LT Wheels Getting Bigger and Bigger and Bigger

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http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/2017...-and-popularity

some excerpts:

Quote:
The current trend for light truck wheels is "bigger and bigger and bigger," said Nick Chin, director for American Force Wheels. "Everybody's going bigger. Everybody's going wider."

Miami-based American Force and Ontario, Calif.-based The Wheel Group have been increasing LT wheel production to meet the growing demand.

He surmised that the LT wheel demand is due to the popularity of light trucks in the U.S. Unlike the Canadian market, where light trucks primarily are used as work vehicles, the U.S. market has embraced light trucks as family vehicles.

"I think first and foremost, trucks have become not necessarily a work vehicle any longer. They've become very plush. The interiors are much nicer, they are smoother riding vehicles, they're more family-friendly than they've ever been. So I think that's a piece of it," he said.

The Wheel Group builds an array of wheels, from trailer to heavy truck sizes. Light truck wheel business is about 65 percent of overall sales, Mr. Podlovits said, with a "tremendous increase" in LT wheel sales over the past few years.

The regions of the country driving the aftermarket LT wheels popularity is the Sunbelt region, from California to Florida, and the so-called Bible Belt of southeastern states, according to Mr. Chin.

The demand for bigger wheels is expected to continue for the next few years, Mr. Chin predicted.

Mr. Podlovits said his company focuses on safety as well as fitment with the larger wheels.

"The payload is increasing literally every single year on some of these (vehicles). We really try to stay above the curve on that. One of the key factors that we always look at is the load rating on the wheel.

"Traditionally a load rating has always been tested by using an OEM tire, which is what the specification calls for. We test on a 37-inch tire, which will achieve a higher load rating beyond what most vehicles will actually use."
 
In my area, the jeep crowd with their oversized mudder tires has somehow fornicated with the 1/2t truck crowd so you have all these full size Chevy/Dodge/Ford trucks rolling around on comically large tires that just howl when going 20mph+.

And they don't go into the mud.
And they're driven by people who need a ladder to get into the truck because it's higher now.
And they blind everyone at night because the headlights aren't adjusted to make up for the increased height of the vehicle.
 
The good news is, you can still get a reasonable size on most 3/4 and 1 ton base models. Dual wheel trucks still come with a 235 tire and most of the base model 1 and 3/4 trucks come with 265.
 
I have 33/12.5, looking forward to 35/1x.x, coming from 30/9.5 from 235/75, but I use them. I donwsized from 255 to 245 due to price and (hopefully) fuel economy improvement on my IS. I plan to grab a smaller rim size and run a wide tire for the RX, but only as a dedicated winter tire, and will likely downsize to a narrower tire on it for summers.
People get caught up in the "performance" pitch form what they read or hear, not realizing it will only hurt their wallet, as most people will not utilize the gained grip. This finds it's way into the mainstream vehicle production.

My speculative
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Originally Posted By: Reddy45
In my area, the jeep crowd with their oversized mudder tires has somehow fornicated with the 1/2t truck crowd so you have all these full size Chevy/Dodge/Ford trucks rolling around on comically large tires that just howl when going 20mph+.

And they don't go into the mud.
And they're driven by people who need a ladder to get into the truck because it's higher now.
And they blind everyone at night because the headlights aren't adjusted to make up for the increased height of the vehicle.



As someone who does go off road and into the mud, anything bigger than a Tacoma/ Wrangler Unlimited / 4 Runner / is just too heavy. They sink. And they are too large for it.

The proper use of a pickup in off roading is to tow the off road vehicle *to* the venue.

I have some friends who do trail rides and rock cralwing in full size vehicles. Definitely interesting to watch the 500 point turns. Body damage is a must.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88


As someone who does go off road and into the mud, anything bigger than a Tacoma/ Wrangler Unlimited / 4 Runner / is just too heavy. They sink. And they are too large for it.

The proper use of a pickup in off roading is to tow the off road vehicle *to* the venue.

I have some friends who do trail rides and rock cralwing in full size vehicles. Definitely interesting to watch the 500 point turns. Body damage is a must.


