16" wheels vs 18" wheels for ride on mostly pavement

[FirstNewTruck]

I will be picking up my 2021 Ranger supercab XL 4WD in a couple of weeks. Truck was ordered with 16" steel wheels, but the dealer put on a set of 18" Bronco Aluminum wheels from a 2021 Outer Banks to move the truck I guess, was on the lot for months. I will get both sets, and my tentative plan is to have them put the 16" steel wheels back on, and try and sell or barter the 18" for some decent looking 16" wheels, and maybe towards a tonneau cover or trailer hitch. I drive mostly on pavement, plan on no regular off road activities, and from what I have read it seems like the consensus is the 16" will give a better (or softer) ride. Also in consideration is if I keep the 18" on there I have to I guess invest in an 18" spare or be prepared to not be able to change a tire on the road, etc.

Just wondering if the 16" would actually be a better ride in people's experience, and if there are gas mileage reductions with the larger tires and heavier wheels. Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks,

FirstNewTruck. Actually handle should now be SecondNewTruck but that's another story...

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[slowmachine]

Shorter sidewalls provide more responsive steering. My factory wheels are 18”, and I picked up a set of OE 17” for winter use. Taller sidewalls absorb bumps better. There are far too many, and more significant factors that affect fuel consumption. Equipping the truck with the same model tire on different-size wheels would be interesting, but not likely worth the expense to find out. In factory-size Ranger tires, there seem to be more tire choices in 17” than 16”. My choice of snow tires isn’t available in 16”, and I don’t want to deal with rusty steel wheels.

 

[Trustable]

Just my opinion, but I would see if you can get a set of ranger 17 inch wheels (i think there's the sport kind and regular), they seem to have the most options for tires.

 

[Zvedza]

Just my opinion, but I would see if you can get a set of ranger 17 inch wheels (i think there's the sport kind and regular), they seem to have the most options for tires.

Second this.

In terms of mpg hits, a heavier tire will have more of an impact than a heavier wheel. Generally tires are heavier, especially AT and similar tires, and the weight is further out from the hub which has more of an impact.

 

[TomC]

There are lots of sets of 16 inch steel tires for sale. Do they have Bridgestone Duelers? Like these?
What do the 18 inch look like on the truck? Tires? what size spare do you have under the truck, is it the same as the 16 inch stock?

 

[Grumpaw]

Since your getting both sets, have you considered keeping the Bronco's on, and taking the steelies, selling the new tires from them, and getting a dedicated set of winter tires mounted ?
TPMS will already be there/installed, which is a plus.
I'm sure where your located, dedicated winter tires would be helpful.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Congratulations on your purchase.

Are those 18” wheels from a Bronco or Bronco Sport?

• If it was a Bronco Sport, things should be fine, sort of
• If it was a full-size Bronco, I’m surprised the wheel set fits without rubbing

Either way, according to Ford’s specs, they’re either 2” too tall or 1.4” too small to work with your spare properly or to register your mileage, speed, and fuel consumption accurately. Count on being out 3-4% over or under.

Sales Managers……

 

[Dgc333]

My wife's Dodge came with 18" wheels with 40 series tires. I had an almost new set of 16" winter tires that had the same outside diameter so I picked up a set of 16" wheels for those tires. There was no noticeable difference in the ride.

My 15 Mustang came with 19" wheels and 40 series tires. 17" winter tires were much less expensive than 19" winter tires so I purchased a set of 55 series winter tires and wheels that had the same overall diameter. There was no noticeable difference in the ride.

If it were me I would keep the 18" tires and wheels and like previously mentioned sell the 16" tires and get a set of winter tires for those wheels.

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

I have 18’s on mine currently .. if you aren’t planning off road or caring about bigger tires.. then I’d say run 16-17, as the MPG, is killer on mine ?

 

[NeptuneRanger]

Congrats on the purchase. Let’s start your second question first.. the spare.

Don’t let the tail wag the dog. My 2019 XLT came with 18s and my spare is a 16. There are threads on this subject on the forum, bottom line is it doesn’t matter and certainly shouldn’t weigh heavily on your decision.

I get good gas mileage on my 18s, over 30 mpg on flat freeway driving and about 25 in the city, I do have a 2wd which may be lighter than your 4wd.

I like PAs idea, keep it simple and leave as is and sell the 16s, just my 2 cents

 

[THLONE]

Did the dealer set the speedo for the larger tires or is it still set for the smaller tires?

