22” vs 20” wheels

[EMTPete]

I have a 2021 Yukon Denali that came with the22” wheels as part of the ultimate package. These are by far the biggest wheels I have ever had on a vehicle. my 2015 Yukon SLThad 18” wheels in it and I had the Michelin Defender LTX tires, which rode great for me. I have been debating since I got the 2021 about swapping the 22s for OEM 20s. Has anyone on here done this and if so did you notice any difference in ride quality or have any type of issue? my regular use is primarily on-road, but spi am in area that gets snow/ice (not too much) and the roads can have some nasty potholes. Am I worrying about switching to 20” wheels for no reason?

 

[adventurenali92]

From what I have read from a large number of guys on here that run 22 inch wheels, a good tire such as the Michelin defender LTX, that 22s can ride well on a good tire platform. It is going to be a slightly harsher ride as a 22 inch wheel will have less sidewall between the tire and the road to absorb bumps and imperfections in the roads. But there are a lot of guys here that will attest to riding well on 22 inch wheels with the right tire setup.

 

[CASTLEDFW15]

I put Michelin Defender LTX with the gloss black OEM rims. Same pattern as the TX edition polished aluminum 22’s just gloss black.

 

[TrueAt1stLight]

I have a set of OEM AT4 20” take off rims I use for my off-road tires and winter setup. My Denali with 22” rode LOTS worse on the OEM Bridgestones, better (surprisingly) on a super-meaty set of 20” Duratracs and SUBLIMELY on a set of 20” Blizzak DMV-2’s. I believe the OEM 22” tires are crap on these rigs and a set of Michelins would do a lot to correct issues but just going down a rim size made a huge difference for me, even with monter lug off-road tires.

 

[the_tool_man]

I went from 20" OEM Denali wheels with Bridgestone tires to 22" OEM Escalade wheels with Michelin Defenders and didn't notice any appreciable degradation in ride quality.

 

[91RS]

I would keep the 22”s. The wheel wells are so massive now that anything smaller looks like a 17” wheels.

 

[CASTLEDFW15]

Sidebar question……..for planning……

Has anyone tried and or had any problems switching the Premier TX Edition 22“ rims/tires to a normal 20” 2021/22 Tahoe? Any fitment, suspension, clearance or handling issues? Online Calculators show very minimal profile changes as in height, width, diameter…etc…

 

[SSGUNNER]

I would keep the 22”s. The wheel wells are so massive now that anything smaller looks like a 17” wheels.

I agree with this. My RST has the OEM 22’s and ride great. Not a fan of the OEM tires though I think they are Bridgestone they ride ok but thinking about getting some Toyo AT III’s. I like that rugged look and may have more sidewall. For sure I’ll be keeping the 22 inch wheels cause anything smaller for me personally looks odd.

 

[jimgeb]

I went from 20" OEM Denali wheels with Bridgestone tires to 22" OEM Escalade wheels with Michelin Defenders and didn't notice any appreciable degradation in ride quality.

I agree with this. My RST has the OEM 22’s and ride great. Not a fan of the OEM tires though I think they are Bridgestone they ride ok but thinking about getting some Toyo AT III’s. I like that rugged look and may have more sidewall. For sure I’ll be keeping the 22 inch wheels cause anything smaller for me personally looks odd.

Fo me, there is no question that the 20" tires ride better than the 22". Would be safer also having more absorption when hitting potholes and off roading. Of course, this depends also on the quality of the tire.

 

[R32driver]

My vote is also for the 20's having a smoother ride. If the overall tire diameter is the same, the 20" rim is going to leave you with more sidewall and that equates to more cushion which equates to smoother ride