20" Rims on my '03 Suburban? In Minnesota???

dnoraker

dnoraker

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I just got an '03 Suburban Indigo Blue in just awesome condition that I'm going to sand/buff/touch-up to perfection and would like to add the icing on the cake with some 20" chrome rims. I found the exact ones I want and found someone who has some barely used ones for sale. He would even take my stock rims and tires on trade for his '99 Silverado.

Question for northerners: am I stupid to drive a 'Burb with 20s in the snow? I know the '07-current 'Burbs have a 20" wheel option, so I figured it would be okay, but maybe they have other mods that make it more feasible.

I have 4WD, so I'm not terribly concerned about getting stuck, though I wonder about "floating" on the snow, as the wheels are 1.5" wider than stock.

I also wonder about the ride quality. The '03 comes with 16 or 17" rims, so I would think a 20" would be a brittle ride. Maybe the '07 and newer that have a 20" option have a softer suspension???

Below is exactly what my truck would look like with the rims I want. Looks SMOKING HOT!

The next picture is my actual truck with stock 16" rims. Looks okay, rides fine. I just clayed and sealed the whole thing with WG Deep Gloss. Also damp sanded the hood with 3000 grit and buffed out with M105, M205 and 85RD.

Boss_313_chrome_on_blue_Suburban.jpg


IMG_6126.JPG

imageatt
 
FYI, the hot red Altima in my avatar has been sold, so this truck is now my vehicular obsession. Beyond my 2 (soon to be 3, thus the vehicle change) kids.
 
As far as traction goes, you can get a good All-Terrain tire which will give you awesome grip in the snow with the smaller rim... maybe with that big rim if you are lucky.

With a 20" rim your tire options are probably limited so you may give up some traction in snow.

Obviously, 4WD will help you going but won't help stopping.

I'm sure it would be fine driving around assuming the roads are in ok condition.

On roads that don't have sand, or deep snow you may not have as much grip which means less stopping ability.

Personally, I would put a snow tire on in the winter (if available) and stick with nice rims or a all terrain if available. Also talk with a tire store and see what there thoughts are.

A 17 or 18 inch you may better tire options

WHAT IS YOUR TIRE SIZE WITH 20s?
 
Rim preference can only be decided by you. I actually like the stock rims better as I am not a fan of chrome.

Chrome can get messed up from the salt and over time they will not look very good. Your factory rims will probably hold up a little better in harsher conditions. Do not rely on 4wd saving your butt in any situation. I do not think that was your implication in your comment but I do know a lot of people that think their vehicles are unstoppable because they have 4wd. It will help you if conditions are slippery but at speed and when trying to stop, 4wd does not mean anything. In my eyes proper tire selection should be of the essence if you are worried about winter performance and thats where your stock wheels will do nicely. If you like those chrome rims buy them but keep the stock for winter and get yourself some studded tires (if your state permits) on your stocks. That way the chrome wheels will stay nice and your stocks, well sounds like you do not care about them so who cares.
 
The tires with the 20" rim would be 285/50/20

Ya- I've had 4WD and AWD before and they can slide on ice and packed snow just as well as 2WD. :) I meant more that 4WD is better with getting started from a complete stop vs. just RWD.

I'm leaning toward keeping the stock rims with the new all-season Toyos on them and if I really want some fancier rims, keep those for the 7-8 months with no snow. In that case, I would go for the rims pictured. I really like how those look.

OR....I could go for an 18" rim that would be a good compromise. My Brother In Law has 16" American Racing chrome rims that were installed on the truck new and only got corroded enough to be unsightly around 120k, then started leaking air around 140k.

My factory rims, with 110k on them, are already fairly corroded. One rim is fairly unsightly and the others are close behind. I'm not sure, in MN winter conditions, that the chrome rims have less life than anything else if taken care of. I use wheel wax/sealant now and won't go back.
 
The difference in wheel size is:

Stock: 16x7
Boss 313: 20x8.5
 
I tend to agree with "Tundra 10" about chrome wheels in the wintertime. I would stick with the 16" stock wheels for the winter and change to the 20's in the Summer.

