Steel 20 inch rims? What are some of the best for offroad

[mikemcgl]

I'm looking for some opinions on what the best rims are for a 20 inch tire? I've heard steel are the strongest but am open to ideas.
I will be ordering a 2012 Ford F 350 srw diesel within the next week or two. I will be hauling a heavy slid in camper. (3500 to 4000#) and towing a 3k pound trailer a few times a year for offroad fun and am thinking of getting a set of tires and rims for the offroad stuff and a regular tire and rims for the other 46 weeks of the year.
Not sold on 20's so feel free to offer what's best for what I'm trying to do.
Any suggustions would be appreciates.

 

[Buliwyf]

The 2011 Superduty only needs a 17" wheel to clear the brakes. Unless the upscale trucks have different brakes than the XL trucks (unlikely).

http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2011_SD_Specs.pdf

You'll be better off running smaller, lighter 17x9 wheels with larger tire sidewalls offroad. Not to mention that 20" tires cost twice as much as similar 17" tires and have a far rougher ride quality.

 

[brussum]

Why 20 inch rims? Not saying it's a good or bad size, but it seems like an odd choice, especially in the 4x4/Expo community. What tires are you considering with them? I went with 18s on my truck because the rim size gave me a good compromise in load capacity (E range tires) while still getting some decent size (35in diameter). Seems to be more tire variety in the 16in and 17in rims, but you'd have to check the load capacity on those. A 20in just seems big, especially on a stock 4x4 truck.

 

[fifty]

There are a lot of 17's that wont clear the calipers. 18's to be sure.

 

[Rovertrader]

The old gold standard was 10" of sidewall, or a 37" on a 17" rim, but this was for offroad. Towing is almost the opposite extreme. To answer wheel size, tire size needs to be addressed first IMHO. I have two sets for my 250- both E rated. First is a 285/75-18 (35" skinny, on factory 18s) Toyo A/T which seems the ideal for me. Then I have a set of 37/12.50-17s (on factory 17s) that look better, but I feel a tad much sidewall for heavy towing. If you are hell bent on 20" steel, look at Hutchinson or military wheels if you can find the correct bolt pattern, and 20" Michelin military tires. Tires and wheels are always a hot topic, and near everyone will have an opinion- best of luck with your decision. Cheers.

 

[Redline]

The old gold standard was 10" of sidewall, or a 37" on a 17" rim, but this was for offroad. Towing is almost the opposite extreme. To answer wheel size, tire size needs to be addressed first IMHO. I have two sets for my 250- both E rated. snip...

I agree with the above posts. Rovertrader is correct, for towing and heavy hauling a shorter, stiffer sidewall reduces sidewall flex, bounce, and heat. However, if you plan to go off-highway even a little, the stiffer, shorter tires are going to be very rough. 20" wheels seem limiting and too tall, I would choose 18" aluminum if possible.

 

[rxm6]

I assume your truck is coming with 20'' from the factory, if so, then it is setup for towing and hauling. I would recommend keeping the OE set of 20s for towing and light off road travel. When you do get an additional set of wheels, get a 17'' or 18'' wheels as these trucks do come with a 17'' and a 18'' option from the factory. Although, it will be hard to find steel wheels in any size above 17.'' I bought a custom set of steel wheels from Black Rock Wheels and they do sell some 17'' steelies, but in very limited options. I think you might have better luck with finding the size you want in aluminum. Also, aluminum wheels will have a higher load capacity then steel.

 

[mikemcgl]

I don't want anything fancy, I'm just looking for the strongest wheels and tires for what I'll be doing.
46 weeks a year I just need to get around town and it would be nice to have a sturdy look and smoothest ride.
6 weeks or so I'll be hauling a 4,000 pound slide in camper and towing 3,000 pounds of trailer (single axel and no independent brakes) offroad and in the boonies. Big Tex 35sa trailer With supplies and two heavy BMW 1200 GSAs.
I really have no idea about tires or wheels. None. That's why I'm asking.
Thanks everyone for the advice. It's appreciated.

 

[78Bronco]

20" steel wheels are quite common in industrial applications however they weigh a ton. I do not see the point in running a steel 20" wheel and likely the increased weight will do more harm than good. Steel isn't necessarilry stronger than cast aluminum but it does have different mechanical properties. Steel is more ductile whereas aluminum is brittle in comparison.

The factory wheels are planty strong to suit the legal weight your truck can carry & tow. If you want a second set of off-road tires look for some near new take offs from craigslist and mount a more offroad suited tire.

If you really want an upgrade for the sake of it go to a drop forged aluminum wheel with an increased load rating.

http://www.alcoa.com/alcoawheels/north_america/en/info_page/fitment_light_truck.asp

 

[wild1]

Best wheel size

Guessing from your other post on wether to get a F-250 or a 350 I think that you are looking for a tire wheel combination that will safely handle your camper and trailer. Pretty much anything that you put on your new truck will be fine for the time when you are just cruising around empty. For the camper and trailer pulling duties you are going to be right at the limit or beyound with any factory or aftermarket tire until you get to the 19.5 size. Go to Rickson's site at www.ricksontruckwheels.com they have a ton of information on this issue and sell all the products you need to increase your tire capacity. If you go to the camper section of the portal under Mitsubishi heavy truck you will find a lot of information on the options for going from e rated tires to g's. The conversion is very popular in Australia with the Toyo M-608z being a popular choice. This tire in a 265-70-19.5 is 34.4 inches high and at full pressure can carry 5510 pounds per tire. I think that you will find that your rear axle weight will exceed 8000 pounds with your trailer and camper.While these tires and wheels are pricey they generally wear two to three times as long as e rated tires carring their maximum rated load. Good luck and be safe.

