Towing with 22" Limited Wheels
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Towing with 22" Limited Wheels
Hi all,
Got a great deal on some 22" Limited wheels for my XLT (with 18"). I plan on towing cars to shows with it. My truck is equipped to tow about 11,000 pounds in its current configuration. How much will swapping out the 18" wheels with the 22" wheels affect my hauling capacity?
Got a great deal on some 22" Limited wheels for my XLT (with 18"). I plan on towing cars to shows with it. My truck is equipped to tow about 11,000 pounds in its current configuration. How much will swapping out the 18" wheels with the 22" wheels affect my hauling capacity?
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From: Michigan
Things to check:
Load rating of the tires. Should be easy to find as they're labeled.
Load rating of the rims, might be harder. How much do you know about the donor vehicle. Knowing what the front and rear axle ratings on it might help a bit.
In either case, it's a matter of finding the lowest rated part in the system.
Load rating of the tires. Should be easy to find as they're labeled.
Load rating of the rims, might be harder. How much do you know about the donor vehicle. Knowing what the front and rear axle ratings on it might help a bit.
In either case, it's a matter of finding the lowest rated part in the system.
I wouldnt tow 11,000# on 22 inch wheels!
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I'm afraid I don't know anything about the donor vehicle. If I go 305-45-22, then the tires will hold 2916 pounds per tire. 275-45-22 is only 2500 a tire.
Honesty, I think my ballpark towing range will be 3000-6000 pounds. The truck is able to do more as it is currently equipped. Easier for a truck rated to tow 11,000 to pull 5000, than a truck rated to tow 5,000.
Honesty, I think my ballpark towing range will be 3000-6000 pounds. The truck is able to do more as it is currently equipped. Easier for a truck rated to tow 11,000 to pull 5000, than a truck rated to tow 5,000.
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I'm afraid I don't know anything about the donor vehicle. If I go 305-45-22, then the tires will hold 2916 pounds per tire. 275-45-22 is only 2500 a tire.
Honesty, I think my ballpark towing range will be 3000-6000 pounds. The truck is able to do more as it is currently equipped. Easier for a truck rated to tow 11,000 to pull 5000, than a truck rated to tow 5,000.
Honesty, I think my ballpark towing range will be 3000-6000 pounds. The truck is able to do more as it is currently equipped. Easier for a truck rated to tow 11,000 to pull 5000, than a truck rated to tow 5,000.
Grumpy Old Man
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From: Midland County Texas, just west of the star in my avatar
How much will swapping out the 18" wheels with the 22" wheels affect my hauling capacity?
For towing, wheel diameter is not important. Tire revs/mile is impotant. In a nutshell, the diameter and rolling radius of the tire is important, because revs/mile is based on the rolling radius. Stock-size 22" Limited tires and 18" XLT tires are very close to the same diameter, so towing performance should be very close to the same.
How can that be? Because of the middle number in the tire size - 45 vs. 65. 45 is a very low-profile tire without a lot of height in the sidewall. Thus less rolling radius and less revs/mile
22" Limited stock-size tires are 275/45R22 with 654 revs/mile.
18" XLT stock-size tires are 275/65R18 with 648 revs/mile.
654 minus 648 = 6, divided by 648 = less than one percent difference in effective axle ratio. So your drivetrain won't know the difference if you stick to stock-size 22" tires. Your GCWR and tow rating won't change enough to notice.
If I go 305-45-22, then the tires will hold 2916 pounds per tire. 275-45-22 is only 2500 a tire.
And the 305s are taller than the 275s, so the revs/mile is less. That changes the effective rear axle ratio, and thus your towing capacity.
305/45R22 = 635 revs/mile = 19 revs/mile less than the 275s 19 divided by 648 = 3% change in axle ratio. So if your axle is 3.31, your effective alxe ratio will be 3.21. That's enough difference that you will notice it.
So stick with the 275s if towing capaity is a concern.
Last edited by smokeywren; Dec 3, 2018 at 11:58 AM.
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Not enough to notice, if you stick to stock-size 22" tires.
