To go with 18” or 20” wheels on 23 Limited Max

[Flathead40]

We already have 30k miles on our 23 limited max and are looking at new wheels and tires. Not impressed with the ride quality of 22s and the generals are not holding balance. We do NOT have the CCD and given where we live 22” wheels are not ideal so looking to downsize to either 18” or 20”. I’m thinking of going with Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2s as the tire but not sure what wheel size would be best. We do lots of highway and gravel road driving and have yet to tow (use the F-150 for that).

Here’s the tire sizes I’m considering
18”
265/70 18 (timberline size 32.6”) would need to replace spare
Or
275/65 18 (XLT size 32.1”) can use stock spare

20”
275/55 20 (base limited 31.9”)
Or
275/60 20 (f-150 size 33”) need to buy a spare.

Just looking for the wisdom of the forum and any experience members have had doing this. Really looking for improved ride quality and durability.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Although any of the sizes you listed would work fine, it's been my experience that the wider tires with taller sidewalls help absorb more of the bumpiness & shocks of driving on gravel roads, resulting in not only a smoother ride, but less wear & tear on your suspension as a whole...

However, the 18" rims/tires will put the vehicle closer to the ground, so if any of those gravel roads might have anything larger than gravel sticking up, this should be a consideration....but other hand, you will have more clearance between the tire & the fenders, which could in turn allow for an even taller sidewall, but the main consideration here is with the front end and whether the taller tires will or will not touch/rub on the inside when the wheels are turned...plus that type of a setup does not do that well on the highway, so it's a balancing act either way..

Also note that the 275/55/20's were the OEM size on many of the older models (like my 011 EL), and for good reason...they were bigger & heavier than the newer vehicles, and they provided a very good balance of ride comfort on the highway, as well as on semi-smooth/gravel roads....

I just changed from the stock 275/55/20 Wrangler SR-A's to 265/65/20 Defenders with zero problems, while still getting good clearance and a smooth ride, but this may or may not be applicable to a '23 model...

Good luck with whatever you chose to do

 

[outdoorman]

I'd go with the 20" wheels. Seems like a good balance between ride quality and looks.

 

[duneslider]

It all depends on what you are after. I had 18's on my 2019 and now I have 22's on my 2020 and I am going back to 18's. The lower profile isn't great offroad and that is what I need. I honestly feel like the 22's are a bit harsher on road also. My 22's are hammered though, they just don't work for my lifestyle. If you want on road performance then 20-22 will be better.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Forgot to mention this in my previous post:

Tire Size Calculator

The best tire size calculator. Use our tire size calculator to find tire size specs and suggested tire sizes. Then check prices for all available tire sizes.

tiresize.com

This will show you a visual representation of the differences in tire/wheel sizes ie current vs proposed, and should help clarify what the possible differences will be in terms of sidewall height, diameter, width etc....also note the speedometer chart on the lower right side, which should be something to keep in mind if making a significant change in sizes

 

[GixxerJasen]

I went with 275/70 R18 which was pretty close to stock height (According to the above calculator) to not change much of the clearance, and they work perfectly. I personally like the looks and the ride quality especially on poorly maintained roads is night and day from the stock setup.

 

[Flathead40]

I went with 275/70 R18 which was pretty close to stock height (According to the above calculator) to not change much of the clearance, and they work perfectly. I personally like the looks and the ride quality especially on poorly maintained roads is night and day from the stock setup.

I do like the look of those Tremor wheels on the Expedition. Did you have to trim the rear axles stubs for those to fit the center caps or is that just some of the F-150 wheels that require that? The 275/70-18s are typically load range E. Any issues with the stiffness of the sidewall as far a ride comfort?

 

[GixxerJasen]

I do like the look of those Tremor wheels on the Expedition. Did you have to trim the rear axles stubs for those to fit the center caps or is that just some of the F-150 wheels that require that? The 275/70-18s are typically load range E. Any issues with the stiffness of the sidewall as far a ride comfort?

Yes, trimming is required for all the F150 wheels that I know of. Needs to be done to fit the centercap. I did a bunch of measuring and then hit it with the sawzall. It's some hard metal, took my time and used a couple of blades but it was easy enough work as long as the weather is cooperative. Totally worth it to me as I love these wheels especially with the color of the truck, it's a fantastic match.



I wanted some decent tires as we were headed to Moab for Thanksgiving week and they worked great. They might be stiff tires but the ride is freaking plush compared to the ride with the 22's. I think if the tires were softer it'd affect the handling. It still handles curves pretty well with this setup for the big lumbering pig that it is.

 

[aksarben]

I went with 275/70 R18 which was pretty close to stock height (According to the above calculator) to not change much of the clearance, and they work perfectly. I personally like the looks and the ride quality especially on poorly maintained roads is night and day from the stock setup.

View attachment 81880

View attachment 81881

Did you sell your stock 22's? I just got some 20' and plan to sell the 22's that look like yours. If you did, where'd you advertise and what did you get for them, if you care to share.

Thanks.

