TL;DR - The new 1st gen Sequoia double 5-spoke wheels sit a little too inboard and cause some rubbing on my suspension components, so I've installed some wheel spacers to fix the problem.
The solution to my problem.
Mods and Maintenance: Wheels & Tires
TL;DR - The new wheels and tires look good, but they rub in places that are not acceptable. It's my fault, and I'm hoping to solve the problem with a couple 0.5" spacers.
Definitely no complaints in the bad-ass looks department.
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I've never been a fan of mud. I'm not a fan of driving in it, camping in it, or hiking in it. And, I'm definitely not a fan of getting it all over - and in - the Tacoma on a trip. Not my idea of a good time. As such, I've always tried to keep my tires pulled in, under the fender flares. This worked reasonably well with the stock wheels and tires, but when I bought some 16" SCS Stealth6 to fit the larger calipers that come with the Tundra brake upgrade, I ended up pushing the wheels…
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For the last 5 years, I've very much enjoyed the wheel-and-tire combination I've been running. Not only did the 3rd gen 4Runner 5-star wheels look great - especially after I went to all the trouble to paint them - but they fit the larger calipers I installed as part of the Tundra Brake Upgrade and are the lightest OEM wheel manufactured by Toyota! Likewise, while I felt that the Cooper S/T Maxx were a little stiff and heavy - largely because they are only available in a 10-ply, E-range rating - they have been a great tire from a performance…
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TL;DR - I have been extremely happy with Cooper S/T Maxx tires over the last six years. I would not hesitate to recommend them as one of the best tires you can run for the type of exploring that I do.
Fantastic tires.
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Another failure from CBI Offroad. I've run into problems with CBI before - both with their customer service when I was initially installing my rear bumper, as well as customer service when the latch that keeps the two swingouts closed, failed. This time, I was driving along the bumpy roads of the Whipple Mountains when I noticed that the Trasharoo was hanging at an odd angle off of my spare tire. This isn't unusual - all the jostling tends to move it around a bit - so after snapping a quick photo of some fantastic landscape, I set the camera…
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These are 17x7.5" double five-spoke from an early 2000s Sequoia. With 4.5" backspacing, they are perfect for a 1st gen Tacoma.
TL;DR - I'm done with 16" wheels and the limited tire selection they offer. My next set of tires (and therefore wheels) will be 17".
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Valve stems that insert from the outside!
TL;DR - My Cooper ST/Maxx tires finally gave me a bit of trouble. Still, I'll probably buy a 5th set when these wear out because they've performed better than any other tire I've seen others run on the trail.
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Two of my favorite camping conveniences just got better. Ever since I modified my tire inflator to extend the hose on it - enabling me to inflate tires standing up rather than crouching down - I've been very happy. Old guys don't want to strain their knees when out camping. Similarly, I've been happy with the LED light strip I added to the CVT Mt. Shasta RTT. While I didn't write up the mod in any serious way - it just seemed too obvious at the time - it's been really nice to move around in the tent and get…
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TL;DR - I've really liked the ST Maxx tires, but they are on their last legs. Time to start a search for replacements.
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TL;DR - The wheels are awesome and the bronze is a great color IMO. It does not however hold up to brake fluid that sits on the paint for an extended period of time.
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June 12, 2019. (and really, the preceding two weeks) It's no secret that over the last few years, I've been through quite a few sets of wheels. I started with my stock 15" aluminum alloys, which "had to go" as part of the most expensive brake upgrade ever and resulted in the Tacoma wearing a set of steel wheels for a couple of months. I knew these were temporary - and the long-term solution was yet to come. I knew when I bought them that the SCS Steath6s were the last wheel I'd ever purchase for the Tacoma. I mean, what more could…
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March 31, 2019. Ever since we picked up the 3rd Gen 4Runner back in September 2018, we knew that it needed some work to really be a viable family adventure vehicle. Some of that work is cosmetic, and some is mechanical - but all of it took a back burner to the various trips that we had planned and the winter weather that prevented too much work on any of the trucks. But now, things are starting to look up for the 4Runner. Spring is here - or at least threatening to be - and it's time to start getting…
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Igor on the left, the Tacoma on the right.
TL;DR - To solve the problem with mud being flung everywhere with my SCS wheels that stuck out past the fender flares, I installed some new-to-me 1999 4Runner wheels on the truck, which sit under the fender flare. This solved the mud issue, but introduced a slight incompatibility with my new ADS front suspension - the tires rub on the shock reservoirs at full lock.
Leave a CommentI love the look of the SCS Stealth6 wheels that I've been running for the last 14 months. The dark bronze and six spokes are fantastic. Even the lug nuts are significantly better than OEM. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I really do like stance added to the truck by the 3.5" backspacing - having the wheels and tires pushed out a bit wider makes the truck look ready for anything. But, I can't stand the mud. That same backspacing that gives the truck a cool stance also pushes the tread of my 255/85R16 Cooper ST…
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TL;DR - I love the look of these Stealth6's, but I'm on the hunt for new wheels; or at least some solution to the amount of mud that gets thrown into/onto the truck when I run around in wet weather.
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February 21, 2018. How many miles do you have on your truck? If you're anything like me, you'll answer this by looking at your odometer, reading a number, and concluding that you have that many miles - 83,078 miles in my case. Like me, you're wrong. Your odometer is lying to you. And so is your speedometer. I covered why that is here - go read it. I'll wait. Speedometers, Odometers, and Gas Mileage – All Lies! OK, welcome back. Or not if you're like me and just skipped over that last link. Let me try to recap: The reading…
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January 12, 2018. The day has arrived, finally. For three months, I've had a set of SCS Stealth6 wheels stacked, in the boxes they arrived in, in the living room. @mrs.turbodb has not been happy. In that time, I've been trying to decide what tires I want to run on those wheels. I knew I wanted 33's, and I knew that I wanted as little rubbing as possible, but that left me with three options: BFG KM2's or KM3's @ 255/85R16 - these have the right profile (tall and skinny) for less rubbing, and a nice aggressive tread pattern, but…
5 Comments