38 replies to this topic

[SuperDutyFWC]

Yep, if you want a firmer, or maybe more planted, ride, a larger wheel can help.  If you want a slightly more plush ride, especially off road, a smaller wheel will help.  When I say this I really mean taller sidewall, so same overall diameter tire (35"/17" vs 35"/20"), with a variety of wheel heights.  Changes the air'd down characteristics too.  The 20" wheels look nice, and will provide a firmer ride with less sidewall.  I prefer my 17" wheels, most of the time, especially off road.  I'll probably go against the grain here too, but I prefer a narrower tire too, so a 35" x 11.5" would be a perfect tire for me, but they aren't made in the pattern I want.

 

For a truck that does mostly highway miles, I'd put in air bags and taller wheels, if I was changing wheels at all.  I think you'll find that combo works really well.  For a truck that sees more gravel, rocks, washboard, I'd put in springs and smaller wheels/taller tires for more flex, combined with good quality shocks.

Edited by SuperDutyFWC, 13 July 2020 - 03:31 PM.

[CoreyTrevor]

Another important thing to me about bigger wheels/shorter sidewall is that shorter sidewalls put the rims closer to the rocks, where I find myself a lot of the time.

 

I would actually prefer that my 06 Dodge had 16" rims with 32s like my 4runner, rather than the 17s and 32s it has stock. Not going to happen though, with the big brakes it has. 

[SuperDutyFWC]

Yeah, as brakes get bigger, you have to put a bigger wheel on it.  I found the same thing for my truck.  Then again, as the tire gets taller, I want a little more wheel so it has some more lateral stability.  I'd like 37" tires and a 17" or 18" wheel, but I can't find the narrower width I want in the tire I want.  I guess if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

[CoreyTrevor]

I would like taller tires for a few reasons, but the truck is plenty tall now, as far as climbing into the cab. If it was taller my wife wouldn't be able to go with me anymore. 

 

I'm also going for good MPG, and big tires go the opposite direction. I may go up to 33s but stay the same width, to get the highway RPM down a bit. The 5.9 Cummins with the 6-speed in these years have a really low OD ratio.

[smlobx]

My 2016 F-350 came with 20” wheels and 34” tires stock. It also didn’t have any step bars which was a problem for my wife as well.

 

When the original tires wore out I upgraded to 295/65 R20 Toyo AT2’s which are 35” tires. I also have air bags in the rear and inflate them back to the near normal height (that is that the helper spring is about an inch for engaging). 
‘I also installed AMP research folding steps that work great. They are not rock guards but I don’t do any serious rock crawling with a rig this big...

 

‘Anyway, there’s plenty of clearance for my needs. Here’s a picture of my truck with the step deployed.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[WASURF63]

For reference...

2019 F250 CC 4WD 6.2 gas, no lift, LT285/75/18 Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT tires, 0 offset wheels, and Fox/BDS 2.0 shocks. 

2020 FWC Hawk Front Dinette fully optioned, full water and fuel tanks, and approx 500 lbs gear/food.

 

Door sticker listed payload: 3380

Truck squatted approx 1.5" in the rear with total added camper weight, and is still slightly higher in the rear.

No tire rubbing whatsoever, even at full lock. Recent 4500 mile trip incl hwy and off-hwy miles. Excellent handling with no noticeable sway on hwy and very minimal off hwy sway on trails. Have done numerous different suspensions / lifts on full size trucks, vans, and Toyota trucks and SUV's. I decided to keep this one 99% stock as to not change the vehicle's geometry too much. Very impressed with it's overall performance in mostly stock form.....BTW been over on ExPo for years, but not very recently active on that site or this one for quite some time, so, Hello Again!

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Welcome back!  Nice truck and camper!

[WASURF63]

Thanks!

[bwag]

Picked up the camper last Thursday, headed to the coast for the weekend.

Prior to install I got the Carli commuter lift and told the installer to leave the rear springs alone. I had Firestone airbags installed as well.

When I picked up my camper, I noticed a slight dip in the rear suspension so I had a little air added and it was level. As far as the ride, to me it’s great, feels great suspension soaks up the road bumps but isn’t too soft, handles great and power wise it’s barely any different. Camper came in at 1470lbs without propane tanks or 26 gallons of water on board.

Compared to my previous experience with my Tacoma and swift camper, fox suspension and Firestone airbags it’s night and day.