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17" or 18" tires give a smoother ride?

glider

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Which tire size is the smoother ride? 17" wheels or 18". Just wondering why the lariat has 18: wheels?
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Hot Runr Guy

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I had 17's on my XLT, and now 18's on my Lariat, and felt no difference.

I think shoppers are inclined to think a "premium" trim level should have larger wheels, thank goodness Ford didn't go to 20's or 22's on the Lariats.

HRG
 
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glider

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I had 17's on my XLT, and now 18's on my Lariat, and felt no difference.

I think shoppers are inclined to think a "premium" trim level should have larger wheels, thank goodness Ford didn't go to 20's or 22's on the Lariats.

HRG
Good to here. Thanks
 

OleFordGuy

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I would think the more "sidewall" on the tire the smoother the ride. No idea if that's accurate, just my thought.
 

colinl

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I would think the more "sidewall" on the tire the smoother the ride. No idea if that's accurate, just my thought.
it's generally accurate, but can vary by tire.

it's also generally true that the higher the load rating of a tire, the stiffer it is an the worse it rides. also heavier. all generally speaking.

so, going back to the first reply, I agree. no ride quality issues with my stock Michelin Primacy AS 225/60-18, but the main reasons are that it's still a 60 series tire - a lot of sidewall - and Michelin makes a good quality tire.

you start to really notice ride quality harshness in a 40 series tire and below but on a maverick you would need 21s or 22s to get into tires like that.
 

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hdave

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When I got my wheels swapped I went from 35psi on 225/65/17 to 40psi on 235/60/18 and there was a noticeable difference.
I think most of it was because of PSI change.
 

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When I got my wheels swapped I went from 35psi on 225/65/17 to 40psi on 235/60/18 and there was a noticeable difference.
I think most of it was because of PSI change.
Why did you inflate the new tires to 40psi instead of 35? Aside from the hard ride that it will give you, won't that screw up your tire life?
 

hdave

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Why did you inflate the new tires to 40psi instead of 35? Aside from the hard ride that it will give you, won't that screw up your tire life?
Thats just what I saw the tire shop guy do. Not sure why he chose 40.
 

RedRider

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Thats just what I saw the tire shop guy do. Not sure why he chose 40.
Yeah, just drop it back to the 35 that the truck was built for. The tire guy was just setting the tire beads, after which he should let the overpressure back out. Either that or he thinks he knows better than the guys who designed the vehicle for some reason.
 

hdave

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Yeah, just drop it back to the 35 that the truck was built for. The tire guy was just setting the tire beads, after which he should let the overpressure back out. Either that or he thinks he knows better than the guys who designed the vehicle for some reason.
Ah ok I’ll do that tomorrow. Thanks.
 
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Which tire size is the smoother ride? 17" wheels or 18". Just wondering why the lariat has 18: wheels?
They're both plenty smooth I'm sure. Probably hard to tell. 18" is gonna handle the curves a bit better, more responsive. 17" a bit better on rougher roads, more suspension.
 

TheSEARCH

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Which tire size is the smoother ride? 17" wheels or 18". Just wondering why the lariat has 18: wheels?
Bigger wheels with the overall diameter kept the same means smaller sidewalls. Less sidewall less to absorb impacts so rougher ride. Physics. apply. BUT is it enough of a differ acne to make a difference is the question,.

I did get to ride in two different versions of a suv one had 17 the other had 18 I could tell the rougher ride in the 18 inch one. Not a mav but suv. a few years back.

Oh if you want to go off road smaller sidewalls are bad.
 

MakinDoForNow

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Thats just what I saw the tire shop guy do. Not sure why he chose 40.
It will vary greatly but in general a 235 tire is rated for a heavier load limit say 104 than a 225 say 100. I would have expected 37-38 but 40 for an heavier than normal load. Maybe you are a high number chuck hole zone?
 

BlueRaven

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80 percent of ride quality is suspension tuning. its a small suv with a pickup bed. its not going to ride like a Cadillac.
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