20" wheels will have an impact on the driving quality of the vehicle (more unsprung weight/lower tire profile). However, it depends on the construction of the wheel. Higher end wheels use better manufacturing techniques to keep weight in line with stock wheels. Also remember that replacing 20" tires will be an expensive endeavor compared to stock 16" wheels.
 
I agree that winter will tear up chrome, I am from New Jersey originally, now in Fla. I have a Z71 avalanche that I put 22's on. It actually rides better now than with the stock stuff. Not as much roll on turns, not as much bounce on bumps. Now, my tires do have a decent sidewall. For my truck, and probably your suburban, when you get to 24 and 26 in rims, tire sidewalls shrink big time and there goes ride quality. But leave the chrome for the summer time
 
smack said:
Do some reading on what tires to use and how much better a snow tire is than an all season tire

Snow Tires - Find the best Winter / Snow Tires at Tire Rack
Click to expand...

WOW!!! I watched the video of the two BMWs with all-season and winter tires and I'm SHOCKED at how different they are. I almost want to march over to my shop and swap out the all-seasons with winter tires and sell the all-seasons. That was kind of scary. Granted, I've never put a car in the ditch- I don't drive fast enough, or I just don't drive, on the snowy days. But, with a wife and three kids to protect, maybe it's worth the investment anyway.

Does anyone know what the higher quality brands of rims would be? American Racing and Boss consistently have the best-looking rims to my eyes anyway.

The nice thing about having two sets of rims is that I can mount them myself when the seasons change, versus switching the tires out at the shop. To just sell my stock rims wouldn't make much sense because the rims themselves aren't worth much and I might as well get some good usage out of the tires.
 
eaglefan said:
I agree that winter will tear up chrome, I am from New Jersey originally, now in Fla. I have a Z71 avalanche that I put 22's on. It actually rides better now than with the stock stuff. Not as much roll on turns, not as much bounce on bumps. Now, my tires do have a decent sidewall. For my truck, and probably your suburban, when you get to 24 and 26 in rims, tire sidewalls shrink big time and there goes ride quality. But leave the chrome for the summer time
Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing your experience with the bigger rims. It seems like there wouldn't be so many people putting 20s and 22s on if the ride was that awful. I can understand 24 and 26 because there is virtually no rubber on them. I drove an '05 Pacifica with 19" factory rims on it and it was smooth as butter and I think it had less sidewall than the Burb would have with 20s. It seemed like I felt the tiniest bumps in the road more than a 17" in my Altima, but I didn't notice it after owning it after a few days.

it would be interesting to hear from someone who has an 07-12 Suburban or Tahoe with the factory 20s, though I swear they look like they have a bigger overall diameter.
 
As long as you have a good amount of sidewall your ride should not be hindered too much. However, there are other things to consider like width and weight.

A larger diameter tire usually means its going to be wider, now all of a sudden you will not be able to fully turn your wheel to the left or the right because the tire turning "into" the wheel well will be rubbing on something, whether it be a suspension component or your fender liner. It might even get snagged on a skid plate if your truck has one. The only way to get around that is with spacers, I have heard spacers can cause issues as well.

Also with a wider tire you cannot hit bumps and potholes like you used to be able to (especially around a bend), that will be a good way to bend the shat out of one of those front fenders.

If you go up in tire size your tire will be heavier, your rim will be heavier. You are going to loose mpg (which I am sure that beast does not get 30mpg as it is) also you are going to be putting additional strain on your drivetrain (maybe just marginal) because of the additional weight that the truck was not originally intended to have.

Also if your roll-out diameter is different your speedo will be off.

... Just a little extra food for thought.
 
Just make sure you buy the right wheel offseat so the wheel doesn't stick out like crazy.

Ask the tire/wheel guy and they can help
 
^^ backspacing, yup forgot about that one too! thank you toycar18!
 
