Going from 20" to 18" on a Limited - Questions

[00Jay]

Is this a dumb idea?

I want to improve the ride quality and add a bit more capability for off roading in my 2010 4R Limited. I also think the stock width on the 20" Limited wheels/tires is a bit anemic.

Anyway.

1. Anyone want to take a guess as to how the X-REAS would perform with 18's on?

2. Would going from 20" to 18" wheels help improve ride quality and off road capability?

3. What's a good a good wheel size to go with? I'd like to fit 275 width tires on whatever I get so I'm thinking 18"x9". What profile tire should I choose? I wouldn't mind increasing the height of the 4R just a bit.

4. Any suggestions on tire types? 80% of my driving will be done on pavement. 20% will be on dirt roads which vary from mud to pebbles and or rocks. I'm not a hardcore off road guy but I wouldn't mind something that will do some light duty off road work.

 

[Bay33saw]

Custom Search is your best buddy here (Top Right of the page)

Lots of posts to answer your questions in here. Good luck and welcome

 

[Stifler]

why not 17" more selection in tires and cheaper

 

[Kinnick]

Going to an 18 inch wheel will improve your off-road ride because it will accomodate a tire with a larger sidewall to obsorb bumbs and rocks. I would look at 275 65 18. This would increase your tire sidewall from 5.8 inches stock to 7.0 inches. The overall tire diameter would increase by .5 inch. If you put in 275 65 18 at tirerack you will find many good AT tire options with many consumer reviews. I would stay away from the load range E since they would probably be overkill and be extremely heavy.

 

[00Jay]

Custom Search is your best buddy here (Top Right of the page)

Agreed, though most posts I've found here with putting wheels and tires on a Limited also involve deleting X-REAS and putting a lift kit on. I'd like to keep X-REAS, smooth out my ride on pavement and off-road, and add a bit more off-road capability.

Going to an 18 inch wheel will improve your off-road ride because it will accomodate a tire with a larger sidewall to obsorb bumbs and rocks. I would look at 275 65 18. This would increase your tire sidewall from 5.8 inches stock to 7.0 inches. The overall tire diameter would increase by .5 inch. If you put in 275 65 18 at tirerack you will find many good AT tire options with many consumer reviews. I would stay away from the load range E since they would probably be overkill and be extremely heavy.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Hardrunner]

Go with a BFG AT 275 65 18. The lower sidewall with an E load will greatly enhance your cornering and compression characteristics. You wont need to lift and delete your XREAS with that setup. Ive run both 17s and 18s on the 5th gen TE and prefer 18s in both looks and function. You can still air down if needed.

 

[jspagna1]

More sidewall will definitely improve your ride quality. The 275/65/18 would work fine. I have an extra set of 18" wheels that I run on my 3rd gen 4Runner. What I think I'm going to do is get a set of 265/65/18 tires so I can run them on both trucks.

 

[Wnorton]

Is this a dumb idea?

I want to improve the ride quality and add a bit more capability for off roading in my 2010 4R Limited. I also think the stock width on the 20" Limited wheels/tires is a bit anemic.

Anyway.

1. Anyone want to take a guess as to how the X-REAS would perform with 18's on?

2. Would going from 20" to 18" wheels help improve ride quality and off road capability?

3. What's a good a good wheel size to go with? I'd like to fit 275 width tires on whatever I get so I'm thinking 18"x9". What profile tire should I choose? I wouldn't mind increasing the height of the 4R just a bit.

4. Any suggestions on tire types? 80% of my driving will be done on pavement. 20% will be on dirt roads which vary from mud to pebbles and or rocks. I'm not a hardcore off road guy but I wouldn't mind something that will do some light duty off road work.

OOJY,

I did this on my new 2012. I had 700 miles on the 4runner and traded the 20 inch wheels and rubber. I'm in Detroit and the vehicle is in Utah so I can't tell you the exact size I went with but it does help. Better rubber for 4x4 and a bit higher, but not enough to have a big impact on speedometer.

Someone also asked why not 17s. I looked into this and the caliper clearance in the Gen 5 is real close. I figured it might cause heat and less cooling

Here's a photo of the vehicle shortly after installing the new rubber.

