17” vs 18” vs 20”

[SupercrossBMX]

Personally I prefer the 17” wheels, it feels like a softer ride. Right after I got my Raptor ( which had the 17” j on it, I made a 2 hour drive on the freeway , felt nice, but a little squirrelly, my friend took my truck that week and put 20” black rocks on it, I personally hate the look, BUT, it drives so nice on the freeway, did a 10 hour drive to Salt Lake City, and felt like a champ. I want to put some nice 17” back on it, but already thinking about missing the freeway comfort.

Hope that helps

 

[The Real Coolbreeze]

ok.... so you guys haven't been helpful at all for me so far in this thread... :-D

Here's where I stand... new to me 2013 gen 1. It felt kind of (really) good when I drove it the first time, screwed around thinking about it for a month and half, went back to the dealership and bought it, but didn't really drive that day because the kid I was dealing with said he didn't think it had even been driven since I last looked at it... ( it's a hippydippy town so that made sense and he's a straight up kid that I know from the military side.... bad on me, I should have checked closer) It also turns out that there's about a 2" lift on the rear and the fronts are on mid-perch.

So, I get home and the shocks are now blown (one front, one rear). damn. So I replaced the shocks with OEM Fox 2.5's, and.............. you guessed it, the tires are more ragged than I thought, so... now I'm looking at tires. OR Tires and Rims... It's currently on the stock 17" SVT rims which look pristine. (a look which is belied by the over-all condition of the truck... The previous owner apparently actually used it ! A LOT!) It even has a 12k Warn winch that he misused enough that I felt the need to remove the very frayed cable that I then replaced with very fancy blue rope, and then had to sit around making soft shackles which then left me with.... (but that should be a different thread....)

We live a ways up the river on the side of the mountain, but that being said, I usually get all the "offroading" I need right here on the farm so we don't off-road a lot, or at all really, except in the tractor in the timber and in the big pickup. I do get lots of ice and rain and snow seasonally, but mostly I'm on the road. My other driver is a '81 AmGen M923, and an SLK55, and the wife is in an ML63, so I'm kind of all over the place for driving styles. The truck sits nice and level so I'm not real motivated to pull the lift out of it, but I can pretty easy...

All that being said, the truck doesn't feel as planted on the curves and the rough patches as I would for like it to be. (The front end and the shocks are all good now) I don't want to go broke on this thing, but .... Do y'all think that switching to 18's or 20's with something nice and quiet (really quiet tread counts for me) like a Falken Rubitrek or Wildtrek, or a Yoko Openrange, or, (please fill in the blank for me here) be a worthwhile improvement?

I love opinions, unsupported or with citations, anecdotal experience gets extra credit.... I need tires, and maybe I need rims... but I'm not sure what I need, really really need, or want, to get yet! :-D

Help?

 

[HORN HIGH ACES]

ok.... so you guys haven't been helpful at all for me so far in this thread... :-D

Here's where I stand... new to me 2013 gen 1. It felt kind of (really) good when I drove it the first time, screwed around thinking about it for a month and half, went back to the dealership and bought it, but didn't really drive that day because the kid I was dealing with said he didn't think it had even been driven since I last looked at it... ( it's a hippydippy town so that made sense and he's a straight up kid that I know from the military side.... bad on me, I should have checked closer) It also turns out that there's about a 2" lift on the rear and the fronts are on mid-perch.

So, I get home and the shocks are now blown (one front, one rear). damn. So I replaced the shocks with OEM Fox 2.5's, and.............. you guessed it, the tires are more ragged than I thought, so... now I'm looking at tires. OR Tires and Rims... It's currently on the stock 17" SVT rims which look pristine. (a look which is belied by the over-all condition of the truck... The previous owner apparently actually used it ! A LOT!) It even has a 12k Warn winch that he misused enough that I felt the need to remove the very frayed cable that I then replaced with very fancy blue rope, and then had to sit around making soft shackles which then left me with.... (but that should be a different thread....)

