Jump to content

18" Vs. 20" Vs. 22" Wheels


Kevio

Recommended Posts

Greetings, I have a question regarding wheels for my '99 Silverado 2WD 1500. Basically, I want to lose the stock 16" wheels, and replace them with - something. Haven't really decided yet what (although I actually like the stock SS-style wheels).

 

What I'm wondering is, what are the pros and cons of going with, say, an 18" wheel over a 20" wheel? From what I've researched, it looks like the tire winds up being basically the same diameter, but the 18" is .5" wider than the 20" (generally). Also, the 20" is a little more expensive. So, I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to get larger wheels when I buy, or if there's any reason *not* to get larger ones.

 

Here's the beast:

 

mytruck.jpg

 

It's in paint right now - being painted black. I've also removed the fender flares/running boards, window covers, and the camper shell. Added a cowl induction hool, and have a flat tonneau on order. Should look much better in a week or so.

 

Thanks for any input!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Larger diameter rim means less rubber unless you have some sort of lift. You can run a variety of sizes that will work well with a lift.

 

I personally like the looks of a 20" wheel and a 275/55r20 (factory tire size) and your ride won't suffer. Not much of a downside. If you go with a 22" wheel, you'll have less rubber which in return will cause you to have a rougher ride. If you look at 18" wheels, then you can have a little of both worlds. A slightly larger diameter rim with a little more rubber for a better ride and a little less weight than a 20" or larger wheel would do.

 

If you stick with a wheel that's 8" to 8.5" wide, and has a backspacing of 4.5" to 5".. it will be a great combination regardless whether is an 18" or 20" wheel. :seeya:

 

Welcome to the site and be sure to post some photos after its back from paint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, that's basically what I thought. I think I'm going to stick with the 18s - mainly because it'll save me a little bit of cash. I really don't drive much (because I telecommute), but I do take road trips a couple times a year, so a smooth ride will be good.

 

I'm looking at the Rockstar wheels (in black). I like those the best, without spending an arm & a leg - although I've heard lots of people have them, so I guess I won't be too unique. But that's OK. The rig was my father's, and he passed away about 8 years ago, and I've finally decided to make it "mine" - I never cared for the white paint, I didn't really like the integrated running boards/fender flares, and I especially didn't like the camper (although it was handy). I went by the paint shop the other day and saw the new hood installed - looks really good. I've got some Bushwacker road flares on order, just to protect the paint and cover up the old holes, and I've bought all the supplies to refinish the grille in black. I'm planning on adding nerf bars, a Flowmaster (probably a 40 series), and a few other things. High on my list is a new audio system - but finding a 1.5 DIN is next to impossible. Probably go with a 1.0 DIn with a half din compartment.

 

Anyway, the paint should be done Wednesday or Thursday, and the tonneau should be in next week. Once I see how the paint looks, then I can make a firm decision on the wheels (and that'll give me time to look around some more).

 

Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18" Rockstars will look tough as hell on your truck!

 

Oh, and you can fit a double-din head unit in there, you just have to be willing to make that crap work!

 

This guy did a pretty good writeup on it: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/825435/3

 

Heres the breakdown.

 

18s are for people who cheap

 

20's are average and the NORM these days

 

22's are for ghetto folk, especially on a lowered vehicle. If u lift it and put 22s and 37"tires, that changes everything.

 

 

Edit: I see you are looking at rockstars, Look at pics of actual 18" rockstars, then compare them to 20's. Its not worth the $ savings to go with 18's. With the design of the rocksts, the 18s look so small and stubby. 20" rockstars on my truck and i have seen the 18s in person... its not a pretty sight... EVEN more so since you wont be running big mud tires. You neeed 20s

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18" Rockstars will look tough as hell on your truck!

 

Oh, and you can fit a double-din head unit in there, you just have to be willing to make that crap work!

 

This guy did a pretty good writeup on it: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/825435/3

 

Heres the breakdown.

 

18s are for people who cheap

 

20's are average and the NORM these days

 

22's are for ghetto folk, especially on a lowered vehicle. If u lift it and put 22s and 37"tires, that changes everything.

 

 

Edit: I see you are looking at rockstars, Look at pics of actual 18" rockstars, then compare them to 20's. Its not worth the $ savings to go with 18's. With the design of the rocksts, the 18s look so small and stubby. 20" rockstars on my truck and i have seen the 18s in person... its not a pretty sight... EVEN more so since you wont be running big mud tires. You neeed 20s

 

 

Some people also like 18's for a bit more sidewall, either for aesthetics or because sidewall makes a big difference offroad.

