Is it worth downsizing the wheels and tires?

[Black]

Are you all really comparing ride quality from a Bentley to an Expedition and solely basing it upon the size of the tire?

As to the question it all depends on what you plan on doing with your truck.

I enjoy to go off road. Not a snowball chance in hell I’d run a 22” wheel.
Very slim chance I would run a 20” wheel.

If i bought aftermarket wheels I would have gone with 17s. Tires are cheaper and my spare is a 17 so I would buy a 5th tire to have an exact match since I upped my tire size from factory.
I decided to keep my factory wheels that were 18s and just go with 33s. I’ll need to get an 18” spare here shortly so I can have the exact tire size as a spare. (Yes, I know it does not really matter as long as it is close and in 2wd for a short trip). Does matter a touch if I lose a tire on the trail.

One that never left pavement I would take no issue running a 20” wheel other than 20” tires tend to be ridiculous in price compared to 18s.
I am not a fan of of 22”+ wheels. Just not my thing. Don’t like the look or the cost.
If a truck came with 22s you’re not going to see a huge issue in component wear compared to a smaller wheel.
There is something to be said for a better ride with a higher profile tire and more air.
But also just driving a normal road you aren’t going to see a huge different.
Me I am in lots of gravel and unmaintained country roads. So I would be able to tell a difference.

 

[Kjhawkeye1]

FWIW I like the ride a whole lot more now that I switched my wheel and tire package. My family can also tell the smoother difference with the added rubber.

Old setup - Stock 20" Platinum wheels 275/55R20
New setup - 17" Raptor wheels 285/75R17 (2" extra sidewall)

 

[HawkX66]

Some flawed ideas about the shock absorption properties of the 22s ruining things IMO. Do you think a 15" tire with "E" rated sidewalls is going to have better shock absorption than a P or LT rated 22"? I doubt it. At least not enough to worry about. My 17 EL is one of the nicest riding vehicles I could ask for. That's in "Normal." Change it to "Comfort" and you float down the road on a cloud...
I have 22" wheels on my platinum with 45k on it. Stock tires still. Although junk for off road traction, they're extremely quiet and perform well on the road. I plan on going with Nitto Grapplers next summer. That's the one drawback with the 22s. $1,000 on tires. Lame...

 

[TobyU]

Some flawed ideas about the shock absorption properties of the 22s ruining things IMO. Do you think a 15" tire with "E" rated sidewalls is going to have better shock absorption than a P or LT rated 22"? I doubt it. At least not enough to worry about. My 17 EL is one of the nicest riding vehicles I could ask for. That's in "Normal." Change it to "Comfort" and you float down the road on a cloud...
I have 22" wheels on my platinum with 45k on it. Stock tires still. Although junk for off road traction, they're extremely quiet and perform well on the road. I plan on going with Nitto Grapplers next summer. That's the one drawback with the 22s. $1,000 on tires. Lame...

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You bring up an interesting point about E rated tires.
They do ride harsher and flex and roll less on curves.
Most in this thread are not talking about E tires though.
Most people have never owned a vehicle with D or E tires.

 

[Drae]

It's all opinion when it comes to this subject. It's just best to find out what you like instead of following everyone else's taste and preferences. If you don't drive good paved roads then 22 inch wheels aren't worth it. I went from big, bubbly ugly 17s to 22s. The ride is no harsher than the 17s were. I don't feel any more lines in the road as I did with the 17s. The ride is quieter on the highway and I can go through roundabouts here in Alaska a lot faster when I choose to. I even have All Season 22 inch tires in the snow and ice and drive as good as my 17 inch All Season tires. My wife chipped a chunk out of the lip of the rim on her 2003(17 inch wheels) by sliding into a curb head on last winter. Still holds air but 2 inches of outer rim is gone. Put the 20 inch wheels on and haven't looked back. Rides really good too. My 2010 will never see off road activity unless its parking in designated locations when lots are full. I have 4 kids so I need the room so that's why I chose a big SUV. Some of you may choose to use these vehicles to it's full capabilities (off road) and don't have kids, while others just have a lot of brats to tote around and have sense enough to buy a reliable, safe Ford to do it. It will be lowered at some point as I want the lowest center of gravity possible and that ugly ass roof rack is gone as I'll never put something on top I could use a truck for. It's a street vehicle and I will never go back down nor will I hesitate to go up to 24 to see if I like it or not. I say do what you want. If you're a good driver who watches the road and remembers where catastrophic damage is on your route, you will be just fine. This is not a knock for what anyone chooses to do with their vehicle but be open minded to other people's use and intentions for theirs and celebrate the versatility of these vehicles. Seeing the same thing from a vehicle is just boring and 1 dimensional. I like lifted Expeditions on big 35s too but it's not ideal for me and my style of driving.

 

[TobyU]

This post touches on my feelings on bigger wheels and tires. I have zero desire to have more wheel in the middle of the tire. That's just more to clean if it's on a nice looking vehicle. When I think of bigger wheels and tires I'm thinking about 33s or 35s or bigger. I have a Durango with 38-inch tires on it with only 18 inch rims. They were super nice when I got it and for a number of years I did spend a lot of time cleaning the rims and putting wheel wax on them. I want big aggressive mean looking truck or SUV tires on not low profile.
It is amazing how some people get upset when they convert their Navigators over to coil springs because of the lousy Factory air suspension and all of its problems. It raises the vehicle like it inch and a half maybe two on a good day when it's brand new and they lose their mind because they hate the look. Someone even said it looks like a big four wheel drive vehicle. Well, it IS a big four wheel drive vehicle. Someone also mentioned that with is sitting lower and having big wheels and tires it looks like it's sitting on a cloud. I don't want my vehicle to be low to the ground or to be sitting on a cloud. If I'm putting bigger wheels or tires on it it's for looks or off-road and I want big tall sidewalls of rubber with square looking blocky aggressive tires.
On an SUV or a truck I so much like the squared-off block look of a tire with it straight and sidewalk versus a round or style Highway looking car. One is boring and plain and the other looks mean and off-road.

 

[JExpedition07]

It’s always opinion with anything automotive lol.

 

[TobyU]

It’s always opinion with anything automotive lol.

Yep, and that's why I say manufacturer should give us more options. So many people have such strong opinions on what they like and don't like. They do a little bit okay like giving us the option of turning off the auto door locks or the horn beep when you lock the doors but they often make that way too hard to program.
We should have many more options when you spend all that money to purchase a new vehicle. I prefer the old school check the boxes custom build the way you want it.
And by many options I don't mean adding more things we can choose from I mainly mean being able to get Plain Jane things and delete things that we don't want or change things around.

 

[Icemanjones]

E rated tires on an expy? Unless you are hitting trails hard where rocks are an issue they wouldnt be my first choice.

 

[TobyU]

E rated tires on an expy? Unless you are hitting trails hard where rocks are an issue they wouldnt be my first choice.

Even then I'd want something like hey BF Goodrich all-terrain at bare minimum. I always liked those tires but they don't wear for crap on the road. I had some wear out in 15,000 miles or less. Had a bunch of old Wrangler Jeep's. Had some Nitto Grapplers I think 38s on a Durango and those things wore awesomely

 

[Black]

E rated tires on an expy? Unless you are hitting trails hard where rocks are an issue they wouldnt be my first choice.

Granted I do take mine off road and the main reason I got Es since I don’t really tow but my E rated tires are very nice riding on the road.

 

[Icemanjones]

I got falken wildpeaks on my GMC truck and they are E rated but its a 6" lifted old beast that rides like a stagecoach anyways so durability was my main concern. That thing hits river washouts like a champ.