Toyota Fortuner facelift with 22-inch alloy wheels looks dapper

Toyota launched the facelifted version of the Fortuner last month in the Indian market. While there are no major changes in the vehicle, Toyota has introduced the more aggressively designed ‘Legender’ variant in the market too. Toyota has already started delivering the new facelifted version of the Fortuner and here is the first set of pictures that shows the SUV with massive 22-inch alloy wheels.

The bigger tyres are installed by Velocity Tyres based in Ludhiana, Punjab. They have uploaded a set of pictures showing the new Fortuner with bigger alloys from all around. We have to say that it looks very stylish and will definitely grab more attention on the roads.

Also read: 450 bhp Mercedes CLA 45 AMG sportscar for sale at a price cheaper than Fortuner

The new 22-inch wheels from R.P.M with 12-spoke design do look extremely good. Also, the silver finish on them makes them compliment the vehicle’s white paint. Since the size of the alloys is now up by quite a bit, the tyres are now low-profile. The alloy now gets 305/40 profile rubber that is quite low profile. However, it will seriously hamper the ride quality and off-road capability of the vehicle.

Low profile tyres also find it difficult to survive on the Indian roads that are full of potholes. Manufacturers who have tried offering larger alloy wheels with low profile tyres faced the issue of frequent tyre bursts due to the bad road conditions in the country. That is why one needs to be extremely careful and ensure that they do not hit a pothole at high speed to save the tyres.

Bigger tyres better?

Toyota offers 18-inch alloys with the higher-end variants. Upsizing the same to 22-inch is quite extreme. Upsizing by a few inches puts a negative impact on the suspension of the car. Also, it reduces the comfort level inside the vehicle. Since the low profile tyres do not have thick sidewalls, they cannot flex much and absorb the bumps on the roads. Also, the suspension is not designed to accommodate such large wheels and they do not function to their full potential. This is why the ride quality degrades drastically with the wheels that are much larger than the stock size.

Upsizing the tyres also affects the speedometer reading since that is calibrated to the size of the wheels. Also, braking, acceleration, turning radius and biggest of all – fuel efficiency gets affected by larger alloy wheels. Most dealerships do not void the warranty of the suspension for installing larger wheels but you should definitely check with your service centre if the car is covered under official warranty.

Toyota Fortuner

Toyota launched the Fortuner facelift earlier this year with two engine options – petrol and diesel. There are also a few changes to the design of the Fortuner that makes it look more aggressive and also sophisticated. Toyota continues to offer 4X2 and 4X4 options with the Fortuner but the Legender version, which is a more aggressive-looking variant of the car gets only 4X2 drivetrain. The car also gets a slew of changes inside the cabin too.

Also read: Mahindra Alturas gets much cheaper than the Toyota Fortuner thanks to 3 lakh discount