17s or 20s

[KTM300]

I am getting ready to buy tires and wheels. I will be going with 37x12.50 tires. I was planning on running 18s, but the wheels I want aren't available in an 18, so that leaves 17s or 20s. I can't decide which to go with.

17" Pros:

Cheaper
Lighter (better acceleration and MPG)
Ride better
Larger tire selection

17" Cons:

Highway handling
Looks (subjective)

Looking at my list my logical side says that the 17s are a no brainer. Part of me just keep saying that the 20s are going to look so much better to buy them anyway. My truck is not my daily driver, so that plays a part too. I only put 3-5000 miles on it a year. Am I missing anything in my list?

 

[Towerguy]

I don't know how much you can count on the 17's being lighter, you're still talking about a 37 tire. The wheel will be 3 inches shorter but your sidewalls will be 1.5" taller all the way around. I'm sure there is a small difference but it will be minimal. The effect on your gearing with 37" tires will be the same either way.

 

[PABowhunter]

What wheels are you going with?

I would do 20's. These are big trucks and I think they look good with bigger rims. With a 37" you'll still have plenty of sidewall.

I got 16x10 wheels on my truck because they were cheap and I thought I liked that look better 3 years ago. I'll be getting 20's as soon as I wear these tires off.

 

[Koda22]

Yea if you can afford it go for a 20+ inch rim.....I've got 18s and have not been happy think they look good, but could look only better with a bigger rim

 

[mandkole]

:whs: for 37s, definitely the 20s

 

[KTM300]

I don't know how much you can count on the 17's being lighter, you're still talking about a 37 tire. The wheel will be 3 inches shorter but your sidewalls will be 1.5" taller all the way around. I'm sure there is a small difference but it will be minimal. The effect on your gearing with 37" tires will be the same either way.

The 37x12.50x17 tire weighs: 72.3 lbs
The 37x12.50x20 tire weighs: 81 lbs
The 17x9 wheel weighs: 25 lbs
The 20x9 wheel weighs: 40 lbs

The 17" package weighs 97.3 lbs and the 20" package weighs 121 lbs. You are looking at a 23.7 lbs weight difference per corner and it is rotating weight, so it will make a very noticeable difference in performance and mpg.

I had a set of 37x13.50x18 Toyo MTs that I just sold and they weighed 93 lbs per tire. My factory tires were LT275/65R20 and weighed 52 lbs per tire. The difference in performance from my stock size tires was staggering. Far more than the taller tire size would account for. I lost 3-4 mpg and my truck was way slower accelerating. I sold them to find a tire that is narrower and lighter.

 

[Halestorm55]

I sold my 20's with 35's to go to 17's with 37's. There doesn't seem to be any difference in highway stability. Still blow by all the cars that feel the need to do 65 around a curve on a 4 lane highway that I take at 70-75 all day. The 20's won't ride much worse. The main difference is the 17's don't have that sharp jolt when it hits like the 20's do. Same mileage as the 35's but it does feel a tad sluggish with the 3.73's.