Going from 20's to 17's
#11
#12
#14
i live in Alberta where there is plenty snow! I have 20's and haven't got stuck once in the 3 years I've had the truck. It's tires and how you drive.
#15
it's all about sidewall, pressure, volume of air and conforming to terrain off road.. the taller sidewall can deflate more, and has more surface area to conform to the shape of say, a rock, a log, and they can increase 'footprint' in mud or sand- which means they displace the weight of the truck over a larger surface area as well as increase footprint for traction...
on the road, shorter sidewalls allow for less lateral movement and stiffer performance while cornering.. the contact patch doesn't give as much, which means the suspension doesn't dive as much, which means your line can be more precise..
but let's face it, we're talking about 6K#+ trucks here.. low profile sidewall performance? really? it's more... for looks.. Off road (higher sidewall), it isn't about looks at all, it's about performance, in that you're less likely to get stuck..
in snow, the tread is about the only part of the tire that matters.. and the firmer, the better to bite into the pack or ice..
#16
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: South Georgia/East Florida
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Yeah I don't see that 20" wheels are a big detriment on pavement and should perform better than a smaller wheel during hard cornering, but then again, you shouldn't be hard cornering in a truck or high SUV. Short of the weight wearing on front end components a bit faster and hurting fuel economy a tad, I really have nothing against larger wheels on the road.
It's off-road where you want all the sidewall you can get...
It's off-road where you want all the sidewall you can get...