Did I make a mistake?

lawrench

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When I purchased my truck, I thought 18" wheels would be the way to go. But reading lots of threads on the size of the wheels, 17" is very popular. Is there a reason? I am stupid when it comes to tires, usually I just go to Discount Tires and tell them I need new tires, but I want my truck to look good, and I really do not like the Hankook tires, what is the maximum size tire that I can add and not have to cut my crash bars? I have the Ford Performance/Fox 2.0 lift. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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armoredpig

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Unless you plan to do quite a bit of off roading (taller sidewalls offer some protection to your wheels) I'd say wheel size is mostly a stylistic preference. I'm going down from 17 to 16, myself. You didn't make a mistake if you like the look of your 18s!

Also, 17 is the most popular size because most rangers come with 17s so getting new wheels can mean remounting the old tires. The cost savings is a big factor for a lot of people.
 
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CO2Ranger

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When I purchased my truck, I thought 18" wheels would be the way to go. But reading lots of threads on the size of the wheels, 17" is very popular. Is there a reason? I am stupid when it comes to tires, usually I just go to Discount Tires and tell them I need new tires, but I want my truck to look good, and I really do not like the Hankook tires, what is the maximum size tire that I can add and not have to cut my crash bars? I have the Ford Performance/Fox 2.0 lift. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Very simplistically:
More tire/smaller rim = a more plush ride but a bit less handling due to taller sidewall

Less tire/more rim = tad harsher ride but slightly better handling

In a truck many people won't be able to tell the difference. More tire does give you more off-road capability as mentioned above. Buy what suits your taste and driving style.

Use the search tool here on the forums, there's a thread on max tire size without modifications.
 

Frenchy

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The others are correct. My truck came with 17's and I am not changing the size. I go offroad a lot and 17 is about the optimum/biggest wheel for offroad and i personally believe the trucks look better with 17 inch wheels. Here is mine with Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 3's on 265/70-17.

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Deleted member 1634

I wanted the 17" sport wheels on mine, I thought they looked better. But the truck already had 18" on it and the dealer wasn't willing to swap. Took me a little while but they're growing on me. In the end it doesn't really matter. If you try hard enough you can find fault in any decision so best to just let little things like this go and enjoy the truck. Especially since you probably wouldn't have known this was an "issue" if it weren't for this forum. haha
 


Bluebeastsrt

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Could be worse. My truck came with the 16 inch contractor wheels. I’m so glad I scored a set of 18 lariat wheels on the super cheap. I would venture a guess that the vast majority of owners rarely see a dirt road like me. So the 18s made perfect sense for a truck that will be on pavement 99% of the time.
 

RANGER_MARC

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In my case, the 18-inch wheels came with the Black Appearance Package, which I loved on sight, and so the decision was purely aesthetic. You probably get a slightly better ride and slightly better mileage with the smaller wheels, but not enough to make a difference, in my humble opinion. So it all comes down to what you like....
 

HenryMac

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When I purchased my truck, I thought 18" wheels would be the way to go. But reading lots of threads on the size of the wheels, 17" is very popular. Is there a reason? I am stupid when it comes to tires, usually I just go to Discount Tires and tell them I need new tires, but I want my truck to look good, and I really do not like the Hankook tires, what is the maximum size tire that I can add and not have to cut my crash bars? I have the Ford Performance/Fox 2.0 lift. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It's all a matter of preference, for my rides... the more sidewall, the better. :like:

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UncleBob

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I was glancing at the 2019 Ranger sales brochure that I picked up when I ordered my truck and just happened to notice and thought it strange: The XL's came with 16' rims, the XLT's came with 17" rims and the Lariat's came with 18" rims as standard. I wonder why they did that?
 

Hounddog409

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I was glancing at the 2019 Ranger sales brochure that I picked up when I ordered my truck and just happened to notice and thought it strange: The XL's came with 16' rims, the XLT's came with 17" rims and the Lariat's came with 18" rims as standard. I wonder why they did that?
Not really the case. Depends on 2 or 4 wheel drive. And packages.

My XL STX 4x4 came with 17's.
 

Frenchy

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Not really the case. Depends on 2 or 4 wheel drive. And packages.

My XL STX 4x4 came with 17's.
I do agree with you to an extent. It more came down to the package. The sport package gives you 17's on both XL and XLT. Mt XLT would have had 16's if I didnt have the sport package
 

tgRanger

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Deleted member 1634

I was glancing at the 2019 Ranger sales brochure that I picked up when I ordered my truck and just happened to notice and thought it strange: The XL's came with 16' rims, the XLT's came with 17" rims and the Lariat's came with 18" rims as standard. I wonder why they did that?
Because we've been told that the bigger the wheels the fancier you are. I don't believe that, especially because so many vehicles nowadays are going crazy with it.
 

VAMike

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and the cost....a bigger wheel has a higher cost to manufacture, and the tire to put on it costs more too.
hence why higher end packages generally have them.

its all subjective to personal visual tastes vs function in my opinion.
And of course the primary driver is to use the illusion of choice to squeeze out more profit. I would have preferred a smaller wheel but it wasn't an option I could get.
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