Hey I am looking at getting some new wheels for my LMM. I might level the truck but would rather keep it at stock ride height. Was wanting to see everybody's input on wether I should go with 18's or 20's and what size tires would make the truck look good. If you could post up pics if you have a similar setup or post up opinions I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

if your gonna leave your truck stock or at least turn the bars up a littl, id go with a set of 20's with 285/55's but that's just my opinion

18s with 285/60s and rim with around 5" of back space. Should require minimal to no cranking and triming of the front valance. Of course "your experience may vary". I run 285/65/18 and had to crank and install my congnito level kit to get the ride back. No trimming though.

I suppose it really depends on how much side wall you want on the tire.

How much do you like good braking is the real question?

nobody thinks about that when they throw huge rims on. ;)

ben

How much do you like good braking is the real question?

nobody thinks about that when they throw huge rims on. ;)

ben

Great post. The Escalades that cruise around town with their 24s on exposing the tiny stock discs make me wince.

18s are as big as I'd go with stock-size tires if you ever want to be able to go off road without ruining them

I like seeing more tire than wheel on a 4x4. I'd go with 18's.

Not sure if you have a 4x4, but if so, that makes a difference, 'cause the General sets ride height higher. For a 4x4 you won't need a leveling kit, just crank the Tbars up by 2 inches or so.

Back when I was in a rush to get rid of the factory 16s, I decided that I wanted either 18s or 20s, with an E-rated tire. I reviewed tire performance specs at TireRack.com, then chose the Pirelli Scorpion ATRs. That choice dictated the 20-inchers, since Pirelli's E-rating is only available in 17 or 20.

I think that I made a couple of mistakes. First, agreeing with the earlier post, I think a truck's appearance benefits with a bit more sidewall showing, versus the wheel height. Therefore, I'd rather have the 18s, assuming I could find my tire choice in an 18. Furthermore, the wider & heavier 20s, both wheel and tire, cause higher gearing, more rolling resistance, more air resistance, all resulting in worse fuel economy. Also, the 18s will undoubtedly be less costly. See my tire garage (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/garage.php?do=view&g=17182) for more details on clearing tires for the LMM/NBS, definitely different than clearing classic bodies. Hope it helps~!

SO ... I suggest you consider the sidewall height-to-wheel ratio, narrower tires (max 11"), shorter height (max 32), all of which will reduce your total investment cost ... and most important, choose the tire performance that will please you. I love these Pirelli tires, but wish they were a bit smaller. As example, since Pirelli doesn't make 18s, I'm considering downsizing to 17s, wheels & tires of course. The entire wheel/tire package will cost about $1200, versus the $2400 I paid for those 20s pictured below.

Info from a spreadsheet I used during my search
-------------------------------------------------
Prcent Overall Tire
Tire Profile Wheel SdWall x2 TireHt Height Width
---- ------ ----- ----- ------ ------- ------
275 70 18 7.6 15.2 33.2 10.8

275 65 18 7.0 14.1 32.1 10.8
285 65 18 7.3 14.6 32.6 11.2
295 65 18 7.5 15.1 33.1 11.6

275 60 20 6.5 13.0 33.0 10.8

285 55 20 6.2 12.3 32.3 11.2
305 55 20 6.6 13.2 33.2 12.0 (as pictured)


P.S. Anyone in NorCal want a great set of Wheels/tires, only 10,000 miles ... half-price~!!

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/garageimage.php?do=full&p=47475&d=1198442832

20s. As for braking, you have a 2500HD and the brakes are pretty good. I have 20s with 35s and I stop just fine pulling my tractors. I think 20 is the smallest you should go because 20s are on soccer moms truck from the factory now. Hell, my 20s are starting to look small to me.

most of the people i have talked to who got 18's wished they went with 20's...

I like both but the NBS trucks have big wheel wells so i'd do 20's.

Besides, you can get stock 1/2 ton Z71's and Tahoes with factory 20's.

Great input it deffinantly has me thinking. I don't pull alot but when I do its a 9000 lb skidsteer so braking is somewhat of a concern but like already said its a 2500HD with good brakes. And yea 20's are now coming on 1/2 tons so they don't look as big as they used to but i like the thought of more sidewall. Thanks for the input this far and if there are some more pics post them up. Thanks

Great post. The Escalades that cruise around town with their 24s on exposing the tiny stock discs make me wince.

18s are as big as I'd go with stock-size tires if you ever want to be able to go off road without ruining them

I'm sick and tired of hearing people say this bullchit. I've owned plenty of pairs of 20's and work on a ranch for a living, which means....they're off-road EVERY DAY. I've buried my trucks before to where you couldn't even see the wheels anymore, and have never had 1 problem!

Now what I can understand is if you PERSONALLY don't like the way they look, that's fine, Opinions are like a**holes, everyones got one. Just don't come on these forums where people are looking for advice and feed them a bullchit lie.

And like said before, the difference between 18's and 20's isn't a whole lot, so if your worried about not being able to break as fast, trust me not to much of a difference......

Think about it, the stock 1500 Chevy and GMC's come stock with 20's, and they have smaller brakes then our HD's. So if it was really so terrible, why would the Manufacturer be using them?

