18" vs 20" Wheels

Yes, your choices of 265/60/20s is very limited but who says you have to replace them with the exact same size tire?? There are LOTS of options out there in different sizes that will work on these trucks without any suspension modification.

WHen I pulled mine off I replaced with 305/55/20 ATs which allow me to run a much lower PSI when empty (45-50lbs). This improved the unloaded ride tremendously compared to having to run 65+PSI on the stock tires when empty.

Will the larger wheels allow more air circulation around the brakes thus allowing them to run cooler?

I have the 20" on my ram and did not want them at all. yeah, they look better than the smaller sizes, and the only reason i have them is the price of the truck was right. I am really going to hate purchasing replacements down the road. It seems that the less rubber there is, the more the tires cost.

BB_TX wrote:
For Michelin LTX M/S2 tires, the 20" tires have a higher load rating than the 18" tires, 3750# for 20" vs 3640# for 18" (for single tire applications) and 3415# for 20" vs 3305# for 18" (for dually applications).

Michelin doesn't make that tire in a 265/60/20, they do make a 275/65/20 that has a higher load rating.

mamasmax wrote:
I have the 20's on my 2013. I preferred the ride over the truck with 18's I test drove. As was pointed out earlier, the load rating for the 20 inch tires is lower than the 18 inch as is the load rating of the wheels themselves ( I've heard). This is why you won't find 20's on the 3500. I've found the selection of tires for the 20's is extremely limited, no more than 2 or 3 choices and 2 of those just became available in the last few months. I pull an 11,000 lb. fiver and it's all good.

My bud has a 12 Dmax 3500 with factory 20s.

rexlion wrote:
Norsky has it right. Given the same diameter tires, the 20s will have lower sidewalls, less squirm, and thus better handling with a large trailer. If towing a small, lightweight TT it may not matter much.

Now if you wanted to go offroad, 18s would be better since there's more leeway to air down and reduce puncture risk.

I will have to disagree. I have owned both, and both were factory GMC trucks. The only advantage I saw to the 20's were the looks. When loaded the 20's squirmed, had lower carrying capacity, were expensive to replace and much worse in snow. While I loved the looks of the 20's, I have more miles on my trucks loaded than unloaded so I doubt if I would ever go back to 20's.

For Michelin LTX M/S2 tires, the 20" tires have a higher load rating than the 18" tires, 3750# for 20" vs 3640# for 18" (for single tire applications) and 3415# for 20" vs 3305# for 18" (for dually applications).

mamasmax wrote:
I have the 20's on my 2013. I preferred the ride over the truck with 18's I test drove.

Wow, I am really confused about ride quality. Some say the 18's ride better because of higher side walls, and others like the 20's ride better. Maybe there's not much difference???

Norsky has it right. Given the same diameter tires, the 20s will have lower sidewalls, less squirm, and thus better handling with a large trailer. If towing a small, lightweight TT it may not matter much.

Now if you wanted to go offroad, 18s would be better since there's more leeway to air down and reduce puncture risk.

I have the 20's on my 2013. I preferred the ride over the truck with 18's I test drove. As was pointed out earlier, the load rating for the 20 inch tires is lower than the 18 inch as is the load rating of the wheels themselves ( I've heard). This is why you won't find 20's on the 3500. I've found the selection of tires for the 20's is extremely limited, no more than 2 or 3 choices and 2 of those just became available in the last few months. I pull an 11,000 lb. fiver and it's all good.