TRD Pro SEMA Wheels – Full Overview

TRD Pro Wheels Review and Full Overview on 4Runner: Upgrading to the TRD Pro Wheels with 265, 275, 285 sized tires? What To Expect

A common upgrade for people to do for any vehicle is to install new wheels. The reason why someone installs new wheels can be for a wide range of reasons. Here are a few reasons you might want to install new wheels on your vehicle:

• It is nice to have your own style incorporated into your vehicle. A good way to do this is through wheels. There are a lot of different styles on the market and you can find one that really suits your style.
• When I say offset, I am really referring to a wider stance (more negative offset). A wider stance can give a more aggressive look but can also improve handling by making your vehicle more planted and have better control.
• Aluminum and steel wheels have a big difference in weight. Upgrading to some aluminum wheels can help with gas mileage and acceleration. Depending on what wheel you are trying to install, you could potentially save 5-10 pounds of weight per wheel.
• Sometimes you need to install new wheels out of necessity. Necessary reasons might be because you damaged an existing wheel, you want new tires that require a different wheel, or you are trying to avoid rubbing.

Although there might be some other reasons for installing new wheels, typically these are some of the main reasons.

I decided I wanted to upgrade the stock wheels on my 2017 TRD Off-Road 4Runner recently for all of the above reasons and spent an extensive amount of time researching what wheel to get.

I am not going to focus on all the different wheel terminology, as there are other resources available for this. However, I am going to try and convince you as to why I believe the TRD wheels (PTR20-35110-BK) are a great option.

The Looks

Looks are completely an opinion, however, I believe the black TRD wheels look great. The black wheels suit a variety of vehicle colors, but I really liked the way they would look on my Magnetic Gray Metallic 4Runner.

You can get these wheels in a matte black or a matte gray. I went with the black, but you might want the gray. The overall shape of the wheel is very nice. The spokes extend from each of the lug nuts providing a symmetrical and visually appealing design that looks strong, but also sleek.

The black wheel with a red TRD logo in the center also adds a nice contrast of color as well, but not too much. On top of all this, the TRD wheel looks like an off-road wheel meant to suit the 4Runner.

I like the black wheel versus the silver and black that the 4Runner TRD Off-Road comes with from the factory. I also like the slightly wider stance the TRD wheels give (0.9 inches total width – 11mm on each side).

Once again, this is all a matter of opinion and may not be the same for you. Let’s go ahead and get to some facts.

TRD Design

I have never been someone to have true brand loyalty, meaning I stick with one brand and don’t change. I try to find the best there is and that is typically what I go with.

However, there are some situations where brand loyalty is a good thing. In my opinion, it is beneficial that TRD has designed a wheel that is specifically intended for the 4Runner and Tacoma.

TRD of course is Toyota, but a special division called Toyota Racing Development. TRD is a higher-end product, such as the TRD Pro and TRD Off-Road line up that Toyota currently offers.

TRD spent time developing this wheel to suit the 4Runner and Tacoma specifically. Considering that Toyota (and TRD for applicable TRD vehicles) produce incredible vehicles like the 4Runner, I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt that they design a great wheel for their vehicles, and therefore consider the TRD wheel to have the same if not better design considerations as my 5th Gen 4Runner does.

Wheel Offset

The standard wheels on a TRD Off-Road 4Runner are +15mm offset. The TRD wheels I went with are +4mm offset. This equates to an 11mm difference, or approximately 0.45 inches.

This difference essentially makes the wheels and tires 0.9 inches wider than stock. This isn’t huge, but is significant. As previously mentioned, I think this improves the aesthetics, because it gives a more aggressive stance.

More importantly, it gives better performance and handling.

Some people might be yelling at me right now saying you can get +0mm offset, or even -10mm, -12mm, etc. Yes, this is true. However, you are going to widen your track so much that you could potentially experience rubbing.

If you want more offset, then go ahead and look at a different wheel. There are lots out there. Please keep in mind that these wheels were designed by TRD specifically for the 4Runner and Tacoma…I would think they put some research into the amount of offset they thought was appropriate.

