Do 18" Wheels Ride Smoother Than 20" Wheels?

Cheverado · February 15, 2016

Simple question right? opinions?

15slvrDbl · February 15, 2016

If the outer diameter of the tires are the same yes. Because you will have more side wall on the tire on the 18".

Cheverado · February 15, 2016

That's exactly what I was told. Yes same outer diameter.

Long story short, wanting to downgrade to the twin spoke 18" wheels(just like the look). Got a guy willing to trade and that's what he told me. Does make sense.

fondupot · February 15, 2016

For sure a 18" tire will ride nicer. More sidewall which give more cushion.

Mack207 · February 15, 2016

Depends on the tires as well. If they're the factory tires, then yes. If the 18's have LT tires, then the ride can potentially be stiffer depending on the sidewall construction.

Tek74 · February 15, 2016

+1

Some tire brands ride a bit smoother than others, but 18" wheels with a larger profile will give more cushion for the pushin.

I'm still running my 18's with the factory rubber. When the rubber is gone, I'm on the fence about going up to 20" wheels with AT tires. Larger after-market wheels will look better, and the AT's will do better off the highway, but I kinda don't wanna give up ride comfort with 20's. We'll see...!!!

amxguy1970 · February 15, 2016

+1

Some tire brands ride a bit smoother than others, but 18" wheels with a larger profile will give more cushion for the pushin.

I'm still running my 18's with the factory rubber. When the rubber is gone, I'm on the fence about going up to 20" wheels with AT tires. Larger after-market wheels will look better, and the AT's will do better off the highway, but I kinda don't wanna give up ride comfort with 20's. We'll see...!!!

The AT tires will do better off the highway but the 18's won't. Stick with the larger sidewall...

Tyler

sdoyle21 · February 15, 2016

I had 17" all star edition wheels and it road like a dream. So smooth and quiet. I just put 22" factory wheels with some Bridgestone 285/45/22 tires. Still rides nice and quiet but I do feel the bumps a little more now. So I will say YES to answer you question, but maybe not that big of a difference on the smaller rims.

SuperSize · February 15, 2016

The AT tires will do better off the highway but the 18's won't. Stick with the larger sidewall...

What?

18s will be better all around.

sk · February 16, 2016

Another "yes" answer.

My Z71 LT came with 18" wheels/tires and a few weeks after I bought it I swapped them out for the OEM 20" ones that come on the LTZ. No other changes like lift/level/suspension and the wheels I went to are available from the factory on basically the same truck so no changes to speedo or air pressures.

I like the looks better but the ride is definitely a little stiffer but not by much.

CptMcSaug · February 16, 2016

Also in theory a White sidewall tire should ride a little smoother to since that is a soft compound.

crewl1 · February 16, 2016

I liked the way my old truck rode on the factory 18s.

This LTZ with factory 20's sends the bumps through a lot.

I was hoping it was the SRA tires but I'm pretty sure its mainly the lower profile sidewalls.

I like the way these look but I have been debating offering them up for trade for some factory 18" rims and tires.

Maybe I will just buy some 18" takeoffs at some point when I get tired of these to try it out.

Georgia1911 · February 16, 2016

Only if they both have tires on them.

All else equal, I have to think the taller sidewalls would yield a smoother ride on the 18s, but this would be affected by tire type and air pressure. An LT E load range tire running high pressure on the 18s may feel the same as a passenger tire at 32 psi on the 20s.