17" tires on 1500 Express: kosher or not?
 

Wife and I about to buy first pickup truck ever, so I'm not knowledgeable about trucks in particular, and will confess to not being very good with cars, either. We will be towing a very light (2000 lb) RV. (If you're curious: the rereleased 1961 Airflyte Shasta, f.k.a. the "canned ham.")

We don't want 20" tires. I thought this meant we'd have to go up to the SLT model, but salesman just told me he could put 17" wheels/tires on an Express. I thought the essence of the Express was that it has 20" wheels, so I'm wondering: Is this really possible and safe? Does it make sense to put 17" tires on an Express? Any downside? I don't want to say yes and discover later that we did something stupid.

I hope I'm asking the question in a way that makes sense.

Thanks in advance.

Will in Dallas

If you are towing that light there is only a minimal advantage to dropping down to 17" wheels and tires. There is a better selection of 17" tires but they are only slightly cheaper than comparable 20's. Basically the Ram will be fine with the smaller set up as it was an option. I have a set of 17" steel wheels with dedicated snow tires for winter use and the only difference I notice is a slightly harsher ride as they are load range D's. Enjoy!

No problems doing it, an express is nothing special - just a truck with few options and car bumpers. I run the 17's on my SLT.

Thanks for the quick responses y'all. But I'm not sure I made my question clear enough for you to see where I might be confused.

In my desperate efforts to understand the differences between the models, I've concluded that the main thing that defines the Express model is the 20" wheels/tires. Now it's also my understanding that 20" tires require a 20" wheel or rim —*in other words, that you can't put a 17" tire on 20" rims, or vice versa. Am I right so far?

So I'm wondering what it means when the salesman offers to give me an Express with 17" tires. Is he really giving me (say) a Tradesman that's equipped like an Express except for the tires? What am I missing?

Thanks,

Will

Wow


Yes, they are going to swap 17" rims AND tires for you.

was that a good "wow" or a bad "wow"?
 

Is that a good "wow" or a bad "wow"?

Does it make sense to swap rims like this? Are the rims interchangeable?

Will

Should be interchangeable. My old 2012 Express with 20's had a 17" temp spare. I don't believe there is much difference size wise in the two except for the wheel size.

It all comes down to personal preference, looks and value. The truck with 20s looks slightly cooler so it might be worth more when you go to trade/sell it. On the other hand if you want the 17s and they will do the swap for you it will save you some money, just be sure the 17s are what you want. You might see if they will put 17s on one side so you can look at each side or ask if they have 2 similar trucks one with 17s the other with 20s so you can look at both set ups before you decide.

Just thinking again. Seems to me the 20's are heavier and lower the tow rating or GVWR or something. Not by much but lower just the same. I could be wrong but also something to look at.

It's actually more than personal preference. Both tow and hauling ratings are higher with 17" tire/wheel combination. The ride will also be smoother as there is more sidewall to flex. You'll also see better fuel economy with the 17s.
Off-road, there are many more advantages as you can air down the 17s to produce a larger footprint and increase floatation.

Advantage to 20s, they look cooler...