20" Wheels? What's the Point?

[DaveB]

Allow me to jump in here if I may.

Certain brands and manufacturers only make certain styles and or widths that are better suited for the S550 platform in 20". The question is why do they do that and its simple. More people now would be interested in 20" wheels then smaller diameter wheels. For instance 10+ years ago having a 20" wheel was having a large wheel, but now it has become normal as the demand of clients based on the vehicle applications have changed.

Also having a larger selection of tires is a large driving factor as well.

Now in regards to skinnies for a 20" what do you mean by that? Do you mean more of a drag style skinny or a 7" width? If so then there are some brands that still do that, but the average width is typically a 9" in 20" and going upwards of a 12" for the S550 platform.

Paul A.

IM pretty sure he means sidewall

Sponsored

 

[LDHunter]

I knew it was complicated but this whole issue of changing to bigger wheels by F1 et al adds another whole layer of complexity.

I'm glad they're copying my Mustang with it's 20" wheels. They're finally wising up...

 

[Bulutt]

OK... So I'm a 60's generation kind of guy and admittedly have old school ideas and attitudes on a lot of things yet I DO embrace a lot of the new technology these days BUT!!!

What's the point of the 20" wheels on a Mustang other than the bling factor? Don't get me wrong... My new Mustang I'm picking up today (hopefully) has them and from the pics I've seen of it they look pretty nice but at some point doesn't there end up being some diminishing returns factor when wheels keep getting taller and tires getting skinnier?

I've read a little bit about the ride being rougher with the skinny tires. I've also read the complaints about the wheels and tires being more susceptible to damage from curbs, potholes etc.

There's probably a lot I'm missing but once again I bring my stupid questions to the 6g community for enlightenment.

Educate me please? The good, the bad and the ugly.... Wait! Wasn't that a movie?

Because I like them.

 

[Bikeman315]

Because I like them.

Damn, those look incredible. Silly question, have you considering changing your side marker lights. Thinking clear would look awesome.

 

[Bulutt]

Damn, those look incredible. Silly question, have you considering changing your side marker lights. Thinking clear would look awesome.

Actually yes, I want to go smoked to make them blend with the paint more but have to get around to it.

Thanks

 

[truckinguy92]

The thing to consider is if you change rims to a larger size and if the tire doesn’t match your originals diameter you’re going to need to reprogram the computer to compensate for the change in speed and miles traveled.

 

[Ewheels]

The thing to consider is if you change rims to a larger size and if the tire doesn’t match your originals diameter you’re going to need to reprogram the computer to compensate for the change in speed and miles traveled.

Eh, not really needed. If you're super particular, sure, but the diameter difference is only going to be a couple %
3% diameter difference is only a 3,000 mile difference in 100,000 miles. That's nothing.

 

[truckinguy92]

Eh, not really needed. If you're super particular, sure, but the diameter difference is only going to be a couple %
3% diameter difference is only a 3,000 mile difference in 100,000 miles. That's nothing.

I have OCD so to me that would be unacceptable. 3000 miles is 3000 miles. Don’t get me wrong I know our speedometers aren’t calibrated like a police cruiser but still. 3% in speed difference could mean the difference of getting a speeding ticket or not if you’re pushing the limit.

 

[1972_todd]

It's always amazing to me how hard we debate over an individual's personal choice on an item that doesn't impact the world or others. It's a choice. No different than me choosing Chucks over Nikes today. Pros and cons on both. Many will debate to the point of anger and ultimately its a sneaker. IDK, just enjoy your car. Have fun, enjoy your life. Peace out Mustang lovers, Mustang family.

 

[Norm Peterson]

It's always amazing to me how hard we debate over an individual's personal choice on an item that doesn't impact the world or others. It's a choice. No different than me choosing Chucks over Nikes today. Pros and cons on both. Many will debate to the point of anger and ultimately its a sneaker. IDK, just enjoy your car. Have fun, enjoy your life. Peace out Mustang lovers, Mustang family.

In a perfect world where both the questions and the responses are kept free of subjective opinion, sure.

But given that OP explained where he was coming from and specifically asked "What's the point" and " Educate me please? The good, the bad and the ugly...." the door was left wide open for opinion (and subsequent controversy).


Norm

 

[shogun32]

3% in speed difference could mean the difference of getting a speeding ticket or not if you’re pushing the limit.

you're kidding yourself if you're not using a GPS readout.

 

[Rick#7]

As others have said, it's just about the looks. On the practical side of the matter, I would chose 18's if I had the option, simply from my own real world experience, i.e. I've always been very careful about curbs and potholes, but sometimes s**t happens. Even with the occasion mishap my rims always survived without damage, up until my current ride. All my previous cars had 18" or smaller rims. My current car came with 19's from the factory. About a year after I got it, the rear end got away from me and I ended up going over a curb (that's a story for a different thread) resulting in 1 blown tire and a bent rim. I used that as an excuse to upgrade the factory rims so I could put wider tires on (a purely aesthetic preference), however there just wasn't a very good selection of 19" tires that were wider than stock but still close to 27" overall diameter, plus the rims I really liked didn't come in 19" so I went with 20" rims. About a year after sinking a couple G into new rims and tires I have curb rash on both front rims (no it didn't happen at the same time, it was actually 3 separate instances).

Too late to make it a short story, but the point is that taller rims with short sidewalls are much more prone to road damage in real world driving, 19" more so than 18", and 20" more so than 19". Every time I see the rash on my rims I give more thought to going back to 19" and looking for taller than stock diameter tire sizes to see if there's a width that would work.

FWIW, one potential reason for the ever increasing brake rotor size is to keep up with the ever increasing rim size. I read a comparison test some years ago that showed back to back braking performance when changing 18" rims to 20", the distance needed to stop from 60 mph increased by over 30%. So one could argue it's actually safer to run the shortest rim possible that fits over the brakes in order to stop faster in an emergency.

 

[Norm Peterson]

FWIW, one potential reason for the ever increasing brake rotor size is to keep up with the ever increasing rim size. I read a comparison test some years ago that showed back to back braking performance when changing 18" rims to 20", the distance needed to stop from 60 mph increased by over 30%. So one could argue it's actually safer to run the shortest rim possible that fits over the brakes in order to stop faster in an emergency.

I'm going to question the validity of that comparison test - there just isn't that much difference in rotational inertia to make that much difference in stopping distance.

I'm much more inclined to believe that rotor sizes are following wheel diameters for appearance reasons. 12" and 13" rotors already look small behind 18" wheels, never mind 19's or 20's. Open-design wheels can't hide the gap between rotor OD and wheel barrel ID, and that's what'll draw your eye.


Norm

Sponsored