5th Gen 4Runner Wheels Explained

Bolt Pattern, Wheel/Rim Size, Offset, Backspace, and More

We are going to break down a few things in this one. We are going to look at the specs of the TRD wheels, SR5, and Limited. We are also going to break down a basic overview of bore size, offset, backspace, weight, tires, and most of the basics when shopping.

We will also look at different options for aftermarket options.

Updated Posts: 

• Top 64 Wheel Designs in 2022
• Top Wheel Companies in 2021
• Top Wheel Companies in 2019
• Feature Friday: 20 Wheel & Tire Set-ups in 2022
• TRD SEMA Wheels: Full Review
• Factory Wheel Options for the 5th Gen 4Runner Compared
• RRW New Line of Forged Hybrid Beadlocks

2010-2013 SR5 4Runner Wheel/Rim Specs

• Bolt Pattern: 6×139.7mm(5.5″) or 6×5.5
• Size: 17×7″
• Offset: +12
• Backspace: 4.5″

2014-2024 SR5 4Runner Wheel/Rim Specs

• Bolt Pattern: 6×5.5
• Size: 17×7.5″
• Offset: +15
• Backspace: 4.5″

2014-2024 Limited 4Runner Wheel/Rim Specs

• Bolt Pattern: 6×5.5
• Size: 20×7″
• Offset: +15
• Backspace: 4.5″

TRD Pro SEMA Wheel/Rim Specs:

• Black: Check Price
• Metal Gray: Check Price
• Size: 17×7″
• Offset: +4
• Backspace: 4.5″

TRD Beadlock Wheel/Rim

• The 16″ Beadlocks: Check Price
• Size: 16×7.5″
• Offset: +10
• Backspace: 4.5″

What To Consider When Shopping

• Bolt Pattern (5th Gen = 6×139.7mm(5.5″) or 6×5.5)
• Hub Bore (5th Gen = 106mm – the size of the center hole on your wheel)
• Offset (-offset pushes the wheel out. +offset pulls the wheel in)
• Backspace (Similar to offset – the space between the center tire and inside wheel)
• Rating (Weight rating wheels were designed for)
• Weight (lb)
• Lug Type (tapered “conical” and radiused)
• LipSize (in)

Hub Bore: 106.6mm

RRW RR5 Smooth Black Lip | -6mm offset | 4.5mm backspace | 25lbs

The hub bore is the large center hole machined into the wheel and mounts onto the hub. Just because our bore is 106mm does not mean that aftermarket wheels with other sizes won’t fit. Aftermarket wheels with a bore of 108mm, for example, will fit a 106mm bore. Even wheels with a larger bore (110mm) will fit your hubs’ 106mm bore. All you need are hub-centric rings/adapters.

Then comes hub-centric and lug-centric.

• Hub-centric spacers: Do you need hub-centric spacers to make up the difference? Yes and no. Some say yes and some say no and it usually depends on the size of the bore.
• Lug-centric: There are also lug-centric wheels, which are common on aftermarket options but more and more aftermarket brands are going hub-centric. Lug-centric is centered by the lugs. If you have lug-centric wheels, you often do not need hub-centric spacers. It is important to note that you should always install lug-centric wheels off the ground (on jack stands) where the wheel can center on its own.

The best thing to do is bring this up to your tire shop and hopefully, they will give you a good understanding. Also, it is not usually recommended to have hub-centric and lug-centric as this will create unnecessary static loads on your studs, however, some will argue the point.

To understand the difference, watch this video.

Offset and Backspace

Photo credit: Les Schwab

A negative offset usually pulls the spokes deeper inside the rim creating more dish on the outside of the rim hence the term “deep dish wheels”. Although a negative offset will pull the spokes in, it pushes the wheel and tire outside of the well (past your fenders) since the distance from hub mounting plate to the inside edge of the wheel has less “backspace”. Positive offset pushes the spokes out towards the edge of the wheel creating little to no “dish”. A positive offset will pull your wheel and tire inside the well inside the fenders.

Backspace is the space between the inside edge of the rim to the mounting surface. Less backspace pushes the tire out of the well. More backspace pulls your tire into the well. On the 5th Gen, we usually look for a backspace of 4.5″ – 5″.

What is Poke? 

The more negative offset, the more “poke” you will see. Common offset sizes are -6, -10, -12, -25, and even offsets as large as -38. With negative offset, this pushes the tire outside of wheel well past the fenders, similar to spacers.

A lot of 4Runner builds are running a -12 to -25 offset. That’s a mild amount of poke setting your tire just outside the fender flare. An extreme case of negative offset would be -38 which pushes your tire very far past your fender. Some guys even run -38 offset plus spacers (another -31.75) to get the most “poke” possible.

TRD Sema & Beadlock

TRD SEMA and Beadlocks are designed for perfect braking, maximum stability on corners, and excellent heat dissipation, all the while being lightweight which allows for better performance. When you choose TRD Pro wheels, you are getting a master design and a commitment to quality that goes far beyond appearance.