+1

I always laugh when I see these lifted mega cab long bed trucks with "off road ready" decals on them. That truck will never be able to go off road except maybe the sand dunes or an airport tarmac for turning around.
 
Originally Posted By: TexasVaquero
Man, if the Hilux gas and diesel made it to the US, the f150 and silverado would be rekt


I doubt it. You still have many fanboys who claim they only "buy American" and refuse to buy the Tundra which is made in Texas.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: TexasVaquero
Man, if the Hilux gas and diesel made it to the US, the f150 and silverado would be rekt


I doubt it. You still have many fanboys who claim they only "buy American" and refuse to buy the Tundra which is made in Texas.


The funny thing is that almost every hillbilly truck with a flag post attached to the truck I see is a Toyota, ranging from a run down Toyota PU from the 80's to a shiny Tundra.
 
I think some of you guys missed what the article was trying to get across--the trend for WHEELS getting bigger and bigger. It's not talking about big offroad mudder tires at all.

I see it here in my area in a big way where someone will take a 1/2 or 3/4 ton pickup or SUV and put ridiculous looking 20" or larger wheels on it with 50 series or lower profile tires.

The thing is, I don't think this trend is limited to light trucks at all. I see it happening on cars too, from grocery-getters to '60s muscle cars. It should be a felony to mount blingy 18" wheels on a '69 Z-28.
 
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Idjits all of them. Its a fashion with no practicality whatsoever. Charlie's '46 Ford 5 tonner ran off road on bald 6.50 X 20s on front and 7.50 X 20 duals on the back. A reel honest to goodness beast of burden. Trust me, you would be far better served running a 235 or 265 75 15 or 16 on your commuter truck. Despite the fact that these are factory, the suspension would be enhanced in ride quality and durability with more tire and less wheel. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm, an old buzz kill. The neatest wheels I've seen lately is on the Beetles with a chrome ring and dish hubcaps that evoke a '66 Bug.
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: Miller88


As someone who does go off road and into the mud, anything bigger than a Tacoma/ Wrangler Unlimited / 4 Runner / is just too heavy. They sink. And they are too large for it.

The proper use of a pickup in off roading is to tow the off road vehicle *to* the venue.

I have some friends who do trail rides and rock cralwing in full size vehicles. Definitely interesting to watch the 500 point turns. Body damage is a must.


+1

I always laugh when I see these lifted mega cab long bed trucks with "off road ready" decals on them. That truck will never be able to go off road except maybe the sand dunes or an airport tarmac for turning around.

I'm sure you didn't mean it this way but if you get a chance Google mega cab long bed .the Dodge Mega Cab only comes in a short bed but people extend the frames and put long beds on them it is one heck of a truck
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: Miller88


As someone who does go off road and into the mud, anything bigger than a Tacoma/ Wrangler Unlimited / 4 Runner / is just too heavy. They sink. And they are too large for it.

The proper use of a pickup in off roading is to tow the off road vehicle *to* the venue.

I have some friends who do trail rides and rock cralwing in full size vehicles. Definitely interesting to watch the 500 point turns. Body damage is a must.


+1

I always laugh when I see these lifted mega cab long bed trucks with "off road ready" decals on them. That truck will never be able to go off road except maybe the sand dunes or an airport tarmac for turning around.
I'm in that boat-the Dodge is FAR too nose heavy to even try off roading it, that's the XJ's job.
 
The bigger wheels and less sidewall must achieve better fuel economy, or why would the OEMs go that route?
13 Matrix: 215/45/18, 18X8" wheels.
13 SLT 1500: 265/60/20 20X9" wheels
11 2500 Dmax: 275/65/20 (11x34") summer tires on stock 20X8.5" and winter tires on 20X9" wheels.
 
Originally Posted By: userfriendly
The bigger wheels and less sidewall must achieve better fuel economy, or why would the OEMs go that route?
13 Matrix: 215/45/18, 18X8" wheels.
13 SLT 1500: 265/60/20 20X9" wheels
11 2500 Dmax: 275/65/20 (11x34") summer tires on stock 20X8.5" and winter tires on 20X9" wheels.


