20" wheels off road ?
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Elder User
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 671
Likes: 4
From: Elkhart USA
20" wheels off road ?
I currantly run 16.5 MT wheels with 33x12.5 bfg A/T tires. I'm thinking about going with 20" wheels and 305/55 BFG A/T tires. how will the 20" tires perform off road aired down?
thanks
thanks
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,564
Likes: 11
From: Wayyy NoCal, USA
You can't air them down nearly as much, so that hurts performance. Less sidewall also means less flex so double whammy - they will be noticeably worse.
Suggestion: If you really want the bling and extra weight of 20's, just put street only tires on them and keep the old wheels and tires for offroading.
Suggestion: If you really want the bling and extra weight of 20's, just put street only tires on them and keep the old wheels and tires for offroading.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 197
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From: Pittsburgh, PA
+1 for not using 20"s off-road, stay 17" or under for the hard stuff. you want bigger anything, wrap the wheels you got in 42-44" TSL's
Really it depends on what you do, if you call running the two-tracks in the midwest once a month "off roading" you MIGHT be ok with the 20"s, but i personally would go no bigger than 18"s even for that.
Edit: I re-read the OP and you said that you are using A/T's... if you're airing down your A/T's, you have the wrong rubber. Typically A/T's do not have the reinforcements in the sidewalls that M/T's do, Load Range E or not. IMO you can't be doing anything that extreme that you would bend a 20" rim if you havent shredded your sidewalls on your A/T's already.
Generally as a rule of thumb 20"s are not good off road. But more clarification is needed with regard to your off roading classification before anyone can tell you for sure that they will not work for you. Pics are worth a 1000 words...
Really it depends on what you do, if you call running the two-tracks in the midwest once a month "off roading" you MIGHT be ok with the 20"s, but i personally would go no bigger than 18"s even for that.
Edit: I re-read the OP and you said that you are using A/T's... if you're airing down your A/T's, you have the wrong rubber. Typically A/T's do not have the reinforcements in the sidewalls that M/T's do, Load Range E or not. IMO you can't be doing anything that extreme that you would bend a 20" rim if you havent shredded your sidewalls on your A/T's already.
Generally as a rule of thumb 20"s are not good off road. But more clarification is needed with regard to your off roading classification before anyone can tell you for sure that they will not work for you. Pics are worth a 1000 words...
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 197
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From: Pittsburgh, PA
By all means use the 20"s unless you are attached to the shiny finish... but I would rather see you wrap them in Nitto Dune Grapplers (if you look them up you'll know that they will have better road manners and will be fine in the sand) than BFG A/Ts.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,564
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From: Wayyy NoCal, USA
A couple guys have 305/65(?)-18's, I have 315/75-16's. Even at the same pressures I can drive circles around them. Because we are towing heavy loads and driving in very loose sugar sand, we usually go down to about 10 or 12, which is pretty extreme. Yes, we go slow. The difference in footprint at those pressures is amazing - I'd estimate my "footprint" to be close to 2" wider and 5-6" longer because the sidewalls can bulge SO much further and the tread can deform so much more. I sink in only a couple inches, about 1/2 what they do.
On the other hand, if you've been only needing to air down to 25 or 30 psi or so with the 16's, you could probably get by with the 20"'s if you aired down to 15 psi.
In other words, it will be a huge difference. Whether you can compensate enough to find it acceptable depends on you.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,564
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From: Wayyy NoCal, USA
Dune Grapplers = good in sand, NOT so good on snow. Horrible on ice!
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,751
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From: So Oregon
If you're airing down that much you will likely not see as good of performance with the 20" wheels. You don't have much sidewall left with the 20" wheels, so when you air down there isn't as much added to your footprint. I don't know, to me it doesn't sound like you'll have better performance with the new wheels/tires.
Also, the newer tire size is a 305, which is basically 12". You're making your footprint aired up smaller by going to the new wheels and tires as well. Seems to me, you're defeating the purpose for which you want to use the new tires (in the sand) by going to a narrower tire than your current tires, and not giving yourself the ability to air down and gain much in footprint.
Also, the newer tire size is a 305, which is basically 12". You're making your footprint aired up smaller by going to the new wheels and tires as well. Seems to me, you're defeating the purpose for which you want to use the new tires (in the sand) by going to a narrower tire than your current tires, and not giving yourself the ability to air down and gain much in footprint.
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,564
Likes: 11
From: Wayyy NoCal, USA
Hmmm.... I'd say you'll flat HATE the functionality of the 20's!
Not to mention you probably didn't like the price of the tires, either...
Big wheels are a hot fad, but it's gone WAY past the practical or functional limit.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 197
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From: Pittsburgh, PA
I dont think the M/Ts are available in 20"... but if you're talking about wrapping the 16.5" in M/T's I say yes, of course you will do better using that set-up... but Im a huge fan and very biased to the M/T tires.