I have been strongly considering a set of factory 20's for my '07 Screw until today. I had a chance to talk to a good friend and a local tire dealer here in my area. I ask him a few questions about 20" tires and by the time he got through, I changed my mind about getting them.

I had asked the question about how 20" tire ride on this message board. Most of the answers were that there was hardly any noticeable difference in the ride from those that went from a stock 17" or 18" to a 20".

My friend and tire dealer said that 20" factory Ford tires ride at least 50% worse, cost a lot more, can't get the 20" tire with 6 ply and the mileage is terrible in comparison to stock 17" and 18" tires.

He qualified his statement because the road in our area are in terrible condition with all of the log trucks and other heavy trucks that drive our roads.

He also said that he had to buy a $5,000.00 tire machine to mount and dismount anything larger than 18" tires.

I sure do like the looks of the 20's but I guess I will do without them because of the cost, ride and mileage wear factor. I guess I didn't want to have the speedometer recalibrated anyhow.

 

My stock 20's ride exceptionally well. Not sure what that guy was smokin'. You stated you read on here that people were saying there was no noticeable difference? Do you think we are all just trying to trick you into getting the 20's? I'd rather go with the opinions of many than the opinion of just one.....friend or not.

 

unless the overall tire diameter is different no need for recalibration

 

They do affect what you can haul and tow...... Dont know if you use your truck or not, but that stops me.

Since 6ply is a concern for you then I'm assuming you do use it.

If your sticking with the same or close to the same overall diameter, then like mentined you wont have to recalibrate.... but also, I've never had any, but I cant see how it wouldn't affect the ride. It simply has to! Physics won't allow it not to affect it. However I could be wrong... it has happened once before.

 

sounds like your boy at the tire store is still bitter from having to buy an expensive piece of equipment and hes a big rim hater. my twenties ride awesome. like patman said as long as you stay roughly the same overall diameter, not much will change. your boy needs to research some more. what he is saying might have been true 10 years ago when 20s first came out but big rims/tires have come a long way. besides do you really think ford would put 20s and 22s on the f150 from the factory if they were truely as awful as your tire guy says they are?

 

Its not really the 20's that change the ride,....
The tire sidewall is what changes the ride, if the tire is extremely low profile then the tire cant absorb any bumps and they are then felt by the passengers. As long as you still run a decent sized tire IE: 33" or larger the difference from stock is hardly noticeable. I just went from factory 17's to 20's 2 months ago

 

That would be my theory and only make sense.

I've kept same size rim and went low pro before, and I could fell the difference.

Didnt really care I was after handeling, the handeling perfomance far out weighed ride loss. Besides it was a Trans-Am, the ride sucked anyway! It was like driving a go kart.

 

I occasionally go Off-Road on Hunting trips, I'll stick with my factory 17"s with BFG's 285X70X17's much more sidewall than any 20"s. IMHO 20"s Offroad is just Silly!...............

 

I have 20s on my 07 KR Screw 4x4. On my 00 f150, I had 17s. I like the 20s much better. I dont have to slow down for curves on the Dallas tollway. Although I am no tire expert, I can tell that the larger diameter wheel and low profile tire eliminate ALOT of the "road walking." My Mechanic Brother in Law thinks the 17 and 18s are better...Not sure I would agree with him. Maybe he has a point for towing or other applications. For me, who uses 4x4 three to four times a year because I hunt, the 20s are great.

 

Also has to do with the difference in suspension setup between the two trucks

 

Did'nt think about that...

I just attributed it to the tires and wheels. Thanks for the heads up!