Possible to go from 20" rims to 16" rims?

[mudhoneyandthenips]

Hi. 1st post. 2011 Tahoe LTZ w/ 20" rims 275/55r20 tires. Would like to make it a bit better on the beach, all summer we use it to surf. When I air down now worried the tires are going to come off the rims. Also we are going to start towing a trailer like the XV2 and want better traction.

1. How do I determine what rim will work without modifications?
2. Current circumference is 31"

Don't know where to start...Thanks for any input!

 

[kojackJKU]

16's might, but 17's are a guaranteed fit. 20's are for low riders..ha ha.

 

[p nut]

Just go 17 or 18 if they're a guaranteed fit. Caliper clearance is suspect with 16".

 

[mudhoneyandthenips]

Thanks, any idea how determine what pro comp rim will work? Yes, current rims aren't great...lol

 

[p nut]

Just go on their site and plug in your vehicle. All rims that fit will show up.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Anymore it seems like 17" is becoming what 16" used to be, the de facto standard for trucks.
.
I really hope this fad of huge wheels dies soon. It's hideous looking and on 4wd vehicles it makes no sense (for the reasons the OP stated.)

 

[dnellans]

find the smallest factory rim produced on your model truck/car and that should work. my 2015 f-150 has 275/65r20's on it but the spare is an 18 inch rim. clearly 18's will work, would have to find 17 inch rims as well on a stocker to know if those work (but pretty sure the f-150 XL has 17 inch steels). when in doubt just test fit for the caliper before buying a set. that said - the f-150 i've got came with 275/55r20's just like you and initially i thought those 20's were a huge issue for pliability/airing down. rather than going to smaller rims, since i was putting bigger tires on (275/65r20) they are much more pliable and have more sidewall to air down too so that i'm not worried on the beach. 20 inch tires are sadly expensive, but other than that, i can't say i've seen a difference in performance between 16 inch rims rolling 33 inch tires versus these 20 inch rims rolling 34 inch tires. now the difference from the 2004 tacoma -> 2013 f-150 is night and day, but zero of that is because of the rim/tire size

 

[kojackJKU]

Anymore it seems like 17" is becoming what 16" used to be, the de facto standard for trucks.
.
I really hope this fad of huge wheels dies soon. It's hideous looking and on 4wd vehicles it makes no sense (for the reasons the OP stated.)

its only going to get worse because of the bro dozer factor. Every oil patcher, hillbillie and poser up here anyways wants 15" of lift and deep dish 26" rims with rubber band tires on their ride. So the OEM is going to follow suit. also, you will soon see the reverse rake, taildragger stance as standard on most trucks in a couple of years too. Something else they don't need to buy then!

 

[p nut]

find the smallest factory rim produced on your model truck/car and that should work. my 2015 f-150 has 275/65r20's on it but the spare is an 18 inch rim. clearly 18's will work, would have to find 17 inch rims as well on a stocker to know if those work (but pretty sure the f-150 XL has 17 inch steels). when in doubt just test fit for the caliper before buying a set. that said - the f-150 i've got came with 275/55r20's just like you and initially i thought those 20's were a huge issue for pliability/airing down. rather than going to smaller rims, since i was putting bigger tires on (275/65r20) they are much more pliable and have more sidewall to air down too so that i'm not worried on the beach. 20 inch tires are sadly expensive, but other than that, i can't say i've seen a difference in performance between 16 inch rims rolling 33 inch tires versus these 20 inch rims rolling 34 inch tires. now the difference from the 2004 tacoma -> 2013 f-150 is night and day, but zero of that is because of the rim/tire size

Rims can have different offset/backspacing, design, etc that may cause issues with clearance even if they're of the same OEM size. My old Civic had 14" rims, but I couldn't just slap any 14" rim on there (even from Honda!). Also bought rims for another car but found it rubbed very bad as the offset was a tiny bit less than stock.

If you can test fit in real life, definitely do so.

 

[mudhoneyandthenips]

That's what I'm worried about. So many choices, offsets etc. unfortunately tahoes aren't that common on ep. Was hoping someone would have real life experience.


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[p nut]

That's what I'm worried about. So many choices, offsets etc. unfortunately tahoes aren't that common on ep. Was hoping someone would have real life experience.


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Well, that said, any reputable tire shop should guaranty fit. It might cost you a few dollars more but well worth the insurance.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

That's what I'm worried about. So many choices, offsets etc. unfortunately tahoes aren't that common on ep. Was hoping someone would have real life experience.

It's easy enough to measure the backspacing on your factory wheels and then you can calculate the offset, or just look it up. Once you have that info, selecting wheels becomes a lot simpler and less trouble prone. FWIW, my old GMC truck (1998) has successfully run two sets of 35s on 17in wheels and two sets of 33s on 16in wheels, no significant clearance issues, all on stock suspension. Now on its third set of 33s on later model factory 17in wheels. All three sets of wheels over the years have been factory offset, but two sets with wider rims. Most economical/sensible upgrade for your Tahoe would probably be to find a set of factory takeoffs from the Z71 version of your truck, probably 17s. May be worth noting that Toyota went from 18s on its Tundra TRD to 17s on its Tundra Rock Warrior. Maybe just marketing differentiation, maybe legitimate reasons. My Tundra TRD is on factory 18s and I'm switching to 17s when the time comes. Better tire selection in 17s, at least for now. And better sidewall compliance offroad.

 

[bjowett]

Only certain 17" wheels will fit the Tundra, this is due to the large brakes and calipers.

As for the Tahoe, there should be a 17" or 18" wheel that will fit. Check and see what was offered with the OEM Z71 package.

 

[mudhoneyandthenips]

Looks like I can get 17" police wheels off eBay? Have an email into pro comp also. The spare is a 17".


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[Ducky's Dad]

Police wheels are steelies? Whether steel or aluminum, check rim width and offset because most cop Tahoes seem to be 2WD, and cop Tahoes (at least around here) seem to ride lower than civilian versions.