We live a ways up the river on the side of the mountain, but that being said, I usually get all the "offroading" I need right here on the farm so we don't off-road a lot, or at all really, except in the tractor in the timber and in the big pickup. I do get lots of ice and rain and snow seasonally, but mostly I'm on the road. My other driver is a '81 AmGen M923, and an SLK55, and the wife is in an ML63, so I'm kind of all over the place for driving styles. The truck sits nice and level so I'm not real motivated to pull the lift out of it, but I can pretty easy...

All that being said, the truck doesn't feel as planted on the curves and the rough patches as I would for like it to be. (The front end and the shocks are all good now) I don't want to go broke on this thing, but .... Do y'all think that switching to 18's or 20's with something nice and quiet (really quiet tread counts for me) like a Falken Rubitrek or Wildtrek, or a Yoko Openrange, or, (please fill in the blank for me here) be a worthwhile improvement?

I love opinions, unsupported or with citations, anecdotal experience gets extra credit.... I need tires, and maybe I need rims... but I'm not sure what I need, really really need, or want, to get yet! :-D

Help?

IMO, bigger wheels won't make it feel more planted...maybe worse if anything. I assume the 2" lift in the rear is the factory block. It's a weak point of these trucks. A progressive rate leaf spring pack from Deaver or Icon will solve your issue, but it isn't a cheap upgrade.

In the meantime, check your tire pressure. 38 front / 36 rear will make a big difference.

 

[B E N]

I bought my truck used with 20's and load range E on it. I went down to 17's with a load range D, I was concerned it would really effect it negatively on the highway; but it sucked so much off road I was willing to deal with the compromise. Going to 17's on the truck was the best move I could have made, it drives better everywhere, rides better, no real change in braking. And better than all that it picked up a bunch of speed in the dirt.

 

[The Real Coolbreeze]

IMO, bigger wheels won't make it feel more planted...maybe worse if anything. I assume the 2" lift in the rear is the factory block. It's a weak point of these trucks. A progressive rate leaf spring pack from Deaver or Icon will solve your issue, but it isn't a

Really!? I couldn't find that block on the oem parts breakdown so I just figured it was aftermarket... Thanks!

 

[The Real Coolbreeze]

I'm seeing a theme here... it seems I may have been going the wrong direction....

 

[HORN HIGH ACES]

Really!? I couldn't find that block on the oem parts breakdown so I just figured it was aftermarket... Thanks!

The part numbers are AL3Z-5598-A & -B. They also serve as the strike plate to the factory bump stop so you would want to replace that with an aftermarket strike plate or hydraulic bump stop kit if you go with the progressive leaf spring pack.

Poorly worn tires could also be contributing to some of what you are experiencing, but I wouldn't expect a big difference with only replacing the tires.

 

[hedonist222]

I thought the question was pretty specific. On road and off road differences in ride? Not trying to come across rude but don't make it more complicated than it is. Example answer..."I like my 20's because they feel better to me on the interstate than the 17's" Or... "I chose to go with 17's because I predominately go off road and the tire profile is more conducive to off roading."

you asked and answered yourself

so the next guy was simply assuming you wanted more than that - hence his questions

with 17's, you have more flexibility with regards to controlling how much air you can deflate based on the terrain you will ride

on road, more or less they'll be the same on plush tarmac

but if your roads have pot holes and similar, the 20's will feel harsher - but that can , slightly, be countered with deflating a bit - but at the cost of handling and mpg

like SVTTrooper said: what do you want from your raptor?

occasionally go off road? on soft terrain
You'll easily get by with the 20's and 20 psi

same 20's on rocky terrain and you you risk damaging the wheel

 

[Alba495]

17’s are better in every category, unless you live in Texas or drive a gen2.

Why Gen 2

 

[CleverGirl_]

Why Gen 2

Nearly a 4 year old thread. Nice.