At last, the new wheels and tires are on the Sequoia. Finally gave up on Raceline Wheels. Four months of waiting due to unexplained delays and outrageously rude customer reps made me decide to tell them where they could stick their wheels and order from another outfit.

Finally decided on some Fuel Off Road Throttle wheels in 18 inch wrapped with 305/60 R18 Nitto Terra Grapplers. Quite happy with how the combination turned out, especially with the fender flares which, after initially installing them, had second thoughts about as they made the stock wheels look rather odd. As it turns out the new wheels line up with the flares quite nicely.

When I first had the wheels installed, the tire shop had ordered the wrong lug nuts. As such, the center caps would not fit. Fortunately, the center hub on the wheel of the Sequoia was black so they matched fairly well. The shop made good though by having some proper nuts brought in a few days later. They also had some issues with the TPMS sensors. When the new wheels were installed the dash light indicated a malfunction in the system. It was intermittent and every time we took it back to the shop, the system would start working again. Finally it failed for good and after some over the phone training of the service tech by Toyota, they discovered they had programmed the sensors using outdated software. At any rate, once the problem was discovered, they fixed it in quick order.

Even with the Revtek lift there is very minor rubbing at left full lock in reverse. Haven't done anything to fix it yet as the rubbing is so slight.

Next up will probably be the installation of a grill guard and some driving lights.

Here's a few more photos including the SEQUOIA inserts I just installed on the tailgate earlier today.

really nice! i like it. how much it cost you to get revtek installed?

Wow, what a difference. Looks sweet, congrats on finally getting everything done!

That looks great. It almost make me regret buying a platinum a little. Where did you get those inserts for the tailgate?

Thanks for the compliments. Pretty happy with how the look of the truck is coming. Still have a few ideas for future projects.

As for the Revtek, the kit cost me just under $400 to have my Toyota dealer to install. The inserts for the tailgate were ordered from eBay. Just do a search using "Sequoia Logo Inserts" and it will come up. Otherwise, go to the B&I Web site and you can get them there.

Looks great!

where and how much did you pay for the fender flares? did they come painted?

where and how much did you pay for the fender flares? did they come painted?


Ordered the fender flares through a local automotive supply shop (Lordco). Paid about $250 (with a corporate discount) and then had to have them painted – another $300. I believe you can find them painted on eBay and TRD Sparks, however, as mine is the Magnetic Gray, a color new to the Sequoia for 2011, I had to get them custom painted. Colors for the Sequoia up to 2010 are available through those sites I mentioned.

That looks great. It almost make me regret buying a platinum a little. Where did you get those inserts for the tailgate?

Forgot to mention to you, there is a Revtek kit available for the Platinum trim model if you are looking for a lift. I believe it uses the same lift kit as the Limited up front but uses the Platinum's own air suspension to lift the back. Not exactly sure how it works but it "tricks" the auto-leveling feature into lifting the rear of the Sequoia to match the new height up front. Check out Revtek's web site for details.

Now that the wheels and tires are on the truck I figured it was time to install the bush guard I've had sitting around the garage for several months. It is from DeeZee and I think it will be a good platform for mounting some PIAA driving lights.

A word of warning however. Despite being advertised as being model specific, the installation was far more difficult than I had counted on. Just behind the lower grille of the Sequoia are two air deflectors, one on each side. They channel the air towards the radiator and transmission cooler. I don't know if there have been any changes in the design of these deflectors over the years but for my 2011, the deflectors interfere with the mounting of the two brackets that come through the lower grille. Without moving these deflectors is is impossible to mount the bush guard. Moving them was not easy as the plastic tabs that connect them to the grille are almost inaccessible. After quite awhile, I was able to move the driver's side deflector out of the way. The passenger side did cause a problem until attaching the bar mounting bracket to the internal bracket which in turn attaches to the lower radiator mount. Following the order of the instructions makes mounting the brackets impossible and I had to change the order items to be mounted to make it finally work. As well, the quick release latches for tilting the bar forward to facilitate opening the hood are essentially worthless. Adjusting them so they release enough pressure to tilt the bar forward leaves them too loose when tightened and the guard will, over time while driving, move. To make it more secure I had to tighten the bolts to such an extent as to need to pack a small wrench in the truck at all times should I need to loosen the bar to get under the hood. While I like the looks, the installation was a PITA. If I had to do it over again I'd probably just go with a bull bar to mount lights on. Will try it for awhile and see how it works.

It is looking good

Can you include
1 the backspacing or offset of the wheels and
2 your impression of the change in ride quality. I have the money to do wheels tires and lift to my 2011 sr5 4x4 but i cant get myself to do it because i love the smooth ride so much. Also how bad has you mpgs gotten after all the install.

Other than all that i loooooove the way your truck looks. I will be getting the pro comp 7031 in 20" and the same tires as you. Any way good luck with everything. you car looks amazing.

Can you include
1 the backspacing or offset of the wheels and
2 your impression of the change in ride quality. I have the money to do wheels tires and lift to my 2011 sr5 4x4 but i cant get myself to do it because i love the smooth ride so much. Also how bad has you mpgs gotten after all the install.

