Review: TRD Pro SEMA 17"x7" wheels.

Growlerbearnz

Growlerbearnz

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Staff member
Toyota Pro SEMA PTR20-35110-BK (or -GR if you want gunmetal grey).
17"x 7" wide, 4mm offset. About US$200ea from Amazon.

You will also need:
24x Toyota flat-face wheel nuts 90942-01058
2x hub centric rings, 106.1mm OD, 93.1mm ID
3x 0.15mm feeler gauges if you want the wheels perfectly centred (optional, not hugely critical)

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I've fitted 245/70R17 tyres, they're about 30.5" diameter (up from the stock 29" 225/80R15s). I wanted 235/75R17 (31") but they're an unusual size in NZ, and the only set I could find was 16 years old. Ouch. If you wanted to stay stock size, 235/65R17 is 29" diameter, but just a touch wider than stock.

The rims fit well. They need flat-faced Toyota wheel nuts (24x 90942-01058), you can't use your existing conical nuts. The wheels are hub-centric (106.1mm bore to fit 106mm hubs) The front hub is 105.7mm diameter. There's only a light vibration if you fit the front wheels without absolutely centring them, but if you use 3x 0.15mm feeler gauges the vibration totally disappears.

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Speaking of shims, the rear hub is much smaller than the front so you'll need hub centric rings. 106.1mm OD, 93.1mm ID. These fit easily, and the wheel is positively centred on the rear hub. The rings come in packs of 4, so you'll have 2 spares.
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Being 7" wide with only 4mm offset the rims have plenty of clearance to the suspension arms: about an inch and a half.
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With the 245/70R17 tyres the rear edge of the tyre might touch the front mudguard. (My mudguard has already been modified to suit larger tyres- if your guard is stock you might have to trim the inside edge of the sill trim and maybe the mudflap).
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The edge of the tyre tread is nicely flush with the bodywork, the sidewall protrudes just a touch.

I have more pictures, but the forum's having technical issues. I'll upload them once it's working properly again. There's a Google Images album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tsKgpEQrJmLLCbG86

Overall impressions: My old tyres were 31x10.5x15" on 6.5" rims, which made them very ballooney and a bit unstable. I got used to it, but having proper sized tyres on an appropriate rim is much nicer.
These wheels push 245/70R17 tyres right to the edge of the wheel arches, they're nice and flush. From the front or back the van's lost the "steamroller" look and now sits on nice skinny tyres with a wide track.
Steering feels fine. A touch lighter, maybe because less rubber on the road? The scrub radius is increased by about 25mm, but I haven't noticed any nasty kickback or tramlining. Still stable under braking.
 
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I don't think you really need the hub centric rings, just the correct lug nuts. The Toyotas are designed as hub centric, so they are a bit more HD than our vans. Our vans are designed as lug centric, and the proper lug nuts will keep them that way. IDT trying to make them hub centric is really going to make them any more HD.

But IDT there is any negative in using them either, and they do make lining up easier.
 
The Toyota lug nuts (and wheel holes) aren't conical and the lug nuts are a loose fit in the wheel holes; there's nothing to pull the wheel into centre. If it's off centre when you tighten the nuts, that's where it stays. (The short 45deg taper on the end doesn't engage with anything, I think it's there for easy assembly).


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Apparently "fractionally too large centrebore" is sometimes a fault with aftermarket wheels. I've read about people using electrical tape, coke cans, kapton tape, masking tape... anything to just get the wheel centred while the lug nuts are tightened.

I'm going to accurately measure the Delica's hub so I know what I'm working with. I might be able to make up some shims, I have plenty of shim stock. Doesn't even need to be a full ring, 3 small shims around the circumference should do the job.

My other idea is to use 3 of my existing conical lug nuts to centre the wheel on the lugs (the cones should centre on the wheels' lug holes, even though the holes don't have conical faces), then install 3 Toyota lug nuts in the remaining holes, which should hold the wheel still while I remove the conical nuts and install the remaining Toyota nuts. A bit of a hassle to do every time you remove a wheel though.

