Because the stock hardware just won't do for this special Tacoma, the next step was to add some wheels and tires. We chose a set of 265/75R16 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains. The tire isn't massive, but it looks great and fits under this mild lift without fender clearance problems. A set of Slickrock wheels from Colorado Custom was the perfect addition. We really liked the style of these aluminum rims, and the additional billet center caps finish them off perfectly. The only problem we had was that we needed to buy a set of Toyota rear studs for the front hubs-a common fix for installing aftermarket wheels on one of these trucks.
Toyota's are notorious for tight fenderwell clearance in the front and rear, so to avoid having to trim the interior fenderwell sheetmetal, we stayed with 32-inch tires.
Be Studly
When fitting aftermarket wheels on a '02 Tacoma, thicker aftermarket wheel centers often mean that the stock front studs are too short. Not dealing with this when you add aftermarket wheels is a risk, because if you're unable to run the lug nuts far enough down the studs, you risk stripping the stud threads and not getting the amount of lug-nut torque you need. We solved this problem by exchanging the stock front studs for longer Tacoma rear-wheel studs. The Tacoma's rear studs (on top in photo) are available from your Toyota dealer under part number 90942-02052.
The longer rear studs are easy to install since you do not have to remove the hub assembly. Once you have removed the original studs-do so by backing them out and whacking them with a soft mallet-locate the axle grease, a few large washers and some type of spacer (here we used the closed end of a large wrench). Lubricate the washers, splines and threads of the studs with grease. Stack the washers and the spacer so that you can use the lug nut to pull the stud in without reaching the beginning of the threads. The grease allows the bearing surfaces to slide along nicely and let the nut pull the stud into place.
Project 40th Anniversary Tacoma - Part 1, click here.
Project 40th Anniversary Tacoma - Part 2, click here.
Project 40th Anniversary Tacoma - Part 4, click here.