 

Oh...And generally speaking, the bigger the wheel, the more rolling mass. Resulting in a decrease in performance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Flowmaster will sound good, but you'll looks low end torque and mileage :D I'd suggest Magnaflow, Borla or Corsa for an exhaust that's all stainless, sounds good and will last you a life time.

 

Just a suggestion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heres the breakdown.

 

18s are for people who cheap

 

20's are average and the NORM these days

 

22's are for ghetto folk, especially on a lowered vehicle. If u lift it and put 22s and 37"tires, that changes everything.

 

 

Edit: I see you are looking at rockstars, Look at pics of actual 18" rockstars, then compare them to 20's. Its not worth the $ savings to go with 18's. With the design of the rocksts, the 18s look so small and stubby. 20" rockstars on my truck and i have seen the 18s in person... its not a pretty sight... EVEN more so since you wont be running big mud tires. You neeed 20s

 

 

I prefer "budgetarily limited" versus "cheap". :D

 

The 20s are about $300 more than the 18s - not a huge amount, so I could squeeze that in my budget. My Silverado is a 2WD, so I'm never going to lift it or anything like that. I just want something that looks good, and is quite a bit different than stock. Unfortunately, I bought new tires about a month ago (because I was taking a road trip), but I figure I might be able to sell the old wheels with the tires on CL for maybe $500. I know those stock rims go for about $125 on the interwebs, but I think that's a little unrealistaically high - so, as long as I can offset the cost of the new ones a little by selling the old ones, that'll be cool - I don't want the old wheels/tires just hanging around. I've got the old fender flares/running boards in my cellar right now, but the dealer who ordered the tonneau said he will try to sell them on consignment for me. Only asking $100, which I think is a great price - there just aren't that many extended cabs/long bed configurations out there. I was able to make a deal with my painter on the hood - basically, he's keeping the old one in exchange for the labor to swap the new one in. That's fine with me - I don't have room to stoor a hood.

 

I've read that write-up about mounting a 2 DIN stereo, I'm just not sure that's within my skill set, and more importantly, within my free time. I work a alot - 80 or 90 hours a week, so finding free time for projects like that is tough. The main reason I want a new head is so I can hook up my Lowrance iWay GPS into it. The GPS has a 40GB harddrive in it for MP3, but right now I'm using an FM modulator (which *ahem* stinks), because the factory head doesn't have an Aux on the back.

 

Good info on Flowmaster vs. Magnaflow. What's a comparable Magnaflow model to the Flowmaster 44? I really don't *need* a new exhaust, it's just one of the things I want to take the truck beyond it's original stock setup.

 

Thanks again for the feedback - I'm a noob at all this. The last car I fixed up was my '69 Impala back when I was in high school in the early 80's. I loved tinkering on that car, but since then, cars have changed so dramatically I haven't really kept up with what mods you can do and the hows/whys of doing them. So far, I'm really enjoying the project - even though most of the "hands-on" is being done by someone else (the painter, the camper cover dealer, etc).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18" Rockstars will look tough as hell on your truck!

 

Oh, and you can fit a double-din head unit in there, you just have to be willing to make that crap work!

 

This guy did a pretty good writeup on it: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/825435/3

 

Heres the breakdown.

 

18s are for people who cheap

 

20's are average and the NORM these days

 

22's are for ghetto folk, especially on a lowered vehicle. If u lift it and put 22s and 37"tires, that changes everything.

 

 

Edit: I see you are looking at rockstars, Look at pics of actual 18" rockstars, then compare them to 20's. Its not worth the $ savings to go with 18's. With the design of the rocksts, the 18s look so small and stubby. 20" rockstars on my truck and i have seen the 18s in person... its not a pretty sight... EVEN more so since you wont be running big mud tires. You neeed 20s

 

 

I have 18's on my truck and im far from cheap :lol: hahah But i went with 18's because when your towing heavy loads in the bed or in a trailer low pro tires and big rims do not work. But hey thats my opinion. Word of advice go for what you like.

 

Brandon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have to disagree with the statement about 18's being for people that are cheap. The biggest wheel I would ever run would be an 18 and I doubt that would ever happen. I don't like the looks of big wheels on trucks, even if the truck is lifted. Big wheels, especially on non-lifted truck means much less rubber which isn't very good for performance offroad. Also, more wheel means more mass to get moving and to stop when towing. I like the looks of the 16" and 17" wheels the best. I don't know why GM started making so many trucks with huge wheels. IMO 20" wheels would look terrible on your truck. I would stick with the 16" ones. But hey, that's just my opinion. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.