The goal is to find a simple solution that results in a centred wheel, every time, so these wheels become an option for anyone who wants them. Not everyone has the patience to measure their rim's runout with a dial gauge... :)
 
I thought the straight nuts were slip fit... I have seen some lug nuts of that style that have different diameter shafts (i.e. .87 vs .725) even though they are both marketed as "Toyota". I think I would look at bushing the lug nut shafts. Or possibly cutting 60* seats with a single flute countersink and using conical nuts.
 
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sk66 said:
I thought the straight nuts were slip fit... I have seen some lug nuts of that style that have different diameter shafts (i.e. .87 vs .725) even though they are both marketed as "Toyota". I think I would look at bushing the lug nut shafts. Or possibly cutting 60* seats with a single flute countersink and using conical nuts.
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There are old school "mag wheel nuts" which have a tighter fit into the wheel holes, but these Toyota ones definitely aren't that snug.

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It's possible to have steel conical inserts installed in these wheels, but any modifications to wheels need to be certified here: so about $500 for the machine work, plus another $500 for a certifier to glance at the paperwork and rubber stamp it. Definitely a last resort for me, I've spent too much as it is. Or so I'm told.
 
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Righto, the wheels are 106.1mm bore (to fit 106mm hubs). The hubs are 105.7mm. Potentially 0.6mm (0.023") of runout; not a huge amount, probably not normally noticeable, though sitting directly above the wheels makes every little shimmy feel worse so I might just see if shims make a difference.

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0.15mm shim tape, to bring the hubs up to exactly 106mm. Comes in 5m rolls, so I'll never, ever run out.

I might try different methods of wheel centring ("by eye" centring, electrical tape, shims, conical nuts) and measure the runout, to see if shims are even necessary.
 
Growlerbearnz said:
Potentially 0.6mm (0.023") of runout
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.4mm
Not sure I would have even noticed that on a tire...
Growlerbearnz said:
It's possible to have steel conical inserts installed in these wheels, but any modifications to wheels need to be certified here
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Would a conversion washer require certification?
There are a lot of flat to 60* washers/adaptors available; and I would think you could find some that could be fit snugly in the nut bores for centering.
 
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106.1-105.7 = 0.4mm. I felt the effects of 0.6mm runout on 17" rims on a BMW, but it took a glass-smooth road, speeds far over what a Delica can do, and paying very close attention specifically for this vibration. I once spent a short afternoon making nothing but phonecalls to wheel repair shops all over the US, and was unable to find anyone, at any price, who claimed to be able to get a wheel below 0.8mm. Apparently even 21" brand new Porsche rims come from the factory with that tolerance.

That's also much less runout than any tire.

In short, I don't think you'll have a problem with 0.4, especially in the back.
 
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sk66 said:
.4mm
Not sure I would have even noticed that on a tire...
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moroza said:
In short, I don't think you'll have a problem with 0.4, especially in the back.
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I expect you're both right, and until the wheel nuts show up this is all theoretical. Though 0.4mm bore slop means the wheel could be offset 0.4mm to one side- adding 0.4mm to one side, subtracting it from the other, making 0.8mm total runout. (Though I've said 0.6mm, because Toyota calls for a 0.1mm difference between hub and bore diameters to give 0.05mm clearance). Still quite small.

The back isn't a problem with the 93-106mm hub rings. Without the hub rings on the back theres a good 2mm of potential movement.


sk66 said:
Would a conversion washer require certification?
There are a lot of flat to 60* washers/adaptors available; and I would think you could find some that could be fit snugly in the nut bores for centering.
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Oooh now there's a thought. Possibly it wouldn't, because you're not modifying the wheel or the nut. Might need longer wheel studs though, the wheel is quite thick.
 
moroza said:
106.1-105.7 = 0.4mm. I felt the effects of 0.6mm runout on 17" rims on a BMW, but it took a glass-smooth road, speeds far over what a Delica can do, and paying very close attention specifically for this vibration. I once spent a short afternoon making nothing but phonecalls to wheel repair shops all over the US, and was unable to find anyone, at any price, who claimed to be able to get a wheel below 0.8mm. Apparently even 21" brand new Porsche rims come from the factory with that tolerance.

