Where is the best place to purchase OEM wheels at a good discount?

August 31, 2010 3:40 PM

Where is the best place to purchase OEM wheels at a good discount?

I've got a 1998 Toyota T100 with 15" wheels. I want to get 16" or 17" wheels that will accomodate 265/16 tires. I've researched this a bit and found out that 4Runners in a similar year range have wheels that mount the same brackets as the T100. For the cheapest OEM look with still good quality wheels, I want to get something like that.

So I'm wondering, where have people gotten good deals on OEM wheels in the past? Any input would be appreciated.

posted by BasileusPY to travel & transportation (5 answers total)

Scrap yards/Junk yards. Best place in the world to get standard wheels from - start hunting in your area for trucks that have been scrapped or crashed (use the wheels from the straight end of crashed cars of course) and start collecting the new looking wheels from them. If your truck is relatively popular, you'll be able to get a better choice of wheel as you can be more picky about the ones you want - the more shiny and pristine the better. Don't in any way, feel obliged to get the wheels all from the same donor vehicle.

Generally speaking, if the wheel looks pretty, it's likely to be good. It's pretty hard to damage a wheel without cosmetically damaging it, and if the tyre on it still holds air then it's more likely to be good. Don't keep the tyres - buy new ones, but there's no reason why second hand wheels should be an issue.

I want to get 16" or 17" wheels that will accomodate 265/16 tires.

At the risk of stating the possibly obvious, only 16" wheels will fit those tyres and you will need to find a tyre that has a smaller sidewall than your existing tyres in order to maintain the rolling radius of your existing wheel and tyre combination (the outside diameter of the tyre when mounted dictates the accuracy of the speedometer).

If you look at some trucks with the wheels you like, you should be able to see the size they have and make sure you get something similar.
posted by Brockles at 3:50 PM on August 31, 2010

Try posting in craigslist in the wanted section. A lot of people who go with aftermarket wheels still have their factory set in storage, I'm sure they would be willing to part with them.

You can also see if the manufacturer of the wheels has a similar design for sale.
posted by wongcorgi at 4:35 PM on August 31, 2010

If you are in the US, join several Tacoma-specific forums and post "WTB" ads for what you are looking for (WTB = "Want To Buy").

I have a Tacoma and 4Runner of a similar vintage and can personally recommend TTORA (Tacoma Territory Off Road Association) and TacomaWorld.com. Those links will take you to the appropriate classifieds section on each site.

Although the sites would seem to be Tacoma-specific, the reality is that the community also embraces 4Runners and T100s, as they are very similar. LOTS of people upgrade from stock wheels, so your request should not be too hard to source. Wheels are heavy/expensive to ship so be sure to specify that you'd like to find someone local (or within a given number of miles).

FWIW, I was able to source a complete front end/front driveline for my 2002 Tacoma via TTORA a couple of months ago.
posted by mosk at 5:03 PM on August 31, 2010

All great answers! Thanks everyone!
posted by BasileusPY at 6:59 PM on August 31, 2010

I should add, any wheel from a 1996-2004 Tacoma should also work (provided we are comparing wheels with the same number of lugs). All 16" 6 lug Tacoma and 4Runner wheels have the same bolt pattern and backspacing; they may look different, but they are the same. Probably true for 5 lug Tacoma/4Runner wheels being the same as other 5 lug Tacoma/4Runner wheels, too.

My previous post assumes you have 6 lug wheels (e.g., a 4x4). If you have 5 lug wheels on a 2wd truck you'll need to fish in some different water. If that's the case, ignore my other suggestions and try CustomTacos.com instead.
posted by mosk at 2:45 AM on September 1, 2010