I'm thinking about putting 20x9 rims (with 275/60 tires) on my '04 Yukon. What effect will this have (if any) on towing? I have a boat that weights about 3500lbs. It's seems to me a lower profile tire would not handle as much weight as a taller tire?
-- John
You're correct; not only will it handle less weight, it'll handle like absolute shit.
Doc
I thought lower profile tires improved handling? :P
only if combined with a 20,000,000 watt 'thumpa' stereo, ground effects lights, chrome mud flaps, curb feelers, and a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror
There is a HELL of allot more to handling than low profile tires. Putting
20" wheels on a full size SUV is like over-caming a stock engine. If everything isn't matched, it don't work for crap! Putting those rims on will do little more than vibrate screws and clips loose from the harsh ride, and make the full size Yukon look like a distorted S-10 Blazer.
they do, on a 2800lb sports car with suspension to match, not a 5000 lb semi-offroad vehicle.
So you're saying the new Dodge Rams with the factory 20" rims are all wrong, don't handle worth a damn and can't haul anything? Hmmm, interesting....... I've never ridden in one but I see them all over the place. Can't be that bad, I seen to recall seeing the Cadillac SUV's with 20"s as well. But maybe those were all aftermarket.
It will be just fine.
I pulled my 5000lb camper with my SS with no problems. The trucks rated for 7,500lbs.
As long as the load rating on the tires is not exceeded, you're golden.
-marc
Tires AND RIMS, that is...
Some aftermarket rims are rated pretty low. Mainly the drag racing types. I don't think any 20's are rated low, but just wanted to meantion it.
No, he's saying that *changing* the factory rims will change the handling or carrying capacity. DC and Cadillac have both designed the suspensions so that they can use 20 inchers.
Vuarra
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur. (That which is said in Latin sounds profound.)
And don't forget the rear wing that's larger than a jumbo jet. And if ya paint the rear wing to match the rest, all is lost!
On vehicles with a low center of gravity, sporterized suspension , and without a 3500lb boat behind them, they do. On a top-heavy SUV, it'll just crappen up the ride and handle like ass with a trailer behind it. Don't take my word for it though, give it a try!
Doc
Hey don't go dragging the S-series into this mess... ;o)
Either way, it still looks silly...
I aint slamming the S series...just making a comparison on my observations.
I simply increased the size of my tires from 265's to 285's and noticed a severe performance loss in towing ability. The truck looks good with them on, but now I miss the lost torque and gas mileage of a smaller tire... Function vs. apperance... Hmmmm....
To me, 4x4 is functional. If you put big, rigid rims on, with low-profile tires, you seriously increase your chances of breaking something when/if you take it off-road.
The suspension components are designed to be buffered from harsh impacts by a normal tire's ability to "give" from side to side. That's even more important off-road. One little slip with rigid 20" rims could cost you a rim, or damaged suspension or steering components.
I see these goofy-looking rims all over the place too. But, when you look at the vehicle (and the driver) you can pretty much tell that it will NEVER be off of a paved road. Most are "yuppies" who just want to say "Look at me, I drive an SUV"... In that case, why does it have to be a 4x4? If you were considering using it in snow or mud, low-profile tires will be worthless. Try putting snow-chains on those rims. They'll be chewed up in no time...
-Derek
interesting.......
Yeah, it changed the gearing ratio... If you were running 4.10's, it's not down around 3.97's...
My SS came with 20" rims. Aside from the wheels, everything under the truck as far as steering and rear diff is concerned, is the same as a regular 1500 series truck.
The manual says "no tire chains'. Too little clearance between the wheel wells and the tires.
Within 400 miles of owning it, I had it offroad. The only thing I really had to watch for was rocks jumping up and gouging the rims. It handled everything as good as I could have asked. This was all on mild fire-road type duty. Mostly just a rock-strewn erorded, mud holed, logged, TIGHT dirt road. If I needed to anything more severe than that, I definitely would have bought another truck. Hopefully, that was the only time I'd need to do that this year.
The truck does SURPRISINGLY well in the snow. The large footprint makes the truck float on the heavy thick stuff - it had no problem getting up my slight inclined driveway, with 12" of snow on it. It's definitely worse when it comes to 'stability' on the snow - it doesn't cut through like a skinnier tire would.
The ride isn't all that much different from my '02 Avalanche with 17" rims. It's just a bit tigher (the truck is also 2" lower), and corners MUCH BETTER due to less side roll in the tires. In the Avalanche, I used to run the tires overinflated (door sticker, not tire), to try to fight side roll. This hurt the ride a bit.
In my opinion, 20" is the absolute biggest I'd go with a rim on a full sized truck/SUV. There's very little comprimise when they're run on a truck that rarely goes offroad...
The downsides I see - they VERY expensive. Tires average about $300 for decent ones. (EACH). The rims are HEAVY. Each wheel weighs in around 75lbs. You really have to watch for pot-holes and how good you are at parallel parking near tall curbs.
-marc
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