That's also much less runout than any tire.

In short, I don't think you'll have a problem with 0.4, especially in the back.
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I'm guessing the sidewalls on your 17 BMW tires were also significantly smaller and stiffer than our big gushy offroad tires that will act like dampers to absorb any runout. I agree, @Growlerbearnz isnt likely to have any problems from this and really needs to focus on what's important here....Getting us some photos to drool over!!!!
 
detroadster said:
I agree, @Growlerbearnz isn't likely to have any problems from this...
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I'm very sensitive, I'll have you know I once couldn't sleep on an entire stack of mattresses because some asshole put a dried pea under them. Kicked him to the kerb.

detroadster said:
...really needs to focus on what's important here....Getting us some photos to drool over!!!!
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I KNOW!!! So annoying. I'm tracking my new wheel nuts: they're in a courier van right now. A different courier van to the one they were in yesterday, but still not "out for delivery". I swear they're just driving round and round the block to taunt me.
 
Growlerbearnz said:
I KNOW!!! So annoying. I'm tracking my new wheel nuts: they're in a courier van right now. A different courier van to the one they were in yesterday, but still not "out for delivery". I swear they're just driving round and round the block to taunt me.
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They are clearly taunting you. They have no idea there are literally people across the globe who are eagerly awaiting this delivery! I've loved those TRD wheels since the first time I set eyes on them. One of my first thoughts when we got our van was "I wonder if those TRD wheels would fit."
 
Alrighty then. As you all predicted, a slight amount of runout isn't a huge issue. With the front wheels just plonked on there and the nuts tightened (in the correct order, but with no attempt to centre the wheel) there was a very faint steering wheel shake at 100kph. Almost unnoticeable. Still, it entirely went away when I used 0.15mm feeler gauges to centre the wheel before tightening the nuts.
 
Growlerbearnz said:
Alrighty then. As you all predicted, a slight amount of runout isn't a huge issue. With the front wheels just plonked on there and the nuts tightened (in the correct order, but with no attempt to centre the wheel) there was a very faint steering wheel shake at 100kph. Almost unnoticeable. Still, it entirely went away when I used 0.15mm feeler gauges to centre the wheel before tightening the nuts.
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Alright so the obvious question when are you posting pictures of your Delica's w/new wheels installed?
 
Nice! Looking pretty sharp. Do you have a link to a post/thread about your rear tire carrier? Thanks Josh
 
bikerjosh said:
Nice! Looking pretty sharp. Do you have a link to a post/thread about your rear tire carrier? Thanks Josh
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FromDelica.ca:
I wanted an external tyre carrier to free up space for a long-range fuel tank, but wanted it to look OEM. A short trip to the wreckers, and I found a bunch of Mitsubishi RVR Sports Gears (AKA Mitsubishi Expo LRV, Dodge/Plymouth Colt Wagon, Eagle Summit Wagon).

Much cutting and welding ensued. The L300's flimsy step was much improved when combined with the RVR's sturdy bumper iron, but the plastic bumper skin required a bit of modification to make it fit. Yay for plastic welding! The number plate and its illumination had to be moved too.

Photo album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TZEFuP8Vh4KYXD8RA
 
That van's got style! Like 1985 and 2005 had a drunken love child that ended up happy and successful. Not like some others that look like they've been eking out a hardscrabble living between trailer parks and train yards since 1995.

Is that all that NZ plates are? Just a plate and the number, no stickers or symbols?

And are those rock lights behind the mudflaps?
 
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