TRD looks at all the design criteria for each vehicle, and then they use state-of-the-art CAD design in order to design and manufacture the optimal wheel for that car/truck.

When designing TRD Sema, they took into account the weight, offset, backspace, and even brakes to make sure that the wheel fits, performs reliably, and has the perfect finish. You really can’t go wrong with the TRD Sema or the TRD Beadlock.

Weight Factors

Method | Model: 312 | Size: 17×9 | Offset: -44 mm | 34lbs

Weight is always a big factor. The TRD 17″ SEMA only weighs 25 lbs, that’s pretty light. Even lighter is the 16″ TRD Beadlock weighing in at 23.5lbs.

Other aftermarket wheels come in at 35+ pounds and some as high as 40 pounds. You want to stay away from anything over 35 pounds in my opinion – unless you’re running beadlocks.

Beadlocks tend to run on the heavy side although there are lighter options. The RRW hybrid forged hybrid beadlocks, for example, weigh in at only 25 lbs.

Tires and Wheels

KMC | Machete Crawl Beadlock | 17 x 9 | -38mm Offset

Let’s take the TRD 17″ Sema example and see what tire options we have. The larger in width and overall diameter the wheel gets, the more adjustments and lift you will need to make.

The common tire size for many aftermarket 17″ wheels is a large 32″ tire (285/70/17 – 32.71″ on average). See the list below on whether or not this wheel will rub.

TRD 17″ Sema /Tire Options

• 265/70/17 (Stock) (7-9″ Space Needed) – Won’t Rub
• 255/75/17 (6.5-8.5″ Space Needed) – Won’t Rub
• 270/70/17 (7-8.5″ Space Needed) – Won’t Rub
• 285/70/17 (7.5-9″ Space Needed) – Questionable (Body Mount Chop May be Needed)
• 305/65/17 (8.5-11″ Space Needed) – Will Rub – Adjustments/Mods Needed
• 255/80/17 (6.5-8.5″ Space Needed) – Will Rub – Adjustments/Mods Needed
• 305/70/17 (8-9.5″ Space Needed) – Will Rub – Adjustments/Mods Needed
• 285/75/17 (7.5-9.5″ Space Needed) – Will Rub – Adjustments/Mods Needed
• The complete overview of tire size and rubbing

Aftermarket Brands

Relations Race Wheels (RRW)

Rays

Black Rhino

Fuel

KMC

SCS

Method

Bolt Pattern (6×139.7mm(5.5″) or 6×5.5)

It’s important to note our bolt pattern; 6×139.7mm (5.5″) or 6×5.5. You can’t just throw any wheel you think looks good and call it a day. Different brands are designed to fit different vehicles per multiple specs.

When looking for a 5th Generation 4Runner wheel, you aren’t just looking at the actual design. You are looking at a handful of criteria.

Exactly What To Look For:

• Bolt Pattern (5th Gen = 6×139.7mm(5.5″) or 6×5.5)
• Bore (5th Gen = 106mm – the size of the center hole on your wheel)
• Offset (-offset pushes the wheel out. +offset pulls the wheel into the wheel well)
• Backspace (The space between the center tire and inside wheel)
• Rating (Weight rating wheels were designed for)
• Weight (lb)
• Lug Type (tapered “conical” and radiused)
• LipSize (in)

Where to start?

1. Bolt Pattern
2. Hub Centric or Lug Centric
3. Offset options
4. Backspace options
5. How much does it weigh

I would start with bolt pattern, then move to bore size, and then move to offset, and backspace. Manufacturers of lug-centric options include Stealth Custom Series, FN, RRW, KMC, Fuel, TRD Sema, and other manufacturers. With that being said, it doesn’t much matter if you buy a set that is lug-centric because that is how the lug nuts center the wheel, although many will argue the point.

Steel

Steel wheels or “steelies” come on most cars, however, the stock wheels on the 5th Gen are aluminum. Steel is inexpensive to produce and they are very sturdy, which makes them the obvious choice for stock accessories on most cars. They aren’t optimized for performance, but they perform well enough that most car owners wouldn’t care.

Many people run Steelies and have no problems at all. They prefer steelies to alloy because it gives them more weight on sleet, snow, and ice. This may very well be true, but I would personally rather have a lighter option, after all, weight is the enemy.

Aluminum

RRW RR8 Forged Hybrid Beadlocks | -12mm offset | 4.5mm backspace | 25lbs

Aluminum options are lightweight, they dissipate heat better than steel, and they perform better during high-load cornering maneuvers. When you’re looking at performance, aluminum alloy is often a better choice than steel.

There are three types of alloy: forged, cast, and billet.

Forged and cast are both aluminum. The actual method for producing/ manufacturing these is a little different.

Forged aluminum alloy is stronger and in most cases offers a lower weight than cast alloy, but not always. At the end of the day, there is not a huge difference between the two but some will argue the point.

Both forged and cast-manufactured wheels are very similar and get the same job done.