20 inch vs 22 inch rims - any difference to towing?

So, camp-n, are you saying that if it's an available OEM option it's still not "stock" if you drive that vehicle off the lot? My little ol' F150 XLT has the optional 20" wheels from Ford, so isn't that still a 'stock' truck in sense of the term?

By what you are saying, anything over a white, vinyl floor covered truck with roll up windows and manual door locks is "stock"... Which is what I call a "base" truck.. All of my trucks ratings is based on how it left the assembly line, and that was with the optional 20" wheels.

Just going from what the manufacturer website states. Ford shows 17s as standard across all trim lines, 18s and 20s are optional. Couldn't find anything regarding an option for 20s on GMs site.

Yes you can get larger rims on upgraded trim levels and special edition models but at what cost? (and I'm not talking $$) Those models all have lower ratings. Show me where that's not in part due to rim/tire size. You want a truck with the highest payload and tow ratings? They come with smaller rims, not 22s.

You might be able to find another set of OEM wheels on Craigslist.
If you go aftermarket, verify the load rating before buying them.

Hi camp-n. In my case (Ford), there is no tow rating reduction with getting the optional wheel/tire package. Actually, you get an additional #100 of rear GAWR by actually getting the 20" wheels for my 2013 F150. I've got a #4050 RGAWR and I've seen where the 17" and 18" wheel F150's of the same year only have #3950 RGAWR.

Back a few years, I did see where you got a #500 tow rating hit if you got the larger diameter wheel/tire package from Ford. That is not the case now since around 2010, or maybe a few years earlier??

Anyway, in my owners manual, there is no distinction between tow ratings based on the size of the wheels. It's all about gear ratio, drive train, cab config and if you have the Max Tow option and/or the HD payload option.

I figured I'd be getting some LT tires after my first tow! But, I found that since the overall height of the tire is still basically the same as the 17" and 18" OEM tires of ~ 32" it's all about the load rating of the wheel/tire combo that matters now. My 20" wheel/tire combo is basically the same height as the standard 17" wheel/tire combo.. The diffence is the sidewall height of the tire. My 20" tires have a shorter sidewall height than the 17" tire has.

I like that... :) Not as much room for the tire to squirm around with a shorter sidewall.

Anyway, good discussion and I've learned a lot since I had an old 97 F150 with 16" wheels that I had to get LT tires because it had such a tall sidewall to make the 32" overall height that seems to be the standard "stock" height of tires coming out of the OEM.. Well, the Ford Raptor has 35" tall tires, but that's a totally different truck, right? :)

Mitch

Wow My F250 has 16's how weird am I?