 

[FishPOET]

Curb weight of the truck will be around 7500# depending on the model. Not sure if you are including gear in your 4000# slide in weight but the bulk of that weight will be on the rear wheels. Not sure how much tongue weight you will have or whether you will be transferring any of that weight with a distribution hitch.

You will have to get it weighed to find out for sure but I'm thinking your rear axle will be overweight for "E" rated tires. wild1 is right about 19.5" wheels and G or H rated tires.

Nothing wrong with pulling a 3000# trailer but 15000# going down the highway is pushing the limits of your trucks braking system if the trailer doesn't have brakes to assist in stopping.

 

[brussum]

I would simply recommend a good set of aluminum 18x9 rims and a reputable E rated tire. I've towed my 14K lbs four-horse gooseneck trailer using the Goodyear MTRs, but they might be a little aggressive for your taste. I had the older generation of MTR and they tended to get hot and the sidewalls had a tough time under load. The newer MTRs seem to do much better. The Toyos are nice too and I was considering them as an eventual replacement tire when the day comes. There are plenty of simple, affordable brushed aluminum rims that will suit your needs, but you want to keep your eye on the load capacity of them. Some manufacturers worry more about form than function and you can end up with a cheap, low capacity rim, even though it has eight lugs. I've had good luck with ******** Cepek rims on my truck.

 

[tbared]

Rovertrader,

I have spoken to John at Stazworks about using Military 20's for my conversion( F550) and he states that using a Military HEMTT rim for my MPT is too heavy an app for the axles. Now, im not sure if he just wants me to buy a set of his custom rims or is giving me sound advice. Wht do you know on the subject if you do not mind me asking. I am about ready to order the rims and am stil not sure what to do.

The old gold standard was 10" of sidewall, or a 37" on a 17" rim, but this was for offroad. Towing is almost the opposite extreme. To answer wheel size, tire size needs to be addressed first IMHO. I have two sets for my 250- both E rated. First is a 285/75-18 (35" skinny, on factory 18s) Toyo A/T which seems the ideal for me. Then I have a set of 37/12.50-17s (on factory 17s) that look better, but I feel a tad much sidewall for heavy towing. If you are hell bent on 20" steel, look at Hutchinson or military wheels if you can find the correct bolt pattern, and 20" Michelin military tires. Tires and wheels are always a hot topic, and near everyone will have an opinion- best of luck with your decision. Cheers.

 

[Buliwyf]

If you grab a set of 18" steel wheels, the LT325/60R18 Goodyear Silent Armors would be a fine choice. (3,500+ pounds per tire)

http://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/wrangler-silentarmor
Just aggressive enough for most uses, not too noisey, and mine (slightly smaller) have been working and holding up really well. I would add a BDS 1" coil spring spacer and front shocks to give a little more clearance. I'm also a huge fan of rear airbags on expo trucks for towing. Being able to adjust for load is critical when your tires aren't "perfect" for the task of towing. Offroad tires+tail sagging=very hard to drive.


The stock F350 XL wheels are 17". If you're not interested in running tires with a larger diameter than stock, then get the 17" wheels. I only recommended the 18" setup above because the 17" tires did not have the nice weight rating of the 18" tire, unless you went to a regular sized tire.
http://www.trucktrend.com/features/tech/163_0909_2011_ford_f_series_super_duty_tech_specs/index.html


It might be wise to just order your truck with 18" aluminum wheels, and not switching tires. Just get some decent tires and not switch back and forth. You really need to consider a dually as well. A SRW feels nothing like a dually when it comes to slide in campers. The DRW's rule for this. and a set of slightly more aggressive tires, like my favorite GY SA's, in the stock size will get the truck along just fine in most places you'd want to take a fullsize with a camper.

Which brings up another thought. If you're traveling with a camper and trailer, then you're not really going anywhere offroad where a DRW would be limited compared to a SRW setup. We obviously aren't really talking hardcore offroad with mud tires, are we? So don't modify the truck too much if you really aren't going to need to.

I love the DRW work trucks I've had. And I'm a field tech, constantly going down logging roads, powerlines, oil/gas lines, etc. Never really had any practical problems where I wished for a lifted SRW truck. I've also never had anything get stuck between the rear tires, other than weak grass and vines. I would strongly consider the DRW trucks if I were you. Especially when the 4x4 Fords have pretty decent ground clearance and off road capabilty out of the box.

 

[mikemcgl]

Thanks again everyone and especially Buliwyf. On a practical level DRW would be the way to go but I just don't like the way they look and I hear they are hard to park and maneuver when just driving around town which will be the use 90% of the time.
I'm sold on the 18 inch and will order those for the 350. The idea of having one set of tires and not having the aggravation of switching them around is appealing.

I'm also starting to lean towards a pop up. Much lighter, fits in the garage, and is better off road.