kyleb822

I am thinking about purchasing a set of 4 20" oem wheels with Pirelli tires. What is the difference in ride compared to the 18" wheels with larger tires? Has anyone taken off 18" to put on the factory 20"? Also how is the ride off road with those 20"s on?

Soby

I test drove a 07 FX4 with that tire setup.I did not care for the ride and the cab sounded like it was being shook apart.I ended up with a 07 screw cab with the 18s and love it.That's just my 2 cents.

kyleb822

Thanks that helps. I've read a lot of reviews on the Pirelli tires on the ford 20"s and people say that the ride is a lot rougher compared to the 18"s.

GymRat

I really believe that this is a personal preference. I have the 20" on my truck and they ride real good.

ATOM

the reason the truck you took for a test drive is the pirelli tires are junk, they get flat spots from sitting, even overnight my 20's used to be like riding on squares for the 1st mile of my commute. if you get the 20's, put a decent tire on it and you won't know the difference from 18's to 20's

Quatsino

I think that Pirelli should have something to say about this. Maybe Ford is getting tires from 2 different manufacturing plants...

My 20" Pirelli Scorpions ride smooth and quiet - my F150 with these tires is the quiestest vehicle by far that I have ever owned (over 30).

I had a post a long time back where I mentioned that the tires squared off while the truck was sitting for 2 weeks with the tires at 32 psi (winter - it was cold). They bumped slightly for less than 1km.

I run the tires at 40 psi and the truck can sit for several weeks - there is no flatspotting whatsoever - not even a little bit.

I'm not a Pirelli sales guy and will not promote them. Heck, I may not even buy them again when the time comes. But I think fair is fair my factory tire and wheel combination is faultless so far...

ATOM

i had my pirellis for like 1 week and i yanked them off, absolute junk. they got flat spots sitting for less than 17 hrs. not to mention they are crap in the snow, junk absolute junk. i will never run a pirelli tire on anything after these one. only reason ford put them on the trucks is because they are dirt cheap.

Quatsino

Any tire is an engineering compromise - the ATR was designed by Pirelli to appeal to the largest cross-section of people that buy a half ton pickup or larger SUV. It's an OEM tire no question and most of these vehicles don't see much dirt.

I'm certain that one of Ford's primary criteria was road noise and wet weather safety. The ATR does very well here as the road noise is almost non-existant for an on road/off road tire. Grib in wet conditions (big time in my area) seems really good.

Anyone that operates an on-off road bike will say that the tires are the biggest compromise in running down the highway and going off road. The effect is so great that any tire that runs well on the road is usually extremely disappointing in the dirt. Pure dirt tires are a death sentence on the pavement. Best choice here then is buy a motocrosser for off road and a street bike for the highway - tougher to do with a truck...

Part of the overall compromise is cost. My truck stickered at close to $50k CDN. Is Ford ripping me off? - maybe, but if the tires, or any other sub-component were the best that could be made then I would not be able to afford this vehicle at all.

ATOM

IMO any fullsize truck shouldn't come new with a P rated tire, everyone has different needs in a pickup, some don't leave the street, some use them as intended.

Soby

I'm not impressed with pirelli tires eather had them on a 06 Focus and hated them,(and the car).I agree a better tire would help but a taller sidewall will absorb more shock.Maby I'm old school but I still like the look of the 33/12.50/15s on my 79.In the end it's all about personal preference.