My 09 F-250 4x4 crew cab came stock with 20's where my 05 had 17's. The ride appears to be close to the same on both of these trucks. They both have factory clear coated aluminum rims .I love the chrome-like look of these type of rims. These rims have held up good in the winter when they are well maintained. There are lots of rims available for your truck with this type of construction without going to a chrome plated rim. As for the performance of winter only tires , I have come to the conclusion that driver skill (and common sense)are as important as tire type. Research tread patterns for your desired driving conditions. I drove for over 30 yrs in a tractor trailer with out chains, studs or a accident (close to two million miles) in the upper midwest.
 
I would be going for the same overall diameter as stock to avoid clearance and speedometer issues.

I noticed the offset numbers on wheels I've looked at and saw that 14 was the one that popped up when I used the wheel-finder tools on various companies' sites. I'm not sure what that entails compared to a stock rim- if that means it will clear everything as if it were stock, or if it's going to stick out a little more. I know the 20" wheel I want is 1.5" wider than stock, but don't the tires "bulge" less with less sidewall, thus not sticking out with their overall width? I know it would be a wider tread, because I think the tread is supposed to be the width of the wheel.

That brings me to my next dilemma.....if these 20" rims are wider and maybe stick out another 3/4" (if the extra width is split each direction), this might splatter more up the sides of the truck. It already splatters pretty bad with stock rims, though, so maybe this isn't much of a concern.
 
dnoraker said:
WOW!!! I watched the video of the two BMWs with all-season and winter tires and I'm SHOCKED at how different they are. I almost want to march over to my shop and swap out the all-seasons with winter tires and sell the all-seasons. That was kind of scary. Granted, I've never put a car in the ditch- I don't drive fast enough, or I just don't drive, on the snowy days. But, with a wife and three kids to protect, maybe it's worth the investment anyway.

Does anyone know what the higher quality brands of rims would be? American Racing and Boss consistently have the best-looking rims to my eyes anyway.

The nice thing about having two sets of rims is that I can mount them myself when the seasons change, versus switching the tires out at the shop. To just sell my stock rims wouldn't make much sense because the rims themselves aren't worth much and I might as well get some good usage out of the tires.
Click to expand...

Shocking isnt it? Luckily I can get away with summers in Vegas as it never really gets that cold there. You can input your data into tirerack to get a setup just for your Burb. Look it up and choose some wheels and tires. And I bought my summer setup from them as well.
 
Research the specs on the factory 20's on the newer suburban and compare them to what you presently have. Tire size (width and outer dia.) Speedos can be re-calibrated .Check on some of the Chevy truck forums and ask if others have done this same swap. Do your homework for a happy ending
 
2old2change said:
My 09 F-250 4x4 crew cab came stock with 20's where my 05 had 17's. The ride appears to be close to the same on both of these trucks. They both have factory clear coated aluminum rims .I love the chrome-like look of these type of rims. These rims have held up good in the winter when they are well maintained. There are lots of rims available for your truck with this type of construction without going to a chrome plated rim. As for the performance of winter only tires , I have come to the conclusion that driver skill (and common sense)are as important as tire type. Research tread patterns for your desired driving conditions. I drove for over 30 yrs in a tractor trailer with out chains, studs or a accident (close to two million miles) in the upper midwest.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Ya- I learned to drive in a conversion van and RWD Cadillac and got my license in the dead of winter. No snow tires. I figured it out.

I have seen some other rims that I like. Even other stock rims. I kind of like the '07+ 20" 5-spoke rims. I'm not sure if they are bigger than the '00-'06 like mine, though. The Z71 rims are kind of cool, which are 17s. The 16s I have just happen to be my least favorite of the truck rims and they're getting corroded.

Boss makes the 313 with a black painted wheel face and just a chrome edge and those look pretty cool. I just think the truck looks too "angry" with black rims. They do have a "black chrome" that's pretty sweet.

At the end of the day, I still want it to look like a truck and not a pimp-mobile. I can't stand oversized, over-blingy rims. I kind of like the chrome just for the "pop", as I have a PT detailing business and they look sharp all shined up. That's one thing I loved about my Pacifica was the 19" chrome rims.
 
talk to your tire guy. They can tell you what will fit and what doesnt. Its not like you are putting 26's on it.
 
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