Other than all that i loooooove the way your truck looks. I will be getting the pro comp 7031 in 20" and the same tires as you. Any way good luck with everything. you car looks amazing.

Thanks for the compliments. Much appreciated.

Wheels are 18" with a 25mm offset. Overall the ride quality is virtually unchanged from stock - still very smooth. Ride in the back might be a little stiffer after the lift but not much. Going from a 20" tire to 18" tire with a "D" rating maintained the factory ride. Going to an "E" rated tire would have degraded the ride to an unacceptable level. The only time I've noticed the ride to be too harsh is after I've inflated the rear airbags for towing and left them inflated when I disconnect the trailer. Turns out I didn't need the airbags anyway as the equalizer hitch I have keeps the back from sagging.

The only difference in the handling of the vehicle comes from the wider tires. Many of the roads in our area have moderate to deep groves in the pavement due to all the heavy trucks passing through the area. The wide tires have a tendency to wander a bit when on these roads. I was warned about it from other users and it's a little disconcerting the first couple of times but you get used to it. As for the mileage, I have not noticed any appreciable difference as the circumference of the wheels is only about 2% larger than stock. As a matter of fact, the speedometer is perfectly matched to my GPS now whereas before is was always out by a couple of mph. Based solely on the trip computer, highway mileage is unchanged. In the city, at most it's 1 or 2 mpg lower, mainly due to the increased weight of the wheel/tire combination. Since most of my driving in on the highway and I'm pretty light on the gas, it was worth it, IMO.

All in all I wouldn't hesitate to do the mods again. My wife was a little concerned about all the changes and how they would impact the ride quality. She has found no difference and loves how the truck rides.

Look forward to seeing some pictures of you truck with the new wheels/tires.

Sweet looking ride. Nice work.

Sweet very interesting. I will be placing my order soon. The only problem is i just found out that the wheels i want are on a nation wide back order.

You also mentioned you get a little rub at full lock in reverse. Can you confirm the the rub is from the inside of the tire on the frame or what. My wheels are a 0 offset so it will resolve that if so.

any chance you want to meassure the height of your sequoia? From ground up to roof rack.
tia

Tire rub on at full lock, turned left and coming from where the outer most section of the tire rubbing against the fender lining, just to the inside of the mud flap. Hope that makes sense. Only rubs due to the 305s. If I was running 295 there wouldn't be any rubbing at all. As for the height of the truck, it's about 82" tall, however, that is with the stock wheels and winter tires that I'm running right now. With the Fuel wheels and Nitto tires, add about one-half to one inch. If height is critical, such as putting the vehicle in a garage, keep in mind that the roof rack is curved and slightly higher in the middle. With my garage, I only have about one inch clearance.

Are you airbags inflated at all? I'm only at 79" on a 33" tire.

Airbags are only inflated to the minimum pressure, about 5 psi.

Did you ever change the alinement setting for the back? I speaking about the 3 degree +- of negative camber. I have wheels and tires now just need to pick up the lift and slap it all together. I can't see running that much camber on new toyo open countrys mt.tia

I love the look of this truck. Very nicely done! I think it's great that you stuck with the 18" wheel size, and it still looks amazing. Certainly just a nice a look (if not nicer) than the usual look with the 22"+ wheels. The big tires and fender flares definitely complete the whole look. Just a good combination all around.

Did you ever change the alinement setting for the back? I speaking about the 3 degree +- of negative camber. I have wheels and tires now just need to pick up the lift and slap it all together. I can't see running that much camber on new toyo open countrys mt.tia

I had an alignment done following the installation of the lift kit and new wheels and tires just to make sure everything was in order. I don't know the specifics but, according to my tire shop, there was some slight adjustment required.

I love the look of this truck. Very nicely done! I think it's great that you stuck with the 18" wheel size, and it still looks amazing. Certainly just a nice a look (if not nicer) than the usual look with the 22"+ wheels. The big tires and fender flares definitely complete the whole look. Just a good combination all around.

Thanks. Very pleased with the look so far. Hoping to do a few more mods this summer and hopefully a new exhaust system.

Looks great. Question for you though, do they offer a lowering kit?

I've never come across a lowering kit for the Sequoia but then again I've never looked. Personally, I don't like the lowered look and don't think it would look good on the Sequoia, but that's just my preference.

Great looking ride cariboo!

Quick question, Did your front sonar ( parking Sensor) get affected with the addition of that grille gaurd?

Also im looking for the push bar look so can the guards that come out to cover the lights be removed? or is it one piece that may require so fabrication to remove?

Thanks for the help bud!

Great looking ride cariboo!

Quick question, Did your front sonar ( parking Sensor) get affected with the addition of that grille gaurd?

Also im looking for the push bar look so can the guards that come out to cover the lights be removed? or is it one piece that may require so fabrication to remove?

Thanks for the help bud!

Thanks Ali_q8t,

As for the bush guard, no, it doesn't affect the sonar at all. The side guards for the headlights, at least the outer bar, is welded directly to the push bar frame, although the smaller bars in front of the headlight are removable. I'm sure a fabrication shop could easily weld some mounts on the bar after cutting them off so they could be mounted or taken off easily enough. Tried to find a straight push bar myself but didn't find one. After adding the full bush guard, decided I liked the look so have just kept it that way.