Holden Colorado Rims: Sizing Up a Refresh

Holden Colorado rims are the single highest-impact change you can make to one of these utes. The Colorado has generous arches and fairly plain factory wheels, so a new set shifts the look of the whole vehicle more than a bar or a canopy would.

Most Colorados on the road now have a few years and a lot of work behind them, which shapes the decision a little.

What to sort first

Know which Colorado you have. The RG is the later of the two common generations and is the one Nomad rims are listed against. The earlier RC is a different vehicle. If you are not certain which you own, check before ordering rather than after.

Look at the hubs while the wheels are off. On a ute with years of service behind it, a wheel change is the easiest opportunity you will get to inspect studs and hub faces. Take it.

Be realistic about the rest of the ute. New rims on a tidy Colorado transform it. New rims on a tired one can make everything else look worse by comparison. Worth a moment's honesty before you spend.

Holden Colorado rims: 17 or 18 inch

Nomad rims come in 17 inch and 18 inch, and the Colorado wears both well.

Seventeen inch is the working size. More sidewall means better absorption on corrugations, more protection for the rim on rocky tracks, and scope to air down on sand. It also opens up the widest choice of all terrain and mud terrain tyres in the load ratings a loaded ute wants, usually at a better price.

Eighteen inch does more for the look. The Colorado's arches have room for it, and a bigger rim fills them properly in a way the factory wheel never quite managed. If the ute has moved to lighter duty, this is where the visual payoff is.

Plenty of Colorados are now second utes or tow vehicles rather than primary workhorses. If that describes yours, the 18 is a fair call.

Finish on an older ute

Satin black works particularly well here. On a ute with some age on it, satin reads as a deliberate choice rather than an attempt to look new, and it hides dust and brake dust between washes.

Machined face brings brightness and detail, which can genuinely lift faded paint by giving the eye something sharp to land on. It sits under a clear lacquer and wants reasonable care.

Dark tint sits between the two and suits a Colorado still earning its keep.

The alloy wheel cleaning guide covers the upkeep each one needs.

Rims and wheels

Same product, two words. The rim is technically the barrel the tyre seats against and the wheel is the full assembly, but in Australian usage they mean the same thing. If you searched for Colorado rims and the listings say wheels, you have found the right thing.

Fitment

Offset is what decides whether a rim sits correctly under the guard. It is the distance from the mounting face to the rim's centreline, and lower numbers push the wheel outward.

If you are moving away from the factory figure, do it deliberately. Too far out and the tyre catches the guard lip under compression or at full lock. Fitting wider tyres at the same time tightens the inner and outer clearance together, so choose tyre width and offset as one decision. The wheel offset guide covers how to read and measure it.

Where to look

The Nomad Holden Colorado range lists what suits the Colorado across both diameters and the available finishes, and there is more on the generation specifically in the RG Colorado wheel guide.

If the tub is next on the list, the roller shutter range covers that, and the installation and maintenance guide sets out torque and re-torque once the rims are fitted.