Bigger tires and handling

[Osco]

So many put on bigger to look cool, and thats fine. I to went from 225 to 235 but I picked a tire that was designed to do well at high speed and in corners and off road and in snow and in rain and on gravel. I’ve had these Yokohama Geolandar GO15’s on my Escape for two years already.
They replaced my factory Conti’s on my BS.
I’m good with no handling problems only enhanced traction and control.

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[Kristine44]

I am interested in putting 18” wheels on my Badlands but haven’t seen any discussion of that on here and am admittedly not knowledgeable about wheels/tires. I like the way they look on the OB. Planning to talk to my tire place about it but curious what people here think…

 

[GoatsyBanks]

Increasing tire size is a trade off. Looks, lift and off road performance versus on road handling. It all depends on your preference.
I just went from 225 contnental's on 18" rims to light truck 245 all terains on 17" rims. Obviously a significant difference in handling. However I've really only noticed it in cornering. Im still working on how much to slow "before" sharp turns but that's the correct way to drive no matter what vehicle your in.
All that being said I am very happy with my decision. Personally, the increase in traction, smoother ride, the stance, the looks and the extra lift far outweighs getting used to the cornering. Not only that, it seems to shift smoother and there is almost no noticeable loss in engine performance, aside from maybe punching it at high speeds.
What I do know is I won't be having anxiety attacks while driving in the snow. And, when it's deep, it won't be coming up over the hood onto the windshield like it did with my explorer.
I'm really looking forward to hitting the trails this spring.

 

[GoatsyBanks]

I am interested in putting 18” wheels on my Badlands but haven’t seen any discussion of that on here and am admittedly not knowledgeable about wheels/tires. I like the way they look on the OB. Planning to talk to my tire place about it but curious what people here think…

If I wasn't on the other side of the country I would sell you my OB rims at an extreme discount.
Hell, you pay for shipping and we can negotiate! Lol

 

[Kristine44]

If I wasn't on the other side of the country I would sell you my OB rims at an extreme discount.
Hell, you pay for shipping and we can negotiate! Lol

Thank you! But I really want to get 18” all black rims.

 

[Mark S.]

I am interested in putting 18” wheels on my Badlands but haven’t seen any discussion of that on here and am admittedly not knowledgeable about wheels/tires. I like the way they look on the OB. Planning to talk to my tire place about it but curious what people here think…

What's your typical use? If you plan to use your BS off-road then larger diameter wheels are not a good idea. The rule of thumb according to most experts is to keep wheel diameter no larger than half the tire diameter.

 

[Kristine44]

What's your typical use? If you plan to use your BS off-road then larger diameter wheels are not a good idea. The rule of thumb according to most experts is to keep wheel diameter no larger than half the tire diameter.

I won’t be doing anything more intense than a lot of gravel roads. I got the bigger engine so that I could haul my small trailer with two mini donkeys in case of an emergency (I live in forest fire country) if my husband is not home to haul them, more so than for the off-road capabilities.

 

[Mark S.]

I won’t be doing anything more intense than a lot of gravel roads. I got the bigger engine so that I could haul my small trailer with two mini donkeys in case of an emergency (I live in forest fire country) if my husband is not home to haul them, more so than for the off-road capabilities.

Well, it sounds like you could get by with larger wheels, but honestly, in an emergency I would want the most reliable wheel/tire combination possible. To me, that means stick with OEM sizing.

 

[Kristine44]

Well, it sounds like you could get by with larger wheels, but honestly, in an emergency I would want the most reliable wheel/tire combination possible. To me, that means stick with OEM sizing.

Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate it!

 

[gcallen]

Has anyone noticed any handling issues with upsizing tires?

I just put 245/65/17 tires on my big bend with no lift and they look great. However, there’s a drastic difference in handling. I was expecting some difference but honestly I’m regretting going with the 245’s and thinking I should have gone 235. Obviously the steering is a bit more tight but the most noticeable difference is it seems less stable and more side to side ‘sway/rocking’ especially on the highway at higher speeds. Has anyone else experienced similar issues?

I just moved from 225s to 245s, and added a 1.5 in lift. I don't like the handling as much anymore-- definitely feeling the increased body sway. But that's just on the road so far. I'll see if the bigger tires make a big difference on dirt.
If it's not too much of a benefit off-road, I might go back down to 235s next time I need to replace my tires.

 

[Mark S.]

I just moved from 225s to 245s, and added a 1.5 in lift. I don't like the handling as much anymore-- definitely feeling the increased body sway.

This is my chief concern with a lift--how does it affect the rollover characteristics? The dynamic load limit for the roof (150 lbs) is based on rollover characteristics, so adding a lift SHOULD result in a reduction of that load limit. How much? I don't believe there's any way to tell without doing the rollover tests required by the NHTSA.

I don't think would drive a lifted vehicle as a daily driver with the expectation of commuting along with the 80mph traffic in the left lane. Can you do it? Sure, until that first time you have to swerve to avoid something in the road you didn't see until the last minute. Be careful out there...

 

[Adam06]

I just moved from 225s to 245s, and added a 1.5 in lift. I don't like the handling as much anymore-- definitely feeling the increased body sway. But that's just on the road so far. I'll see if the bigger tires make a big difference on dirt.
If it's not too much of a benefit off-road, I might go back down to 235s next time I need to replace my tires.

What kind of lift did you install? Could be the sway bar , I had a ready lift that used brackets to connect sway bar links and the handling was awful. I replaced it with hrg lift and made a world of difference. I have 235/60/18 had them before lift and after lift and there is very little difference at all.

 

[Orin]

This is my chief concern with a lift--how does it affect the rollover characteristics? The dynamic load limit for the roof (150 lbs) is based on rollover characteristics, so adding a lift SHOULD result in a reduction of that load limit. How much? I don't believe there's any way to tell without doing the rollover tests required by the NHTSA.

I don't think would drive a lifted vehicle as a daily driver with the expectation of commuting along with the 80mph traffic in the left lane. Can you do it? Sure, until that first time you have to swerve to avoid something in the road you didn't see until the last minute. Be careful out there...

Would having better suspension fix the issues? You might be able to keep the look of the lift/bigger tire with suspension upgrade but I'm not an expert so I don't know for sure.

 

[RSH]

If you are going to offroad seriously, a smaller diameter rim and running tires with a taller sidewall would be better for traction. That is basically what HRG did with their test Bronco Sport.

 

[Mark S.]

Would having better suspension fix the issues?

Stiffer springs and sway bars can help with body roll, but that will adversely affect other handling qualities. No matter how level you keep it you have still lifted the vehicle, which raises the center of gravity. The CG location is the primary factor affecting susceptibility to a rollover accident. That's why Ford specifies a dynamic weight limit for rooftop loads. Adding weight to the roof raises the CG which makes the vehicle more prone to rollover.

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