I think marketing. A lot of the population looks at a car, and does not consider service ease or many technical aspects. They look at, its got blue tooth, WiFi and blingy big wheels.

Just look at the current crop of chevy truck ads, any mention of towing ability, or engine durability, no, its got wifi and it looks mean.
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: Miller88


As someone who does go off road and into the mud, anything bigger than a Tacoma/ Wrangler Unlimited / 4 Runner / is just too heavy. They sink. And they are too large for it.

The proper use of a pickup in off roading is to tow the off road vehicle *to* the venue.

I have some friends who do trail rides and rock cralwing in full size vehicles. Definitely interesting to watch the 500 point turns. Body damage is a must.


+1

I always laugh when I see these lifted mega cab long bed trucks with "off road ready" decals on them. That truck will never be able to go off road except maybe the sand dunes or an airport tarmac for turning around.
I'm in that boat-the Dodge is FAR too nose heavy to even try off roading it, that's the XJ's job.


My Cherokee is the off road toy in my fleet. The F-350 tows it to the off road park. Or if I drive the XJ somewhere and it can't get home, then I drag it back with the truck.

Wish I had the truck on long-term borrow the day the Jeep went for a swim ...
 
it's all about looks. period. if people actually 'wheeled the things, they'd know better.

We have two s60 sedans - one with factory 15s and another with factory 16s. the 16s look better and fill the well better. but the 15s give it a bank-vault feel, less upset and rattled by cracks and bumps. The only driving advantage to the 16s happen when you're putting serious english into the drive and working the chassis. the 16s settle faster, whereas you spend more time anticipating and correcting for body movement with the 15s. And rarely do I ever flog a vehicle like that.

I do prefer 17s on my truck than 16s with 265-70 tires. It doesn't track quite as accurately with 16s which doesn't really do much for me when towing. Technically I should use a 65 series with the 17" rim and that would help a little more, but those tires look goofy small under the big wheel wells in the tundra.

I 'wheeled with the same - 265-70/17 in a WK a few years back. They were fine for moderate trails where massive airing down wasn't required. I wanted 16 steelies but the brakes wouldn't allow without spacers, and I'm not a spacer guy. I wouldn't dared have gone larger-- not enough give.

-m
 
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Originally Posted By: SubLGT
http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/2017...-and-popularity


another excerpt:

Quote:
"That (LT wheel) category has been growing in the U.S. exponentially. I would say we've seen a healthy increase on that probably in the last eight to 10 years," said The Wheel Group's Mr. Podlovits.

"We got four different brands that cater to Jeep and light truck. So we've increased the number of designs significantly, along with fitments as well. "So we've opened up our fitment base to accommodate everything from a stock vehicle to a leveled vehicle all the way up to a lifted truck or what we would consider an extreme-lift, which is where you get to these over-sized wheels of 12- to 14-inches wide and up to 26-inch in diameter," he said.


A 26" wheel on a pickup truck?! Has anyone seen it, on the street?
 
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/2017...-and-popularity


another excerpt:

Quote:
"That (LT wheel) category has been growing in the U.S. exponentially. I would say we've seen a healthy increase on that probably in the last eight to 10 years," said The Wheel Group's Mr. Podlovits.

"We got four different brands that cater to Jeep and light truck. So we've increased the number of designs significantly, along with fitments as well. "So we've opened up our fitment base to accommodate everything from a stock vehicle to a leveled vehicle all the way up to a lifted truck or what we would consider an extreme-lift, which is where you get to these over-sized wheels of 12- to 14-inches wide and up to 26-inch in diameter," he said.


A 26" wheel on a pickup truck?! Has anyone seen it, on the street?


I was at a tire store yesterday, and saw a stock height Chevy Silverado with what I was told were 30" wheels, and what looked like black rubber bands for tires. I thought it looked ridiculous, especially with the stock brakes which look tiny in comparison.

But if people want to risk bending a wheel when hitting a discarded cigarette butt at speed, more power to them.
 
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