New (old) shoes = Sequoia 17 wheels and "Pizza Cutter" tires!


Spend $1300 on wheels? Spend another $1200 on tires?

No thanks. Not this guy...



I tried the Rust-Oleum Metallic "Oil Rubbed Bronze" paint to see what it looks like. Figured I'd share what it looked like. It does a good job of looking like some of the other bronze wheels available but I actually preferred the satin black.

OEM Sequoia wheels, poorly painted when I picked them up
 After replacing my JK Wrangler with this  GX460  trying to make it more of what the "Land Cruiser Prado" was made to be in all other countries. 

It looks ok from a distance but thick paint is sagging in areas.
Yes, this has way better tech, a better engine, more comfortable interior, quieter more powerful engine, and more, that the Jeep JK didn't have, but it lacks in the looks department (and, as Jeepers say ad nauseum - no removable top or doors). 

After chemical stripping. The aluminum surface is perfect
So I want less "Latte Lounger", and more "Capable Cruiser".

First on the list is Wheels to use offroad. I plan on keeping the OE highway 18's for commuting and try swapping for adventure weekends. I need 17" for more tire sidewall and more tire options. As I usually do, the OEM offers solutions. 


1st gen Sequoia Wheels are basic split spoke design (easy to clean) with a nice dished look. The 17x7.5 size is capable, and they are light and strong, and most important, cheap.

I picked up a set of 4 with 3/4 tread tires for $200 in L.A.

I'll strip the paint off them and do a quick Duplicolor Paint job. I've had good luck in the past with this and its easy to touch up.

Got all the poor paint and the factory finish off.
I know Black is ubiquitous but for the effort, I think it'll still be the best look. 

(Maybe I'll do one coat in Dark Gray first to see how it looks.)

The set I got was poorly painted by the previous owner, and looked like a basic silver paint, no depth, but with sags, scuff lines, and rough spots. I think they just wire wheeled it and sprayed over brake dust. I wasn't sure if the aluminum surface would need sanding and filling or rash filled in etc. 

I had a can of JASCO stripper in the garage from a previous job and I let it do the hard work. It was tempting to scratch and scrape off the paint but I realized the best way was to apply, wait, scrape loose paint, apply, wait etc. The paint basically fell off after about 4 rounds. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the wheels. Most were factory "Hyper silver" but that came off too, leaving a factory fresh surface. I saw little if any curb rash or sanding gouges or any wire wheel burns etc. Very nice finish to paint.  



The only issue I have now is that i had exactly enough stripper to do three wheels. (I recommend doing two at a time to work each stage back and forth) I bought another bottle of stripper and wouldn't you know it, our nanny state of CA has demanded they change the formulation! So now I've got two wheels left (one spare) and a bottle of stripper of weaker strength than the original JASCO formula. . .

Yep, the CA approved formula turns out to be weaksauce. Took a whole bottle for two wheels and didn't do to well even then...

Went with VHT Graphite and its lighter than I thought it would be. I'll leave it for a bit and may have to go with a dark metallic gray.


VHT Graphite was just too light for my liking

And I was able to get the 255/70/17 Tires mounted as well. Bit taller than stock 18s. 
I'll swap them once I fix a few blemishes in the wheel paint.

Decided to go with Satin black after not liking the gray

So what do you think, go short and wide on tires or tall and skinny? Leave a comment










Comments

  1. RamziJanuary 17, 2022 at 6:37 PM

    Great write up! Were you able to fit these without a lift? Any rubbing offroad? What tires did you end up getting? All the ones in that size seem to be E load, do they ride harsh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NomadJanuary 17, 2022 at 7:38 PM

      They fit, no rubbing, because they are 255 and not the 285 width that most go for. Have not been offroad yet (its only been a few weeks so far). I have Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo3 I got as new Jeep take offs locally for just a few hundred dollars. I'm not doing crazy rock crawling so I should never have any issues with grip/use. I think they are just light truck rated, not full E or anything.

      Delete
    2. RamziJanuary 17, 2022 at 8:05 PM

      Oh k thanks. I misread and thought they were 255/80R17 (33.1 inch). I currently have some 265/70R17 Falken Wildpeaks but contemplating if the extra .75 inch of ground clearance is worth the hassle

      Delete

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