The 17inch wheel is aluminium and thus lighter.Your vehicle will handle better and be more responsive with the 17inchers.The only dowm side is towing weight is reduced slightly(I think about 500lbs.??)Chrome vs. brushed aluminium is really a preference.I can tell you chrome will scratch and take more polishing to look good in the end.For the price of the "upgrade" its a good deal.The speedo will not be affected by rim size, only tire size of approx. 33" or more.

 

I did it for appearance and slight extra clearance. In theory the tires on the 16" rims have a diameter of 30.1" versus 31.7" for the 17" wheels which works out to a 5% difference in circumference hence speedometer error. I checked it on a measured mile and the Supercrew speedometer was right on with the 17 inch wheels.

You may ask why I was so compulsive about the tire diameter - well on day two of the truck I got picked up for going a little too fast, very easy in this truck, and talked my way out of it by blaming it on the large wheels and speedometer error. Then later I had to check and see if my excuse had any basis in reality!

Personally I think the officer just wanted to look at the truck

 

Well, us Lariat owners (or order-ers, as is the case) didn't have a choice, right? I'm taking this opportunity to vent a little about the lack of "choice" in wheels/tires. Seems pretty limited to me. It's like, you can have any tire/wheel you want as long as it's P265/70R17 OWL all-terrain tires, P265/70R17 OWL all-terrain tires, or P265/70R17 OWL all-terrain tires.

Personally, I'd rather have the choice of an AT type tire, a "Touring" tire (would that be an "RT"?), or a street/sport tire (anyone else want the option of a "Lightning" type 18" tire?).

Perhaps I'm just expecting too much...

-Maz


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On order: 2001 Supercrew 4X4 Lariat - Oxford White Exterior w/ Medium Parchment Interior-5.4L V-8 Engine-Trailer Tow Pckg-3.55 Limited Slip- Moonroof-Cabsteps-6 Disc CD-Leather Captains Chairs with console-Bed Extender-Engine block heater-2 Tone Paint.

Mods:
Ordered April 28: A.R.E. LS Series II Hard Tonneau Cover - $741 for the Tonneau, Installation and Tax

Still looking for BedRug type product.

Build Date: May 1 / Estimated Delivery Date: May 15

http://www.mazworld.com/supercrew
maz@ford-trucks.net

Geez: This signature is longer than most posts!

 

I'm curious what people's reasons are for ordering the 17" 10-spoke wheels over the 16" wheels on the XLT? Is it mostly for the look? or is it the size of the tire?

Personally, I like the look of the 17" 10-spoke tires, but I've noticed that when it comes time to replacing the 17" tires, the choices are very limited compared to 16" tires.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the 16" tires vs. the 17" tires?

Also, what about pros/cons of alloy or aluminum rims over the the stock chromed steel rims which come by default on the XLT and Lariat trucks. Did this affect anybody's choice for buying the XLT or the Lariat?

Obviously the other option is to just get the stock wheels and then put on my own rims and tires after the fact. It seems that's pretty expensive compared to just going with the 17" tire upgrade on the XLT.

Doesn't the tire size affect your speed odometer? Does FORD adjust the setting somewhere depending on the tire size you order?

 

We ordersd the 17" 10 spokes because we wanted the larger/taller wheel and tire combo hoping that we would be able to put an even taller tire on the stock wheel. Right now selection is limited for the 17" tires but by the time we wear out the stockers that may change.

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2001 Supercrew XLT 4x4.
5.4L, 3:55ls, tow package, heavy-duty electrical and cooling, skid plates, 17" 10 spoke wheels, remote keyless entry, moonroof, bed extender(still waiting for it), rear slider, dark graphite int. and bright red clearcoat ext.
mysupercrew.com