Hello all,

I have been reading for a while now and decided to register an account. I have just bought my first pick up truck! (got keys last friday). Its a 2011 1500 SPORT RAM with HEMI 5.7 liter, I LIKE IT A LOT




My question is regarding winter tires. I have bought 20 inches tires but no rims yet. Is it true that winter conditions can damage alu rims? I have searched for 20" steel rims without much luck.. what do you guys use for winter?

Thanks!!

 

I have 20" aluminum wheels also. But for the winter I got some steel 17" wheels and put winter tires on them.

 

Yep get 17's. The issue with the 20" tires is they are pretty wide. Narrower tires work better in snow because they don't float on top of the snow as much. They dig in and hit pavement. So while it might not look as cool I figure it is only for a few months during the heavy snows. Jan through Mar-Apr for me up here in NH. Throw the nice 20's on come spring when the road salt/sand is gone.

 

I use my stock fake chrome 20s for the winter on some toyo open country studless. They are an awsome tire. As for the rims they are still nice and shiny but I do wash my truck constantly especially in winter with the salt, I try to wash it immediately and not let it sit for more than a couple of days. But this winter I'm going to paint the rims black (plastidip) cause I hate chrome hehe.

 

Congrats on the purchase, truck looks bad ***. Let the mods start coming!

 

You will also find that finding a winter tire for a 20" is going to be harder then a 17", at least here in canada it is. Unless you are wanting to go to a 10ply and an all terrain. ACTUAL winter tires are easier to find with 17s.

 

ditto 17x7 with stock recommended size which eludes me at this time, BFGoodrich Slalom XSI never realized how much better winter tires are especially on ice.

 

Yep, 17" tires will concentrate more weight per square inch, plus as said, there are a plethora of choices in good snow rated tires in that size. For salt states, there isn't a lot you can do about the effects on your wheels. If you can't find a used set for winter, then something along the lines of Crager Soft 8s would be a way to go. Cheap (about $70 a pop), stong and actually not a bad looking wheel. It's actually been one of the top wheels of choice for the off-roading crowd because of it's strength to weight ratio and the fact they just can take a beating.

I grew up in upstate NY and I'd suggest investing in some bags of sand to place over the rear axle, especially for a 4x2. About 150-200 lbs will do wonders for winter traction not to mention if you do get stuck, you can always bust a bag open and spread it for traction. I always had 4x4s but never went a winter without some sand in the bed...

 

Not that I fault your logic of attempting to protect your stock wheels one bit, but just FYI, they are basic painted alloy wheels with a plastic chrome skin glued on. If you wanted to keep them on the winter conditions will take their toll on them eventually, but they should hold up quite a bit better than true chromed metal wheels.

As others have said, if you want a set of winter tires & wheels go for something in a smaller size that will allow you to have a good selection of (hopefully not premium priced) winter tires. I did the same thing with my IS300 many years ago.

Rob

 

Nice hood, great that you got it with the stock truck..