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17" vs. 18" wheels

SROC3

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I'm thinking of upgrading my wheels soon - but keep thinking that 18s would look nicer.....But at what cost?
- Comfort loss going from 17s to 18s?
- Decrease of Off Roading capabilities?
- etc......

I'm likely not doing any major rock climbing/crawling stuff, but do want to retain most of the Bronco's off-Roading prowess :)

I'm choosing between the KMC Recon (Satin Black) or the ICON Alloys Thrust (Silver/Alloy color)
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Southern Girl

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I wish I had 17" wheels, but I can't find any I like that don't have a big offset. I don't need paint chips.
 

Erock

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I wish I had 17" wheels, but I can't find any I like that don't have a big offset. I don't need paint chips.
Standard badlands wheels maybe, they look really similar to yours IMO. Though I believe they are a 1/2” wider and 20mm less offset… so, all in all they should only poke 1” more than what you have now.

Keep in mind that I could be wrong, so no guarantees… lol
 

BigGarnet

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I'm thinking of upgrading my wheels soon - but keep thinking that 18s would look nicer.....But at what cost?
- Comfort loss going from 17s to 18s?
- Decrease of Off Roading capabilities?
- etc......

I'm likely not doing any major rock climbing/crawling stuff, but do want to retain most of the Bronco's off-Roading prowess :)

I'm choosing between the KMC Recon (Satin Black) or the ICON Alloys Thrust (Silver/Alloy color)
I would go 17s...better for airing down/off road, and they look better on a truck meant to be off road. More tire choices too in that segment (off road tires).
 

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2020FordRaptor

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I'm thinking of upgrading my wheels soon - but keep thinking that 18s would look nicer.....But at what cost?
- Comfort loss going from 17s to 18s?
- Decrease of Off Roading capabilities?
- etc......

I'm likely not doing any major rock climbing/crawling stuff, but do want to retain most of the Bronco's off-Roading prowess :)

I'm choosing between the KMC Recon (Satin Black) or the ICON Alloys Thrust (Silver/Alloy color)
I'd stay with 17" rims. They look better and perform better.
 

Mikey D

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I went from 18 stock OBX wheels to 17 Badlands. Liked the BL rims better. Got 295/70/17’s on . Very happy
Ford Bronco 17" vs. 18" wheels A4B1851A-D890-4891-BE39-EBF04310BB48
Ford Bronco 17" vs. 18" wheels A4B1851A-D890-4891-BE39-EBF04310BB48
Any issues with crash bars? Are those 17" rims? Nice!
 

Destroyer

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I'm thinking of upgrading my wheels soon - but keep thinking that 18s would look nicer.....But at what cost?
- Comfort loss going from 17s to 18s?
- Decrease of Off Roading capabilities?
- etc......
Neither of which is going to give you a noticeable advantage/disadvantage in anything performance related. Comfort is going to come more from the size of sidewall and PSI in the tires, and unless you're going to be running rubber band tires on either the 17 or 18 inch wheel, the comfort is going to be damn near identical. Off-road capabilities are again going to be negligible. Unless you're crawling, which you say you're not, that extra 0.5" of sidewall isn't going to matter. The capabilities are going to come more from what tire you run and how much air is in them as opposed to an extra 1" total of sidewall.
 

SeaVee

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I went with the 17 Badlands rims b/c I think they look better than the stock OBX rims. Plus a 1/2 inch wider. Took my crash bars off before the install, not sure if it was necessary.
 

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SROC3

SROC3

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Go ahead and get those 24’s you’ve been looking at. No one here would ever judge you for it. 😉
24 = NO WAY :). But I get how you would have assumed that. ;)
 

kodiakisland

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On a 4wd, rubber looks better than wheel. Bigger wheels will always look out of place on any thing classic or 4wd to me. I'd vote for staying 17.
 
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SROC3

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Neither of which is going to give you a noticeable advantage/disadvantage in anything performance related. Comfort is going to come more from the size of sidewall and PSI in the tires, and unless you're going to be running rubber band tires on either the 17 or 18 inch wheel, the comfort is going to be damn near identical. Off-road capabilities are again going to be negligible. Unless you're crawling, which you say you're not, that extra 0.5" of sidewall isn't going to matter. The capabilities are going to come more from what tire you run and how much air is in them as opposed to an extra 1" total of sidewall.
Thanks for the guidance and also pretty much exactly what my good friend here said :)
 

Lucky13!

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I had the exact same debate. Really wanted 18's but ended up going with 17's mainly due to the huge cost difference ($550 for my setup). Love the way it came out but have to say there are days I wish I had gone with the 18's.
 

Snacktime

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I wouldn't do 18s, tire selection has been shrinking. Right now the most tire options are 17s and 20s.

How big of a tire do you want? What load rating? I would do a 265/60r20 on a daily driver and you can get a fairly aggressive tire in that size P rated.
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