[brossow]

Originally Posted by mentlmidget

GUYS! please remember that going to a 20" wheel combo is going to be double, if not triple the weight per wheel. Braking distance IS INCREASED. Before ordering all the brake hardware, think about increasing the rotor diameter, which would also include a different caliper/spindle setup. I am all for the GO GO GO, but we also need to STOP STOP STOP.
I didn't think there was going to be that much of a difference from the 15" 165/50/15 combo I had until I went out to do this measuring. Holy cow was that wheel heavy. I am a school teacher who used to work at a few tire shops in my younger years. I equal the weight to about a split rim set up for a box truck. Maybe not quite that bad, but heavy enough.

I AM looking into getting a bigger brake combo for my rig.

Just keep the longer stopping distance in mind.

Let's not get into a panic here. Do you upgrade your brakes if you're going to have a passenger in your vehicle? Didn't think so. The rims weigh more, but the tires weigh less. And we're talking about a 2-ton vehicle, not a 500-pound motorcycle. Yes, there's a difference in rotational mass, but overall the weight difference is negligible in the big scheme of things on a vehicle this size. (If you want to do the math, an increase in rotational mass equates to about a 10x increase in static mass -- for example, adding 40 lbs at the wheels is roughly the same as adding 400 lbs of cargo.) If your braking system is so close to its limits that the weight of the wheels means life or death, you've got bigger problems than wheel selection.

I agree that brakes need to be a MUCH higher priority than just about anything else on a vehicle. But I don't see adding a few pounds per corner as something that necessitates a $2000 brake upgrade. IMHO, of course.

Brent