I was wondering if putting 20's on my truck will decrease my towing capability. I am looking to do this truck as a Sport truck and I have been looking at a set of 20's with the low profile look (not extremely low). Does anyone know a good tire size I have been searching but the only thing I seem to find is the stock size and I would like a lower profile then that. I just do not want to decrease towing. I am running the stock 17's now. Also does anyone know how to lower the rear to get a level look? Thanks in advance.

 

It really depends on the brand of tire and wheel. Going with the "stock" 20 size shouldn't reduce it at all. Going with a smaller sidewall will however. Also, any smaller on the sidewall and because of the size of the wheel wells, I think it just wouldn't look right. To level the truck you either have to go with a full lowering suspension or lift the front with the "leveling kit" available . I haven't seen rear only lowering kits yet. I was wanting to do the same thing, but then I realized that with weight in the bed or towing it would actually crouch and look like it couldn' handle the weight. Opted against it.

 

Thanks for the input. I didn't think about the rear being lower will decrease the payload. Also you migh be right, it might just be easier to lift the front a little and go with 22's or something like that. Thanks again.

 

How much are you planning on pulling?? That will help you make your decision on which wheels you want.

Make sure you check the load rating for the tires and do the math. You may find some 20" tires are not as capable as others.

 

I my boat and trailer combined are about 4000lbs.

 

Yes, it'll reduce your tow rating from 7350 to 6300lbs

 

Wow! that is a lot, but still acceptable for what I tow. thanks for the good info and by the way how did you figure that out?

 

I think oldjeep meant with stock 20's.

If you are getting aftermarket wheels, make sure they are rated to carry the weight.

 

There's a chart on dodges website that shows tow rating based on Trim/cab configuration/motor and wheelsize.

The 20" numbers were based on your configuration in an SLT trim with the stock 20's that are available on the SLT.

In general bigger rims and lower profile tires suck for towing. There is less sidewall cushion and a lot of the 20-24" rims that people stick on trucks don't even carry a weight rating, so you are guessing and hoping that the "cool" big rim that some 18 year old dreamed up won't explode when you put some real weight on it or hit a pothole when loaded.

On top of that is the weight rating of the low profile tires. Real truck tires don't come in a 60/50/40 series, even most 70's are just car tires with marginal weight ratings.

 

Not True...

Several of the higher-end manufacturers produce very strong Light Truck tires in 65/60/50 series 20in sizes.
The OEM 20in is Goodyear HP 275/60R20 with 114S load rating - only 2500-2600lb per tire at 35psi max.
Toyo Open Country A/T has a LT275/65R20 with 126S load rating - 3750lb per tire at 80 psi.

(Not every manufacturer has a product in this area, and the ones that do are charging a decent price, but you CAN find a very strong tire if you look beyond the "middle-of-the-road" choice that Dodge made for their OEM supply.)