Is a 20” wheel too big for 100-series? (2 Viewers)

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Joined
May 4, 2018
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Location
Washington DC
Backstory:After selling my Rock Warriors to 3 great guys, I picked up a set of gently used 20” Tundra limited wheels running at least half tread of KO2s. The front tires are balanced perfectly and the tread wear is even and flat. The rear two tires have a little less tread (not by much) but have moderate cupping on the edges. PO said he had alignment issues and obviously didn’t rotate them appropriately (smh).
Current maintenance: 4 new OEM shocks (I like the softer ride), new front/rear sway bar bushings, new tie rod ends.
Current setup: 1.25” Spidertrax spacers on 275/65/r20 KO2s. I also turned the torsion bars 0.75-1” to level it out. Have not done a new alignment (didn’t think I needed to)
Symptoms: The cruiser seems to “drive itself” on the highway and around 50mph on surface roads. Feels like it’s searching for the grooves in the road. Tracks straight with no constant pulling but the wheel will “jerk” and let go based on the road slant/grooves. Feels like my cruiser is now “Herby-the love bug” and is driving ME around town. I didn’t feel it at all running the stock 16s or the RW 17s with a 285/70/17 tire.
Questions: Are the wheels too large for a 2001? Do I need to replace ball joints/control arm bushings/steering rack? I guarantee those items are from 2001. Currently have 217k miles and going!
I love the look of these wheels but just wanted to know other people’s experience with a bigger wheel and if I should be chasing suspension issues.
Thanks!

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IMO, Yes. 18" is the limit for me.
 
I got some used Pro Comp wheels cheap on craigslist after I got a smoking deal on some 275/60r20 wildpeak at3 tires. I do notice a little rougher ride and am afraid to air down lower than 14 psi, but they are easy to clean mud and snow out of and dont look too too bad.

Sorry it's so muddy. Poor thing probably wont get washed until spring.

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Play with the air pressure.

Could also get an alignment and see if there is any additional positive caster to be had....this is like adding more rake to a bicycle front fork...keeps it tracking straight better

Might just be the heavier outer rotating mass of tire letting it want to walk around, but I still vote tire pressure..might be too high.

They look damned good
 
What are you hub to fender measurements for all 4 wheels? Sounds like you don't have enough rake. I've run KO2's with all sorts of different pressures and never had that issue, my vote is the rake (which changes the caster). Adjustable control arms may be in your future if an alignment can't get you into spec (but it should)
 
I love the limited 20" wheels on the 100 series ... I'm running the same on my 98 ... Have not driven it much since its new to me and is often mid project in the garage but I have had it on the highway a little without issues ... will post back if anything comes up
 
With the increase wheel size and the spacers any Imbalance in the tire or misalignment will be magnified greatly. Everything will have to be perfect or it's not going to ride nice.
 
With the increase wheel size and the spacers any Imbalance in the tire or misalignment will be magnified greatly. Everything will have to be perfect or it's not going to ride nice.

Nope. An imbalance will not cause searching or darting, that is an alignment issue caused by the decrease in rake. The spacers being at a lower tolerance (ie, the spacer mounting surfaces are not parallel or the spacer not being perfectly round, or a material density issue) will lead to an imbalance, which can be felt, but is not going to cause the searching or darting
 
IMO 20" is too big on a 100 for off road, but OK if you just want to pimp around town. With the 20s you're going to have less sidewall and tire to absorb road imperfections.
 
Nope. An imbalance will not cause searching or darting, that is an alignment issue caused by the decrease in rake. The spacers being at a lower tolerance (ie, the spacer mounting surfaces are not parallel or the spacer not being perfectly round, or a material density issue) will lead to an imbalance, which can be felt, but is not going to cause the searching or darting
Yea I meant misalignment in this case, and any possible balance issue from the used tires in the future
 
IMO 20" is too big on a 100 for off road, but OK if you just want to pimp around town. With the 20s you're going to have less sidewall and tire to absorb road imperfections.

I agree. Even with 33 inch tall tires there really isnt enough sidewall, especially if you are driving through or around rocks. But, like I say are easy to clean out with a hose from the outside. When the tires I have on it now are done I will go back to 16" wheels though.
 
Thank you to the guys who offered suggestions. I’ll see about an alignment and let you all know. I know mere physics of pushing a larger wheel/tire will affect handling but it’s helpful to hear from guys who also are running a similar setup.
I’m not in rock-crawling country unfortunately...this is for beach cruising/fishing and dealing with the snow in NoVa/West Va. So I was willing to jump into a “mullet-style” wheel...business on the wheels and party on the tires!:cheers:
 
Oh, I forgot one minor comment. Your speedometer will off by 2 MPH faster. Meaning when it shows 60 MPH, you are really doing 62 MPH. I confirmed that with the SpeedBox software on my iPhone.
 
Thank you to the guys who offered suggestions. I’ll see about an alignment and let you all know. I know mere physics of pushing a larger wheel/tire will affect handling but it’s helpful to hear from guys who also are running a similar setup.
I’m not in rock-crawling country unfortunately...this is for beach cruising/fishing and dealing with the snow in NoVa/West Va. So I was willing to jump into a “mullet-style” wheel...business on the wheels and party on the tires!:cheers:

That’s what we are here for :)

You could swap tire/wheel combo and the handling issue will likely persist. Eager to hear how an alignment helps. They may not be able to get it in soec, with the cranked tbars and factory arms. You may need an aftermarket arm, with more adjustability
 
2cents from a newly lifter cruiser owner. When I lifted the front by cranking the torsion bars, it drove like you described. As soon as I had it aligned, all good again!
 

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