Another aspect to consider with a wheel that has very little offset (meaning negative offset) is that you push your tire outside of the fender. This can look nice, but it can also throw a lot of debris on your car since your tire is more exposed. The TRD wheel has just the right amount of offset in my opinion.

Weight vs. Factory TRD Off-Road Wheels

The TRD wheel weighs in at 25 pounds – pretty light. I do not have an ‘official’ weight on the stock TRD Off-Road wheels that come on the 4Runner, however, the TRD wheels are 0.5” narrower than the TRD Off-Road Wheels so they are going to be lighter by at least a small amount if nothing else.

• The TRD wheels are 17” diameter by 7” wide.
• The TRD Off-Road wheels are 17” diameter by 7.5” wide.

What does the difference in width do?

Well, as I previously mentioned, it gives you a lighter wheel, which in hand gives you better acceleration and gas mileage (although these increases are small).

Some people, including myself, might be concerned with the narrower wheel. I believe it is a good thing though…if you are running 265s or 275s for your tire size.

If you are running a 285 size tire, the wheel is on the border of being too narrow. Lot’s of people use the TRD wheel for 285s, but in my opinion, they are very close to being too narrow.

However, for 265s and 275s the narrower tire does two main things – decrease wheel weight and increase wheel protection. I already discussed the advantage of a lighter tire, but what do I mean by more wheel protection?

Cylindrical inclined inner wall shape?

A tire will be shaped slightly different on a narrower wheel than on a wider wheel. For performance cars (such as a Corvette ZR1), the rear tires are 335/20R20.

The wheels that they are mounted to are 12 inches wide! That is crazy. Part of the reason they are so wide is that there is so little sidewall on the tire that the wheel needs to nearly be the same width as the tire.

Essentially, in the case of a Corvette, the wheel is going to be sticking out just as far as the tire.

For larger sidewalls, you don’t need a wheel to match the tire width, so the tire will extend beyond the width of the wheel, therefore protecting your wheels when you are off-road. The wider the wheel you utilize, the less wheel protection the tire can provide.

In consideration of this, for the all-terrain application that a 4Runner was built for, the 7” wide wheel actually has an advantage.

Overall Quality

Since these wheels are designed by Toyota, and TRD in particular, the quality of the wheel is great. I did not notice any issues with the wheel finish and or quality. One thing to note is that these wheels are cast aluminum instead of forged.

Forged wheels will provide the ultimate strength and durability, however, cast wheels are still extremely strong and durable.

Forged wheels essentially will be less porous and therefore have a less likely chance for material breakdown to occur. You will end up paying more for forged, but you get a better overall product in my opinion.

This is really the only quality issue I could give, but it is nothing big at all.

Rubbing

I have Cooper Discoverer A/T3 tires in 275/70R17 installed. This is a wider and taller tire than the factory 265/70R17. I do not have a lift on my vehicle either. With the stock TRD Off-Road wheels, I experienced zero rubbing.

After installing my A/T3’s on the TRD wheels I have the most miniscule rubbing at full turn in reverse.

It does not do it at full turn going forward, only in reverse. When I say miniscule, I do mean very little at all. There is just a slight rub of the tire on the fender liner at full crank in reverse.

I really have no concern with the rubbing, but I will be modifying my fender liner soon to have zero rubbing.

I might also do a 1” front lift, which may eliminate the rubbing. Either way (or both ways combined), I should be able to address the rubbing with ease, and even if I don’t address it I have no concern with the small amount of rubbing that I currently have.

Final Thoughts

If you have 265 or 275 sized tires, the TRD wheels would be a great option for you.

You are getting a wheel designed by TRD specifically for the Tacoma and 4Runner. You gain a wider, more aggressive and stable stance.

You can get a matte black or matte gray. The weight of the TRD wheel is light, therefore giving you better gas mileage and acceleration.

Last, and potentially the reason most people would be installing new wheels is the look. I think the TRD wheels look great and they made my 4Runner look much better.

In conclusion, I have been very pleased with the installation of my TRD wheels on my TRD Off-Road 4Runner.

If you are looking at some new wheels, I would recommend these as an option.