Hi Ken:
I did not intend anything personal with my post, I just wanted to cover all bases regarding low profile tires. I remember a thread a couple years ago where a lot of guys were shocked that their door stickers showed a payload of 1,000 lbs, some a bit more and a couple a bit less. It seemed to me that a common denominator of the lowest payloads was the 20" wheel option.

I'm guessing the 100 lb difference is based on the added weight of the wheels and tires, and don't know what the actual payload sticker on the door jamb would read. That said, any wheels and tires are subject to various road hazards, and the lower profile the tire, the more wheel and tire damage you are likely to sustain if you hit something big. I am saying this as a guy who bubbled a tire and bent a wheel on my wife's brand new '86 Escort GT that I had just bought her hitting a chuckhole with only 300 miles on the clock, and as the buyer of a used 2003 Mazda Protege' with 3 bent wheels on it (50 series tires were stock on this car).

In fact, there are 2 sets of my son's BMW wheels out in our garage, a set of 16's and a set of 17's. Of the 8 wheels, I believe 5 of them are bent, with at least 2 of them beyond repair. As I said, low profile tires on big wheels may look cool, but they are much more subject to road hazards. On your truck, a 55 series tire is going to be more protective than a 50 series tire on a Mazda Protege', but if you want to do some tough stuff with your truck, be prepared to buy a new wheel or tire here and there. You could probably be safe loading it to full GVW, but if you hit something hard, especially loaded, well, just make sure your spare is in good condition.

Again, no offense intended. 15" wheels on trucks (like on my '02 E150) will no longer clear the big brakes, but if I was buying a new truck, I would choose the smallest size wheel available on it with the tallest tire. Low profile tires are most useful for high cornering loads on road race and autocross cars. That is not the purpose of pickup trucks for most people.

Wanna buy some slightly used BMW wheels? My son will let them go cheap.

George

 

Hi George, definitely no offense taken. I read some of your posts from a couple years ago and was also amazed at the very low payloads. Kind of got me concerned how low my payload might be.

Unfortunately, I think it would be somewhat expensive to switch from 20's to 18inch wheels and tires right now. Luckily, I think I'm at a better starting point 1,704 lbs than some of the older F150s and I live in central Texas, which has some pretty smooth roads.