaller wheel thatn what came from the factory.
• Wheel Width – The width of the wheel, measured in inches. OEM wheels have a 7″ wheel width, but popular aftermarket options will typicall range from 7-9 inches.
• Wheel Bolt Pattern – All 3RD Gen 4Runners have a 6×139.7mm bolt pattern, sometimes referred to as 6×5.5″. Aftermarket wheels must have this same bolt pattern for the new wheels to fit properly.
• Wheel Offset – Each wheel has an offset, which is a measurement of where the mounting pad on the back of the wheel sits, relative to the centerline. It determines how a wheel will sit horizontally on the vehicle, that is, whether the wheel is spaced further towards the inside or pushed further towards the outside of the vehicle. A lower offset wheel will be pushed further out, while a higher offset will sit closer in on the vehicle.
• Wheel Backspace – Like wheel offset, backspace uses a different method of measuring wheel horizontal fitment. It’s the space from the innermost part of the wheel to the mounting pad. If you know a wheels width and offset, you can derive the backspace.
• Wheel Centerbore – The diameter of the hole in the back of the wheel, measured in mm. The 3rd Gen 4Runner has a hub bore of 106mm.
  • An aftermarket wheel with a centerbore of 106mm will have hub-centric fitment as-is.
  • An aftermarket wheel with a larger centerbore can be adapted to be hub-centric with the 106mm hub bore by using a hub centric ring.
  • An aftermarket wheel with a smaller centerbore than 106mm will not fit, as the vehicles hub is larger than the center bore of the vehicle.
• Wheel Weight Rating – This is the maximum load the wheel is designed to carry. The wheel load is calculated by taking 50% of the heaviest axle of the vehicle’s gross axle weight rating (GAWR). For example, if your heaviest axle weight rating is 2400 lbs then your wheel load rating must be at least 1200 lbs. While this sounds complicated, the good news is that most wheel manufacturers do the hard work for you, by building wheels well in excess of what’s needed for each bolt pattern. You’d have a really hard time finding a 6×139.7 wheel that doesn’t have a sufficient load rating for any 6×139.7 vehicle ever produced.
• Wheel X-Factor – The curvature of the spokes and how they allow, or in some cases don’t allow for necessary brake caliper clearance. Not generally a concern for vehicles with stock brakes but something to pay attention to for vehicles with upgraded larger than normal brake calipers.

If all of these wheel specifications match to what the vehicle requires, the wheel will fit your truck! If any of the specs don’t match, modifications may be required .