:mad:

I have 20's with 35" tires and it looks great with the 6" lift. If I had no lift I would go back to the 285's or 33's with a leveling kit in 18" wheels. This should give about the same amount of side wall on each wheel.

20's definitely add a more, REFINED look.

Go with the 20's, you'll be glad when you do

20's. You won't be disappointed.

20s for NBS

i like 18's for 33's or 35's

I am liking the look of the 20s the more I see them but for those of you that have had experience between the 18s and 20s have you noticed much difference in ride quality between the two? For a leveled truck I'm thinking between 285/55/20 vs 285/65/18 tires and wheels.

20s! look in my garage

I'm sick and tired of hearing people say this bullchit. I've owned plenty of pairs of 20's and work on a ranch for a living, which means....they're off-road EVERY DAY. I've buried my trucks before to where you couldn't even see the wheels anymore, and have never had 1 problem!

Now what I can understand is if you PERSONALLY don't like the way they look, that's fine, Opinions are like a**holes, everyones got one. Just don't come on these forums where people are looking for advice and feed them a bullchit lie.

And like said before, the difference between 18's and 20's isn't a whole lot, so if your worried about not being able to break as fast, trust me not to much of a difference......

Think about it, the stock 1500 Chevy and GMC's come stock with 20's, and they have smaller brakes then our HD's. So if it was really so terrible, why would the Manufacturer be using them?

:mad:


I just took off my 18s with 33s and put on 20s with 33s. There is a HUGE difference in braking and steering wheel input.

However, I agree with you that off road is irrelevant. I run dirt roads several times a week from town to a ranch and the 20s don't change that.

I will say that the cost of tires is exponentially higher for 20s compared to 18s. Keep that in mind. I almost wish I would have stayed with 18s for that reason... but the 20s look awesome. And since we're going socialist, all that matters is how you feel, not the price tag, right?

My personal prefrence would be 18's. I like the looks of 20's in pictures but whenever I see them up close in person I think they look too big for these trucks. Just my .02.

18's IMO. Just got a set with bfg at's spys. Had the 20's on first and it looked like a escalade with 24's with a small sidewall... Everyone likes different looks, just go with what you like

if u wanna off road or maintain a cozy cadi like ride-18s
if u wanna get a better selection of tires and look better (imo)-20's

Many 20" tires have lower rated load capacities.

If your under the age of 40 then go with 20's
If your over the age of 40 then go with 18's

:eek:

If your under the age of 40 then go with 20's
If your over the age of 40 then go with 18's

:eek:

X2. 20's are for the kids. WE ARE THE FUTURE. ( we're f'd)

if u wanna get a better selection of tires and look better (imo)-20's

I hear you on the looks, but gotta disagree with the tire selection. There's way more tires available for our trucks in 18.

I hear you on the looks, but gotta disagree with the tire selection. There's way more tires available for our trucks in 18.

I've found better pricing for 20's on flea bay tho by fat, that particular market is flooded with them.

I have eighteens and am wanting 20's.

I had 20s on my 08 1500 amd loved them. Bought 18s for the 2010 2500 and now I have some 20 BMFs on order. I should've gone with 20s in the first place.

Bartman, I like the way your truck looks in your garage. You have listed:

Suspension: Leveled out with new torsion keys,
Bilstein shocks, and rear Airlift bags

Tires: BFG Mud Terrains KM2 35" x12.5"
Wheels: KMC XD Rockstars 18" with 0 backspacing

AND:Nitto Terra Grapplers 320/60 R18

What tire do you have in the pictures? 35's or 33's? and what lift if any do you have? I would like to duplicate it. Thanks

I have 18's, with 0 offset, 285/65/18 tires, trimmed a bit, stock height, no lift, for a 4x4 I think it looks more durable in my opinion. Pics in my garage.

I would go with 18's. Id sell my 20's in a heartbeat. Cheaper and lighter.

18's on mine, and not a real big fan of anything bigger. I would rather have the extra sidewall distance anyway.

Surprised with all the commentary regarding braking a 18 vs 20. Tire diameter and width would be a larger factor than wheel height. Given the same diameter & width tire, do you really think there is that much weight difference between an 18" or 20" wheel. Bet it's pretty negligible.

Putting the cart before the horse. Pick the tires first and then the rims. Lots more to choose from for 16" than for 17", more for 17" than for 18 inch rims, and the smallest number of tire sizes are available for 20" rims. Width is equally important in terms of which tires will fit well.

If all you want is a truck for show it really does not matter. Light duty like driving around a ranch is hardly "off road" in any real sense and any tires will work. For a given overall tire diameter the smaller the rim the more sidewall is there to absorb shock and to protect the rim and avoid having the bead break loose.

I have found the most options in terms of sizes and load capacities in tires for 18" rims. So do start with the tire decision first and then see what sizes fit on which size rims.

I have 20's on my 07 but decided to go with 18's this time around.

A 20" tire is no heavier than an 18" tire of the same height.
For instance, on a Toyo Open Country A/T like I have on my truck, Toyo lists the following specs:
LT325/65R-18 (35" tall) - 73.9 lb
LT325/60R-20 (35" tall) - 73.6 lb.
Obviously a 20" wheel is heavier than an 18" wheel, though.