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I traded my early build 2003 F350 Lariet CC for a 2006 F350 CC Lariet. The $2500 rebate coupon that Ford sent was what made the deal, hadn't given a thought of trading until I heard about that.
Test drove the truck on saturday and really liked the ride over my old one. One thing I not too sure of is that it has the 20" tires. Is this going to give me to low of final drive ratio when towing? The big tires and wheels sure look good though.
The rim size has no bearing on speedometer/odometer accuracy, final drive gearing, etc. The tire is what matters, as that is the part that is actually in contact with the ground.
Is the truck new? Are the 20" rims part of a factory tire/rim package or was this part of a dealer installed upgrade?
In a nutshell, rim sizes have no bearing on the final drive ratio. The tire is what is hitting the ground, and that will have some form of impact.
You should have the 275/65R20 size tire. This tire is 34.1" in diameter. Stock F350's come with a 275/70R18 which is 33.1" diameter. So yes, these tires will have some effect on your towing ability compared to a stock F350. Ford has set your computer to this size so there should be no issues there. I doubt you will notice much difference. You may also check your manual. There may be a towing capacity reduction with the 20" wheel option.
I looked at the 06's with the 20's...You can't get a snow plow package with the 20's and it reduces the payload alittle, but I didn't see where it reduced the towing capacity.
BTW, taller tires will raise your overall gearing making them seem higher not lower.
Let's say you had 3.73 gears and put larger tires on..it might seem like you had 3.55's after the swap..
The lower the number the higher the gear.
Congrats on the new '06! Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine! I have the 20"s also, I think they look great. I'm sure the tires will cost $$$$$ to replace, but hey, you can't take it ($$) with you!
I too just bought an 2006 with the 20" rims and love the looks but was told by the dealership that it would reduce the amount of weight I could put on it (Fifth Wheel Camper).