 

[GixxerJasen]

Did you sell your stock 22's? I just got some 20' and plan to sell the 22's that look like yours. If you did, where'd you advertise and what did you get for them, if you care to share.

Thanks.

Sold them locally with the tires on them for I think $1000 advertised on Facebook. Took a bit of patience and dealing with the "Are these still available?" messages and the never ending haggling, but eventually a guy bought them to put on his F150. They were in 9/10 condition so he was very happy to get them and paid asking price.

 

[aksarben]

Sold them locally with the tires on them for I think $1000 advertised on Facebook. Took a bit of patience and dealing with the "Are these still available?" messages and the never ending haggling, but eventually a guy bought them to put on his F150. They were in 9/10 condition so he was very happy to get them and paid asking price.

Wow, that is a good price. Best I have seen them from the wheel refinishing companies is about $650 per wheel. I hope to get more for mine when the time comes to sell them.

Unfortunately, the promise that the 20" wheels I bought would work on my EXPY turned out to be wrong. On the search again, so many of these places don't even know what fits what. I want wheels that fit as they should, meaning no spacers or cutting the axle threads off.

 

[GixxerJasen]

If it's not Expedition specific, then you are gonna have to cut. It's really no big deal and pretty easy and you get to put on what you want.

My wheels had a few bits of curb rash from the previous owner, but considering I got brand new wheels for $1200, getting a grand for my old ones went a long way. And it did take a while to get rid of them even at that price.

 

[aksarben]

I don't want to have a claim denied should I ever have one on my Premiumcare EW because the axles were cut down. Pretty much have the part numbers figured out now so if I can get the seller to shoot a pic of the stampings on the back of the wheel, I will know if I am getting EXPY specific wheels.

 

[johninsac]

Yes, trimming is required for all the F150 wheels that I know of. Needs to be done to fit the centercap. I did a bunch of measuring and then hit it with the sawzall. It's some hard metal, took my time and used a couple of blades but it was easy enough work as long as the weather is cooperative. Totally worth it to me as I love these wheels especially with the color of the truck, it's a fantastic match.

View attachment 81887

I wanted some decent tires as we were headed to Moab for Thanksgiving week and they worked great. They might be stiff tires but the ride is freaking plush compared to the ride with the 22's. I think if the tires were softer it'd affect the handling. It still handles curves pretty well with this setup for the big lumbering pig that it is.

Is there any reason why you opted not to add wheel spacers?

 

[GixxerJasen]

Is there any reason why you opted not to add wheel spacers?

I'm not a fan of spacers, don't like what they do to the geometry, didn't want my wheels sticking out and flinging more rocks and stuff on my paint. The extra threads on the axle are unnecessary and it was easy and cheap to shorten them. I also wasn't going to store my stock wheels and sold them, so there was never a need for me to consider "Going back to stock" at some point.

It's only going to affect a warranty claim if your claim is on the axles. I'll take that risk, because I can't remember ever seeing someone on here having problems with them. Ultimately, if you search around, there's a long laundry list of negatives to using wheel spacers, there's pretty much no negative to this modification.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

I too went with 18" wheels, pulled off a F150 'appearance package' or some such (seen the same wheels on a fx4) to replace the 22's my 'stealth' came with.

10000 miles of Mexican roads this winter made me very glad I did.

 

[aksarben]

Ok, the drama continues. I have another set of wheels that are for the EXPY this time, but the refinisher powder coated the backside of the wheel and the hub centric center. So.... will see how tough they are to install. Of course they claim it's a better way to go than masking off the mating surfaces and provides a longer lasting finish on the wheels. If this turns out to be too big of a PITA I may go with some wheels that aren't refinished and cut the axles ends off. I have read plenty of negatives on how powder coating the whole will can cause problems, yet this wheel company has 10's of thousands of satisfied customers. So who knows, will let my experience decide if I have a positive or negative experience.

@Left Coast Geek - Do you have a load level/lift setup on your EXPY? Looks nice!

 

[GixxerJasen]

Interesting, I can't imagine how a powder coated surface is as smooth/flat as a machined surface, but will be interested to see your results.

 

[bb37]

I can't imagine how a powder coated surface is as smooth/flat as a machined surface, but will be interested to see your results.

The powder coating process blows a fine powder of plastic onto a surface and then raises the temperature to melt the plastic. While molten, the plastic can conform to the surface and fill in the microscopic nooks and crannies.

A bare machined surface is likely to be fairly rough at a microscopic level. The process of cutting metal with a lathe or mill actually tears tiny bits of metal from the surface leaving the surface a little rough. How rough depends mostly on the material, the tool used, the speeds and feeds used, and the skill of the operator. A machined surface would have to be ground to make it smoother and even then, the grinding wheel is just tearing even smaller bits of metal from the surface.

Powder coating is the way to go.

 

[aksarben]

I just wish they would've masked them off to begin with. They said they used to do that and had problems with peeling at the masked edge. Also said they may be a bit tight to install the first time and that once they are torqued on to remove them and re-torque them that should help them "seat".