[johnny59]

I'm very close to picking the Passport as my next car purchase. But I don't understand why a lot of members here seem to have changed or want to change the stock wheels and tires. I'm looking at an Elite and those have 265/45R20. Why would I want smaller diameter wheel? What will it improve? And what about the sidewall - should that be more than the 45 that comes stock? I know it's probably a basic question but I'd like to understand why so many people are changing their wheels and tires and if I should too

Thanks

 

[johnny59]

Yup that makes sense - thanks.

What about infrequent off-road trips? Would it still be worthwhile changing tires and wheels if most of my driving is on pavement?

Also how do tires/wheel sizes affect road noise and mileage?

 

[johnny59]

Thanks. I'm targeting the Elite for features and not very much into off roading. Might do it just because I have the Passport


I was considering if I should go smaller on wheels and then take the tire sidewall side up. But looks like it would be a waste for me.

 

[johnny59]

I think most people who switch are doing so more for offroad capability reasons. If you dont plan to, the lower aspect tires are fine for city driving. Lower aspect tires do have some disadvantages as the stiffer side walls make them louder over small bumps and make be a tad rougher. Lower aspect tires also tend to cost more to replace.

For offroading you would want more sidewall on your tires. Dont want to scrape those aluminum wheels. With more side wall you can also air down your tires a little bit for better grip over rocky terrain. In addition off road tire selection is much better on say a 18" wheel than a 20" because that's what a lot of people use.

Also keep in mind increasing or decreasing your tire aspect ratio will usually affect your speedometer as well.

How much louder will they be? I do want to keep road noise down.

I was thought you could reduce the wheel size in conjunction with increasing the sidewall of the tire and come to the same combined diameter and thus have the speedometer unaffected?