18 inch wheels effect on towing performance?
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Junior User
Joined: Nov 2003
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18 inch wheels effect on towing performance?
I plan to order a truck tomorrow and want to get it right and would greatly appreciate help on this. Do 18 inch wheels (v 17") change towing performance? or touring ride of the tire? I like the look of the 18" wheel. Is that the only benefit?
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 152
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From: Utah
The larger tire's change your gearing. So yes, the larger tires will effect your towing preformance. If you get a low geared rearend (4:10, 3:73) depending on what truck your getting you can compensate somewhat. The other thing to keep in mind is sometimes the max towing weight is reduced with larger tires because it can increase the stress on the axles.
New User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 14
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From: Casper, WY
As grtF250 stated, if the tires used are taller then there will be an effect on your gearing but if the diameter of the tires (not the wheels) is unchanged then the only difference you would not would be a possible reduction in sway due to the shorter sidewalls. Depending on how much power the vehicle has you may or may not notice a slightly increased flywheel effect due to the mass of the "ring" of the wheel being .5in further from the axle centerline. Most likely you won't notice it at all. One thing to verify is the load rating of the wheels that you are proposing to use as a lot of the new wheels are very pretty but some are not strong at all. I've witnessed the results of 20's on a Super Duty towing a 5th wheel loaded with pipe when it blew the center right out of the wheel, not a very pretty sight.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,821
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From: South Dakota
Guys, he is asking about the differences in rim sizes between a tire with a set height.
It has been my experince that the larger the rim, generally means lower per tire capacity, when considering a tire of X inches tall, with 2 different rim sizes.
There are many exceptions to this, however.
Overall tire height is what deterimes effective rear-end ratio, not the size of the rims.
It has been my experince that the larger the rim, generally means lower per tire capacity, when considering a tire of X inches tall, with 2 different rim sizes.
There are many exceptions to this, however.
Overall tire height is what deterimes effective rear-end ratio, not the size of the rims.
Last edited by superrangerman2002; Oct 14, 2004 at 03:24 PM.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 152
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From: Utah
Good point, it is the final tire size that makes the diffrence not the rim. I guess I just assumed that larger rims= larger tires too. Sorry. Anyway, rims that are strong enough, and tires with a high enough load rating are still important factors.
