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17" vs. 20" Wheels (rims)

  • 17" wheels

    Votes: 298 44.1%
  • 20" wheels

    Votes: 377 55.9%

17" vs. 20" wheels

146K views 146 replies 78 participants last post by  ron_eisler 
#1 ·
I have the 20" stock wheels and love the look. But as I begin to consider some new wheels for the Ram, I could not help but notice the difference in price between the 17" and the 20". My understanding is the ride is smoother with the smaller wheel. I am not a wheel expert by any means so I would love to hear opinions/advice of other forum members.
 
#2 ·
It all depends on what your gonna run for tires. I have a 2011 ram 1500 Express 2 door and I am running 20 inch rims but I am gonna stick with the 20s and get some better rims for the summer. But if your doing some daily driving and off roading go with the 17inch and get a aggressive trail tire. I recommend some XD rims and tires heres the link I use to order

http://www.tirepackage.com/Wheels/XD-Series-Wheels.aspx?t_c=11&t_s=210&t_pt=100106
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the link. I will check it out. 99% of my driving is on the street. While I have a 4x4, I do not off-road so I probably won't go with a very aggressive tire. On my last truck, I had BFG All Terrains and loved them but when it came time to switch I put on some Michelins that were more street than meat. Wow, that improved the smoothness of the ride significantly but of course, I lost the tougher look.
 
#5 ·
I would go with the 17" more side wall to protect the rim. Even though you see little non-highway use, potholes are still a killer. Myself I don't see the point of anything bigger than 17" wheels on anything but a semi, or a straight truck.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I've owned both 20" and 17" rims on my current truck. I prefer the 17" rims for comfort and daily driving. I live in Colorado so I went with a good AT tire. The Firestone Destination AT is a great tire. The compound does amazing on ice, handles all types of snow/rain and is quieter than the stock tire (which don't do well in ice). The price is right as well. I currently have V-Tech Raptor 17" rims and here's a pic to show you what they look like.

Hope this helps.

PS. My truck has been debadged, shorty antenna added, and N-Fab step bars added since these pics were taken.
 

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#9 ·
I have found in the past that the 17" rims got way better gas milage on my last truck (2003 GMC Sierra 4.8l V8. This is my first dodge and I will never go back). The 17" rims did better for ride quality. Some of the milage and ride are gained by the reduction in rotating mass (rim/tire) and the reduced unsprung weight (any component not supported by the suspension(wheels axles brakes and suspension). The Ride will also get better with a larger more flexable side wall on the 17" tires. I say go for the lightest tire/rim combo you can find. Anything lighter than your stock 20's would be a good choice no matter what size.
 
#11 ·
I added a poll at the top so we can capture opinions from those who post as well as those who don't post but have an opinion. Polls are open!
 
#12 ·
Just wondering about issues with recalibrating the speedo and odometer? That will be necessary unless you can find a 17" tire with the same height/roll out as your stock 20's have. Just food for thought. BTW...I vote for 20's. I could not imagine going down to 17's.
 
#13 ·
Not sure Terry but definitely something I would need to look into. Thanks for that advice!
 
#14 ·
@ The Code, going from 16 to 17 wouldnt make that much difference and may not even be noticible at all. The weight of the 17" wheel shouldn't be that much more than the 16" unless you get something crazy. And you can find the same height/rollout in a 17" tire as you do a 16" tire so nothing would change.

My vote is for 20's. For the simple reason you have 20's and everything is calibrated to work with that size tire. ABS, suspension , speedo transmission ect...
 
#146 ·
@ The Code, going from 16 to 17 wouldnt make that much difference and may not even be noticible at all. The weight of the 17" wheel shouldn't be that much more than the 16" unless you get something crazy. And you can find the same height/rollout in a 17" tire as you do a 16" tire so nothing would change. My vote is for 20's. For the simple reason you have 20's and everything is calibrated to work with that size tire. ABS, suspension , speedo transmission ect...
Wtf are you talking about? All your reasons are wrong. Wheel size has NOTHING AT ALL to do with ABS, suspension, speedo, transmission, or anything. You should probably delete your account and stop volunteering your “advice”. When people talk about wheel size, we are comparing only wheel size difference. Assuming everything else stays the same, including overall tread circumference. You should stick to advising people on what paint color gets the best fuel economy, lol.
 
#17 ·
Thanks to everyone for the feedback thus far.

Current polling status:

70% for 20" wheels
30% for 17" wheels
 
#18 · (Edited)
I love the look of the 20's on the third and fourth gen trucks. I would never consider changing mine to anything else. A lot of people seem to be in a hurry to get aftermarket wheels to replace the stock 20s. There are some really nice aftermarket wheels but I actually love the stockers. I think they are much sexier than most other stock rims. But, of course, it's all in what you like. You look at your truck much more than anyone else, lol.

As for gas mileage and ride quality...I'm sure 17s would do better on both counts but my truck rides fine with stock 20s and some good tires. And if I was that concerned about gas mileage I wouldn't have bought a full size V8 truck...especially a Dodge, lmao!!!!

The Codes...if you are looking to upgrade I would go with 18s on your truck. The only way I would put anything bigger on it is if you are giving it a considerable lift and can put some mean tires on was well. Just my 2 cents.
 
#19 ·
More tire choice with the 17s, I have the 20s on my truck and like the look, I am going with the Hankook RF10s. read up on them, they look aggressive but run extremly quiet. I like the look of the twenties and with a 60 series tire, you still have plenty of rubber.
 
#21 ·
I would go with the 17" more side wall to protect the rim
I was glad I had 17" wheels when my wife curbed the tires, they definitely saved my wheels. I like the look of both 17" and 20", but any bigger than 20" looks strange IMO. I have the 17" and must say tire prices are still very expensive, I paid over $1000 out the door for my zeon LTZ's (granted they are a great tire). I could have got cheapo tires at one place for like $500 out the door, but as far as normal tires, most were in the price range of about $800-$1100. My boss had better luck as far as pricing with his 18" wheels. I happen to prefer the smaller look of the 17" or 18" over the 20", and as far as weight, I think the extra weight of the wheel balances the less tire, and vice versa, or at least pretty close to doing so. A few pounds aren't very noticeable anyway (my combination is like 15-20lb heavier per wheel/tire over stock, and I can't tell a difference.
 
#23 ·
I would go with the 17's for a couple reasons.
1. Price, both of rim and tires.
2. Weight, you will save some weight with a 17
3. Comfort, you will get more sidewall to absorb road abnormalities
4. Protection, that same thicker sidewall will protect the investment of your rims.

Only downside is performance, if you are looking for a street performance truck. The larger rims give you less sidewall, and therefore more lateral stability in cornering.

As far as the speedo calibration, you should be able to get a tire that is equivalent to what you are running and have no issues.
 
#24 ·
Glad to see all of the great input. Thanks everyone!

Current polling status:

67% for 20" wheels
33% for 17" wheels
 
#28 ·
Oh, I plan to Timmy. I was just curious as to what others thought. And I was wanting info on the differences just so I could learn. I seriously doubt I would give up the 20's cause I love the way they look and handle.
 
#27 ·
Nice discussion with a good exchange of ideas. I have the 20"'s and would stick with them for the stability and now that there are more 20" rims out there the tires are showing up from many competitive manufactures and I've seen lower prices now than I did when I had to replace the first set on my '06 with the 20"'s. I've got 25,000 miles on the OEM GoodYears and looks like I'll have to buy new rubber before winter. Time to start hunting for some 275-60r 20's.
 
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