F150RACERED

Ok, fairly new here, but can someone please explain to me the differences in the truck performance with 20" rims vs 18 Inch ? All things being equal on same vehicle?

1) Ride height still same ?
2) Better gas Milage ?
3) Worse Gas Mileage ?
4) smoother ride?
5) rougher ride ?
6) more torque for off-roading?
7) less torque for off-roading?
8) more RPM at 60 MPH ?
9) less RPM at 60 MPH ?

why would anyone want bigger rims vs small rims other than looks / esthetics?

thx

klen

Larger wheels aren't good for much other than looks. The diameter of the tire remains the same so torque and ride height is basically unchanged. The wheel weighs more per inch than a tire, so larger wheels make for more unsprung weight, so slightly more resistance to motion. The ride will be rougher because of a less cushy sidewall. Handling may improve slightly because of less sidewall flex. Mileage might be very slightly better with smaller wheels because of weight but not much if at all.

rogerswt

If you want to air-down off-road for max traction, 20's don't give you enough sidewall to do it. 18's are good in this respect, but 17's are even better. That's why they equip the Raptor with 17's.

B-ManFX4

That is not true, all values outside of the wheel diameter being the same.

A 275/65/18 is 2" shorter than a 275/65/20.

Actually, on trucks, most tires (especially AT or "off-road" tires) weigh more than the wheel they are mounted on. For example, the 20" factory wheel on my FX4 weighs 43 lbs. The BFG AT-KO2 in 275/55/20 weighs 53 lbs.

Larger diameter tires roll fewer revolutions per mile than smaller diameter tires.

It's all about usage. If your truck is going to see lots of off-road activity that requires lowering air pressure, climbing over rocks, etc. a wheel & tire package with lots of tough sidewall is what you will probably want. If your truck will mostly see lots of "spirited" street driving where cornering is important, a larger diameter wheel combination will give you better handling. If you are like 99.999% of Americans who just drive their truck like they drive a car, put what you like on and don't over-think it. The weight and what-not will not make enough of a difference for you to tell any changes in mileage, etc. Road noise and traction would be the real consideration for me in that instance.

Delavan

Mine had the 18" inch wheels/tires combo swapped by the dealer for 20" PVD, free of charge (off another truck on the lot).
My payload sticker has the 18" ratings. did I decrease payload by going 20's?

These are the tires mounted on the 20" pvd from the factory.

https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires...rain-adventure

BShadows

B-manFX4 offered up the best answer here. Off-road tires are HEAVY. Go with what looks best to you.

For me, staying with a 20 makes sense since this truck won't see dirt too often. I prefer the lighter weight tire for daily driving over the heavier ply off-road tires common with the thick side wall look.

For 20's I think the 275/60/R20 looks really good and that is a 33" tire that doesn't require any type of lift or level.

adaycj

According to my window sticker the 20s that were supposed to be on my truck were 275/55 20 so they were the same rolling radius or revs per mile. They were removed and the 18s were added instead. I was happy, and they took $1000 off my bill. My speedo is almost perfect compared to my GPS, both a hand held unit and my phone. I didn't want mess with reprogramming so I checked with my phone before I signed.

The ride was "better". I actually like a firm responsive ride, but I also live in an area of the country that has roads that look like a hiking trail. I see an quite a few posts about ride quality. I see the "light truck" get blamed on occasion. I wonder how much of it has to do with tires and wheels.

My opinions of this stuff apparently don't match the trends. I don't like big lifted trucks. I don't like tires that stick out of the wheel wells. I think a truck with some rubber filling the wheel wells looks nice. In my world pickup truck wheels need to be big enough to clear the drums or calipers. My opinion doesn't matter though, 9 out of 10 new trucks here are on 20's.

BShadows

I'm with you, I don't like much of a lift. I prefer the stock height, maybe a very small lift to fit a slightly larger tire. Lower center of gravity with the biggest tires you can fit is what I prefer.

bubbabud

Just curb a 20" compared to a 17" or 18" then sort the damage and decide if the looks is worth the cost.

BShadows

How often are you curbing your wheels?

I've ran low profile tires on 18's for 13 years, i've only curbed a wheel a total of one time, and that was because of a snow storm where I slid in to a turn and knicked the curb.