For towing, wheel diameter is not important. Tire revs/mile is impotant. In a nutshell, the diameter and rolling radius of the tire is important, because revs/mile is based on the rolling radius. Stock-size 22" Limited tires and 18" XLT tires are very close to the same diameter, so towing performance should be very close to the same.
How can that be? Because of the middle number in the tire size - 45 vs. 65. 45 is a very low-profile tire without a lot of height in the sidewall. Thus less rolling radius and less revs/mile
22" Limited stock-size tires are 275/45R22 with 654 revs/mile.
18" XLT stock-size tires are 275/65R18 with 648 revs/mile.
654 minus 648 = 6, divided by 648 = less than one percent difference in effective axle ratio. So your drivetrain won't know the difference if you stick to stock-size 22" tires. Your GCWR and tow rating won't change enough to notice.
Thank you for that information. Very much appreciated.
2500 per tire is 5,000 per axle. Your GAWR is less than 4,000 pounds, so you don't need more than 2500 per tire.
And the 305s are taller than the 275s, so the revs/mile is less. That changes the effective rear axle ratio, and thus your towing capacity.
305/45R22 = 635 revs/mile = 19 revs/mile less than the 275s 19 divided by 648 = 3% change in axle ratio. So if your axle is 3.31, your effective alxe ratio will be 3.21. That's enough difference that you will notice it.
So stick with the 275s if towing capaity is a concern.
For towing, wheel diameter is not important. Tire revs/mile is impotant. In a nutshell, the diameter and rolling radius of the tire is important, because revs/mile is based on the rolling radius. Stock-size 22" Limited tires and 18" XLT tires are very close to the same diameter, so towing performance should be very close to the same.
How can that be? Because of the middle number in the tire size - 45 vs. 65. 45 is a very low-profile tire without a lot of height in the sidewall. Thus less rolling radius and less revs/mile
22" Limited stock-size tires are 275/45R22 with 654 revs/mile.
18" XLT stock-size tires are 275/65R18 with 648 revs/mile.
654 minus 648 = 6, divided by 648 = less than one percent difference in effective axle ratio. So your drivetrain won't know the difference if you stick to stock-size 22" tires. Your GCWR and tow rating won't change enough to notice.
Thank you for that information. Very much appreciated.
2500 per tire is 5,000 per axle. Your GAWR is less than 4,000 pounds, so you don't need more than 2500 per tire.
And the 305s are taller than the 275s, so the revs/mile is less. That changes the effective rear axle ratio, and thus your towing capacity.
305/45R22 = 635 revs/mile = 19 revs/mile less than the 275s 19 divided by 648 = 3% change in axle ratio. So if your axle is 3.31, your effective alxe ratio will be 3.21. That's enough difference that you will notice it.
So stick with the 275s if towing capaity is a concern.
Last edited by William D.; Dec 3, 2018 at 12:57 PM.
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Ford is very misleading in their half ton tow ratings in my opinion.
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You should have heard the salesman.
"Ford is very conservative with those numbers, so if they say 10,000, you could probably tow a max of 14-15,000".
I've also got the trailer tow package, with Pro Trailer Assist and a few other tow options. Ideally, the most I'd ask it to do is tow a 5400 pound 70's Lincoln Continental on a trailer, so 6500-7000 pounds max. If it'll do that and not act like I'm beating it to death, I'll be happy.
"Ford is very conservative with those numbers, so if they say 10,000, you could probably tow a max of 14-15,000".
I've also got the trailer tow package, with Pro Trailer Assist and a few other tow options. Ideally, the most I'd ask it to do is tow a 5400 pound 70's Lincoln Continental on a trailer, so 6500-7000 pounds max. If it'll do that and not act like I'm beating it to death, I'll be happy.
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Depends on the trailer too. A car hauler with twin axles can have a light ball weight yet still be stable. In that case no worries about the weight ratings on the rims. You already determined weight ratings on the tires, the rims will be more difficult. The most important thing to consider is not the overall trailer weight, but the amount of weight pressing down on the rear of the truck. If the trailer, when properly loaded, stays within the payload ratings, regardless of how much it weighs (but still within the tow guide GCWR), then you will be good to go.