Limited trim upgrade from 20'' to 18'' TRD wheels, Ride quality

[theapoco01]

Hey guys, I am thinking of upgrading to the 18'' TRD (non-pro) wheel with +45 offset and pairing with a SL load weight tire such as :
1) Bridgestone Dueler A/T ascent in 265/70/18
2) Nitto Terra Grappler G3 in 275/70/18

My main priority is 1) ride quality/comfort on-road which would be balanced with a 2) slightly more aggressive aesthetic.
I live in DFW where there is always construction everywhere and I feel every.single.bump.
90% city/highway use and 10% dirt road/gravel driving.
No hardcore overlanding.

Anyone with a Limited Trim here upgrade their 20'' stock wheel/tire combo to a 18'' wheel and tires with thicker sidewalls? I see so many posts with SR5, OR, Sports but not a lot of input from people with Limited trims.
Is it night and day in terms of ride quality?

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[Nodak]

the wheel size is not the issue. its the type of tire you put on. what ever you can get in 18s you can get in 20s.

the wheels size only matters when you dont swap the oem tires. 20s tend to be more street oriented for comfort and quietness vs the 18s come with more off road centric types.


going aftermarket you have to decide between more on road + off road or more off road + on road


the on road are geared more for comfort + ride quality/quietness vs the off road being the opposite of the on roads.

 

[theapoco01]

the wheel size is not the issue. its the type of tire you put on. what ever you can get in 18s you can get in 20s.

the wheels size only matters when you dont swap the oem tires. 20s tend to be more street oriented for comfort and quietness vs the 18s come with more off road centric types.


going aftermarket you have to decide between more on road + off road or more off road + on road


the on road are geared more for comfort + ride quality/quietness vs the off road being the opposite of the on roads.

Ahh I see. Thanks for that information.
So I def plan to be more on-road, with its only offroad use being driving on unpaved dirt/gravel roads when out to visit my in-laws on weekends.

So what tire do you suggest for more comfort?
The only reason I went down this rabbit-hole is that I read somewhere that for a comfortable ride ( where you're not feeling all the little bumps/potholes), you need more rubber and less wheel.

I also read that given the same overall diameter, let's say 33'', the 20'' wheel/tire combo would weigh more than a 18'' wheel/tire combo. Does weight play into the comfort equation?

What do you suggest given that I would happily keep the 20'' wheels if I could just upgrade the tires and have a noticeable increase in comfort.

 

[Reef_OC]

Hey guys, I am thinking of upgrading to the 18'' TRD (non-pro) wheel with +45 offset and pairing with a SL load weight tire such as :
1) Bridgestone Dueler A/T ascent in 265/70/18
2) Nitto Terra Grappler G3 in 275/70/18

My main priority is 1) ride quality/comfort on-road which would be balanced with a 2) slightly more aggressive aesthetic.
I live in DFW where there is always construction everywhere and I feel every.single.bump.
90% city/highway use and 10% dirt road/gravel driving.
No hardcore overlanding.

Anyone with a Limited Trim here upgrade their 20'' stock wheel/tire combo to a 18'' wheel and tires with thicker sidewalls? I see so many posts with SR5, OR, Sports but not a lot of input from people with Limited trims.
Is it night and day in terms of ride quality?

I ugraded my SR5 with the TRD Pro 18" wheels and the Toyo Tires that come stock. They look awesome and ride great!

 

[Nodak]

Ahh I see. Thanks for that information.
So I def plan to be more on-road, with its only offroad use being driving on unpaved dirt/gravel roads when out to visit my in-laws on weekends.

So what tire do you suggest for more comfort?
The only reason I went down this rabbit-hole is that I read somewhere that for a comfortable ride ( where you're not feeling all the little bumps/potholes), you need more rubber and less wheel.

I also read that given the same overall diameter, let's say 33'', the 20'' wheel/tire combo would weigh more than a 18'' wheel/tire combo. Does weight play into the comfort equation?

What do you suggest given that I would happily keep the 20'' wheels if I could just upgrade the tires and have a noticeable increase in comfort.

personally i would go defender ltx ms2 or a cross climate 2 if i was looking for a street tire more than an off road.


tire rack has most tires broken down into different categories here

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/brands/bridgestone?ef_id=CjwKCAjwu9fHBhAWEiwAzGRC_2iZrpKl6TbKt_o2e5IFzqSy-mA1PR9f32dFHHeUrOjN9eq1psmO9hoCp6UQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3756!3!429404526446!e!!g!!dueler at ascent&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=54583933&gclid=CjwKCAjwu9fHBhAWEiwAzGRC_2iZrpKl6TbKt_o2e5IFzqSy-mA1PR9f32dFHHeUrOjN9eq1psmO9hoCp6UQAvD_BwE

another option is to go with dueler a/t ascent, more on road than off road but with the looks of off road

the defender is pretty much on road only tire with maybe a bit of off road, but the winter traction is top notch (since i live in ND that is where my priorities are)

 

[Doofy]

I ugraded my SR5 with the TRD Pro 18" wheels and the Toyo Tires that come stock. They look awesome and ride great!

I am doing the same with a Limited - for my winter set.

