Best RIM Size Selection for Off Road

[2015owner2015]

I am thinking of making my 2015 somewhat more off road capable. I need to get new tires now and not quite ready to invest in wheels. My question is, for just light to moderate off road and also daily driver usage, are 18" wheels ok? Or should I be planning for 20"? Would I be throwing away my investment in the new 275/65/R18's?

 

[grdsman]

I am thinking of making my 2015 somewhat more off road capable. I'm need to get new tires now and not quite ready to invest in wheels. My question is, for just light to moderate off road and also daily driver usage, are 18" wheels ok? Or should I be planning for 20"? Would I be throwing away my investment in the new 275/65/R18's?

Less rim and more tire is the rule off-road. Serious guys for 4WD want 15” wheels, but probably not for tour Expedition. 20s don’t give you enough rubber between the wheel and rocks off-road, so give with an 18 at most. I’d probably be looking more at 17s if I was going to be in the rocks at all.

Mike


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[2015owner2015]

Less rim and more tire is the rule off-road. Serious guys for 4WD want 15” wheels, but probably not for tour Expedition. 20s don’t give you enough rubber between the wheel and rocks off-road, so give with an 18 at most. I’d probably be looking more at 17s if I was going to be in the rocks at all.

Mike


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Thanks! I'm realizing that my question doesn't really make sense. 275/65's are never going to be an off road tire.

So I guess what I'm really getting to, is the best tire/rim combination. Which you provided info. Thanks!

 

[Black]

There is a reason Raptors come with 17” wheels.
Go with the 18s you will be quite happy in both on road and off road situations.
I was going to step down to 17s but did not feel like buying new rims.
I do 90% pavement and gravel lanes but do odd road and the 18s have caused no issue.

 

[mjp2]

I second the 18" wheel recommendation. Solid on-road manners but still provides enough sidewall for the tires to bulge when aired down.

I've read that the ideal max wheel diameter for serious offroading is 2x sidewall. If you're running an 18" rim, you'll want 36" or taller tires, and 40s or taller for 20" rims. Again, that's serious offroading, which pretty much nobody is doing in a Bluebird-bus-length IRS Expedition.

 

[Munkiebunz3]

I concur with the 18s. Just make sure that you don't get too much offset. You want your tires to still fit inside the wheel wells for the flex. My 35x12.5x18 0 offset contact fenders so I need to find a solution like flaring or something.

 

[Icemanjones]

I agree with 17s. They are easier to find a good deal on just about any tire you choose and best for the reasons already mentioned. The general rule in tire size is less rubber in it means more expensive. Ask anyone who has had 20s and 17s.

 

[Jay Echstenkamper]

315/70R17 raptor take offs. With leveling kit of course!

 

[2015owner2015]

Reviving an older thread. To date the only mod I have made is a set of Bilstein 5100's. Unfortunately they were installed without stock adjustment, so no extra lift.

The tires are now shot and need to be replaced so I have to do something.

On my 2015, could I put 33's on my stock 18" wheel? Would they fit with no additional lift. What would be the correct tire specs.

I heard that adjusting the shocks is a lot of work, so if I do need a lift for the tires, I think I will just throw a Ready lift kit on it. But if I do need to lift, could I go with 35's? Would they fit? What would be the specs for the stock 18" wheel?

Appreciate any comments .

 

[tacoduck]

I run the 275/60/r20 on my Lexus. It’s a tall, skinny 33 inch tire. Not sure if it will work for the expo. My bfg’s are heavy, and I gave up 2-3 mpg as a result.

 

[StephenOsborne1]

Reviving an older thread. To date the only mod I have made is a set of Bilstein 5100's. Unfortunately they were installed without stock adjustment, so no extra lift.

The tires are now shot and need to be replaced so I have to do something.

On my 2015, could I put 33's on my stock 18" wheel? Would they fit with no additional lift. What would be the correct tire specs.

I heard that adjusting the shocks is a lot of work, so if I do need a lift for the tires, I think I will just throw a Ready lift kit on it. But if I do need to lift, could I go with 35's? Would they fit? What would be the specs for the stock 18" wheel?

Appreciate any comments .

If you have the ride height adjustable Bilsteins it is almost as much work to pull apart the shock as it is to install a readylift kit. You already have the hardware and won't cost anything but time, unless you are paying someone else to do it. I'd forgo the readylift and just adjust those sweet Bilsteins.

 

[wk99]

I'm running Nitto Terra Grappler G2 305/55r20 tires on my 2012 EL. Been running them for a year now and love them over the stock-size Michelin Defenders. They are just as quiet but perform much better when driving over gravel or unimproved roads. Now I'll never take this to do any serious off-roading lol since it is way too long. I mostly did it for the looks and also put a 3/2" ready lift kit on it and upgraded the gears from 3.73 to 4.56 so I wouldn't lose towing capacity. Not sure what you mean by "moderate" offroading but I'm guessing the 18" tires would do just fine. I don't imagine you will be rock crawling in an Expedition of any size unless you have a serious lift on it. If you just want to hit light trails your 18" tires will peform/feel better than my 33" tires. Best of luck!

 

[2015owner2015]

I wound up going with the ReadyLift with a set of Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek All-Season LT275/70R18 125Q's, 33" tires. I just stuck with the stock 18" rims. Turned out really nice!