I have a 2003 Toyota Sienna with standard factory alloy wheels and tires on it. The wheels are 15" x 6.5". A few years ago I saw a Sienna with different alloy wheels, and I really liked 'em. I have been seeing the same (likeable) wheels on Camrys recently; in fact I found a guy who’s willing to swap his wheels for mine. Thing is, Camry wheels are 15" x 6", a half inch narrower than mine, and I have not been able to find the same style wheel in 15" x 6.5".
I’ve done some research and found that the bolt and bore pattern are the same, and offsets are close (within 7mm).
Assuming the wheels mount up and don’t crash into bodywork or suspension or brake parts, is this swap a mechanically sound (or at least reasonable) thing to do?
IMO, you’ll loose some traction ability (not much), and some handling ability. They’ll work, they just won’t provide quite the same handling characteristics as the originals. It also dpeends on wheter you stick with the same tires. Tires normally will fit a range of rim widths, so if you us ethe same dimension tires, you should be OK.
I expect Capri to chime in…he’s a tire guy more than I.
I agree with chaissos in general. You have a larger vehicle with rims that are greater in width. The standard tires on a Sienna are larger then a Camry. I doubt that there will be a noticeable difference in performance when lightly loaded. Because the rim width will affect the tire width when mounted and though the air pressure may be the same, I’ll bet there will be a more significant difference in heavy load carrying performance, say when cornering. I think they know what they are doing and I would never go smaller on a vehicle you could load up like a van.
If the bolt pattern is the same, they will probably work for you, but your wider wheels may not work for the other guy’s Camry. Things don’t always work out for everybody. I used to have a late '80s Chevy 3/4 ton 2WD pickup with 16" six lug steel wheels. I had an opportunity to buy some 16" aluminum Z71 rims. The bolt pattern was the same and I thought they should work, but the aluminum wheels, with their thicker casting (necessary to make them strong enough) compared to the stamped steel rims they would have replaced, would not clear the control arms on my truck. One of you may run into a similar problem, most likely the guy with the Camry.
Mark has it right. The other guy may well find that the wheels rub on the inside fender liner. And then again, maybe he won’t. It won’t hurt to try it, but be ready to swap 'em back if either of you has problems.
