Review: American Racing AR172 Baja Wheels

There’s more to wheels than just appearance. They also affect performance and, perhaps most importantly, durability. There’s a multitude of factors to consider in the world of wheels, from finish to weight to offset and more, but finding a happy medium of all of one’s wants and needs while keeping the price reasonable is a difficult task. American Racing has been a mainstay in the quality-meets-affordability wheel game for decades, and our experience with the company’s AR172 Baja tells us they’re still cranking out good products.

While a lot of new offerings for Toyota (and by proxy, Lexus) 4x4s have hit the market over the last few years, American Racing has never tailored its wheels specifically to the company’s off-roaders. But that shouldn’t stop prospective buyers from seeking out the AR172 Baja wheel, as it fits the Lexus GX460 perfectly in both form and function. We needed a specific diameter, width, and offset to fit our “pizza cutter” 34x10.5R17 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2s. Our AR172 Bajas are 17x8” and 0mm offset, so they not only sit flush with the fender but also are the appropriate width to allow for proper deflection and compression of the tire’s sidewall when aired down for off-roading.

Part of the reason we like the AR172 Baja is how it looks. That’s subjective, but this wheel has a classic, timeless appearance. Its design is akin to what might have been an aftermarket choice on 4x4s in the 1990s, and that’s because the wheel itself was. American Racing has been making the Baja in some guise for a few decades-- the father of yours truly had them on his YJ Wrangler in the 1990s-- and the way it looks never gets old. If anything, we enjoy how it almost brings down our Lexus GX460’s level of fancy, bringing it more in line with its domestic 4Runner and global Land Cruiser Prado siblings.

On the front of strength, the AR172 Baja is made out of cast aluminum. That means they can’t really be hammered back into shape should the need arise, but each individual wheel carries a 2,800 pound load rating. That’s more than enough for effectively any recreational off-road 4x4, but be sure to confirm this with your vehicle’s weight. That’s also a solid load rating considering each 17x8” AR172 Baja weighs only 25.31 pounds, which isn’t the lightest wheel available for this application, but it’s still fairly light considering that some comparably-priced offerings weigh in excess of 30 pounds each.

It’s important to keep in mind that any extra weight from the wheels translates to worse performance, worse fuel economy, faster wear on components, and more stress upon the drivetrain and steering. It may only be incremental, but it’s something, and keeping weight low only helps in the long run. This goes for everything from street cars to track cars to off-roaders.

Speaking of off-road, the wheels were tasked with a day in the woods almost immediately after going on our vehicle. Airing down the tires for off-road traction and compliance always brings a breath of nerves with it when doing so with new wheels, as if the wheels can’t hold the bead properly then it quickly turns into a day of repeated frustration. The American Racing wheels performed flawlessly, though we did quickly notice that the outermost lip of the bead is fairly exposed, as is evident by copious rock rash present after a day on the trails. Likewise, the valve stem has no protection. The same goes for the center cap, which protrudes severely and, at least in our case, will likely get hung up and broken by rocks. The conclusion is that those looking for a wheel specifically for rock crawling use would be better served looking elsewhere.

All-in-all, our experience with the American Racing AR172 Baja has been good. We don’t love how damage-prone the valve stem is, but as for a mix of weight, size, appearance, and price goes, these wheels represent a good compromise. Hardcore rock crawlers need not apply, but for the SUV owner who either is a medium-difficulty off-roader and/or wants to change up the look of their vehicle, this is a good choice at a good price.

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Thank you to RealTruck for providing the wheels for this test.