 

[FirstNewTruck]

Thanks for all the info and ideas. I have to verify if the dealer changed the speedo/odo the sale person who I dealt with said "it doesn't matter" but she has no real car knowledge. These wheels are from a 2021 Bronco Outer Bank.

I guess although the spare is not a big issue my question would be if I keep the 18s and get a flat, I can't throw on a 16" spare and drive home, can I?

Part of my concern with keeping the 18s is getting a straight technically accurate answer from the dealer on whether the wheels were (or should have been) offset or shimmed or whatever, things I am not up on in any way. So for safety and simplicity I am planning right now on putting the stock 16s back on and selling the 18 rims and tires. Could use the cash, I traded in a 2021 Tacoma with the 2.7L four cylinder (my bad, totally underpowered truck, put 21,000 it and had had it) so I took a hit on depreciation.

The 18" Bronco Outer Bank rims/tires do look nice on it, but I don't have confidence in the technical aspects of the larger rims at this point.

As to winter tires, when I get the truck in a week or so we're already in to February, so there's not much winter left. And for the driving I do 4WD with any tire is good enough for sure, with the clearance of a pickup.

If the mileage is not a big issue or the ride quality, I would like to keep them on but I just don't feel comfortable on a brand new truck if the mounting or some other technical part is wrong.

 

[NeptuneRanger]

Thanks for all the info and ideas. I have to verify if the dealer changed the speedo/odo the sale person who I dealt with said "it doesn't matter" but she has no real car knowledge. These wheels are from a 2021 Bronco Outer Bank.

I guess although the spare is not a big issue my question would be if I keep the 18s and get a flat, I can't throw on a 16" spare and drive home, can I?

Part of my concern with keeping the 18s is getting a straight technically accurate answer from the dealer on whether the wheels were (or should have been) offset or shimmed or whatever, things I am not up on in any way. So for safety and simplicity I am planning right now on putting the stock 16s back on and selling the 18 rims and tires. Could use the cash, I traded in a 2021 Tacoma with the 2.7L four cylinder (my bad, totally underpowered truck, put 21,000 it and had had it) so I took a hit on depreciation.

The 18" Bronco Outer Bank rims/tires do look nice on it, but I don't have confidence in the technical aspects of the larger rims at this point.

As to winter tires, when I get the truck in a week or so we're already in to February, so there's not much winter left. And for the driving I do 4WD with any tire is good enough for sure, with the clearance of a pickup.

If the mileage is not a big issue or the ride quality, I would like to keep them on but I just don't feel comfortable on a brand new truck if the mounting or some other technical part is wrong.

You are overthinking it, it is the diameter of the wheel and tire combo that matters not the wheel size. Ford is not going to put a 16 spare with 18 inch rims like my set up if it isn’t safe. Imagine the lawsuits they would face. There are websites that show the tire and wheel combos overlayed for comparison, again it is the diameter of the wheel and tire combo that matters.

Since many Rangers come stock with 18s of course they will work as long as the tire size matches OEM specs.

Totally your call looks wise, personal preference, just make your decision for the right reasons. Best of luck and enjoy the truck !

 

[Dgc333]

I guess although the spare is not a big issue my question would be if I keep the 18s and get a flat, I can't throw on a 16" spare and drive home, can I?

Sure you can. The only time a diameter difference becomes an issue is on the rear axle when there there is a limited slip and the ranger doesn't have one and if you have a locker don't lock it. You could always by a 16" tire that matches the OD of the 18" tires if it bothers you.

As far as the speedo being off it is a simple matter of adjusting the odometer with ForScan.

 

[wanted33]

The wheels, and tires from the Bronco are a direct fit to the Ranger. Same offset, so no need to worry about spacers. The 18" tires on the Ranger are 265/60R18, and the ones from the Bronco are 255/70R18. I don't think you'll see an appreciable drop in your mpg's. I went from 255/70R18 to 285/70R17 on my Jeep JL. The speedometer in 1+ off at 65 mpg, and I didn't see enough loss in mpgs to worry about it. And yes, if you have a flat you can drive home with the spare. I wouldn't advise driving across country, but enough to get the truck, or tire to the shop for repairs isn't gonna hurt a thing.

BTW, post a pic of your Ranger if you get a chance. I have a Bronco Outer Banks on order (if I ever get the thing). I have though of buying a more agressive set of wheels/tires for it, and moving the Bronco weels/tires over to my Ranger. I would love to see what that looks like.

You can use this calculator to see the difference in the speedometer to see if it's enough to worry about.

https://tiresize.com/calculator/

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