Hey I am about to buy a set of 18x9 inch wheels and 35s. I have read elsewhere that you shouldn't go smaller than 20s for our truck with 35s. Any truth to that? Anybody running 18s with 35s?

I'm also going to be doing the ats x and modded c springs at some point. Thanks!

 

Yes,
35 x 12.5 x 18

 

Not sure why someone would say that you shouldn't go smaller than 20's for 35-inch tires. I have a set of 35's on 18's sitting in my shop, and they only have an inch more sidewall than the factory tire size on factory 16-inch rims. There are a lot of people here running 35's on 18's. I guess I don't understand what the problem is claimed to be...

 

That's weird, why would the wheel size make a difference? People ran 35's on 15 and 16" wheels for decades before the larger wheels became popular. I"m on 16's and 35s right now, no issues.

 

those look sweet!

 

The way it was explained to me was that the 20 inch will allow less sidewall flex and thus improve handling/cornering. I just wanted some real word experience from guys actually running the gear.

 

Well, it is true to an extent that the less sidewall you have, the less sidewall flex you will have- but other factors come into play as well, such as how one manufacturer constructs their sidewall versus another manufacturer, the age of the tires, the tire pressure, how it is driven, was the correct load range observed for the vehicle, etc. But like I said, 35's on 18's is only about an inch more sidewall than the factory tires on 16's.

People ran around for decades putting 44 inch mudders on 15-inch rims. They weren't building them to be canyon carvers, but no one was hurt simply through the act of installing tires with 14.5 inches of sidewall. How they drove them is what made the dirty side point up.

For comparison, factory 265/75/16's have roughly 7.8 inches of sidewall. 35's on 20's are close with about 7.5 inches of sidewall. A popular "no lift" tire upsize is 285/75/16 with roughly 8.4 inches of sidewall. 35's on 18's are close to that with about 8.5 inches of sidewall.

 

 

Stating the obvious, but nothing less than an 'E' load rating regardless of choice.

 

Was the guy telling you that about the 20"s also trying to sell some 20" wheels or tires?
I am another one that has been running 35"s (305/70R18 at 35.28") on 18"s (18"x8" OEM '04 Lariats) for years. My EX is a dedicated tow rig for a very large TT and has over 6,000lbs on the rear axle while hitched, these 35" Nittos have exhibited no troublesome sidewall flex or unwanted tire performance issues in the 22K towing miles they have seen.

 

Thanks man. This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

No problem, just remember that going up in tire size will drive your effective gear ratio down numerically robbing you of some "tractive power" at the wheels. I think I recall your EX having the 7.3, so its not as much of an issue as the gassers, but something to keep in mind especially if some heavy towing is in the future plans.

 

Yeah I have read a ton about that. It is my understanding that the added height and weight of oversized tires is the cause of the reduced power. However, my stock 265 with the factory wheel is about 83-84 lbs. I just pulled the trigger on a set of 18s and 35s that, if the online specs are accurate, will weigh in around 90lbs. I guess we will see how it works out. I know city mpg will suffer but I have heard that some see an increase in highway mpg with larger tires. Going to download forscan and set the tire size so shift points and speedo stay as close as possible.

I think that covers it? Any other advice is welcome. Thanks again fellas!