I currently have the stock 17" rims on a 2003 ram 1500 4x4. I want to upgrade to 20's or 22's but I've got a mechanic friend that says some of the front end parts will need to be replaced to accomodate the bigger rim. Not that they won't fit, but that the bigger rim will wear out certain parts much faster than they should wear because of the bigger rim. I'm not big into mechanics so I don't really know. But from reading on here, it seems you can just throw on the new rims and go, provided everything fits correctly. Well I need to know which one it is. Do I need to replace a bunch of stuff to upgrade my rims or no? Mind you I want this done right.

Thanks in advance

 

I am getting 20's tomorrow and from what I have heard the only thing that MAY need to be changed are the rotors/brakes (larger for better stopping ability). I am only going to change mine for looks and stopping ability. I am getting SRT-10 rims and I want the rotors and calipers to look nice and sporty.

 

Is there any ill effects of having the bigger rims when towing? I plan on towing a boat at least once a week about 100 miles round trip. I read a topic on here earlier about the bigger rims affecting the ball joints in a negative way while towing. Is this true?

 

The guys at the dealership I used to work for (so these guys are friends of mine) tell me they get truck's w/20's in all the time with premature tire wear, and/or ball joint wear. Makes me glad to have the fugly 17's LOL. I still plan on going to 22's some day, and then just put up with the added maintance/wear.

 

Just did a 20" wheel swap up from 17's and did not have to change anything i to have a freind at the local dealer and they do wheel swaps all the time and he tells me the only thing thats in question is ball joint life but they look really awsome[8D]

 

My truck came w/ 20's, and I freely swap to 17's ocasionally [winter, with good all terrain tires], no problems going back and forth.

 

He may have been talking about backspacing. On my 3500, the stock 17" wheels have 6.25 inches of backspacing(!!). You pretty much can't find an aftermarket wheel - 17" or 20" with that kind of backspacing unless you custom order it. Now, I dunno if it's the same situation on the 1500's. But, having the wrong backspacing is a very typical mistake - and can definitely lead to premature wear of the ball joints and/or wheel bearings.

So, if you got 20's that were Dodge OEM wheels, shouldn't be any issues, though a brake upgrade is advisable but probably not absolutely required.