Good luck.
Wade

 

[00Jay]

OOJY,

I did this on my new 2012. I had 700 miles on the 4runner and traded the 20 inch wheels and rubber. I'm in Detroit and the vehicle is in Utah so I can't tell you the exact size I went with but it does help. Better rubber for 4x4 and a bit higher, but not enough to have a big impact on speedometer.

Someone also asked why not 17s. I looked into this and the caliper clearance in the Gen 5 is real close. I figured it might cause heat and less cooling

Here's a photo of the vehicle shortly after installing the new rubber.

Good luck.
Wade

Thanks for the feedback. In addition to brake caliper clearance, I think the 18's look much nicer too. Great pic of your ride. If you get a chance, do you have a side profile shot of your 4R? :thanks:

 

[4RBob]

Trails have 17's. More choices and cheaper.

 

[G8RB8_12SR5]

Which wheels are those that you have on there? Look like Ultra Baron's but I'm probably wrong :shrug:

 

[Wnorton]

Gears "double pumps". I like them because I don't like the complete black but enough black to hide some brake dust.

 

[Wnorton]

I'll get a side shot and post this weekend. Thanks

 

[M1911]

Is this a dumb idea?

No. If I bought a 5th Gen Limited, the first thing I'd do is exchange my wheels with someone who has an SR5 and wants the bling.

1. Anyone want to take a guess as to how the X-REAS would perform with 18's on?

Just fine. My '03 has X-REAS and it came with 17" wheels.

2. Would going from 20" to 18" wheels help improve ride quality and off road capability?

18" wheels should improve ride quality, due to the higher sidewall. In terms of taking it offroad, I think the main improvement will be in better protection for your wheels. For beach driving, you need to lower your tire pressure to around 15 psi. I suspect that will work better with 18" than 20", because the 18" sidewalls will give you a larger contact patch.

Also, the taller sidewall of the 18" tire provides better protection for the wheels, so you are less likely to bend a rim on a bad pothole. The tires for 18" wheels are cheaper than for 20" wheels as well.

 

[Stifler]

Someone also asked why not 17s. I looked into this and the caliper clearance in the Gen 5 is real close. I figured it might cause heat and less cooling

that someone would be me and to your point i would say SR5 and TE models come with 17s, no clearance or heat issues... call me silly

 

[DannyLlama]

Also, the taller sidewall of the 18" tire provides better protection for the wheels, so you are less likely to bend a rim on a bad pothole. The tires for 18" wheels are cheaper than for 20" wheels as well.

I don't think it will "improve" the overall ride quality.
The 20" wheel will provide better on road handling. The sidewall difference between 275/55/20 and 265/65/18 is 1" BTW.

I have been contemplating 20's vs. 18's for a while. The wife is the main driver and I think she will enjoy 20's more than 18's.

I have taken my stock 20" wheels and stock lame tires off roading and did just fine .. So I don't think going off road in 275/55/20's will be limiting much.

just my .02 cents and all the reading/reviews i have been looking at.

 

[M1911]

I don't think it will "improve" the overall ride quality.
The 20" wheel will provide better on road handling. The sidewall difference between 275/55/20 and 265/65/18 is 1" BTW.

We're going to disagree on that. 1" of sidewall is a lot IMO.

 

[00Jay]

We're going to disagree on that. 1" of sidewall is a lot IMO.

1.2" to be exact. Close to 12% gain, which seem like a solid gain in sidewall.

20" Wheels
245/55/20
245/55/20 = 30.6"x9.6"/20"

18" Wheels
275/65/18
32.1"x10.8"/18"

Calculations from: Metric Tire Conversion Calculator

I actually have first hand experience with going from 20's on my Cayenne S to 18's...but in that case, the 20's were wider. Anyway, ride quality did improve at the expense of handling. Not sure how different handling would have been if I had stayed the same tire width.

 

[DannyLlama]

Not comparing to the stock size tire, only comparing to 275/55/20 which isn't a major difference I guess but still some . Sidewall is 5.95

 

[Eagle]

1.2" to be exact.

00Jay, you compared: 275/65/18 to 245/55/20
DannyLlama compared: 265/65/18 to 275/55/20

Of course you'll have different numbers...