For the swap, does it also increase your overall size - about 4% bigger tire?
Any rubbing?

 

[Reef_OC]

I am doing the same with a Limited - for my winter set.

For the swap, does it also increase your overall size - about 4% bigger tire?
Any rubbing?

No rubbing at all

 

[2222CareBearStare]

the wheel size is not the issue. its the type of tire you put on. what ever you can get in 18s you can get in 20s.

the wheels size only matters when you dont swap the oem tires. 20s tend to be more street oriented for comfort and quietness vs the 18s come with more off road centric types.


going aftermarket you have to decide between more on road + off road or more off road + on road


the on road are geared more for comfort + ride quality/quietness vs the off road being the opposite of the on roads.

Wait...I thought that tires with more sidewall absorb road imperfections better and result in a more comfortable ride. If you go with a smaller wheel, you can fit larger tires with more sidewall. What am I missing?

 

[Nodak]

usually more sidewall help with impacts but the overall usability is worse using a AT or RT tire than a more street/highway oriented tire.

the block pattern on an AT/RT tire during highway/city or normal driving use is to compromising vs a street tire.

using a duratrac SL load on the 23 tundra just proves my point. the wife wants me to replace them with a better snow tire and less noise, drone, and more comfort since she no longer goes pheasant hunting and needing a RT tire.

and comparing it to my 2014 4R and the new 2025 4R, its a world of difference in noise, comfort and drivability vs using the tundra with the duratrac SL

 

[4RunnerTony]

I have the TRD Sport Premium with 20 inch TRD wheels and Nitto Ridge Grappler 275/55/R20 tires. Almost all my driving is city not off road. These tires are great, nice ride, low noise. My son has a Ford F-150 and had BF Goodrich KO2 and had lots of noise. He changed to the Nitto also and has a much more quite ride now. The only negative to the 20 inch size is you get about 1 or 2 less mpg.

 

[808runner]

My wife's Limited currently has 17x8.5 +25 Icon's with Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT SL rated 285/70r17. Ride is softer, but there is some hum from those aggressive threads. Weight combo is same as stock 265/55r20, which is about 76#. Change was made over the weekend, but happy so far. We ran my extra set from my 25 Tundra Platinum for a couple weeks, which was 20x9 +15 Raceline with 285/60r20 E rated Ko2's. That combo weighed about 102#!! and ran quieter than Baja Boss, little stiffer than stock, but was just too heavy and you can feel it both on acceleration and braking with MPG going down about 2MPG as expected (mostly city). Will see if new 17" setup will bring MPG back and a couple months.

 

[Desmolicious]

@808runner How did the AVS handle the different wheel/tire package?

 

[808runner]

Seems as though it didn't know the difference

 

[808runner]

I also have a 1" Readylift level in front, which didn't affect AVS either. FYI, the 285/60r20 Ko2' s with +15 required the 1" lift and removal of mudflaps and crash brackets (2 pcs each side). With the 285/70r17 and +25, I could replace all brackets and had to trim "bulge" off mudflaps to clear.

 

[theapoco01]

usually more sidewall help with impacts but the overall usability is worse using a AT or RT tire than a more street/highway oriented tire.

the block pattern on an AT/RT tire during highway/city or normal driving use is to compromising vs a street tire.

using a duratrac SL load on the 23 tundra just proves my point. the wife wants me to replace them with a better snow tire and less noise, drone, and more comfort since she no longer goes pheasant hunting and needing a RT tire.

and comparing it to my 2014 4R and the new 2025 4R, its a world of difference in noise, comfort and drivability vs using the tundra with the duratrac SL

My wife's Limited currently has 17x8.5 +25 Icon's with Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT SL rated 285/70r17. Ride is softer, but there is some hum from those aggressive threads. Weight combo is same as stock 265/55r20, which is about 76#. Change was made over the weekend, but happy so far. We ran my extra set from my 25 Tundra Platinum for a couple weeks, which was 20x9 +15 Raceline with 285/60r20 E rated Ko2's. That combo weighed about 102#!! and ran quieter than Baja Boss, little stiffer than stock, but was just too heavy and you can feel it both on acceleration and braking with MPG going down about 2MPG as expected (mostly city). Will see if new 17" setup will bring MPG back and a couple months.

Thank you guys for all the great information! Thank you for the weight of the stock/wheel combo @808runner . That was very helpful! I've been searching for that information.

So now, I was wondering what you guys think about dropping down to 18'' wheels and the Michelin Defender LTX MS2s in 265/70/18? It would have been nice to have that aggressive look that yall have on your 4runners, but the bumpiness on these poorly paved roads is driving me nuts. If the soccer-mom-car-aesthetics is the price I need to pay for a less bumpy on-road ride, I might have to go that route.

Buuut, if I were to still try to obtain that awesome look that yall have, what do you guys think about the Cooper Discoverer Road + Trail AT. Looks like it is in the "on road all terrain" category- meant for those who primarily drive on pavement with occasional very mild off road use.
I think it's in the same category as the Bridgestone Dueler AT Ascent that @Nodak recommended. With those, I might get to upgrade to a 33'' tire.
I just can't get over the white letters on the Dueler AT Ascents....free advertisement for Bridgestone.

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