Cadillac Owners Forum banner

22 inch rims to 17 inch wheel - world of a difference in ride quality

18K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  stoveguyy 
#1 ·
Well, I just had my 22 inch wheels replaced by the chrome stock 17 inch wheels and I'm very happy about it. The ride is MUCH smoother and softer. Now it feels like a Cadillac and not a Chevy pickup truck. I can respect WHY people want huge wheels - they look great - but I need the soft ride. I liked the ride in my Fleetwood Brougham and this is now closer to that...
 
#3 ·
I guess the difference is more noticeable with the Escalade, then. Up here, it is "de rigeur" to swap out the stock rims wth gi-normous chromed behemoths as soon as the ink is dry on the paperwork for getting the Caddy Truck.

You're the first I've heard that went BACk to stockers, tho - for a very sound reason, too!!! I would dare to suggest that more would follow your lead if their ego and self esteem didn't keep geting in the way!
 
#5 ·
Haha. I'm not sure what size tires are on there now. I'll check the next time I get outside. I've been having a VERY busy day today. All I know is, the old tires were VERY low profile. And, I plan on driving the truck up to New York this Christmas - so.. Pothole city.. I'd have bent those rims all over the place...
 
#8 ·
Way to go, SAL!!!

I like a soft ride too, and I believe that stock is good!

I've owned a car with 18" rims and very low-profile tires, and it was not a pleasant experience. If the car's suspension was originally designed for that, it seems to work out okay though.
 
#9 ·
There are so many disadvantages to over sizing wheels I just don't see the point.

It completely changes the ride and handling characteristics of the vehicle. It usually goes against the way the vehicle was engineered safety wise and performance wise. It just doesn't make sense. Most of the time it makes the vehicle look stupid like a hot-wheels car or something. Going up one size increases the hydroplane factor by 10. Why would you knowingly do this.

Not to mention the pain in the ass to get the speedo correct. It's unsafe and a waste of money.

Just get some nice looking wheels in the correct size, you'll be happier and so will your car.
 
#13 ·
If you keep the same diameter as the stock tires there is no speedo correction needed. Also many aftermarket wheels are much stronger than the stock wheels, and aftermarket offers much better finishes, after all the stock wheels are made by the lowest bidder, that is how car manufacturers do it. You can get the 07' and up Escalade's from the factory with 18" wheels or 22" wheels. I do agree that some people make their cars and trucks look stupid by some of their choices.
 
#11 ·
That's just about right for that car.

The goal for most of these people is to make their car look like an old buckboard wagon from a shoot-em-up western movie.

There's an '84 Cutlass 4-door around here with 22" rims on it. I have no idea how they did it, but I'm sure the car can't turn very sharply because I've seen him try.

I would think there is some kind of inspection the car would have to pass to be road-worthy. If you can't turn within a certain radius it should fail.
 
#16 ·
hey lord, what exactly are you driving? you say truck? going from 22" to 17" is a big deal but you probably reduced your wheel weight by 50%. big rims are heavy. the comments here are also jumping back and forth between cars and trucks. a 20" rim on a car is much different than a 20" on a truck.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top