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

**dnoraker** · 11-25-2011, 05:17 PM

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.

**dnoraker** · 11-25-2011, 05:18 PM

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.

**toycar18** · 11-25-2011, 05:27 PM

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?

**Tundra_10** · 11-25-2011, 05:28 PM

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.

**dnoraker** · 11-25-2011, 08:32 PM

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.

**dnoraker** · 11-25-2011, 08:33 PM

The difference in wheel size is:

Stock: 16x7
Boss 313: 20x8.5

**longdx** · 11-25-2011, 08:35 PM

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.

**Mike@DedicatedPerfection** · 11-25-2011, 08:38 PM

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

**eaglefan** · 11-25-2011, 08:51 PM

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

**dnoraker** · 11-25-2011, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by smack

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

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.